A confrontation

Chapter 16

It was still morning and after a quick shower, Mike headed back by rental car to downtown LA to the DA's office.

Los Angeles is a city of diverse cultures and many are showcased in or around downtown. Long known as the business hub of the West Coast, downtown LA features many of the city's major arts institutions, sports facilities, a variety of skyscrapers, and unique shopping areas.

Due to LA being so spread out, most people do not use public transportation, but instead drive their own vehicles to their destinations. There was a part of Mike that enjoyed this feeling of independence, this feeling that he can just hop in a car and take off on his time. Gotta love LA for that, if one didn't mind the traffic jams.

Mike had just parked in the parking lot of the DA's office in downtown LA.

Feeling refreshed, Mike whistled softly to himself as he parked in the large paid parking structure across the street from the DA's building.

This morning he looked forward to preparing for court this afternoon and most of all working alongside Connie. He had always enjoyed his job, but now it seemed exhilarating to go to work, something he hadn't felt in a year.

He locked his car and proceeded out the parking structure when a male figure suddenly stepped in his path.

"Mr. Cutter."

It took awhile for Mike to focus on the lone figure standing against the bright sunlight. When he could see the man's face at last, Mike recognized the elderly distinguished man from somewhere, but he couldn't place where.

"Yes?" Mike responded.

"Good day, Mr. Cutter," he introduced himself, "I'm Jackson North."

Of course, defendant Edward North's rich father. The man in front of him exuded power with his designer suit and statesman- like demeanor.

Whatever North wanted, Mike was not interested. He was anxious to get to work.

"We really shouldn't be talking," said Mike, "Now if you'll excuse me…"

Mike sidestepped him, and continued walking. Jackson North had no choice but to walk alongside him. Despite Mike taking long strides, North had no problem keeping up with him.

And Jackson North was also not one to equivocate.

"It was very foolish of you to convince that slut to proceed with the case when she had decided to recant," he stated.

That made Mike stop to face the man.

"Her name is Paige Regan," Mike began, "and if you didn't want her in court, Mr. North, you should have taught your son how to keep it in his pants!"

Jackson North expression remained stoned-faced, "That's not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be...so are we done here?" Mike asked, now checking his watch.

Jackson North would not be brushed aside so easily.

"Not quite. I'll pay you a fifty thousand dollars to drop the case," Jackson North bluntly proposed.

Mike's response was quick, "Not enough."

Jackson North paused slightly. Being a businessman, he knew how to negotiate, "Alright... name your price, Mr. Cutter."

"All the gold in Fort Knox."

North narrowed his eyes disdainfully, "I don't appreciate sarcasm."

"And I don't appreciate you wasting my time!" Mike countered.

Mike turned to leave, offended that North believed he could be bought. However, the bribery attempt reminded Mike of Paige. Of course! Mike whirled back to face North, snapping his fingers and then pointing.

"Paige. Paige Regan," Mike accused, "You got to her, didn't you?"

North did not deny it as he replied in all seriousness, "You know how hookers are. They'll do anything for money."

"Obviously not this time, Mr. North," Mike took delight in telling him.

North pursed his lips.

"What do you want from me?" North knew he needed to try a different approach, "Edward's my son, my only son! Do you really want him to spend the next ten years in prison?"

"Yes, I do, "answered Mike frankly, "but unfortunately, it's not up to me. It's the jury who will decide his fate."

"Don't you see, Mr. Cutter?" North tried again, "He has his whole life in front of him! At the very worst, he was drunk that night and got carried away!"

"Mr. North, "said Mike, "I really do not care to continue this chat. This conversation is highly inappropriate…"

Jackson North was not a man used to being dismissed; he was a man who was used to getting his way. Being turned down was not in his vernacular.

"She's a stripper, for Christsake!" North ranted, "Not even worth your time! She certainly wasn't worth my son's time that night! In fact, I bet she thanked her lucky stars when she hooked up with my son that night! She's just a goddamn stripper!"

"The fact that she dances in front of men for a living doesn't make your son less culpable, "Mike retorted, "If anything, it makes him more so."

North actually looked surprised, "You really believe that? A stripper exposes her body in front of hot-blooded young men...what do you think my son is suppose to assume?"

"That she has to make a living!" Mike rejoined.

"Humph!" scorned North.

"Look, Mr. North, let's get some things clear," Mike stated, " …the first point is that what Paige Regan does or doesn't do for a living is totally irrelevant to her being rape. The second and most important point is that your son raped someone against her will. It was not an act of two consenting adults. It was an act of violence. You just don't get it, do it?"

"My son," North said slowly but deliberately, "did not rape... that...bimbo!"

"That's why we have trials, Mr. North, to determine if he did or did not...now if you'll excuse me..."

Mike tried to take a step forward, but Jackson North blocked Mike's way.

"I can make it hard on you, Cutter," Jackson North now threatened.

"Seems like you're already doing that," Mike responded. He tried once again to go around North, but North stood in his path and would not break eye contact.

"You should have accepted my generous offer, Mr. Cutter," warned North, "After all, you can't explain away the fact that she got their names wrong. You saw how Stanford Bennett eviscerated your witness on the stand. Your own arrogance will be your downfall."

Mike looked confidently back at North but deep inside he also wondered if he perhaps couldn't see pass his own ego.

Wordlessly, he managed at last to get around North. As he walked away, Mike had already begun pushing aside in his mind what had occurred the past few minutes, until North shouted out the only two words that would make Mike stop in his tracks.

"Connie Rubirosa," Jackson North stated to Mike's back.

Mike turned back to face Jackson, his eyes hard and icy.

"What did you just say?" Mike demanded in a warning tone.

Jackson walked over and closed the distance between them.

"Oh, I have your attention now, don't I?" North's smile looked more like a sneer.

Mike knew he would not like what North had to say next.

"Yes, you do, " concurred Mike, "and it's perfectly clear that there are no fair boundaries in your little game."

North looked confident once more.

"You are right about that!...you see, Mr. Cutter, my success is due to the fact that I do my homework...I always find out who I am up against," North explained, "In this case, if it includes following the opposing counsels around during their investigation, then so be it."

Mike's heart stopped, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"What I am saying," North stated casually, "is that a sunset on Malibu Beach can be quite romantic, can't it?"

Anger bubbled inside of Mike at the thought of North invading his private life.

"Go to hell!" Mike reacted.

When North smiled, his eyes looked cold.

"Let's just say, Mr. Cutter, that if you keep up this witch hunt, I will show some pictures taken at that Malibu beach-house of you and the lovely Miss Rubirosa spending private time alone. Quite touching, actually, that little embrace of yours. Believe me, with my connections, by the time I finish with her, Rubirosa's little reputation will be mud in Los Angeles."

Mike tried to control his breathing as he opened and closed his fist tightly. He wanted so much to punch North, but what he didn't need was an assault and battery charge in the middle of prosecuting a case. Mike looked down at the ground for a count of five before facing North again.

"Let me warn you," Mike's voice sounded intimidating, "if you do anything, anything that affect's Miss Rubirosa's career, I will personally see to it that you are completely ruined!"

"Screw you, Cutter!" bellowed back North, "I own half this town! You can't threaten me! "

But Mike would not back down.

"That is not a threat, Mr. North, that is a promise! If you do anything that affects her career, I swear, you'll be sharing a prison cell right next to your son, the rapist!"

Mike walked past him and never look back.

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Connie was back in her office. She certainly had a tough morning.

As she got back to her desk, she took a deep breath and looked at her watch. In the short time that Mike had shared her office, she realized how much she missed him when he was not here.

On top of the files, Mike had left a note for her regarding the case. She read it slowly due to his illegible handwriting. Even that part of him she found endearing.

His illegible handwriting was endearing? What was wrong with her?

She shook her head to clear her mind and get back to work. Late last night he had written up a subpoena for a surprise witness and Connie had already forwarded it by courier.

Mike was going to call Larry Cantrell to the stand as a witness for the prosecution. Interesting.

She could not wait to see Mike. They had a lot to talk about. She looked impatiently at her watch again. Mike should be walking in soon. That thought alone lifted her spirits.

At the sounds of footsteps, Connie looked up, her anticipation high.

Sure enough, it was Mike.

Mike liked that when she spotted him at the doorway, her coffee-colored eyes sparkled as she brightly smiled. He felt a sweet jab low in his stomach. Mike had only left her a couple of hours earlier, but upon seeing her again, he was reminded how dazzling beautiful she looked.

His searching gaze held hers, and Connie felt her insides tighten in response.

"Hi, Mike," she said simply.

Seeing her smile and hearing her voice again caused a tide of unwilling joy inside of him and made him forget the confrontation with Jackson North.

"Hi," he smiled back.

"That was quite a long shower you took!" Connie teased, "No wonder LA is suffering from a water shortage."

"So... you've missed me, did you?" he jested as he walked over and sat at his desk. He knew he needed to dive into his file to prepare himself for court this afternoon.

And he vacillated between telling or not telling Connie about his unexpected meeting with Jackson North.

"Actually I was delayed due to the fact that someone came upon me in the street as I was coming into the office," Mike began.

"Oh?" Connie's interest peaked, "Someone you know?"

"Not anyone worth my time," Mike tried to sound casual, "I got an offer from Edward North's father to drop the rape charge."

Connie sat back to absorb the words, "Edward North's father confronted you on the street? Was it in the form of a threat or a bribe?"

"Yes and yes," replied Mike casually, "And evidently he was the one that had approached Paige Regan for the payment to drop the case, too."

"Well, I'm glad she decided to move forward with the case...so...Mike, are you okay?"

Pleasure kindled and arose in Mike at her concern for him.

"If you mean," Mike began, "will this affect my court performance, I can honestly tell you no; that I am perfectly alright."

Connie looked at him questionably, "But what then?"

Mike tried to appear unaffected, not wanting to tell her that North had mentioned her, "What do you mean?"

But Connie was not fooled so easily.

"Mike, I've worked side by side with you for years, now, remember?" Connie reminded him, "and I know when you're withholding something from me. Did Edward North's father say anything else I should know about?"

Mike decided he had said enough, now was not the time.

"Connie, you also know me well enough to know that I will discount anything in my mind that is insignificant, so can we move on and discuss something important, like the case?"

"Sure," said Connie,"I've been wanting to hear what you thoughts were regarding those names!"

Mike updated her on his theory as to the reason for the two defendant's use of the names Jesse and Phoenix.

"That certainly makes sense," Connie agreed, "but that's all it is now. A theory and we won't have the evidence ready by court today."

"That's why TJ is working on it," Mike said, "he'll have enough to keep him occupied for the rest of the afternoon."

"So do you you know how you will proceed with Cantrell, despite us not having all the evidence ready?"

"My strategy in court is to prove that Cantrell was the one who set up Paige with his roommates. That should be pretty significant to our case. So I don't need the evidence yet and TJ said he would text us the minute he finds out."

Connie nodded.

"Well, that's certainly some good news after the rough morning we've had!" she exclaimed.

He regarded her, now showing concern towards her.

"And what do you mean by 'we' having a rough morning?" Mike asked.

Connie slightly cringed at her slip of words. She had already decided she was not going to mention it to Mike about Hardin and Dekker's lack of faith in her professionalism. It would only bring more animosity in the office. Thoughts also collided in her mind as she wondered how much Mike heard of her conversation with Hardin and Dekker.

As she looked at him, however, all the warnings that Hardin and Dekker gave her about keeping it impersonal flew out the window.

She was trying to remain cool and uninvolved with him, but there were so many seductive qualities about Mike, his intelligence, compassion for justice, and the raw interest he showed beneath his self-controlled façade.

Court would be later that afternoon, but because Mike was prepared, she was not concerned.

She felt the two of them were being forced to bend this way or that in order to accommodate other people's personal agendas. And it didn't seem fair. All she wanted right now was to get away from people who kept making demands on them.

A crazy idea entered her head.

"Mike," Connie proposed, "Court won't be for another three and a half hours and I could do with some fresh air. Do you mind if we go out of the office for a bit?"

Her question took Mike by surprise. But after the morning he had, why not?

"Sounds intriguing," he agreed, "what do you have in mind?"

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