For the People Chapter 77

After taping The Stephen Cobbler show, Rick arrives home to the scent of fresh-brewed coffee – and Kate. "I'm not sure whether to take your presence as a positive or a negative. Obviously, Alexis was here when I left. How did your head-to-head with Gil go?"

"I couldn't tell how she felt about it personally, but Judge Bingham ruled in my favor. We started jury selection. I made it through my voir dire, but Gil is still working on his. He'll probably finish up tomorrow morning. I had a short meeting with Shapiro about several matters, but I didn't need to meet with the boys. So Alexis had only been here for about an hour when I got here. She stayed around for a while longer to play with Lily and then took off. She said she'll watch your appearance tonight if she can stay awake that long. Otherwise, she'll record it for later. How did you do?"

"Knocked it out of the park on the Lord of the Rings competition. Stephen didn't know what was in Andy Sirkis' Gollum juice. I don't know why not. Honey, lemon, and ginger are great for the throat. He could use it before his monologues. Perhaps he prefers something a little more potent. But anyway, that cut off the battle without the need for a tiebreaker, which gave me time to get in my plug for affordable housing. I'm going to stay up to see how it comes across on the screen, so I truly appreciate the coffee. Up for joining me for a semi-late night that doesn't involve soothing our daughter?"

"I think the last time we curled up together to catch one of your late-night appearances was before Lily was born. I'm in."

"Good. You can keep me awake through all the jokes that I've already heard."

"I'll work on that."


"Ms. Beckett, are you ready to proceed with the People's case?" Judge Bingham inquires after the jury is empaneled.

"I am, Your Honor."

"Then you may call your first witness."

"Call Dr. Sidney Perlmutter."

Perlmutter smugly traverses the courtroom to be sworn in and take the stand. Kate nods a greeting. "Good morning Dr. Perlmutter. Please tell the court how you are employed."

"I work as needed as a medical examiner for the City of New York."

"And what are your qualifications for that position?"

"I have a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Columbia University. I obtained my medical degree from Harvard, served my internship at New York Presbyterian, and also did a three-year residency there in anatomical and clinical pathology as well as completing in excess of the required 75 autopsies before becoming a medical examiner. I also regularly update my forensics knowledge with continuing education at NYU."

"So do you possess the requisite expertise to determine a cause of death?"

"I do."

"And did you determine Geraldo Martinez's cause of death?"

"I did."

"And what was his cause of death?"

"Anaphylaxis resulting from exposure to huitlacoche oil."

"Can you explain that in laymen's terms, Doctor Perlmutter?"

"Geraldo Martinez had an allergy to a corn fungus called huitlacoche. He contacted oil containing that fungus. His reaction caused his throat and lips to swell, making it impossible to breathe."

"And did you determine how Geraldo Martinez contacted this huitlacoche oil?"

"It was on his lips in a pattern consistent with the shape of the mouthpiece of the trumpet he played in a mariachi band."

"Thank you, Doctor. I think we can all get the picture." Kate turns toward the defense table. "Your witness, Mr. Gil."

Gil stands, taking a beat to button his coat. "Dr. Perlmutter, you retired from the Medical Examiner's office did you not?"

"Yes, I did," Perlmutter admits, "but as I told Ms. Beckett, I work on an as-needed basis. My skills were needed for Geraldo Martinez's autopsy."

Gil taps his fingers on the table. "I see. Now, Doctor, in my experience, when I've been away from something for a while, a sport, or a particular area of the law, I get rusty. Is it possible that during your retirement, your skills as a medical examiner got a little rusty as well?"

"No, it is not possible," Perlmutter retorts. "I have done thousands of autopsies, thoroughly establishing the neural pathways necessary. And even were that not the case, when I returned to work, the Chief Medical Examiner observed my techniques and signed off on my ability to perform my job."

"But wasn't that Chief Medical Examiner desperate for help?" Gil presses.

"Only competent help. The chief is appointed by the mayor. And if the department makes a mistake the heat comes from the mayor's office. The chief doesn't appreciate that kind of heat, and anyone who works for her knows it. Geraldo Martinez died from exposure to huitlacoche oil."


Rick's brows dance above his eyes. "So Gil got Perlmuttered?"

Kate giggles. "He did. If he'd been a dog he would have had his tail between his legs."

"I'm surprised he went after Perlmutter," Rick offers. "I mean, questioning the cause of death? If I were writing the story, I'd leave that as the most interesting part and just develop an alternate theory of who exposed Geraldo to the oil."

"The lab did find Yesenia's DNA on the cloth it came from."

"That would be hard to dispute," Rick considers. "I imagine Gil is looking for any crack, no matter how narrow, he can find in your case. But you have to give it to the guy for trying."

"As long as he doesn't succeed. But I've got to put the boys up next, and they could be a lot more vulnerable than Perlmutter. The judge ruled that their actions were no reason to dismiss the case, but that was before we had a jury. Gil is good enough to try to insert bits and pieces of doubt here and there. I'll just have to be ready to pull them out again."

"Hmm. Perhaps instead of running shoes, I should get you a pair of pliers."

"I don't think using pliers on the jury would go over very well with Judge Bingham – or the jury. If I'm going to use a tool, it will be a hammer, to hammer on the facts."

Rick grins. "I love the image. But speaking of facts, since my appearance on Cobbler last night, a few are beginning to emerge from the woodwork. Councilman Lofsen, one of the Council members pushing hardest for redevelopment was the college roommate of Lenny Felsher."

"Who?"

"The CFO of Brown Rock. Your dad is going to poke around and see if there might be something other than friendship passing between those two. And we also got a tip about a raft of notices from Brown Rock declining to renew leases in some buildings in Washington Heights. The game is definitely afoot, Kate."

"Sounds like it. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just keep your ears open for anything about Councilman Lofsen and the others keen on redevelopment. If silver is crossing palms, someone in the D.A.'s office must be picking up some buzz somewhere. Doesn't Gidon Shapiro have a particular hate on for corrupt public servants?"

"He does. But that doesn't make him particularly beloved of some of the powers that be, so he is extremely cautious about having all the facts before he's willing to move on any accusations."

"That's all right. I think your dad is going to be keeping things in civil court anyway. That is his stomping ground. Shapiro doesn't have to be involved until the story is fully developed. But getting some extra intelligence would be outstanding."

Kate moves in for a quick kiss. "If I hear anything I'm allowed to share, I'll let you know."