For the People Chapter 18

"Are you all right, Kate?" Rick asks anxiously.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I've waited so long for the chance to hold Bracken accountable for everything he did beyond one murder. I can't believe this is coming up now while I'm waiting for a verdict on Lazeroff."

"You'll have time, Kate. It takes Senate committees a while to schedule hearings, and they'll probably let you testify at your convenience, whatever that works out to be."

"Yeah, Babe, I get that," Kate acknowledges. "It's just – Damn! I don't know."

"Are you in your office? You want me to come to be with you?" Rick asks.

"I may need to go back to court any second if there's a verdict."

"That's not a huge change of direction. I can be wherever you need me to be, Kate. Just let me know."

"OK. Unless I text you there's a verdict, I'll be in my office trying to go through paperwork on other cases."

"All right. See you soon."


Rick knocks softly on the frame of Kate's office door. "Still no verdict?"

"No. But I got a tip-off from a court watcher. No one's gone to get lunch for the jury. If they think they're getting close and want to go home, they may not have ordered one. So it could be any minute."

Rick pulls up a chair next to Kate and reaches for her hand. "So what's weighing more on that sharp mind of yours, the verdict, or testifying about Bracken?"

"If I let myself think too much about Bracken, then I feel like I'm not being fair to Espo and his grandmother."

"I understand. But you didn't answer my question," Rick points out.

Kate startles as her phone dings a text. "It's moot now. The jury's ready to come back."

Rick springs from his seat. "Then let's go."

Judge Gleason's eyes scan the report from the jury before she confers it back to them. "Mr. Foreperson, has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have, Your Honor."

"What say you?"

"On the charge of aggravated assault, we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of robbery, we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of rape in the first degree, we find the defendant guilty."

"So say you one, so say you all?" Gleason queries.

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Very well. The jury is dismissed with the thanks of the court. The defendant is remanded into custody to await sentencing at Rikers Correctional Complex. Sentencing will take place one month hence on October 30. Please enter any pre-sentencing motions promptly."

"Intent to appeal, Your Honor," Wittenbros announces.

Gleason nods. "Noted, Mr. Wittenbros. Court adjourned."


Rick and Kate settle with two soft pretzels on their bench near Yossi's hotdog cart. "You beat Wittenbros and nailed Lazeroff," Rick declares. "You should be proud, Kate."

Kate breaks off a loop of her twisty snack. "Wittenbros plans to appeal."

"I heard. But do you really think he has a chance?"

"Probably not. He'd have to point to some judicial error or mishandling of the case. Judge Gleason is known for being careful and adhering strictly to procedures. In all her years on the bench, I don't believe she's had a verdict overturned. But Wittenbros doesn't have a reputation for losing, either. He'll do whatever he can for Lazeroff."

"As long as the Bratva keeps paying him," Rick suggests.

"Yes, He doesn't work for free."

"It would seem to me that Wittenbros embarrassed them by allowing evidence to come forward that exposed a Russian hacking connection – worse, a screwed up one. They might cut him loose, or just cut."

"Do you think he's in danger?" Kate questions.

"I don't know. They may not want to tip their hand any more than it's already been tipped. But they won't want this boondoggle to stay in the public eye either. They may, um, strongly advise Wittenbros to minimize any further attention to himself or Lazeroff. I wouldn't want to see him try to collect any unpaid bills, either. But still, if he needs security, he can more than afford to hire it. According to what I read about him, he made more than a million from just defending TV Bachelor Ron Raffnet after he drove his monster truck into another car and killed the driver. Wittenbros won that case by creating reasonable doubt that the brakes failed."

Kate taps her fingers against her bottom lip. "I remember. Wittenbros found a witness that contradicted the forensic analyst who said the brakes were fine."

"Two bad the prosecutor in that case didn't have a mechanic equivalent of Asher," Rick comments. "I'd suggest that this time around Wittenbros lay down with dogs and woke up with fleas, but it would be a gross insult to both canines and fleas. Still, that's his problem. I'm more concerned with you. How are you feeling now about being called to testify in DC?"

"Better. Actually, I think I'm getting a little excited about it. I can use everything I learned as a cop and as a prosecutor to describe exactly what he did and why he should be held accountable. Punishment for one crime shouldn't imbue him with immunity from facing charges for the rest. If nothing else, the public needs to know what he did, to prevent anyone from trying to repeat it in the future. Creating a narrative for the Ethics Committee will be a step toward holding Bracken responsible for all his reprehensible acts."

"Very prosecutorial-sounding, Kate," Rick judges. "But don't get too carried away worrying about every word. What you say will mostly pop up in articles for political wonks and be carried on C-Span. Last I checked, it's the 79th most popular network. Not exactly a star maker."

Kate's fist crushes a piece of pretzel back into dough. "I'm not looking to be a star, Rick. You're the one who can banter with Kimmel. I just want to bring enough pressure to bear to put Bracken in front of a judge and jury again – for everything. Back when he hired Dick Coonan to murder my mother, there weren't any social media. If something didn't make the seven o'clock news or the front page, most people didn't know about it. You didn't write serious books, either. But now your Bracken book is out there, and one way or another, almost everyone will know how corrupt, unscrupulous, and pure evil a person like Bracken can be. And maybe that knowledge will stop the next one."

Rick thumbs a coarse salt crystal from Kate's bottom lip. "From your mouth to God's ears. So what now? You want to take a walk or maybe get something more fortifying than a pretzel?"

"No, I want to go back to work. I have a stack of case files on my desk, and I have to figure out what to do about every one of them. And if something's a close call, I may have to check it with Shapiro."

"Are you going to make it back for a home-cooked dinner tonight? Or we can go out anywhere you'd desire."

"I'd desire to stay home, but you can use a night off as much as I can. You shouldn't have to cook. Why don't we order in, ribs and chicken with sweet and spicy sauce?"

Rick's eyebrows ripple. "Can I lick the sauce from your lips?"

"That would be the best part of the meal."

"Including chocolate cheesecake for dessert?"

"Absolutely."