Now What? Chapter 11
Rick studies a frantic Sandy Jenkins through the glass of Interrogation One. "Beckett, she's too damn scared to lie. If Joe McUsic wanted on that Addison jury, he must have known something he didn't think would come out in the trial. With his connections through the criminal or at least ex-criminal community, maybe he found out who the real killer is."
"The real killer, Castle?" Kate questions. "You've seen the coverage of the trial. Otis Williams was caught with the victim's body in his trunk. Karnacki could have given it to the most junior ADA and still gotten a conviction."
"He just wouldn't have gotten the publicity for his campaign or the undying gratitude of a major campaign contributor," Rick notes. "But Beckett, what if there is exculpatory evidence that didn't make it into the trial, and Joe McUsic knew about it? The way he felt about helping cons make a new start, he would have moved heaven and earth to keep an ex-con like Otis Williams from going back to prison."
"If there was exculpatory evidence, why not bring it to Otis Williams' counsel or even Karnacki?" Kate wonders.
"Maybe he tried and couldn't or thought it was too damn late. Either way, one juror holdout on a guilty verdict would lead to a hung jury. There would be more chance for the truth to come out."
"Unless, of course, the truth is that Williams is guilty," Kate points out.
"In which case, Joe would have had no reason to blow 2000 bucks to get on a jury. "
"Or he had another reason," Kate argues. "Maybe he told Sandy Jenkins something she hasn't told us yet. Let's go find out."
"Look, my roommate moved out two months ago, and I couldn't cover my rent. Please don't send me to prison," Sandy begs. "All day long, I see the women who get sent there, and I can't hack it. I'd be some lifer's bitch before breakfast."
Kate leans across the table. "If you help me, I'll talk to the DA's office about helping you, but you have to tell me everything. So, Joe McUsic asked you to specifically put him on Otis Williams' trial."
Sandy nods emphatically. "Yes!"
"Did he tell you why?" Kate queries.
"Not really, just that a man's future could depend on it. I thought he was talking about himself and that since the Addison murder gets so much publicity, he wanted to cash in and write a book or something."
"Joe didn't tell you anything else?" Kate presses.
"No, but the guy who brought me the money said Joe is a really good guy, and I should do right by him. I told him I would."
"All right," Kate says, pushing out of her seat. "The DA's office may want to charge you with jury tampering, but I'll let them know you cooperated."
Montgomery palms his increasingly sparse hairline. "Karnacki's already called me three times today, Beckett. What have you got?"
"Ryan and Esposito went over the contents of Joe McUsic's computer. There's no evidence he was writing a book or anything about the trial. But he did write a letter to Karnacki saying he had tried to call him and couldn't get through. He claimed he had evidence to clear Otis Williams."
"Did he say what the evidence was?" Montgomery asks.
"No, just that Karnacki had to see it before he got Otis Williams convicted for murder."
"Captain, you know Lou Karnacki well, don't you?" Rick asks.
"We go way back," Montgomery confirms. "Why?"
"Do you know who's the guardian at the gate who would screen Karnacki's calls, maybe keep McUsic from getting through?" Rick queries.
"That would be Dawn Craig, his administrative assistant. She worked for him even before he got elected DA. She was on his campaign staff," Montgomery recalls. "She's very loyal – and very protective."
"We need to talk to her," Kate declares.
"I'll get her in here," Montgomery promises.
Rick hands Dawn Craig a fragrant mug of coffee as she settles onto the couch in the interview lounge. Kate takes the chair opposite Dawn, and Rick pulls up another one for himself.
"Ms. Craig," Kate begins, "do you remember receiving any phone calls from a Joe McUsic?"
Dawn shakes her head apologetically. "We get hundreds of calls a day. I can't remember all of them, but the name doesn't sound familiar."
"How about someone claiming to have vital evidence in the Lila Addison case?" Rick asks.
"We get a lot of calls like that, too. Most of them are from cranks. Unless I recognize the source, I usually ignore them."
Kate passes Dawn a copy of the letter from Joe McUsic's computer. "McUsic says he's going to mail evidence of Otis William's innocence to the office. Do you remember seeing this?"
"The mail gets opened outside the office to make sure it isn't contaminated or anything. We've had a couple of white powder scares. But there are always some like that, more with the Lila Addison case. Once they're cleared, I put the stack on Mr. Karnacki's desk. I don't read through them. I would have seen Mr. Karnacki's letter if he answered it, but I didn't see anything like that."
"Ms. Craig, Joe McUsic's phone records show multiple calls to your office, most lasting only a few seconds. But the last one was 10 minutes long," Kate says.
"When was it?" Dawn asks.
"March 14, 10:14 pm."
"That explains why I wouldn't know about it. I leave by seven."
"And how late does Mr. Karnacki work?"
"All hours. Sometimes he stays until…."
Lou Karnacki bursts through the door. "This interview is over!"
Trembling slightly, Dawn grabs her purse and hurries out.
Karnacki stomps down the hall to Montgomery's office. "Is this how you keep me in the loop, Roy?"
Montgomery's eyes flash. "We have evidence that directly connects you to a murder victim, Lou. If I informed you, I and my people could be considered complicit."
"That's ridiculous!" Karnacki insists.
"Mr. Karnacki, Joe McUsic made several calls to your office, one of them lasting ten minutes. Did you speak to him, Sir?" Kate queries.
"Of course not!" Karnacki insists.
"Who else would have been in your office at 10:14 at night?" Rick asks.
"Why the hell should I answer a question from some half-assed writer?" Karnacki blusters.
"Answer it from me," Montgomery interjects.
"I don't know. Maybe someone on the cleaning staff thought his wife was calling and picked it up."
"For ten minutes?" Kate presses. "Did Joe McUsic send you any evidence relevant to the Lila Addison trial?"
"No!" Karnacki thunders. "We're done here. And you don't talk to anyone else on my staff without going through me first." Karnacki strides out of Montgomery's office.
Kate sighs. "We're not about to get any cooperation from him."
"Find out what McUsic knew about the Addison case," Montgomery orders. "There's no way you would have set Karnacki off like that if he had nothing to hide." As Kate and Rick leave his office, he sinks into his desk chair. "Damn crooked DA's."
"Did you hear what Montgomery muttered about crooked DAs?" Rick asks, dropping into his seat by Kate's desk. "What do you think he meant by that?"
"He was talking about Karnacki," Kate says.
"In the plural? Beckett, I've seen Montgomery pissed off before, but not like that."
"He thought of Karnacki as a friend. He must be feeling betrayed," Kate offers.
"Yeah," Rick considers, "but something else is going on."
"Maybe, but right now, we have to figure out what evidence Joe McUsic had that convinced him that Otis Williams didn't kill Lila Addison."
"Joe was very hooked into ex-cons. Otis Williams is an ex-con. Maybe we should ask him," Rick suggests.
Kate slowly nods. "Maybe we should."