For the People Chapter 12

Kate rolls a bit of melt-in-your-mouth beef over her tongue. "This is great. But when you make something like a pot roast it's usually because you're busy and don't want to have to watch it. So what have you been up to?"

Rick spears a baby carrot. "I've been looking into Flipvol."

"On social media?'

"Some. But most of the non-official postings are from disgruntled employees. I have no way to tell what's legitimate disclosure of wrongdoing and what's pissed-off hyperbole. Ooh! Try saying that five times fast. But anyway, I was slogging through the SEC filings."

Kate's nose wrinkles. "Ugh! One of my least favorite things at law school."

"I don't blame you. But they have their advantages. The company can lie its head off in press releases and on Facebook or Twitter. But if it tries it on the official documents, someone can end up in prison. Still, I don't see most investors reading them. Usually, I pay my business manager to do that. And if many buyers did, they might not touch a lot of popular stocks with a ten-foot pole. But Flipvol's filings are very interesting. And their audited statements are even more interesting. The corporation pours tons of money into non-profits like The Living Creation Society. It takes tax deductions for that. But those are actually investments that take the place of lobbying, which isn't deductible. So spreading the fairytales about God wanting people to burn fossil fuels boosts profits in multiple ways. And since Imus got involved with the LCS, they barely have to spend much on him at all. They supported his reelection, but he didn't have a credible opponent. He enthusiastically spews what he believes comes to him from on high – but originates from the bowels of the Earth. And Flipvol isn't just fracking for oil and gas, they're fracking over the world."

"So how are you going to put all that into a book?"

"I'm going to contrast Imus' behavior before and after his crash and highlight his involvement with LCS, including his close relationship with Flipvol. I'll shine sunlight on Flipvol's use of organizations like LCS and pull in some expert information from scientists on the destruction that it wreaks and will continue to wreak on our climate. I may get Alexis to help me with that last part. You know how involved she's been with the various green movements."

"Yeah. Actually, last Christmas, she gave me some great workout clothes made from hemp. And she tucked in a note with the URL of a website about sustainable shopping."

"Uh-huh, she put that URL in my stocking, along with hemp socks. And last week she called to make sure I sent off my contribution to Sanity through Sustainable Energy."

"It sounds like you may have a co-author," Kate teases.

"Let's not get carried away. And she's busy trying to decide on a grad school. However, I fully intend to gratefully and glowingly acknowledge any assistance she can render. But back to the bumps in your road to the prosecutorial hall of fame. Is Shapiro still planning to close tomorrow?"

"He is. But we get the final word after Kaplowitz does his tap dance. So Shapiro may consult with me on that. I think the whole thing may be over by noon and Judge Willis will let the jury deliberate on a full stomach."

"That would be a tough break," Rick asserts. "They'd probably be meaner on an empty one. I know you would be."

Kate lightly kicks his shin under the table.

"Um, any interest in dessert?"

"What have we got?"

"Death by chocolate, my recipe, not Mother's."

"Whew! Thank God!"

"You know, we could go out tonight," Rick suggests.

"With court starting at nine am tomorrow?"

"We don't have to stay out late. But it could clear your mind, get it off Shapiro. We could go to a movie or something and be out in plenty of time to climb into bed."

"I will need to actually sleep, Rick."

"Which should be easier if you're not obsessing about the closings tomorrow."

"You may have a point," Kate concedes. "What's playing?"

Rick pulls out his phone. "Let's have a look. How about 'Guardians of the Galaxy?' I have some of the old comics. It should be about as far from reality as we can get."

"Is that the one with the talking badger that flies a spaceship?"

"It's a raccoon. And there's a talking tree-thing too."

"It sounds like 'The Wizard of Oz' on acid. All right, let's go – as soon as I finish with my chocolate."

"Absolutely."


At a few minutes past noon, Rick meets Kate on a bench by the hot dog vendor. "Yossi's got those big soft pretzels today. You want one?"

Kate presses a hand to her abdomen. "I don't think I can eat anything right now. I'm too nervous about the verdict. I just wanted some air."

"Discounting that this is New York City, home to about two million vehicular tailpipes, air you've got. ZNN is still on the shooting, so I didn't see the closings. How did they go?"

"All right, I think. Shapiro hammered on the fact Baird was caught in a lie on the stand. He kept pushing the legal precept that a witness who willfully falsifies one matter is not credible in any matter. I don't think that landed by itself, but then he pointed out that everything Lauren Amell said was backed up by other testimony and Baird didn't just lie about raping her, he lied about raping a thirteen-year-old girl. I was watching the jury on that one. They looked pretty disgusted."

"With Baird or Shapiro?"

"Baird, I hope. But Kaplowitz pointed out that no matter what the jury might think about the alleged rape of the girl, there was no hard proof that Baird raped Lauren Amell. He admitted they had sex, which accounted for the DNA. But there was no witness to a rape. It is Baird's word against Lauren's, which leaves reasonable doubt.

Then Shapiro came back with Lauren having a history of truthfulness, backed up by her contemporaneous declarations to her friends. Even before the rape of the girl came up, Baird lied on the stand about knowing Lauren Amell. Shapiro stressed that Baird is a proven liar and that any doubt he might have raised about Lauren's story is far from reasonable. The jury has every reason to find Baird guilty and no reason to doubt Lauren Amell."

"That would convince me," Rick offers.

"But you're biased toward the prosecution."

Rick leans in for a kiss. "That I am – very biased. Hey, you'll get a call or a text or something if anything comes up with the jury, won't you?"

"Yes."

"So, you want to take a walk? Maybe you'll build up an appetite for something savory."

"Rick, are you referring to one of Yossi's kosher delights?"

"For now, yeah."


Rick looks up from his laptop as Kate wanders into his office. "Still no word on a verdict?"

"There won't be until at least tomorrow. The jury stopped deliberations for the night. I don't like it, Rick. If the jury could see that Lauren was telling the truth, they should have come up with a verdict by now. There must be someone on that jury who believes Baird. I think it might be juror number nine. She was looking at Baird like he was some kind of rock star or something. He may have bamboozled her."

"If that's the case, then maybe the other jurors can unbamboozle her. But you're going to drive yourself crazy worrying about it. You want some of that red wine you love?"

Kate drapes herself across Rick's thighs. "How about a more personal distraction?"

Rick grins. "You've got it."