For the People Chapter 43
"All right," Kate declares, standing at the head of the conference table. "We're looking at two controlling statutes, 460.20, Enterprise Corruption, and 496.02, Corrupting the Government. We'll be folding in accepting bribes, bribery, abuse of power, and making false and misleading statements under those general umbrellas, but I won't need much to show probable cause to the grand jury. I'll be calling Captain Gates to introduce some of the documentary evidence. And I want to call Lindsey Graupel too. That will keep him from trying to waffle at the trial. I'll make it very clear to him that if he tries to backtrack on what he tells the grand jury, he'll be subject to perjury charges.
"So while I'm getting Brooks indicted, I need you to research any citations that apply and organize the subject matter and exhibits we'll need to question each witness at trial. I'm looking at calling Captain Gates first, so start with how her duties in Internal Affairs gave her standing to investigate Brooks. If we can't establish that, Brooks' attorneys could try to petition to get her work thrown out. I don't see any judge falling for that, but we'll have to be ready. Vu, I want you and Garcia and Cambridge on that. Itzen, I want you to concentrate on whatever we get from Graupel. We'll add to what we have now, depending on what he says to the grand jury. Green, you'll be supporting Itzen.
"The grand jury is only meeting for two days this week, and they'll be in tomorrow. With any luck, I should be able to secure an indictment then. Since I won't be calling Brooks, his attorney can't be present. I don't believe Gates will want one but Graupel will. Normally an attorney would caution him to take the Fifth, but if he does, his deal goes out the window. So I don't expect that to be an issue, but we want to be prepared in case it happens, and we have to make a case without him. So Itzen, Green, until we know what Graupel gives us, stay loose. Are we set?"
"If Graupel does take the Fifth to the grand jury, how soon will you let me know?" Itzen asks.
"As soon as I can," Kate promises, "hopefully with a three-word text. But as you all are very aware, grand jury proceedings are secret, so we'd have to keep that information under wraps. We don't want Brooks' or Graupel's attorneys crying foul and filing motions to dismiss or exclude." Kate checks her watch. "Five-thirty, not bad, not bad at all. Anything else?" The room is silent. "Great. Have a good night. I'll be going straight to the grand jury tomorrow, and I'll check in with you the minute I can."
"So tomorrow's the big day?" Rick asks, "or should I say the grand day?"
"If you mean the grand jury, yes, but…." Kate makes a locking motion in front of her lips.
"Yeah, I know. Grand jury, hush, hush. So, suppose I put a couple of steaks on the grill, and we talk about my case?"
"Your case?"
"Well, mine and Lily's."
Kate rolls her eyes. "OK, Babe, I give up. What are you talking about?"
"Let me get the steaks going, and I'll tell you."
Savory aromas rise, and sizzling fills the air. Kate grasps a handful of Rick's well-rounded behind as he stands at the grill pan. "Give! What case?"
"The exploding garbage truck, or more precisely the underlying cause of the phenomenon."
"What? Did you manage to weasel a copy of the lab report?"
"No such luck. Reynolds plays his cards close to his vest. Also, Lanie's my only contact with the lab now, and since no one died, she's not privy to the information. So, I looked into the bigger picture. The families have been operating some of the hazardous waste disposal in the city, but they aren't gouging too badly because they like to keep their customers in business. Also, they use those enterprises for their own purposes. But a new player came to town, bought up the other providers, and jacked up the prices. It's all in the public records if you know where to look, and I've been channeling Rook long enough now to hit up the right sources.
"The big players, the chemical and pharmaceutical companies just passed the extra costs on to consumers – as usual. But the little guys, restorers, refinishers, cleaners, all kinds of businesses that use flammable or explosive stuff, can't do that and keep their customer bases. So they've had to find other ways – like sneaking things into dumpsters."
"So the root of the problem is whoever bought up the waste disposal companies and priced the services out of reach for smaller businesses," Kate realizes.
Rick nods vigorously as he turns the steaks. "Exactly."
"Do you have a handle on who they are?"
"So far, just that they are foreign interests. The ownerships are concealed in the usual layers of shells and mail-drop corporations."
Kate presses her fingertips against her bottom lip. "I don't know, Babe, but we could be looking at two different ends of the same case, in terms of promoting the actions of foreign actors."
"Were there any hazardous waste companies on your radar?" Rick asks.
"Not that I recall, but they might be subsidiaries. And the hazardous waste thing may be a nasty example of awful but lawful, at least on the part of the companies that handle it. We can't hold them responsible if their victims resort to illegal behavior rather than pay for service. But if anything pops up, I'll let you know. You just have to keep a lid on it until the trial's over."
"I'm well aware of the restrictions, Kate. You've made them excruciatingly clear. Still, there's nothing to keep me from continuing to poke around on my own. And speaking of over, these steaks will be done in a couple of minutes. Do you want to get started on a salad? It should time out about right while our red meat preserves its juices with a beauty rest. I have a new collection of greens in the fridge. The vendors are popping up like Spring flowers and Lily seems to enjoy exploring all of them with me. Fortunately, that's as much adventure as she's had since the truck blew up."
Kate dumps handfuls of greens into a salad spinner. "I think we can save the bigger adventures for when she can walk and talk."
"When you're that size, everything is a big adventure. The shame of it is that's a joy we lose when we grow up."
"Except for you," Kate teases as she cranks the salad-makings dry.
Rick slaps the steaks onto a platter. "Are you implying that I never grew up? I top you by five inches."
"Four and a half. You always round up. More evidence that you never lost your inner child. But then, that's one of the things I love about you. Somehow, you can always see things in a new way, and take off in unexpected directions."
"And you ground me enough to keep me from acting completely off the wall – the yin to my yang. Whether you're a cop or a lawyer, we fit Kate." Rick's brows dance. "And if Lily sleeps through the night again, maybe we can fit together in more than the metaphorical sense."
"How much did you tire her out today?"
Rick winks. "As much as I possibly could."
