For the People Chapter 71
"You can't arrest me!" Yesenia Martinez insists. "There's nothing wrong with picking up my own things."
"That's true," Ryan agrees.
"But that's not why we're arresting you," Esposito interjects.
"You see," Ryan continues, "when the lab went over the cloth with the huitlacoche oil used to murder your cousin Geraldo, they found DNA from two people, Geraldo and another with a 12.5% match. That means a first cousin."
"I'm not Geraldo's only first cousin," Yesenia argues. "We have a very big family."
Ryan grins at her. "But the DNA told us more about this particular cousin. It came from a female. The lab also does a thing called phenotyping. They use DNA to tell us what a suspect looks like and any unusual genetic traits. The height, hair color, and eye color all fit you to a T. And there was also something about tone deafness. Put that together with having your lawyer deliberately misdirecting us and you sending off all your things, and the judge didn't have any problem issuing a warrant for Geraldo's murder."
"A jury won't have any trouble convicting you either," Esposito adds. "Especially when they hear about the evidence in Geraldo's files that the person in charge of huitlacoche was skimming."
"And who was that?" Ryan jumps in. "Oh, right. That was you."
"It looks like I might be prosecuting the mariachi murder. Ryan and Esposito say they caught Geraldo Martinez's killer," Kate announces over dinner.
"Let's avoid any more restaurant celebrations," Rick suggests, "at least the ones with mariachi bands."
"If I get a conviction, we can always go Chinese or Italian," Kate proposes. "But the defendant has a good if sleazy lawyer, Elijah Epstein. He may try to get the best deal he can with a plea."
"And are you planning to deal?"
"Deals save the city a lot of time and money, but I don't know what I could offer in a case of first-degree murder. The best I can imagine would be a recommendation that the defendant would eventually be eligible for parole or for less than a maximum security facility. In either case, the judge would have to agree to go along with it, and there's no guarantee that would happen. If I were the defendant, I might decide to roll the dice and go to trial. But I'll just have to see what happens."
"Speaking of happenings, your father is going forward in his suit against Brown Rock and Neighspec. They've filed all the paperwork to turn Olivia's building into high-priced condos, and he wants to fight the project, as well as similar ones. I think he's planning to ask you to lunch to talk about it if you ever have a minute to meet him."
"I'll make the time. But it's great that you two are keeping up with each other."
"I'll admit that we had our occasional differences in the past. But we've always agreed on looking out for you and now, of, course, Lily. As fathers, we bond over the protection of our little girls – whether they want to be protected or not. And he's also brought me into the chili size camp."
"Great! Now not only does my father want heart attacks on a plate, so does my husband. Couldn't you bond over pan-fried bass or something? Dad does love to fish, even if he's been too busy to go to his cabin for a while."
"You want me to bond over impaling some poor creature swimming around minding its own business on a barbed hook?"
"You eat fish," Kate accuses. "You love sushi."
"I wouldn't if I had to kill the fish first. I love steak, but I'm not going to shoot bossy."
"Isn't that a little hypocritical?"
"I prefer to call it compartmentalized. And we all have our places in the tribe. Some are hunter-gatherers. Some keep the home fires burning. I fulfill the latter function." Rick pulls Kate into his lap. "In fact, I think I feel a little something sparking up now."
"Something's definitely rising. How long has Lily been down?"
"About an hour."
"We could be cutting it close. Haven't her naps been getting shorter?"
"A bit. But I'm willing to risk it. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may."
"That's not a rosebud I'm feeling, but I'll see what I can do."
Rick feathers a kiss into Kate's hair as she snuggles into his shoulder. "That was nice. And Lily's still quiet."
"Mama-boo!" issues from the baby monitor.
"Spoke too soon."
Sighing, Kate pushes up on her elbows. "How did Lily come to refer to my personal equipment as boo, anyway?"
Rick fixes his face in an innocent smile. "I have no idea. Perhaps they remind her of balloons. She likes those."
"Uh-huh. Well, I'll go take care of her. But I need something from you when I'm finished."
"Have I fallen down some way in taking care of your needs?"
Kate presses a kiss to Rick's lips. "Not those needs. You were going to tell me what more you uncovered about Larissa Bingham, but we got sidetracked."
"And an excellent track it was."
"Mama-boo!" sounds more insistently.
"OK, you go tend to our gluttonous offspring, and I will have the Larissa Bingham story waiting for you."
"I had to call a few sources of whom a district attorney might not approve," Rick explains as he and Kate settle on the couch.
"If they're illegal, I can't hear what they said," Kate warns.
"Not illegal, at least they haven't done anything illegal of which I have explicit knowledge. It's just that certain personages keep their ears to the ground. Sometimes the dirt they gather makes its way to the marketplace. I've used it from time to time as background for my books among other things. In Bingham's case, there were a few leaks from Simpkins, Waller, and Stratham that trickled into the information stream."
"So tell me," Kate urges.
"Larissa Bingham was not only on the partnership track, she caught the eye of a senior partner, specifically Waller. Unfortunately, he was interested in more than her legal prowess. However, any interest Larissa had in him was strictly professional. As she rebuffed his advances, he became more and more determined, until one day things got physical."
"Did he rape her?"
"Things didn't get that far. Among Larissa's many interests is Aikido, pursued since she was a child – strictly for exercise and self-defense. In fact, as a kid, she took an oath to that effect. And she kept it. The one time she did hurt someone, she was only protecting herself. However, Waller wasn't about to let it go. He accused her of attacking him when he told her he wouldn't back her on the partnership track. Most of the insiders at the firm never believed Waller. They knew he was a dog who'd gone after attractive associates before. But as he pushed his version, things became more and more uncomfortable for Larissa, until she finally left the firm."
"And since then she's always given women the benefit of the doubt," Kate assumes.
"Apparently, she adheres strictly to the letter of the law. No lawyer has ever made any accusations of untoward prejudice against men stick. But she gives women a break in any way she can."
"Apparently, even hookers."
"Alleged hookers, Madame Prosecutor," Rick teases.
"Right, alleged hookers. But I imagine she has no sympathy for alleged rape or attempted rape."
"Which will be great for Amelia and Jason Jordan's other um, alleged, victims. But if you have to prosecute a female suspect in front of her, you'll have a harder time."
Kate considers Yesenia. "If I have to deal with that, I will."
