Chapter 33
Paula Waters
When Rutledge rested, Paula regretted that she’d already given her opening statement. The defense she was now going to put on didn’t resemble what she had told the jury was coming. She prayed they wouldn’t remember what she’d said almost a week earlier, but doubted that would be the case. She saw one juror taking copious notes all week, so she knew at least one juror would be confused. She decided she’d just have to explain, bit by bit during her direct examination of the witnesses, what had changed.
Stan had called Detective Besch over the weekend and informed him there wasn’t a deal. She didn’t tell Bart about it because Besch had said it was a confidential offer and she didn’t want anyone to even know she had considered it. She knew Rutledge would be pissed that she was going to blow his case apart and would show her no mercy when she started putting on her case. She just prayed Stan was right and the witnesses she called would provide the evidence she needed.
Paula’s bodyguard got to her apartment early and drove her to the courthouse. It was a bright sunny day with the temperatures in the sixties, so she wore a blue, fit-and-flare duster jacket-dress with gold shoes and a long gold chain necklace. Mild weather in December wasn’t unusual for Dallas and she took it as a good omen for the presentation of her case in chief.
The media was camped out in front of the Crowley Criminal Courts Building, so she had no choice but to answer a few questions as she walked through their midst.
“Ms. Waters. What did you think of the prosecution’s case?” a reporter asked.
“It was pretty much what I expected.”
“Has your defense changed any since the start of the trial?” another reporter asked.
She was delighted with the question as it would give her a chance to warn the jury that things have changed. They weren’t supposed to read the paper, watch TV news reports or listen to news about the trial on the radio, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t hear about what she said to the media.
“Actually, it has changed a lot,” she said. “There have been new developments and new evidence discovered that will make it even more clear that Ricardo Rizzi is innocent.”
“What new developments?” the reporter asked.
“You’ll have to wait for the trial to resume to find out,” she said with a grin.
When she made it to the courtroom Rutledge wasn’t smiling. He glared at her as she walked up to the defense table. Jodie assumed he wasn’t happy that they hadn’t accepted his deal. Jodie was already there, engrossed in conversation with Ricardo. Paula assumed she was explaining their new strategy so he wouldn’t be taken by surprise. She looked around for Stan but he was nowhere to be found. She assumed he was out rounding up the witnesses that she was supposed to call to prove her case. The first one on the list was Eva Bellucci.
Paula set her briefcase on the table and looked at Jodie. “Is Eva Bellucci here yet?”
“Yes. I saw her in the hall.”
“Good. That will kill an hour at least. Hopefully that will give Stan time enough to get the other witnesses we need.”
“He’s been having subpoenas served all weekend. I saw him yesterday at the office and he said everyone had been served.”
The judge walked through the back door and the bailiff exclaimed. “All rise!”
The judge took the bench and told everyone they could be seated.
“Ms. Waters. You may call your first witness.”
“We call Eva Bellucci, Your Honor.”
The judge nodded to the bailiff who went out in the hall and brought Eva Bellucci into the courtroom. She wore a beige, side-buttoned, jacket dress, white shoes and a lot of silver jewelry. Even though she had retired she still looked like a model and heads turned as she walked by. Since she hadn’t been on the witness list the clerk swore her in.
“Mrs. Bellucci. Are you a part owner of Emilio’s Italian Restaurant?”
“Yes. My husband runs it but it’s community property.”
“Now you’re aware of the murders that took place at your restaurant earlier this year, aren’t you?”
“Painfully aware, I’m afraid.”
“Were you at the restaurant that night?”
“No. I was at home.”
“Was your husband at home?”
“No. He was out. I presume at the restaurant but I have no personal knowledge of that.”
“Does your husband usually work on Friday nights?”
“No. Not usually.”
“Why did he go in?”
“I don’t know. He said he had a project he was working on, but he didn’t elaborate.”
“How long have you and your husband been married?”
“Sixteen years.”
“During that time has he been faithful to you?”
“No. We have an open marriage. We’ve both had affairs.”
“Have you had a long-standing affair with one of the victims who died at your restaurant?”
“Yes. John Richmond and I have been seeing each other on and off for the full duration of our marriage. In fact, I fell in love with him before I married Emilio.”
The gallery stirred and the bailiff stood and glared at those who were talking. The courtroom became quiet.
“Why didn’t you marry John rather than Emilio?”
“Our families forbade it. John and I had sex when I was a minor and my father found out about it and had him prosecuted for statutory rape. I loved John and he didn’t blame me for my father’s actions, but we could never get married after all of that scandal.”
“So, where is your husband right now?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him for about ten days now.”
“When he left where did he say he was going?”
“He said he was going fishing.”
“Is he a fisherman?”
“No. I took it to mean he was going out with another woman.”
“I see. Do you know who he went out with?”
“No, but Sandy Richmond is missing too, I understand.”
“But you don’t know if he is with Sandy Richmond, do you?”
“No.”
“Now you had a career as a model, is that correct?”
“Yes. I modeled for about twelve years before I had to retire.”
“And you did pretty well, I assume?”
“Yes, quite well.”
“So, who controls your money?”
“It’s in a trust and my brother is the trustee.”
“So, your husband doesn’t have any control over it?”
“No. I control all of our assets, even the restaurant since I financed it for him.”
“Why haven’t you given him any control over it?”
“He’s no good with money. All he knows is how to spend it.”
A man in the gallery laughed. The bailiff gave him a dirty look.
“So, he hasn’t made any money?” Paula asked.
“No. We’re lucky if the restaurant breaks even.”
“Now you knew all of the victims, is that correct?”
“Yes. They were all friends and I was devastated when I heard they died at my restaurant.”
“Do you have any knowledge as to who was responsible for the murders?”
Eva shook her head. “No. I don’t.”
“Do you think the fact that you and John Richmond were having an affair might be a motive for the murders?”
“Objection. Calls for speculation,” Rutledge said.
“I’m asking her opinion,” Paula said.
“I’ll allow it.”
A tear slid down Eva’s cheek. “It’s possible, but I pray to God that isn’t true.”
“Pass the witness,” Paula said.
Black and Rutledge took Eva on cross but neither got any additional evidence from her. Paula next called Detective Bingo Besch. Besch testified that Emilio Bellucci and Sandy Richmond had left the country together, flown to Mexico City and then disappeared. Next Paula called
Don Baldwin of the Rice Insurance Agency.
“Mr. Baldwin. Did John Richmond have an insurance policy on his life?”
“Yes he did.”
“And who was the beneficiary?”
“His wife.”
“And when he died did she collect the insurance proceeds?”
“Ah. Yes she did. Normally the company would have waited until the murder had been solved to pay the claim, but since she was a victim, too, they decided to go ahead and pay the claim immediately.”
“How was the claim paid?”
“By cashier’s check.”
“And the check was cashed?”
“Yes, it was.”
“And how much was it?”
“Five million dollars.”
The gallery erupted in excited chatter. Rutledge slouched back in his chair, shaking his head. The judge didn’t try to silence the gallery. Jodie looked at Paula and smiled. Paula stifled a laugh and continued.
“Thank you, Mr. Baldwin.”
There was no cross examination so Paula called her next witness, Bob Willis.
“Mr. Willis. How are you employed, sir?”
“I’m a part-time parking lot attendant for Emilio’s Italian Restaurant.”
“Were you working on the night of May 7, 1997?”
“Yes.”
“Did you have occasion to see your boss, Emilio Bellucci, that night?”
“Yes. He was there at 5:00 p.m. when I came on duty.”
“During the evening did he come out to the parking lot at all?”
“Ah, yes. He came out to relieve me about 6:30 p.m. There usually are two of us but Gus called in sick.”
“You mean he parked cars?”
“Yeah. I know it sounds crazy, but he insisted I take a fifteen minute break.”
“Did you take a break?”
“Yes. I left for about ten minutes to go to the bathroom and get a coke.”
“When you came back did you see anything unusual?”
“Yes, I noticed that one of the keys were missing from the key box, so I asked him if he’d seen them. So, he dug into his pockets and produced the keys.”
“Why was that unusual?”
“Because I had parked that car and he didn’t have any reason to be in it.”
“Did you ask him why he was in that particular car?”
“No. He was the boss, so I figured he knew what he was doing.”
“Do you know whose car it was?”
“Yes, I was curious so I looked on his ticket.”
“Whose car was it?”
“The ticket said Chris Hunt.”
The spectators stirred again and the bailiff stood up and glared at them. On cross Rutledge got Willis to admit he hadn’t seen Emilio actually get into Hunt’s car, but when Black took over he walked Willis through his testimony again and asked him what was on everybody’s mind.
“Is it possible that Mr. Bellucci left something in Chris Hunt’s car? Like a plastic bag with rat poison in it?”
“Objection, calls for speculation,” Rutledge said.
“Objection sustained,” the judge ruled.
After Bob Willis left the stand, Paula called Sonia Bennett. “Ms. Bennett. You testified earlier that Emilio and Ricardo were like family?”
“Yes. That’s true.”
“Did Ricardo ever have Emilio over to his apartment?”
“Oh, yes. We had a family barbeque there several weeks before the murders. The apartment complex has a swimming pool and picnic area that’s great for parties. Emilio, Eva, Ricardo’s father and mother and his sister were all there.”
“So, would it have been possible for Emilio to go into Ricardo’s garage during that barbeque?”
“Sure. I saw him go in several times to get more charcoal.”
“What about the apartment itself?”
“It was open and people were going in and out all evening.”
“So, would it have been possible for Emilio to take something in the apartment, say a shoe box, and put it under Ricardo’s bed?”
“There would have been many opportunities for him to do that.”
“Pass the witness,” Paula said.
On cross Rutledge got Sonia to admit that she hadn’t seen Emilio bring anything into the apartment or take anything out of the garage except charcoal, but the damage had been done. Paula noticed many of the jurors were smiling at Ricardo and the other defendants. Black was beside himself and suggested Paula call Tom Wilkinson’s wife, Barbara. She took his advice.
Paula went to the evidence table and picked up the shoe box with the $10,000 in it. She held it up. “Mrs. Wilkinson. Do you recognize this shoe box?”
“Yes. It was the box that contained a pair of shoes I bought for my husband for his birthday.”
“And when did you last see this shoe box?”
“When I threw it out in a bag of trash in the alley behind our home.”
“So, would it have been possible for someone to take this box out of your trash or take the entire trash bag?”
“Sure. It’s right out in the open for anyone to grab.”
“Thank you. Pass the witness.”
“Mr. Rutledge, your witness,” the judge said.
“No questions Your Honor.”
The judge looked at his watch. “Then let’s break for lunch,” he said and left the bench.
Rutledge went back to the defense table, mumbled something to his co-counsel and then stormed off. Paula looked at Jodie and smiled.
Paula looked toward Ricardo who looked a bit stunned. “Well, that went well.”
Jodie laughed. “You think?”
Ricardo smiled. “So, what does this mean?”
“It means everyone knows now that you aren’t the murderer.”
Bart suddenly appeared behind them. “Congratulations! That was quite impressive.”
Paula turned and smiled. “Thank you.”
“You totally humiliated Rutledge. He looked like he wanted to chop off your head.”
“Well. I’d like to take the credit but Stan has masterminded today’s performance.”
“How long has he known that Emilio and Sandy Richmond were the killers?”
“Since the trial began, I think.”
Bart shook his head. “Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rutledge throws in the towel. It would be kind of ridiculous to continue the trial after what we learned today. The jury has been totally turned. I could see it on their faces. . . . Where is Stan anyway?”
Paula laughed. “Who knows.”
“Well, how about some lunch, ladies. I’m treating.”
“That sounds good to me,” Jodie said.
“Me too,” Paula agreed.
Just as they were about to leave Stan walked into the courtroom. He gave them a wide smile and walked up.
“So, according to the press you turned the tide,” Stan announced.
“You talked to the press?” Paula asked.
“Yes. They were anxious to tell me how you blew Rutledge’s case right out the window.”
“Join us for lunch, Stan?” Bart asked. “I’m treating.”
“Absolutely.”
They all piled into Bart’s BMW and drove up to the West End to Spaghetti Warehouse. After they’d been seated and ordered, Ricardo asked the question that was on everybody’s mind. “Where do you think Sandy and Emilio went?”
“They probably caught one of those public buses south where everyone pays a few pesos and climbs aboard. You know the ones you see in movies with the chickens clucking and the dogs poking their noses out the window.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’d bet they are heading to one of the South American or Caribbean countries that don’t have an extradition treaty with the U.S.”
“What do you think is going to become of Tom Wilkinson and his crew?” Jodie asked.
“Well, the feds got a lot of other things against them thanks to you, Jodie,” Stan replied. “I suspect o
nce they are cleared of these charges they will be indicted for extortion and racketeering.”
“And they have Chris Hunt for murdering Evelyn Sanders,” Paula added
Stan sighed. “Oh, I’m afraid not.”
“Why not?” Paula asked.
“Because when I told Besch that Sandy and Emilio were together, he went to Emilio’s house and collected a sample of his fingerprints to compare with those on the tire iron that had been used to kill Evelyn Sanders.”
“Oh, my God! Emilio killed her?” Paula asked.
“I’m afraid so.”
“He must have seen Brandon and I pull up in front of the restaurant with Evelyn. When we didn’t come in, he put two and two together and figured he had a problem.”
“Right. He probably followed you and then waited for an opportunity to kill Evelyn.”
“But how was Evelyn a threat?”
“I’m not sure,” Stan said. “But she was the State’s prime witness. She was there before the victims sat down and were served. She saw them poisoned and die. I suspect she saw Emilio do something or he thought she had.”
“Huh. I feel so bad that Evelyn was murdered?” Jodie said. “And it was all my fault for dragging her over to Emilio’s.”
“Nonsense,” Stan said. “If it was anybody’s fault it was Sandy and Emilio’s. They’re the greedy bastards who got three innocent people killed so that they could get their vengeance and get rich in the process.”
“So, you don’t think John Richmond deserved to die?” Bart said.
Stan shook his head. “No. He didn’t deserve to die, but he wasn’t innocent either. He and Eva lived a lie for twenty some odd years. They should have just got married and told their families to butt out of their affairs.”
“Yeah. You don’t know Italian families,” Ricardo said. “That would be like telling a hive of bees to stop flapping their wings. It ain’t going to happen.”
Everyone laughed.