Deadly Dining

Chapter 32

  Stan Turner

  Stan knew he couldn’t evade Paula and Jodie another night. Maria had told him how upset they were that he hadn’t hung around the night before to help them prepare for the next day’s trial. The truth was he didn’t want to face them. He was afraid he would have to tell them what he had learned about Sandy Richmond and Emilio Bellucci and he didn’t want to do that until he could prove what he suspected was true. Until that time it was just conjecture and would just confuse things. Fortunately, Black’s attack on Sonia and the suggestion that Ben Benito was the killer was the only thing on Paula and Jodie’s minds. They told him what had happened during Sonia’s cross examination.

  “Do you think he has any more evidence to support that theory?” Stan asked.

  “He must. It would be stupid to bring that up if it’s a bunch of speculation.”

  “What evidence could he possibly have?” Stan asked.

  “Well, do we know if Ben Benito has an alibi?” Jodie asked.

  “No. He wouldn’t talk to me,” Paula said. “I tried to interview him but he refused to talk to me.”

  “That must mean he doesn’t have an alibi. If he had one he would have just told you and put the issue to bed,” Stan reasoned.

  “So, Black is going to call him as a witness and if he takes the 5th the jury will think he is guilty,” Paula said. “But if he talks then everyone will find out he doesn’t have an alibi.”

  “That’s brilliant,” Stan said. “You’ve got to hand it to George Black. He’s pretty clever.”

  “So, what are we going to do to subvert his strategy?” Paula asked.

  “Well, we have to convince the jury that Sonia wouldn’t participate in a murder, even if it meant losing her boyfriend,” Jodie argued. “She just has to be adamant about that. She’s a moral human being and couldn’t help kill someone.”

  “Yes, but what if Black argues that Sonia didn’t know the significance of putting money under Ricardo’s bed—that she didn’t realize she was setting him up for a murder?” Paula asked.

  “The rat poison would have tipped her off,” Stan replied.

  “True,” Paula agreed. “So, convincing the jury that Sonia couldn’t be blackmailed into participating in the murder is paramount.”

  Jodie nodded. “Boy this is going to be very confusing for the jury.”

  “It will be,” Stan agreed. “It could end in a mistrial.”

  “Oh, I hope not,” Paula said. “I don’t want to try this case twice.”

  They talked for another half hour and then Stan told them he had to get home because Marcia and her boyfriend were coming home from college for the weekend and they all were going out to dinner. They protested but he told them they were doing fine and to keep up the good work. The truth was he didn’t want the issue of Emilio and Sandy Richmond’s whereabouts to come up. When he got home he took Rebekah out to dinner alone just in case Paula or Jodie called the house.

  The next morning Stan decided to go to court and watch the trial so he could get a feel for how it was going. He didn’t want to distract Paula or Jodie, however, so he took a seat in the gallery and watched and listened. Rutledge’s next witness was Carl Brooks.

  “Objection, Your Honor,” Black said. “This witness has nothing relevant to say in this trial and is being brought to slander my client. To allow him to testify would be highly prejudicial.”

  “All of you come forward,” the judge said.

  Paula, Rutledge and Black all walked up to the bench for a sidebar. Stan knew what they were arguing about. Brooks was one of Tom Wilkinson’s victims in another venture. What happened to him wasn’t relevant unless Rutledge could show it was his typical practice in handling recalcitrant property owners. The sidebar continued for some time and while it was going Stan looked around the courtroom to see if he recognized anyone. The crowd was mostly from the media but he saw Ricardo’s family, some courthouse personnel on their breaks checking in on the action, and several women, presumably the spouses of the other defendants. When the sidebar broke up the judge called a ten minute recess, so Stan got up and left the courtroom so Paula and Jodie wouldn’t spot him. Outside he saw a line of witnesses who were waiting to testify. Amongst the group was an attractive woman in a red, short sleeve, skirt suit with covered buttons, matching purse and open toed shoes. She wore long seashell earrings and had a rock on her hand the size of Mt. McKinley. Stan figured it must be Tom Wilkinson’s wife, but he couldn’t imagine she’d be a witness for the prosecution.

  When the recess was over Stan started to go back inside when he was tapped on the shoulder by his old friend, Detective Bingo Besch. He turned around and smiled.

  “Oh. Hi, Detective.”

  “Why aren’t you up at the defense table?” Besch asked.

  “Oh, it’s rather crowded up there and I’m not sure how long I’m staying. I’m supposed to be manning the office but I wanted to see how things were going.”

  “I just got here myself so I couldn’t tell you. Rutledge and his crew seem satisfied with what they’ve done so far.”

  “What about Black? I heard he tossed in a few grenades.”

  “Yeah. Throwing Ben Benito into the mix will make things interesting but it won’t stick. He’s used up all his evidence and it’s not enough.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. . . . Have you found Emilio or Sandy Richmond yet?”

  “No, but we did learn they did fly out of Miami together.”

  “Where did they go?”

  “To Mexico City but the trail ends there. They haven’t flown out of Mexico City, rented a car or taken the bus. They either had friends there or maybe bought a car with cash.”

  “So, what does Rutledge think about it? Isn’t he concerned he’s got the wrong defendants on trial for murder?”

  “Apparently not. He thinks he’s got a strong enough case against Wilkinson, Hunt and Jamison to win and doesn’t really care if they are innocent or not. They are criminals in his book and should be put away.”

  “Hmm. So much for the pursuit of justice.”

  “God works in mysterious ways,” Besch noted.

  “True. Putting those thugs away for the rest of their lives would be a good thing and make the world a safer place, still—”

  “I know,” Besch said. “It offends your sense of justice.”

  “A little bit.”

  “Anyway. I didn’t tell you this, but if you don’t screw up the DA’s case against Wilkinson and his gang they’re willing to let Ricardo slip through the cracks.”

  “Seriously?”

  “You didn’t hear it from me,” Besch repeated.

  “Right. So, if we have any exculpatory evidence favoring Wilkinson and the others, we should sit on it.”

  Besch nodded. “Yes, and Rutledge will sit on the remaining evidence he has that links Ricardo to the conspiracy.”

  “What evidence? He’s already introduced the shoe box and the rat poison.”

  Besch shrugged. “I don’t know what it is, but he claims to have a smoking gun that will nail your client to the wall.”

  “This is bullshit!” Stan exclaimed. “I need to know what he’s got. Hell, I should already know what he’s got. If he’s been holding back the judge isn’t going to like it.”

  “Calm down. He says he just discovered it. But if you don’t want to play ball, just say so and we’ll let the chips fall where they may. Oh, and this is between counsel. Don’t take it to your client or anyone else.”

  Stan felt his face heating up. He was angry but he knew Besch was just the messenger and his anger shouldn’t be vented on him. He took a deep breath. “I’ll have to discuss it with Paula. It’s her case.”

  “Okay. But we need a yea or nay by day’s end.”

  Besch left and Stan went back into the courtroom. Brooks was on the stand so he assumed Rutledge had won the argument on whether his testimony was relevant. He had already testified about his selling his property to Wilkinson Proper
ties for $250,000 in order to settle with the girl who had accused him of sexual assault while she was asleep in his dental chair.

  “So, it is your testimony that you did not inappropriately touch Laura Easley, but that accusation alone would have ruined you, so you settled?”

  “Yes. That’s correct.”

  “Well, Dr. Brooks. I believe you. Pass the witness.”

  Neither Paula or Black desired to cross examine the witness, so he was allowed to step down.

  Rutledge called Laura Easley to the stand. “Ms. Easley. What is your occupation.”

  “I’m an actor.”

  “What kind of acting do you do?”

  “Movies mainly. Sometimes I do music videos.”

  “What was your last movie?”

  “Deconstructing Mary.”

  “That’s an X rated movie.”

  “Triple X.”

  “I see. So, you’re a porn star.”

  “Some people would say so.”

  “In the summer of 1995 were you hired to become a patient of Dr. Carl Brooks?”

  Laura sighed. “Yes.”

  “And who hired you?”

  She pointed to Jamison who was seated next to George Black at the counsel table. “Chris Jamison.”

  “May the record reflect that the witness has pointed out the defendant, Christopher Jamison.”

  “The record will so reflect,” the judge ruled.

  “So, what were you hired to do?”

  “I was supposed to have my teeth checked and cleaned.”

  “Is that it?”

  “No. I was supposed to pretend to be very nervous and scared of dentists. Actually I didn’t have to do much acting on that score. I hate going to the dentist. The idea was that I needed to be gassed so work could be done on my teeth while I was asleep.”

  “So, how did it go?”

  “No problem. Dr. Brooks was very sympathetic and said he could put me under while he took x-rays and did any work that was necessary.”

  “So, did he put you to sleep?”

  “Yes, he gave me gas and while I was asleep he took x-rays and filled one cavity that he had found.”

  “So, what happened when you woke up?”

  “Oh, then I began my performance. I unbuttoned my blouse and when the dental assistant came in I complained that my blouse was open and my bra undone when I woke up. I asked her if that was part of the procedure. She said it wasn’t.”

  “So, you accused Dr. Brooks of fondling you while you were under anesthesia?”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “So, what happened next?”

  “I don’t know. They paid me my thousand bucks and I never heard from them again.”

  “Thank you Ms. Easley. Pass the witness.”

  Paula didn’t have any questions on cross examination but Black did. “Ms. Easley. Have you made any agreements with the prosecution in exchange for this testimony today?”

  “Uh, yeah. They said they wouldn’t prosecute me for extortion if I got up here and told the truth.”

  “So, you’re getting a free ride for your testimony today?”

  “Yeah, you think I’d be sitting up here blabbing if I didn’t have a deal?”

  “Does your deal include witness protection?”

  “Uh huh. At my age my porn days are about over, so a fresh start didn’t seem like such a bad deal.”

  “No further questions, Your Honor.”

  Laura Easley left the witness stand and was whisked away by a U.S. Marshal. Stan chuckled to himself. He had to admire Wilkinson’s creativity if nothing else. The next witness was Paul Robinson who testified how he refused to sell his home to Wilkinson Properties and shortly thereafter thieves broke in and took everything of value. Then they gathered together all the family pictures, videos, albums and burned them in the fire place. He testified that Chris Jamison had made it clear to him that if they didn’t sell even worse things would happen.

  Then Rutledge called Don Short, the real estate agent who had been hired to acquire Emilio Bellucci’s property. Stan figured he was a substitute for Eva Bellucci who was too dangerous a witness for the prosecution to call. He realized Eva Bellucci was the person that Rutledge didn’t want Paula to call as a witness for the defense. Unfortunately, Black was sure to call her and he was certain to inquire as to Emilio’s whereabouts. Rutledge knew her testimony would open a can of worms and really compromise his case against Wilkinson, Hunt and Jamison.

  At 5:02 p.m. on Friday Rutledge’s last witness left the stand and he rested. Due to the late hour the judge recessed the case until 9:00 a.m. on Monday. Stan left the courtroom immediately and went back to the office. On the way there he decided he had no choice now but to lay out all the facts to Paula and Jodie. He told Maria to have them come to the conference room when they arrived. Ten minutes later Jodie walked in with Paula close behind. They both looked exhausted.

  “So, how’s the trial going?”

  “Okay,” Paula replied. “Rutledge rested so we’ll be presenting our case bright and early on Monday.”

  “Yes. Well, that’s why I wanted to meet with you. We have a huge problem.”

  “What problem?” Paul asked warily.

  “Well, Besch just informed me that Emilio and Sandy left the country together. They flew to Mexico City from Miami and disappeared. I’m not sure how they got to Miami, but I assume they drove.”

  “They went together?” Jodie asked seeming confused.

  “Yes, so that confirms that neither Ricardo, Wilkinson, Hunt or Jamison had anything to do with the murders.”

  “What are you talking about?” Paula exclaimed.

  Stan sighed. “Okay. I’m 99% sure Emilio and Sandy are our killers. This is what happened. Emilio married Eva, a beautiful model who was much younger than himself. After Eva made it big as a model their marriage became strained. Eva was on the road a lot and Emilio was very jealous. To keep Emilio busy Eva financed his restaurant in Dallas.

  “Unknown to Emilio, John Richmond had been Eva’s high school sweetheart. While they were dating Eva’s mother had caught them having sex one afternoon when they both were supposed to be in school. Eva’s father pressed charges and John, who was eighteen at the time, was convicted of statutory rape of Eva who was but 16. As a result Richmond’s name was put on the sexual predatory list. Eva loved John but her parents wouldn’t allow them to be married, so they kept their continued relationship a secret.

  “Emilio had suspected for years that there was someone else but Eva was very discreet so he could never figure out who it was. But as Eva aged a few years and found it more difficult to get modeling assignments she was forced to retire from modeling and spend more time at home. She didn’t like this because it made it more difficult to carry on her affair with John Richmond. Because she still loved John and wanted to be with him as much as possible, she befriended his wife Sandy and the two couples were soon dining and going out to social events together.

  “But Sandy soon figured out what was going on and took Emilio aside and told him his wife and her husband had been having an affair for over fifteen years. Emilio was shocked and outraged and wanted to buy a gun and shoot both of them, but Sandy came up with another plan. Eva had made a lot of money modeling but had hid it from her husband. Although John wasn’t all that successful as an oil and gas operator, he had a giant ego and carried a five million dollar insurance policy. So, a better strategy, they decided, would be for them to figure out a way to kill John so Eva could collect 5 million dollars in insurance proceeds and then Emilio could file for divorce and force his wife to give him half of her estate.

  “They probably agreed to split whatever they collected. Emilio came up with the poisoning idea and to make it look good, Eva would eat a tiny bit of the poison just to make her sick, while she knew her husband, being the voracious eater he was, would dig in and ingest a lethal dose of the poison.

  “Donna Rice and Sandy Richmond were longtime friends, so sometimes
all three of the couples went out together. Bill and Donna Rice were not supposed to be having dinner with them the night of the murders, but coincidentally showed up at the same time and asked if they could join them. There wasn’t anything Sandy could do about it. She just hoped they didn’t like Parmesan cheese.”

  “Oh, my God,” Jodie said.

  “So, what’s the problem? If we can prove this, Ricardo is home free.”

  “Well, the problem is Emilio is our client and we have a conflict of interest.”

  “Oh, shit,” Paula exclaimed. “So, now what do we do? Withdraw?”

  “It gets even more complicated.”

  “Oh, Jesus. What else?” Paula asked.

  “Rutledge, I think, knows since Emilio and Sandy have disappeared that we can probably blow him out of the water, so Besch communicated an offer to me.”

  “What kind of offer?”

  “We hold back our evidence so he can convict Wilkinson, Hunt and Jamison and he lets Ricardo slip through the cracks.”

  “Oh, my God!” Jodie exclaimed. “That’s got to be illegal.”

  “Yeah. I’d say that’s a fair assessment,” Stan replied.

  Paula shook her head. “It could be a set up. The Dallas DA would love to arrest us for conspiracy to obstruct justice.”

  “Except he’s a participant and I doubt Besch would be involved in something like that.”

  “Not voluntarily, but they may be coercing him to do it.”

  “True, but we can’t be a party to it anyway,” Stan said. “It’s not right, plus there is no guarantee the jury will let Ricardo off no matter how easy Rutledge is on him.”

  “Plus, we don’t need Rutledge to be nice to him,” Jodie said. “We can win anyway.”

  “Yeah. About that. Besch claims they have a smoking gun that will nail Ricardo.”

  “He’s bluffing,” Paula said. “He has to make us think that, otherwise he knows we’d never go for it.”

  “Okay then,” Stan said. “Let’s blow this case wide open and prove what really happened.”

  “What about our conflict of interest?” Paula asked.

  Stan shrugged. “If Emilio is wanted for murder in Texas I doubt we’ll have to worry about him coming back to file an ethics complaint.”

  Paula nodded. “Okay. How are we going to prove all of this?”

  Stan told them.