For the People Chapter 69
"So when will you be trying Thomas Milcham for assaulting Jason Jordan?" Rick inquires. "Has it been docketed yet?"
"Uh-huh. I drew Judge Larissa Bingham. We go in another week."
Rick's eyebrow flicks upward. "I don't recall the name. Have you mentioned her before?"
"I don't think so. I've never appeared before her. She's relatively new, and there's not much scuttlebutt about her either, so I'm not sure what to expect."
"So are you still going with your game plan of charging assault with disorderly conduct as a lesser charge and putting Amelia on the stand to skewer Jordan? Hmm, skewering Jordan, poetic justice if ever there was any."
"And more all the time. The buried treasure yielded results. I have solid evidence against him now in a rape, and other women may still come forward once Amelia's testimony is public record. If things go as expected, Thomas Milcham will be losing a skirmish so we can win a war."
"And if they don't?"
"I plan on making sure they do."
Ryan checks out the warehouse in the South Bronx. "I don't know, Bro. Maybe we should bring in some unis as backup."
No way, Man!" Esposito responds. "Most of the guys here will take off if they see a marked unit and the rest could go for their guns. And whoever actually got to Geraldo's trumpet may be laying low until things settle down. They might not even be here. So don't flash your badge. Let's have a friendly little conversation and see what pops."
The two detectives make their way through pallets of produce being moved by forklifts to a tiny glassed-in office at the back of the shop floor. A man with greying temples and "Foreman" and "Mateo" embroidered on his work shirt regards the pair. "Can I help you?"
"Maybe," Esposito replies. "We were looking for a source of huitlacoche. I heard the best supplies come out of here."
"My men work hard to get our shipments out," Mateo replies. "But we just send the crates where we're told. We don't take orders from customers."
"Who does?" Esposito asks.
"The main office."
"And where's that?"
Mateo's lip curls as he spits out the words. "Barron Tower. They play with the big boys."
As he slams his butt into the unit's driver's seat, Esposito smacks his hands against the wheel. "Epstein played us!"
"And he probably used the time we spent chasing up here to warn the people really in charge of selling the huitlacoche. But if the Martinezes are his clients, why would he do that? You'd think he'd want us to catch whoever went after Geraldo."
"Unless it's not Geraldo he's working for, and he was buying time for someone else," Esposito speculates. "And who sent us to Epstein?"
Ryan grits his teeth. "Yesenia Martinez. And she could be long gone by now."
Esposito peals out into the littered street. "We're sure as hell going to find out."
Judge Leah Maynard closes the door to Judith Kitteridge's chambers behind her. "You have a problem, Judy. The building is buzzing about you and Bobby Donnellan, wondering what the hell is going on."
"Nothing's going on, Leah. Bobby and I were sleeping together. You knew that."
"Yes, so what happened to spur his less-than-subtle exit?"
"He wanted me to leave the bench and join his practice. He said that way we could be together without anyone asking questions."
"And what did you say?"
"I told him no. I like being a judge. And if I did go back into private practice, it wouldn't be to get scum like Duffy off the hook. He took offense at that."
Leah rolls her eyes. "I can't imagine why. But we both know that everyone, no matter how much of a scumbag they are, is entitled to a defense. And if I recall, Kudrow took over the case when Donnellan realized his client wasn't who he pretended to be. And Donnellan has been known to keep the innocent out of prison every so often. Remember that cop who planted drugs and a weapon in the car of a guy he was sure was guilty? If Donnellan hadn't exposed him, the wrong man would have been put behind bars, and the real killer would still be out there. The system needs lawyers like Donnellan, and he's one of the best."
"I know. And he was entitled to be pissed off at me. It's just I love being a judge – on some days, anyway. And if I went to Bobby's firm, I'd be working for him. I don't like to be on the bottom."
"Which is something I'm sure he knows. But you could join another firm, Judy. Or if you have to be on top, you could start your own. Either way, you could be with Bobby without raising any eyebrows – or inviting Bar Association inquiries. Because you know that sooner or later, he'll have to turn up in your courtroom again."
"I know," Kitteridge admits. "I've got a lot of thinking to do."
"Maybe thinking isn't what's called for," Leah suggests.
"Yeah, you may be right."
Ryan and Esposito gaze around Yesenia Martinez's very empty office. The desk, chairs, and filing cabinet are still there, but the computer, every document, and of course, Yesenia Martinez, are gone. "Maybe we can get a judge to issue a warrant for her," Ryan suggests hopefully.
"Based on what, being at a restaurant?" Esposito snorts his disgust. "She didn't even lie to us, Epstein did, and even that wasn't a complete lie. And there's no law against abandoning your office, either."
"At least we can put out a BOLO," Ryan offers. "If we can find her, we can question her again. Running isn't a crime, but if we do find a way to charge her, it can be taken as an admission of guilt. And we should check out her apartment."
Esposito rolls his eyes. "Don't tell me you expect to find her there."
"No, but we might find something we can use."
I've been doing some research on Judge Larissa Bingham," Rick announces when Kate returns to the loft. "I thought it might come in handy for you."
Kate stretches up for a kiss. "And you were curious."
"That too. So are you? Do you want to know what I found?"
"Sure, I just want to look in on Lily first."
"Of course. But look quietly. She's napping for the first time all day."
Kate presses a finger to her lips, slips off her heels, and pads softly to the nursery.
As soon as Kate returns, Rick hands her a file. "Larissa Bingham, 45 years old, never married. Graduated summa cum laude in pre-law from Columbia, made law review at Harvard. She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Kennedy and was romanced by several prestigious law firms. She accepted a position at Simpkins, Waller, and Stratham, and was on track for partner. Then something happened. She left the firm suddenly and took a job working for Congresswoman Naylor. She was with her for years working with the judiciary committee. Then, apparently, Naylor pushed for her appointment as a judge. And there Larissa will sit as you appear before her next week. But what I haven't uncovered yet is what happened at Simpkins, Waller, and Stratham. Aside from the prestige that would have gone with a partnership, she would have been making very big bucks. That's not something someone walks away from easily. And finding out why she did could give you some clue to her attitude as a judge."
"Or I could just appear before her and see what her attitude is," Kate points out.
"Sure," Rick admits, "but that's a lot less fun."
"For you maybe. If Judge Bingham has a buried secret, maybe it should stay buried."
"Perhaps. But Kate, secrets do have a way of pushing themselves to the surface. And with Judge Kitteridge, you've already learned what a back fence the courthouse can be."
"That doesn't mean I should spend my time hanging over it." Kate runs her fingers up his thigh. "I've got more interesting things to do."
"Indeed, you surely do."
