One Deadly Sister (Sandy Reid Mystery Series #1) (31 page)

“Oh, you mean my meddling, pestering and aggravating. My work hasn’t even started.”

He rested one hand on the stack of papers. “These papers will be part of the official record. Reluctantly, I find that as a legal officer of the State of Florida, it’s my duty to present this evidence to the judge and bring charges against you.”

“I hate to put you to all that bother.”

He raised his voice, “And I hate to say you’re in a great deal of trouble. I’m afraid the penalties are quite severe.”

“You’re kidding, right?” She knew negotiating with this jerk would be impossible as long as he was playing his bully game. “That stack of papers there is a phony prop. Wouldn’t it be more effective if we worked together on this rather than playing silly power games?”

“You won’t think they’re so silly when you’re standing looking out between bars.”

“You’re right, I won’t. But jail won’t shut me up either.”

“It might be possible for me to overlook some of these charges. You’d have to retract a few things. That is, correct the record.”

“What is it you want me to do?”

He grabbed up one of the top folders, reached across the table and shook it in her face. In a loud voice, “I want you to butt out and cease running around conducting your own damn investigation and giving information to the newspaper.”

She smiled. “No, seriously, what do you want me to do?”

That was enough, more than enough. He jumped up and quickly marched around the table to where she sat. She started to stand, but he put his hand firmly on her shoulder and pushed her back down. “Just sit right there. You don’t seem to realize your ass is in the hot seat. Now you listen to me. You’re going back to that newspaper and tell them you made up the whole bunch of bullshit.”

“Mr. Moran, you just got up and walked around to my side of the table. That’s why your voice got louder. Then you touched me forcefully with your hand on my shoulder while you cursed at me.”

“Why do you keeping talking in a loud voice like that? You’re not even paying attention to what I’m saying.”

She pushed his hand hard from her shoulder. “Now do what I tell you and everything will be just fine. Walk back around the table and sit back down. I want to explain something.”

He was incensed. “I don’t know what you’re up to, smartass but—.”

“No, no, no. Save all the expletives. Now go sit down.”

She returned his stare. Then he stomped furiously back to his chair and stood breathing heavily with his arms folded across his chest.

She said, “Everything you’ve said the last few minutes was recorded.”

He looked at his recorder. “I can erase the tape. You’ll never get it.”

“No, not your recorder, my phone. It’s been on the entire time. A phone at the other end is receiving my call and has a recorder attached to it. I’ve recorded everything you’ve said to me from the start. An undercover detective in Philadelphia taught me that trick.”

He looked surprised but recovered quickly. “To start with, I checked your phone and it was off. Even so, it would be illegal! You can’t record a phone conversation in Florida without the permission of all parties. It has no value whatever.”

“But I didn’t record a phone conversation. I recorded you in this room, face to face.”

“Well, finally I meet you, and it turns out you’re not the smart gal everyone thinks you are. Do you know what you’ve just done? You’ve secretly recorded a Florida state attorney! Even the FBI can’t take such an audacious action without a warrant from a judge. You just outsmarted yourself. I now have immediate grounds for your arrest. Something I’ve been wishing for since you arrived in town. Thank you very much, Miss Reid. I believe we’re through here.”

She just looked peacefully at him.

“So it’s a stupid trick you tried to pull and it backfired.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

Still no reaction from her.

He looked over at her phone, then at her and back to the phone. “Maybe you’re bluffing and didn’t record anything.”

She said nothing.

He leaned forward. “Let say you actually did, and I don’t think for a moment that you did. Just hypothetically speaking, what would you do with it?”

“Well, you can’t charge me with secretly recording without entering the recording as evidence. So, we’ll let a jury listen to it. Remember, all of this is still being recorded...all the damns, smartasses and dumb bitches. You’d need to explain your unprofessional behavior in a court of law, and you’d fall flat on your hypothetical ass.”

The blood faded from his face. He sank into his chair. In a weak voice he muttered, “I was wrought up. You got me agitated, that’s all. I’m not normally like this.” Then he leaned toward her. “Wait a minute. I see it all now, this
is
a trick.”

“You’re right. I was bluffing. I didn’t record a thing.”

He appeared relieved. “Ah, I thought so. I knew you didn’t.”

She continued with a look of amusement.

“I don’t like that smirk on your face. You
did
record it.”

“Now listen up,” she said. “If you persist in taking this confused mess you call a case to trial, we’re going to challenge the arrest. We’re going to challenge the custody without bond and the constitutionality of his detention. We’re going to challenge the inadequate control of the crime scene. All of the evidence you’ve gathered there will be thrown out. All of it. All of your circumstantial crap...thrown out.”

He appeared stunned, his mouth half open.

She continued, “We’re going to challenge the validity and accuracy of every little piece of your so-called evidence. And we’ll find an expert to match every one of your experts. We’re going to make you sweat over every syllable you utter until the jury wonders what the hell you’re doing in a courtroom. In case you’ve missed my point, you have nothing.You’re going to lose, Moran. Get used to it. I suggest you call Jerry Kagan immediately and start negotiations for my brother’s release. You should drop the charges before the paper starts asking why you arrested him in the first place.”

She gathered her handbag contents from the table and walked to the door. She turned. “Oh, and don’t worry about replacing that old pocket radio you just smashed against the wall believing it to be a recorder. It fell out of Raymond’s stupid glove compartment, it didn’t work anyway.”

He sat there staring at the door for a moment after she left. He then slowly walked back to his office. He’d get back at the bitch. His best bargaining chip now was the power to permit bail. He was not going to drop the charges. Maybe she could bring enough pressure to force him to let her brother out on bail, but he’d still be under arrest. Furthermore, the price would be very high, and part of the price would be she must leave town without saying anything further. If she wants him out then that’s the price. With her out of the way, tying the ribbons on this case against Reid would be easy.

He called Jerry Kagan and told him the state would consider bail, if Reid’s sister agrees to pack up and go back to Philadelphia. No more playing detective. No more talking to the media. Kagan was pleasantly surprised. He’d call Moran back first thing in the morning after consulting with his client.

If Reid agreed, then Moran would see the judge and tell him the state was willing to go along with a motion for pretrial release.

Moran knew that everything must be in place before those damn articles started running in the newspaper.

R
ay found it difficult to believe events could happen so fast. Sandy was with him in the visiting room, and he was talking to Kagan on her phone.

Kagan was saying, “Not a done deal but it looks good. They want you out so Sandy will shut up and leave town. For the first time they’re talking bail. Nevertheless, they’ve set it high...a half million. You'd need to put up ten-percent, cash or collateral. Do you own any real estate? Can you pledge $50,000?”

“No way. I have some securities worth that much, my life savings. Although, if I borrowed against it, I wouldn’t get the full amount.”

“Part of the deal is you put a muzzle on your sister. She leaves town and they never hear about her again. That’s a big concession for them considering you’re still the only suspect they have. You’d be free.”

Ray was holding the phone so Sandy could hear. “Free from custody, yet still under arrest,” she said, “and they want me to stop helping you. Then how do we prepare a defense? How do we develop other suspects for reasonable doubt? I’d love to have you out, Raymond, but I don’t like the offer. If he wants me out of town, he’ll have to ship me out in a box.”

“Okay, I understand. I don’t have the $50,000 anyway.”

Into the phone she said, “Perhaps there’s room to negotiate. Moran’s shabby conference room get-together with me didn’t go well for him. He was shaking when I left. In fact, this might all be a bluff.”

“Don’t overplay your hand,” Kagan warned. “Don’t try and go for complete dismissal of all charges or something crazy. If you’ve got a state attorney talking bail, you’d better grab it.”

“Sandy, I wasn’t going to tell you this, I’m not doing very well behind bars.”

“No kidding. I’ve watched you deteriorate, you look like a train wreck.”

“It’s more than that. Sometimes I sit on the edge of the bed for an hour as if my brain switched off. Other times, I believe I’m starting to suffocate. Take
any
offer to get me out of custody. So you can go home. I know you’re clever, and he’s no match for you, but just get me into the open spaces.”

She looked at her pale brother rubbing his cuffed hands...her
innocent
brother. A nervous tic on his right eyelid was fluttering like a trapped bird. She could just accept Moran’s offer, and her brother would be relieved of all of this. Was there anything more important?

“I don’t know how you handle stress as you do. You’re so bold and self-assured,” he said.

“I got that from you.”

“From me?”

“Yes, from watching my big brother as we were growing up.”

“If that were ever true, then I lost it along the way.”

Kagan was yelling into the phone, “They’re waiting for our answer!”

“I don’t like the deal, if I have to leave town, Jerry. Let them sweat another minute,” she said into the phone. “Raymond, do you remember that day you said you were going to drive down to the shore? I was eleven. I asked if I could go along. Your answer floated down to me from the heavens. You said okay. I couldn’t believe it. Just the two of us, me and my big brother driving down the Atlantic City Expressway. I remember every mile.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember that day.”

Kagan yelled, “Hey, are you guys there?”

“You let me pick out the spot on the beach, Raymond. You told me not to go out too far and threw me a towel when I came back. Stuff like that. Oh God, I loved that day. You gave me money, and I walked over by myself to get sodas, I knew you liked Pepsi. We sat sipping our drinks as if on a date. I remember exactly where I was when you called me ‘Sis’ and said I was pretty. That was the happiest day of my life.”

“I’ve always thought you were pretty.”

“Well, isn’t that just grand. Now that makes a total of twice in my life you’ve told me.” She had to look away.

He noticed her brushing her eyes. “Sandy, uh...look. Just go ahead and do this your way. I know you’re doing it for me. I trust you. I can handle county jail, if it comes to that. I might need some medication, but whatever it takes I’ll handle it.”

She realized that Moran’s offer was reasonable. He would permit bail. That was the number one consideration. However, she didn’t want to agree to leave town, and leave her brother in limbo trusting Moran to maybe find a better suspect. She really didn’t like the fact that he was negotiating only because Linda had lied to him. Linda would soon be found out and was doomed whatever happened.

Or maybe not. Sandy had another thought—another angle. A possible solution to all of this had just occurred to her.

She took the phone and spoke, “Jerry, put Moran on the phone. I want to speak with him directly.”

“Don’t do that. He’s in no mood for you, Sandy. I can promise you that.”

“Put him on anyway.”

Moran came on. “This better be good.”

“We have something to talk about, Mr. Moran. In a few days, some fresh names and alleged incidents will start circulating. You need to avoid being asked a bunch of questions you’d rather not answer. You also need my brother under arrest to placate the public. Okay so far?”

“I’m listening.”

“If you give my brother bail, I’ll quiet down and you’ll regain control.”

“I want you out of town.”

“No, I won’t agree to leave. And as long as he’s locked up, I’ll continue yelling and screaming. We’re not asking you to drop the charges at this time, just free him on bail. You’ll still have a suspect under arrest, and I can settle down and concentrate on helping Jerry Kagan prepare a defense. You won’t be running into me every time you turn around.”