No Good Deed (42 page)

The judge looked at the defense. “Mr. Johnson?”

He rose. “Your Honor, we believe that justice would not be served by keeping my client locked up. My client’s court-appointed psychiatrist agrees. In fact, continued incarceration with violent, mentally disturbed felons would be extremely detrimental to my client’s emotional and physical well-being.”

Lucy couldn’t move. Eleanor Axelrod—she was the judge the cops on Operation Heatwave dubbed “Easy Axe.” She was the judge who’d released Jaime Sanchez—who then skipped bail and ended up kidnapping his niece and Brad. Could she be one of Nicole Rollins’s inside people?

“Ms. Fallow?” the judge asked. “Do you have a problem with me presiding over this hearing?”

“No, Your Honor.”

“Then let’s proceed.”

Christine glanced at Lucy and in her expression, Lucy saw that they’d already lost.

The judge looked over the sheets in front of her. “It’s my understanding that no official charges have been filed against the defendant?”

“Not yet, Your Honor,” Christine said. “She was remanded into mandatory fourteen-day psych evaluation. Dr. Oakley was appointed as her psychiatrist. However, we have charges we’re on the verge of filing. We have three days after this hearing to file.”

“I’m aware of the law,” the judge said. “What charges do you plan to file?”

“Your Honor, the lead FBI agent, Barry Crawford, was tragically murdered this weekend and he was instrumental in the development of this case. His partner in the matter is a rookie FBI agent and I need time to bring her up to speed.”

“Is this the rookie?” the judge asked and looked at Lucy. “Name?”

“FBI Special Agent Lucy Kincaid,” Christine said.

“I see a reprimand on file by the defense related to Agent Kincaid.”

“Your Honor, if I may be allowed to go through our case and why the government believes that the defendant should remain in custody—”

“First I’d like to know why Agent Kincaid was reprimanded by the defense.” She turned to the defense table. “Mr. Johnson?”

“Two weeks ago as well as yesterday, Agent Kincaid spoke to my client without counsel present and without informing Dr. Oakley. Yesterday, Agent Kincaid threatened my client with unwarranted jail time if she didn’t confess to knowledge of a crime of which she has no information.”

“Your Honor,” Lucy began.

“You’ll have your turn, Agent Kincaid. Because you are a rookie, I will say this only once: I will not tolerate any interruption in my court.”

Lucy bit her lip. The tape would prove that was not what happened during yesterday’s conversation with Elise.

“Mr. Johnson, continue.”

“You have Dr. Oakley’s report in the file, and it’s clear that my client is not a threat to anyone but, in fact, is the target of a known fugitive. She has been abused and threatened by both this fugitive and by officers of this court—namely, agents with the FBI.”

“I’ve read Dr. Oakley’s report, and you’ll have your chance to expand on it.” She turned to the prosecution. “Ms. Fallow, what charges do you plan on filing? I understand that Agent Crawford isn’t here to assist you, but don’t you have some idea at this point what you believe the defendant did that was a crime?”

“My office intends to file charges of manslaughter, kidnapping, and extortion,” she said.

“On a sixteen-year-old girl?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“You’ll have to give me more information. Do you have any evidence?”

“Yes, Your Honor, but this hearing isn’t about evidence, it’s—”

“I know exactly what this hearing is for,” Axelrod said.

“Normally, I would have the FBI agent of record go through the investigation, but with Agent Crawford—”

The judge interrupted Christine. “Agent Kincaid, were you part of the investigation that resulted in the arrest of Elise Hansen?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Then share with the court what you believe Ms. Hansen did.”

Lucy stood. “On Friday, May twenty-ninth, Harper Worthington—the husband of Congresswoman Adeline Reyes-Worthington—was murdered in a motel. The coroner’s office determined that he’d been poisoned with curare, a lethal neuromuscular blocker. The poison had been injected into his neck, and he died within thirty minutes. During that time, he would have been incapacitated from the drug.

“A witness placed a woman of Elise Hansen’s description leaving the scene shortly after the time of death as determined by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office. With the assistance of SAPD Detective Tia Mancini, we tracked the unknown female subject to another hotel, and eventually to the employment of Mona Hill, a woman known to—”

The judge interrupted. “I know all this, Agent Kincaid. I’ve read the file and the AUSA report. Do you have anything new to add?”

Lucy was momentarily flustered, but she continued. “I—I think it’s important to understand how Agent Crawford and I came to believe that Ms. Hansen was complicit in murder. For example, evidence collected at the motel and subsequently in the office of Congresswoman Worthington proved that Ms. Hansen knew that Mr. Worthington was dead and yet still took photos of him. She also engaged in oral sex on his corpse with the purpose, I believe, of ensuring that the FBI would have enough evidence to find her.”

“Stop,” Judge Axelrod said.

“I’m not finished.”

“Your story is ridiculous.”

“It’s true, Your Honor.”

“Why would someone intentionally leave evidence in order to be arrested?”

“The plan, we believe, was for Elise to be seen as the victim in order to get close to the investigation and set up an assassination attempt that would appear to be an attempt on her life, when in fact it was an attempt on a federal agent.”

“And a sixteen-year-old prostitute created this elaborate scheme.”

The judge’s tone was complete disbelief, but Lucy pressed on. “I cannot say whether she came up with the plan, but she was aware of it. She also kidnapped James Everett, a real estate developer who had helped Congresswoman Worthington launder money for a known drug cartel run by a man known to authorities as Tobias. Elise threatened Mr. Everett at gunpoint, then fled before the authorities arrived. She was arrested by Agents Dunning—” Lucy gestured to Nate in the back—” and Quiroz of the FBI while on the run.”

She had far more to say, and because the judge was silent, Lucy decided to push. “While I’m not a psychiatrist, I have a master’s in criminal psychology from Georgetown University and advanced training in criminal profiling. It’s my opinion that Elise Hansen is a narcissistic sociopath who has no remorse for her actions—she’s incapable of remorse. If this court releases her to any facility other than a maximum-security facility like the one she’s been in for the last fourteen days, she will soon reconnect with Tobias and continue to commit felonies. Tobias is a known associate of former DEA Agent Nicole Rollins, who escaped from custody Monday morning. Tobias, Rollins and several other individuals are guilty, all told, of the cold-blooded murders of nine federal agents and corrections personnel.”

No one said a word.

“At a minimum,” Lucy said, “if the court believes that Elise Hansen is a victim, she should be kept in a secure facility for her own protection until Rollins and Tobias are apprehended.”

Lucy could say more. She
wanted
to say more, but she knew that if she went beyond the facts she would get herself into trouble. She’d already strayed too far off course, but she thought she made it clear that Elise was complicit in the murder of Harper Worthington.

The judge turned to the defense. “Mr. Johnson?”

“Thank you, Your Honor. Dr. Oakley would like to address the court.”

“Of course, Doctor.”

Barbara Oakley stood. She was shaking. But it was from anger, not fear, Lucy realized as soon as the woman opened her mouth.

“Your Honor, Agent Kincaid may have a master’s degree, but she is not a licensed or trained psychiatrist. She’s a rookie FBI agent who has been brought up in front of the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility
twice
in less than a year. She was suspended for two weeks less than three months ago because she violated FBI protocol. I would request that you completely ignore her ignorant claims that she can diagnose my patient with armchair psychology.”

How the hell did she know that Lucy had been suspended? That was a private personnel matter and not public information. Agents in her office knew, but that was it. Juan hadn’t filed the suspension with OPR—at least, he’d told her he hadn’t.

The realization that there was a leak in the FBI was driven home in that moment.

“Elise Hansen is barely sixteen years old,” Oakley said. “She doesn’t know who her father is. Her mother was a prostitute and a drug addict who, when she went to prison, turned Elise over to foster care. Elise has been in and out of foster homes half of her life. Three years ago, when she was thirteen, she was raped by one of her foster parents, and the one person who stood up for her was Tobias. I am not disputing anything the government has claimed this man has done, but it’s vitally important that you understand that to Elise, he saved her life. She saw him as the only one who could protect her from a system that had failed her. Tobias used her, manipulated her, threatened her—and it was because she had seen him hurt other people that she believed he would hurt her if she didn’t do what he said.

“Elise admits to meeting Harper Worthington and injecting him, but she believed it was ketamine, not a deadly poison. She was ordered to seduce Harper Worthington and take incriminating pictures. She didn’t ask why, because she did what she was told out of fear of punishment. I have addressed each of Agent Kincaid’s preposterous allegations in my report to the court.”

“Your Honor,” AUSA Fallow said, rising, “this is a hearing, not a trial.”

The judge glared at Fallow. “And you think I don’t know what’s going on in my own court, Ms. Fallow? Do not interrupt again.” She turned to Dr. Oakley. “I read your report in chambers this morning,” she said. “You indicated that Ms. Hansen lived in fear of this Tobias.”

Dr. Oakley nodded. “Yes, you Honor. Elise is terrified of what Tobias will do to her. What Agent Kincaid claims is a dark and twisted fairy tale. Elise is a victim, not a criminal. For more than twenty years, I have worked with hundreds of teenage prostitutes and abuse survivors. It’s clear that Agent Kincaid has no understanding or sympathy for girls who have been grossly and systematically abused. Elise has made many mistakes, but everything she did was to survive in a world where no one ever showed kindness—except for, perhaps, the most dangerous man wanted by the FBI.

“It’s my opinion that Elise suffers from extremely low self-esteem, abuse, and that she devalues herself as a human being. She needs our help, not our punishment. There is a group home in Austin that has a place for her. The house is fully certified and run by one of my colleagues who has helped hundreds of sexually abused teenage prostitutes go on to lead normal, productive lives. This court can and should monitor her progress for the duration of the program.”

She sat down and patted Elise on the arm.

Lucy wanted to scream.

“Ms. Fallow, does your office oppose putting Ms. Hansen in the Austin Group Home?”

“Yes, Your Honor. We absolutely oppose a group home option. If we could simply have three more days—we will be filing charges.”

“And you have evidence to support those charges?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

The judge sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Why is it that incarceration is always the answer with the government? This girl is hardly more than a child. The system has failed her. The least we can do is give her hope. You haven’t filed charges yet because, I believe, you’re still trying to build a case where none exists.”

“No, Your Honor, we were waiting for this hearing—”

“Sounds like an excuse to me, Ms. Fallow. I’m granting the defense petition to place Elise Hansen into the Austin Group Home for Girls for a period of twelve months. At that time, this court will reevaluate the order. Ms. Hansen, you will be required to abide by all the rules of the group home, to meet with your court-appointed psychiatrist weekly, and to appear before this court when requested. You are officially a ward of the court. Ms. Fallow, if you have charges you wish to bring against the defendant, I would suggest you get your ducks in a row soon, because delay is not your friend. Court adjourned.”

Lucy jumped up. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. “Your Honor! You can’t do this! Elise Hansen is a cold-blooded killer!”

“One more word, Agent Kincaid, and I will hold you in contempt. I don’t think you would fare well in jail for twenty-four hours.”

She opened her mouth but someone grabbed her from behind. She whirled around, almost in full panic, then saw Nate’s face. He shook his head once, his mouth set in a thin line.

She stared into his dark eyes. He was angry but calm. She took a deep breath. Then another.

Nate was right. If she went to jail, she would be vulnerable.

She turned and walked out of the court.

Where was Hans? He was supposed to be here. He was a trained forensic psychiatrist. He could have countered everything that Dr. Oakley said and the judge would have to listen. Wouldn’t she?

Nate grabbed her elbow. “Let’s go.” He led her out of the courtroom as soon as the judge left.

“I—”

“Lucy, this isn’t helping. This was set up from the beginning. Everyone suspects Axelrod is on the take. This proves it. Christine Fallow will put together the charges.”

“Elise will disappear before then.”

“I know.”

“Dammit!”

They collected their weapons and went outside. Lucy first tried Sean, but his cell phone went to voice mail. Then she called Hans as soon as Nate pulled out of the parking structure and headed toward FBI headquarters.

“Elise was sent to a group home in Austin,” she said. “You said you’d meet us at the courthouse. She’s going to run. The judge didn’t listen to me or the AUSA.”

“Where are you?”

“Heading back to headquarters.”

“I’ll explain when you get here.”