For the People Chapter 13
The chocolate chip smile on the pancakes Rick made for her is dimly reflected in Kate's expression. "Still on edge about the verdict?" he asks, handing her a glass of orange juice.
"Uh-huh. I don't think the jury will be starting deliberations again until at least nine this morning, and who knows how much longer it could take."
"So what are you going to be doing in the meantime besides chewing on your lip?"
"The usual ADA stuff. You know about 95% of cases plead out instead of going to trial. I'll be meeting with defense counsels and making deals."
"Your least favorite part of the job."
"It depends. I hate the thought of giving a break to some slimeball who'll be ripping off little old ladies again the minute he's back on the street. But there are kids who grow up in circumstances where they have to join a gang to survive. I attempt to see that they get some kind of a chance to shake loose, especially for a first offense. I try to look at every defendant as a person rather than a drug dealer or a car thief."
Rick leans across the counter for a kiss. "I think I love you even more for that, Kate. But with the caseload you and the other ADAs have, how long do you think you'll be able to keep that up?"
"As long as it takes to deliver some kind of justice. Otherwise, what's the point of doing it at all? Come on, Rick. You could have kept on churning out Storms or Heats. You probably could have done it in your sleep. But you're busting your ass on the heavy stuff now. Would you go back to making your fortune on books that passengers can finish on a plane and not think about again?"
"Assuming anyone still reads on a plane instead of downloading a movie or something. But no, you're right, Kate. In my heart, I always really wanted to be Rook. I'm not about to go back to the easy road now. While you do battle to save souls from a wasted life of crime I shall continue to toil at the keyboard. But I've set my phone to alert me for any news about a verdict. So when you return to the courtroom, I'll be pulling for you."
"Yeah, I know you will, Babe."
Judge Willis gazes at the slip of paper handed to him by the bailiff before sending it back to the jury. "Madam Foreperson, have you reached a verdict?"
"We have, Your Honor."
"Would the defendant please rise," Willis requests, and regards Baird and Kaplowitz getting to their feet. He turns back to the jury. "What say you?"
"On the charge of first-degree rape, we find the defendant guilty."
"So say you one so say you all?" Willis queries.
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Very well," Willis declares. "Members of the jury, I thank you for your service. You're dismissed. Mr. Baird, you are remanded into custody until sentencing."
"Do something, Kaplowitz!" Baird hisses as he's cuffed.
"Your Honor, the defense asks that sentencing be stayed, and the defendant remain free on bail pending appeal," Kaplowitz requests.
"Denied," Willis responds. "While awaiting sentencing, Mr. Baird will be incarcerated at Rikers Correctional Complex. The court is adjourned."
"Maybe Baird can share a cell with Collier," Kate whispers to Shapiro. "I'm sure they'll have a lot to talk about."
Shapiro jams a bobby pin back on his yarmulke. "Yes, I'll bet they will. Would you like a coffee, Ms. Beckett? I have my own special stash, certified kosher and good as anything Zabars overcharges for."
Kate grabs the handle of her briefcase. "Mr. Shapiro, I'd like that very much."
As Kate comes through the door of the loft, Rick waves her toward the table, set with fine china, silver flatware, and crystal flutes. A bottle of Dom Perignon sits in a silver ice bucket, and appetizing aromas float from cloche-covered platters on the counter. "I couldn't think of anything I could prepare that befitted your victory at this moment, so I called Q3 and got Maddie Queller to send over the best of what you like, Chicken Yankova, with, of course, all the trimmings. I don't know where she got the white asparagus you love, I couldn't find any myself, but she did. And as a final touch to the Beckett menu, her pastry chef made a Jamaican coffee cake."
"Babe, this is amazing! How did you and Maddie set it up so fast?"
"Actually, it wasn't all that fast. We conspired when you started the trial to have everything ready to go at the appropriate moment. I think Maddie's almost as proud of you as I am. And I spoke to your father. He's also bursting with pride but up to his ears in a new class action suit. So he can't make it for dinner. But he said he'd join us for coffee and dessert."
"He'd probably take a chili size over Chicken Yankova any day," Kate speculates with a giggle. "But the cake and coffee will be a hit."
Rick reaches for the chilled Champagne. "So, shall I open this while you stow your legal tools away for the evening?"
Kate stretches up for a kiss. "Go for it!"
As Kate's alarm goes off, Rick immediately sits up. "Are you going to ask him?"
"Ask who what?" Kate queries sleepily.
"Shapiro. You said that if you won your case about Baird, you'd ask him about me acting as a consultant to the DA's office, and specifically to you."
"Actually, It came up while we were having coffee after the verdict. Great coffee, by the way, kosher, you would have loved it."
"I never thought I'd hear myself say never mind the coffee, but never mind the coffee. What did you say? What did he say?"
"I told him how our partnership worked at the NYPD and that you pointed me in the right direction several times while I was investigating the Baird case. And I explained how we were limited now by confidentiality. He said that there is no reason to let you in on the everyday stuff that gets pleaded out, but if we get another big case like Baird, he'd consider it. But it may be a while, Babe. I'm still officially at the bottom of the pecking order, which means that what lands on my desk will be mostly the low-profile stuff."
Rick sighs. "I kind of expected that. By the time you dragged me in for questioning on the copycat murders you were already at the top of the 12th Precinct heap. The timing is different now. But when the next high-visibility case comes along that needs the Beckett touch, I'll be ready to spring into action. And in the meantime, I have a lot of work to do on 'In God's Name: the Ultimate Blasphemy of Big Oil.'"
"Is that what you're going to call the Imus slash Flipvol book? It's a great title."
"It is, isn't it? I just have to write a book that lives up to it. But I've already talked to Alexis. She's excited about helping me with the environmental issues. She already sent me a reading list."
"Good for her. How's she doing with picking out a grad school?"
"I think her list of possibilities is even longer than my reading list. But she'll get it done. This family always manages to push through."
"Yes," Kate agrees, "we do."
