For the People Chapter 21
The look Bracken throws Kate as he's brought shackled into the courtroom seems more affectionate than hostile. That makes a weird kind of sense since appearing at the trial is actually a break from his incarceration. Still, it's creepy. She's glad Rick can't see it from his seat with the other observers. He resents it even when ordinary human beings regard her that way. And while she often gets a kick out of Rick's tendency toward jealousy, right now she doesn't need the distraction of an angry husband. She has enough anger of her own to keep under control.
Fortunately, Shapiro will be questioning the opening witnesses and introducing documentary evidence. That will include Dick Coonan's financials and what Bracken's earnings should have been as a DA. Kate will take over with Dr. Death, Charles Murray, who'll outline how he developed the forensic connection between Johanna Beckett's stabbing and that of the others working with her on the Joe Pulgatti case. Pulgatti's frame was linked to Bracken's coverup of the extortion scheme carried out by cops under his control. She'll have to develop the evidence carefully, making sure the jury understands the direct connection between Bracken and the dirty cops. That would be a lot easier if Detective John Raglan and his partner McCallister were still alive to testify. But Raglan was taken out by Lockwood's bullet, and McCallister met a suspicious end in prison. Still, the paper trail, complete with altered documents, remains. She and Shapiro just have to make sure the jury can follow it.
Kate still shudders a bit at the thought of having to introduce the model of the blade Dr. Murray produced by computerized tomography. But it won't hurt for the jury to see her discomfiture. If anything, painful as it will be, it will help make her case. If she has to lock herself in a stall in the ladies' room for a good cry later, that will be all right. Curling up in Rick's arms after court would be even better if she makes it that long. Dr. Burke made it clear that there's nothing wrong with experiencing her feelings of grief and anger as long as she doesn't allow them to sabotage her.
Shapiro, while taking pains not to put the jury to sleep, is making sure that no detail the defense can hang its hat on slips through the cracks. Bracken, whose ill-gotten gains are frozen, is forced to depend on a court-appointed lawyer instead of a high-powered and pricey team of attorneys. Still, the lawyer who drew the case, Robert Donnellan, is both determined and charismatic. He'll provide Bracken with more than competent defense. In a way, that's a positive for the prosecution. It will keep Bracken from being able to file an appeal based on inadequate counsel. No doubt that was what Judge Judith Kitteridge had in mind when she made her appointment. Like most judges, she hates having her rulings overturned, especially the high-profile ones.
Judge Kitteridge adjourns the court for lunch at noon before Kate has a chance to call Murray to the stand. As the trial is apparently going according to plan Shapiro puts aside conferring with Kate in favor of lunch with a senatorial staffer. Kate gratefully meets up with Rick.
With too many reporters surrounding the courthouse for them to grab their favorite outdoor bench, the couple retreats to a witness room where Rick opens a small, insulated carrier. "We'll have to eat with plastic," he explains. "There's no way I could get decent flatware past the metal detectors. Still, we should be all right. Katzenberg's brisket is guaranteed fork tender. Also, they had that mustardy potato salad you love, and of course, your pickle spears."
Kate grabs for a pickle. "I could use something with a little bite right now."
"I thought things were going pretty well. Donnellan didn't make many objections."
"Shapiro didn't give him much opportunity. But he could still come up with something. Some of those documents are old enough that the chain of custody is a little shaky. He could challenge their authenticity."
"And what happens if he gets a document or two thrown out?" Rick asks.
"Not too much at this point, but with a case this far-reaching, every link in the chain is important. If we lose too many now, we'll have a hard time connecting up what comes later. Donnellan's smart enough to realize that. He'll exploit every opening he has. Shapiro's made sure we have redundancies to fill in the chinks as much as possible, but that may set up a back and forth that could lose the jury."
"Which means you'll have to get it back when you get up there, which I doubt you'll have much trouble doing. You do draw attention, Kate."
"What I need to do is draw attention to the evidence, not me. But I've seen Dr. Murray in court before. He makes a great witness, simplifying without being condescending, kind of like the science guy on TV."
"But with less hair. As long as he doesn't try to sing opera, you'll be fine."
"Murray sings opera?"
"Usually only after some excellent Chianti. When he was consulting on my Storm books, he regaled Mother and me with Questa O Quella. Very jaunty, but I don't know if it would be to Judge Kitteridge's liking. Actually, I don't think Mother was that taken with his offering either. She started calling him Dr. Death after his performance."
Kate giggles. "I'll make sure he keeps to the spoken word."
Rick reaches for her hand. "A smile. That's better. And your eyes are sparkling green the way they do sometimes when – never mind. You're going to do great, Kate. Bracken will be up there with the villains of all time. I mean even if one charge doesn't stick, there are so many."
"And all of those lost lives deserve justice. But…."
"But as evenhanded as you'd like that justice to be, the one life you care most about is Johanna Beckett."
"Yeah. I have to make sure I nail Bracken for my mother's murder."
"And you will, Kate. Whatever it takes, you will."
As Kate expected, Robert Donnellan challenges Clark Murray with the original ME reports attributing the death of Johanna Beckett and the others working with her, to random violence. Murray patiently explains that at the time, the technology didn't exist to connect them, which is why he reached a different conclusion. Much as Kate wouldn't normally wish for anyone's death – with at least one notable exception – she's glad that the original ME passed away. Since Donnellan can't put him on the stand to defend his work, Dr. Murray's has a much better chance of standing. Murray's thoroughly charmed the jury anyway.
When Murray finally steps down, Judge Kitteridge calls a short recess to give the jury a break. Shapiro and Kate retreat to a small chamber. "Murray's testimony went well. He did a good job," Shapiro declares.
"Murray did do a good job," Kate agrees. "But he only proved that all those murders were committed by one person. That was Dick Coonan, and he's dead. We still have to get the jury to buy into our narrative about Bracken hiring Coonan for those specific acts. The proof of that via the account transfers isn't going to be easy. Donnellan can question it every step of the way, especially the politics involved with obtaining some of the information. He can also claim Senator Melendez had it in for Bracken, and he wouldn't be far from the truth."
"Whatever the politics involved, the transactions are the transactions, Beckett," Shapiro insists. "They tell their own story. We will make the jury see that. You will make the jury see that."
"Yes, Sir. I will."
