Judge And Jury Part 8

"You want that drink now?" Nordeshenko asked.

Reichardt's look said, Lunacy. Lunacy. "This is America, Remi, not Chechnya." "This is America, Remi, not Chechnya."

"What better place to break new ground?"

"Ouzo," Reichardt called to the waiter.

"Three," said Nezzi, shrugging.

The drinks came, and over the shouts for the football game, the men slugged them down, wiping their chins.

The South African finally started to laugh. "You know it's true what they say about you, Remi: you'd be f.u.c.king dangerous if you ever got mad."

"Shall I take that as a yes, you're in?" Nordeshenko asked them.

"Of course we're in, Remi. It's the only game in town."

"Three more," Nordeshenko called to the waiter in Russian.

Then he picked up the paper, the sketch of the jury disappearing under his arm. They wanted a trial, these stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, they were going to get one.

They just didn't know the meaning of the trial trial that was in store for them. that was in store for them.

Chapter 24.

NO ONE WAS ON the witness stand in the courtroom that morning. The press was cleared. The jury was being kept in the jury room. Judge Seiderman stepped in from her chambers and sent a fiery look hurtling toward the defendant in the second row. "Mr. Cavello, I want to see you and both counsels in my chambers, now. now."

As the judge was leaving the bench, she caught my eye. "Agent Pellisante, I'd like you to join us as well."

Our group made its way through the wooden door on the right side of the courtroom to the judge's quarters. Judge Seiderman took a seat behind her desk, glaring. I'd never seen her so angry.

And she was glaring directly at the defendant.

"Maybe I didn't quite get this across to you, Mr. Cavello, but if you think I will ever bow to intimidation or your mob-scare tactics, you have picked the wrong judge and this is the wrong courtroom. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly clear, Your Honor." Cavello stood, staring right back at her.

"But what I particularly don't take to"-Judge Seiderman raised herself up-"is a defendant who thinks he's big enough to toy and interfere with the criminal justice system."

"Can Your Honor explain what it is you're talking about?" Kaskel asked, obviously confused.

"Your client knows precisely what I'm talking about, Mr. Kaskel," the judge replied, her gaze never wavering from Cavello's chuckling eyes.

She reached into a drawer, pulled out the copy of the Daily News, Daily News, and threw it down on her desk. Facing up was a sketch of Cavello's courtroom look at Ralphie yesterday. and threw it down on her desk. Facing up was a sketch of Cavello's courtroom look at Ralphie yesterday. GANGSTER STOPS TRIAL DEAD. GANGSTER STOPS TRIAL DEAD.

"This was in my bed last night. In my bed, In my bed, Mr. Cavello! Under my covers. The evening edition broke around seven. My house was completely locked up and alarmed. No one had been inside since four that afternoon. You have an educated guess as to how this got there, Mr. Cavello?" Mr. Cavello! Under my covers. The evening edition broke around seven. My house was completely locked up and alarmed. No one had been inside since four that afternoon. You have an educated guess as to how this got there, Mr. Cavello?"

"I'm not an expert on these things, Your Honor." Dominic Cavello shrugged smugly. "But maybe that's something you ought to take up with your alarm company. Or your husband. Me, I got a pretty good excuse. I was in that prison over there."

"I told you"-Miriam Seiderman removed her gla.s.ses-"these proceedings will not be disrupted by intimidation."

I had to give her credit. The judge was going toe to toe with Cavello. She wasn't backing down. "This court has given you every opportunity to have this trial conducted in the open, Mr. Cavello."

"This court is making a.s.sumptions that it cannot possibly back up, Your Honor," Hy Kaskel said. "Mr. Cavello has conducted himself by every rule and stipulation both sides agreed to in the pretrial hearings. You can't point the finger at him."

"I am pointing the finger, Mr. Kaskel. And if it's shown in any way that this is tied back to your client . . ."

"It's okay, Hy." Dominic Cavello restrained his lawyer. "I understand how the judge must feel. She has to do what she has to do. It's just that I have friends who feel a certain way as well, and the problem is, they have to do what they think is right, too."

"What did I just hear?" The judge's gaze was electric, drilling in on Cavello's eyes.

"I tried to tell you from the beginning, Your Honor," Cavello said, "we're never going to see the end of this trial. What can I tell you? That's just the way it is."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Even for a bull like Cavello, to direct such a bold threat at the court was extraordinary.

"Agent in Charge Pellisante," the judge said, never flinching.

"Yes, Your Honor."

"I'm calling a recess for the day. I want the jury sent home. In the meantime, I'll decide how this proceeding is conducted from here on in."

I felt I had to voice my opinion. "The jury should be sequestered, Your Honor. We can no longer take responsibility for their safety. Or even your own. We've mapped out various locations. I can have protective custody in motion as soon as you give the word."

"Nick," Cavello clucked, turning my way, "it's a big city. Hey, maybe you ought to be watching your back, too."

I stepped forward to take a slug at him-but someone behind me, this big, burly marshal, held me back.

"Do it, Agent Pellisante." The judge nodded. "Set the wheels in motion. Sequester the jury."

Chapter 25.

AROUND NINE THIRTY that night, Andie was folding towels in Jarrod's bathroom. Her darling son was in his pj's, sitting up in bed with a schoolbook open on his lap, but he was staring off into s.p.a.ce.

"Mom, what's a promontory?" he called to her.

Andie came out and sat on the edge of his bed.

"It's like a piece of land that juts out into the ocean."

"Then what's a peninsula?" he asked next, flipping the textbook page.

Andie shrugged. "I guess it's a larger piece of land that juts out into the ocean."

That day, for the first time in a week, she had picked him up from school. The judge had excused them all before noon, and the rumor mills were buzzing. The newspapers and TV commentators were saying threats had been made. Maybe against some of the jurors.

Andie had asked for some time with the judge and finally mentioned how she had found her winds.h.i.+eld smashed in two nights before. Judge Seiderman told her it probably wasn't related. But that wasn't exactly making her feel safe and secure right now.

"So, then isn't every piece of land in the world kind of a peninsula?" Jarrod shrugged. "I mean, look at Florida. Or Africa and South America. Doesn't everything stick out into the ocean at some point, Mom?"

"I guess." Andie tucked in his blanket and sat brus.h.i.+ng back his soft, light-brown hair.

"Hey," he said, squirming, "I'm not a baby."

"You're my baby, always will be. Sorry, but that's the deal."

Andie's hand stopped abruptly at the sound of the doorbell.

Jarrod sat back up. They both looked at the clock. It was after ten. "Who could that be, Mom?"

"I don't know. But one thing I do know, Einstein." She took the book from him. "It's lights out." She bent and gave him a kiss.

"'Night, Mom."

Andie went into the hall to answer the bell. She turned the lock and cracked open the front door slightly.

She did a double take.

It was that FBI guy she'd noticed in the courtroom, the nice-looking one. And there was a uniformed police officer with him. No-two police officers, a man and a woman. police officers, a man and a woman.

What were they doing here at ten o'clock?

Chapter 26.

HE HELD UP his FBI s.h.i.+eld for her to see. "I'm sorry to surprise you, Ms. DeGra.s.se. May I come in? It's important."

Andie opened the door. The FBI guy was dressed nicely, in an olive raincoat over a brown sports jacket, with a deep-blue s.h.i.+rt and a tie. Her mind flashed to how she must look-in a bright-pink DKNY sweats.h.i.+rt, with a towel draped over her shoulder. "I wasn't expecting anyone."

"We're sorry to bust in on you like this. I'm Nicholas Pellisante. I'm a special agent in charge of the FBI's Organized Crime Unit. I'm heading up the Cavello investigation."

"I've seen you in court," Andie said. Then, warily, "Isn't there some kind of rule that we're not supposed to be talking to each other?"

"Under normal circ.u.mstances, yes." The FBI guy nodded.

"Normal circ.u.mstances? I'm not following you. What's happening?"

"The trial procedures are being changed. As a matter of safety, the judge feels-and I agree-it may be prudent for the members of the jury to be removed from their daily lives."

"Our daily lives?" Andie blinked. What did that mean? She ran a hand through her messy hair.

"The judge would like the jury sequestered. I don't want you to be alarmed. There's no specific threat. It's just for your protection."

"My protection? protection?"

"Yours and your son's," the agent said.

Now Andie was was alarmed. "You're saying there have been threats?" Her mind flashed to the winds.h.i.+eld of her car. "This is about what happened the other night." alarmed. "You're saying there have been threats?" Her mind flashed to the winds.h.i.+eld of her car. "This is about what happened the other night."

"I'm not saying that," the agent said. "There's an officer outside who can a.s.sist you."

"a.s.sist us with what, Agent Pellisante?" A tremor galloped down her spine. "I have a nine-year-old in here. What do I do with him while I'm being protected? Pack him off to boarding school?"

"Look, I know how this sounds, and I know how short notice it is. We'll make provisions that you get to see your son regularly, for the balance of the trial."

"The balance of the trial!" Suddenly the magnitude of this smacked Andie face-on. "We're only in the first week. This isn't exactly what I signed up for, Agent Pellisante."

The FBI guy looked sympathetic, but also helpless to do anything. "I'm afraid it's not a matter of choice."

Her blood was pulsing. She could have gotten off this trial just the other day. "When?" Andie looked up at him. Then she realized what he had meant by the officer waiting outside. officer waiting outside.

"I'm afraid, right now. What I have to ask you to do now is to go pack some things."

"You're kidding!" Andie stared at him, gla.s.sy-eyed. "My son's in bed in the other room. What am I supposed to do with him? This is crazy."

"Is there someone who can take him for tonight? Somebody nearby?"

"I have a sister in Queens. It's after ten o'clock. What do you want me to do, put him in a cab?"

"You can bring him along," the FBI guy finally said. "Just for this evening, though. You'll have to make provisions for him tomorrow."

"Bring him along." Andie smirked sardonically. "Where?" "Where?"

"I can't tell you that, Ms. DeGra.s.se. Not far. And you will be able to see him from time to time. I promise you that."

"You're serious." Andie ran a hand through her hair again.

At that moment, she saw Jarrod standing in the hall in his pj's. "What's goin' on, Mom?"

Andie went to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "This man is from the trial. He's with the FBI. He's telling me we have to leave. We have to go someplace. Now. Tonight."

"Why?" Jarrod asked, not understanding. "Tonight? Where?"