For the People Chapter 53
Kate takes a deep breath before approaching the jury. "I spent a lot of years as a cop, on the street, and as a homicide detective. And while I was a cop, there were two things that bothered me the most. One was getting pressure from upstairs to close a case I was already working 24/7 to solve. As frustrating as that was, I could understand it. Someone, usually someone with pull, had lost a loved one. They were grieving and wanted justice. But the second thing I could never understand. I'd be working as hard as I could to get justice for a family like many of you may have, and the word came to pull back. Sometimes the powers that be, offered the budget as an excuse. Sometimes they didn't bother with an excuse, they just applied pressure. And that pressure kept ordinary families, who loved and grieved just as much as the rich and powerful, from getting the swift justice and closure they needed. That pressure didn't materialize out of thin air. It came from officials, public officials that the citizens of this city should have been able to trust. A lot of it came from McKinsey Brooks. And why did McKinsey Brooks put the brakes on solving cases? Because the answers might have led to the people stuffing his pockets. McKinsey Brooks not only abused the public trust, he caused untold misery while he did it. McKinsey Brooks is the epitome of a dirty cop.
"But most New York cops aren't dirty. They work very hard to keep you and the rest of this city safe. While McKinsey Brooks is an example of the very worst of the NYPD, Victoria Gates is an example of the best. For years, she worked tirelessly, gathering evidence to expose McKinsey Brooks for the criminal he is. She presented that evidence to you. As hard as he tried to distract you from the truth, Mr. Lowell was unable to disprove any of that evidence. The most he could do is point out that Captain Gates isn't perfect. When she was young and inexperienced she made a fleeting mistake, one that was corrected with no real harm to anyone except perhaps herself. But who has never made a mistake, especially when learning something new? I know I've made my share. I suspect that you have too. That's what training and experience are all about. We get better as we go along. And in Captain Gates' decades of experience, she learned to uncover indisputable evidence thoroughly and lawfully. You've heard that evidence. You've seen it. So that leaves you with a job to do. Go back to the jury room and convict Mr. Brooks on all charges. Deliver justice. Remove the stain from the NYPD and from this city."
"Is the jury going to deliberate tonight?" Rick asks, switching on the musical mobile over Lily's crib.
A smile creeps across Kate's features as she stares down at her rapt daughter. "No, it was past four when I delivered my rebuttal. Maynard wouldn't have had much time to instruct the jury without running past the hour she likes to adjourn for the day. And I think there is some Bar Association event for judges tonight. She might have wanted to go. So she'll be instructing the jury tomorrow morning before sending them off."
"That would make it a great evening to kick back," Rick suggests. "There's nothing more you can do about the case, is there?"
"No. Is there anything you have to do on your book?"
"Nothing pressing at the moment. I sent off some chapters to my editor at G&S, but she hasn't come back with suggested revisions yet. You've filled Lily's tummy, and the dishwasher is already going on our dinner dishes. So a night of possibilities stretches before us, and you did give me a rain check on an evening of snuggles."
"Yes, I did," Kate confirms. "What kind of snuggles did you have in mind?"
"Any kind in which you are in extremely close proximity. I do have at least a couple of weeks of Temptation Lane waiting for you. We could curl up together and watch the adventures in bedhopping."
"Right now it's adventures in defeating an evil genius who hacked the power grid and thrust the lane into darkness until the city can come up with $50 million in cryptocurrency."
"I would think that in two weeks some intrepid white hat could track the guy down and burn out his circuits," Rick mulls.
"Not on a soap," Kate points out. "They script so a viewer can watch only two or three episodes a week and still keep up. Things move slowly. But we can find out. Ooh! Do you still have that recipe for salted caramel popcorn?"
Rick grins. "That I do. And if you will prepare our nest, I will prepare our snack."
"Meet you on the couch?"
"That's a roger."
"Olivia, are you sure about this?" Granville Chester asks. "Things fell behind a little the last time the super went on vacation. That could be what's happening now."
"The last time the super went on vacation he left an emergency number for us to call. And why wouldn't the management company answer calls either?" Olivia Jefferson argues. "Look, it took us this long to set up this meeting. That's time wasted. I'm getting too old to waste any more. And you all aren't getting any younger either. If we can't find the super, we need to march down to the Black Rock management office and demand to know what's going on."
"And if they won't talk to us?" Leticia Wallis questions. "What can we do?"
"We could withhold our rents," Olivia proposes.
"Then they'd have a real reason to kick us out," Lavonne Langer reminds her.
"Then we do a sit-in," Olivia declares. "We go to that management office and set our asses down until they put things right around here."
"And what if they have us arrested?" Wallis protests. "They could put us in jail."
The handmade shawl around Olivia's thin shoulders slips as she shrugs. "Well, I don't have anywhere else to go. At least the heat would work in jail. They'd feed us, and we might even have hot water. So are you with me or are you going to sit here and let those sons of bitches force us out?"
Chester stands on rickety legs. "I say we should take a vote. All those in favor of going down to the management office raise your hands."
Hands slowly go up around the room.
"Those who say no."
A few other hands go up.
"Looks like we're taking a trip," Chester observes.
"Can everyone here manage the subway?" Olivia asks.
"My son has a van," Chester volunteers. "Maybe he can take us."
"Then Mr. Chester," Olivia responds, "you'd best give the man a call."
"This is J'net Smith with Channel 25 News," a reporter on the sidewalk outside a Brown Rock management office announces. "If you're old enough to remember the '60s, what's happening here could be a familiar sight. A group of tenants from apartments under Brown Rock management are conducting a sit-in to protest the lack of services at their building. As yet, the police have not been called to the scene, and a Brown Rock representative has declined to comment. But Olivia Jefferson, the leader of the group, says she has plenty to say. I'll be back after the break to speak with her."
