The Lawyer's Lawyer (4 page)

D
anni didn’t get good news when she walked into the morning meeting on Wednesday.

“We’ve got another body,” Captain Jeffries told the group although most of them knew already. “A junior at the university;
they found her on the north side of town. She’d been lying dead in her apartment for three days. Throat was cut. Can you imagine
that? She was living in an apartment complex and nobody even noticed the smell. It’s like people these days live in cocoons
or something.”

Danni was already making the connection. Three days ago was Sunday, the day she was at Whiskey River Springs. She didn’t say
anything to the captain until the meeting was over.

His door was open when she walked in the office, but she knocked anyway. Captain Sam Jeffries looked up from the paperwork
on his desk and smiled. He was a big man with broad shoulders and a gut to match, but he was a good leader and everybody on
the task force respected him, including the FBI guys who had a tendency to respect nobody but their own.

“Good to have you back, Danni. Did you get everything taken care of?”

“Yeah, thanks. I appreciate your giving me the time off.”

“No problem. Family comes first. I know you’ve probably lost some sleep worrying about your daughter and all. What’s up?”

Danni and Sam Jeffries had worked on many cases together over the years and she considered him a friend. Danni had an idea
and she needed his help. She hoped those years of friendship would come into play in their ensuing conversation.

“It’s about that murder, Captain. When did it happen exactly?”

“Sunday, late in the afternoon, about the time we were chasing around Whiskey Springs looking for our killer.”

“So he set us up.”

“Looks like it.”

“Why didn’t you tell everybody at the morning meeting? You weren’t trying to protect me, were you? I mean, I was the one who
got everybody out there.”

“No, you weren’t, Danni; he was. He got us out there. And he could have used anybody to do it. It must have just slipped my
mind at the meeting. The forensics from this recent murder don’t add anything to what we already know anyway.”

“She was a college student at the University of North Central Florida, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah. Just like all the rest.”

“Don’t you find it intriguing, Captain, that the murders are happening all over the city, including areas not necessarily
associated with the college, yet only women who are students at the University of North Central Florida are the victims?”

“That’s pretty obvious. What’s the point?”

“These aren’t just random campus killings. The killer is setting out to kill just students from this university.”

“Okay?”

“Maybe there’s a further connection, a common class, a major, or a minor or something like that.”

“The FBI has looked into that. No pattern has emerged yet.” At least she was thinking outside the box. Besides, even though
he was ten years her senior, Jeffries still enjoyed watching Danni pace back and forth in his office, her hands on her hips,
her body bouncing with every step. It was more fun by a long shot than looking at the paperwork on his desk.

“Maybe it’s about him. Maybe he was a student, maybe he
is
a student, and some coed rejected him.”

Jeffries stood up at that point.

“The FBI has profilers looking into that type of stuff, Danni. We have to concentrate on good old-fashioned police work and
find some hard evidence. Let them work on the theories.”

“We need a search warrant to get the proof.”

“What are you talking about? A search warrant for what?”

“Thomas Felton’s apartment,” Danni replied.

“Thomas Felton? Refresh my recollection. Do we have a file on him?”

“I do.”

“Get it.”

The file was on top of her desk. Danni had figured he might want to see it when she brought up the issue. She returned moments
later and handed it to him.

“He’s the law student who was in Utah during the serial killings there, and he’s now here.”

“Didn’t we already check him out?” Jeffries asked.

“We spoke to him a couple of times but that was it.”

“Well, it says here that he went to undergraduate school in Utah and came here to go to law school. He came a year ago to
establish residency because the tuition is cheaper here for in-state students than it is in Utah. Danni, you verified that
his story was true. Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah.”

“So what would be our basis for a search warrant?”

“He fits a portion of the eyewitness description, at least that portion that could not be disguised.”

“And that is?”

“He’s tall, thin, and he’s got fine features—a straight nose, thin lips.”

“That’s it? How do we know the killer was in disguise when he tried to kill that young girl? What was her name?”

“Stacey Kincaid. We don’t know for sure, but we have enough evidence to make the assumption.”

“What’s that?”

“He eventually killed Stacey in St. Petersburg at a party. If you recall, he stabbed her twice at close range.”

“Okay,” Jeffries said.

“He had to be confident that he could get that close to her at a party without her recognizing him.”

Captain Jeffries folded his arms and scratched his chin with his right hand. It was an obvious conclusion, but nobody had
even brought it up before Danni mentioned it. So much for all the sophisticated equipment; it never replaced good police work.

“Okay, let’s assume he was disguised. What else do you have?”

“I found a very rare knife in his apartment. It was long and thin with a black pearl handle. I’d never seen a knife like that
before.”

“I’m not following you, Danni. Was that knife or one like it used in any of the murders that we know of?”

“Stacey Kincaid said the murderer tried to kill her with a very unique knife. The description was something like a bowie knife
with a gargoyle carved on the handle.”

“A bowie knife isn’t thin—it’s broad. Makes a wide cut. Where’s the connection?”

“Maybe he’s a knife collector. Maybe he’s got a collection of knives in that second bedroom we didn’t see and he wouldn’t
let us into.”

She lost him there. She could see it in his face.

Jeffries didn’t comment on that theory directly. He knew Danni had been through a lot in the last forty-eight hours, and it
was understandable that she wanted to get this guy as soon as possible. He didn’t want to tell her she was grasping at straws
so he waited a few moments.

“We won’t get a search warrant with that evidence, Danni. It’s not probable cause.”

“Probable cause is what the judge says it is. Who knows? We might get Judge Reed. He pretty much signs anything that comes
across his desk.”

“I don’t think so. Not even Judge Reed would sign this one once he knows all the facts. Look, I know this is personal now
and you want to get this guy, but you’re targeting someone without evidence. It’s what we tend to do when we get antsy.”

“I’m not antsy, Sam. I think we need to try for this search warrant. If we’re wrong, we’re disrupting this guy’s day for a
few hours. If we’re right, we might save somebody’s life. We need to do something.”

“All right, Danni, you prepare an affidavit and copy this file and I’ll ship it over to the state attorney’s office. If they
think it’s worth it, they’ll go to the judge for a warrant.”

“That’s not good enough, Sam. Jane Pelicano is the assistant state attorney assigned to work with us on this case. You need
to talk to her and convince her to go get that warrant for us.”

“Look, Danni, I’m the head of this task force. I don’t mind going out on a limb and trying new ideas, but I can’t start lobbying
on your behalf for something I don’t believe is going to work.

“Having said that, you write a memo along with your affidavit stating every reason you can think of to justify getting a warrant
and I’ll send it along. If you want to talk to Jane yourself after that, I have no problem with it.”

Danni knew that was the best deal she was going to get.

“Thanks, Captain.”

“No problem. Keep thinking, keep pushing. We’ll nail this guy.”

A
few days after her memo and affidavit had been sent, Danni went to see Jane Pelicano. She’d called first and made an appointment
so Jane was ready for her.

Jane Pelicano was the top assistant state attorney in Lou Daniel’s office. She tried many of the high-profile capital felonies,
so it was no surprise that she’d been assigned to this case. Danni had her work cut out for her but she was ready. She wasn’t
sure why, but the desire to get a warrant and search Thomas Felton’s apartment was starting to consume her.

Jane Pelicano was standing up when Danni walked into her office. She came around her desk to greet Danni. The two women knew
each other professionally because they’d worked on a lot of cases together.

“I read your memo and your affidavit, Danni. Sam sent me a memo, too, along with the file. I’m with him on this: Suspicion
isn’t probable cause. We’ve got nothing to connect this guy. The fact that he was in Utah and is now here is totally explainable
and his story checks out. After that what do we have? He fits part of the description, and the killer probably used a disguise,
but that’s not going to cut it and you know it.”

Jane Pelicano was a tall woman with short, drab, brownish hair. Nobody would ever call her pretty nor would they call her
ugly. Her features were ordinary and she did nothing to enhance them by wearing little makeup and conservative pantsuits every
day. Her success was intrinsically tied to the fact that nothing was about her. She approached the job in a businesslike manner;
she got the jury to focus on the evidence, and she had the ability and the confidence to out-lawyer even the best criminal
defense lawyers and ram home the conviction. Under normal circumstances, Danni was no match for Jane Pelicano.

“What’s the harm, Jane, in putting it before the court?”

“The judges rely on us to screen these affidavits so they’re not dealing with frivolous motions all the time.”

“So this is about your reputation? Seven women have been murdered already. We need to have a sense of urgency here.”

Jane walked over to where Danni was standing. She didn’t get in her space but Danni could feel her.

“How long have you known me, Danni? Do you ever think I would put my own interests over getting the evidence against a serial
killer?”

“No, I don’t. But explain to me again why you won’t even try. And leave out the part about the judge relying on you—because
that seems to be about your reputation.”

Jane walked away from her at that point and stood behind her desk with her arms folded across her chest.

“Do you know how many reporters are here in town writing about these murders?”

“A lot.”

“More than a lot, Danni; there are reporters here from all over the globe. Let’s say we get the search warrant with this flimsy
evidence, which is no evidence really, and search Mr. Felton’s apartment. And let’s say we find nothing. That day, not the
next day but that very day, Mr. Felton will be known worldwide as a suspected serial killer. His reputation will be ruined
forever. No matter what happens in this case, he has been labeled and he will be hounded by the press and other assorted sickos.
People who have been labeled like that in the past for the most part never recovered. They got sick, they committed suicide,
whatever.

“Sam told me that you said something about Mr. Felton being inconvenienced for a couple of hours—that is so far from the truth.
The judge’s reputation would suffer as well. The Fourth Amendment protects the innocent from unreasonable searches and seizures.
That’s also part of my obligation as a prosecutor.”

Jane had certainly given Danni a lot to think about, and she did it in that way of hers, with that air of certainty that she
used in her closing arguments to convince the jury there was no other conclusion to reach. Danni didn’t come back at her right
away. She paused for a few moments to give Jane and her speech the proper amount of respect.

“I hear you, Jane, and everything you said is true. You’re right. I haven’t considered all the ramifications for Mr. Felton
nor do I want to. I want to keep my focus on those seven girls and the next victim, whoever she may be. If I can save her
life and her family and her friends the heartache, I’ll move mountains to do it. This killer has talked to me. He’s intimated
to me that he could kill my own daughter. He’s got to be stopped. As a matter of fact, now that I mention it, I talked to
both Mr. Felton and the killer and their voices sounded familiar. I can add that to my affidavit.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that, Danni. A professional like you meeting with her superior and then with the state
attorney, preparing a memo and an affidavit, and then suddenly recalling that the voices of the killer and
her
suspect were familiar—that is so outrageous it could get you fired.

“Look, I know this is personal for you. Sam told me all about your daughter’s situation, but that doesn’t justify bending
the law. We have to follow the law. Having said that, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’ll ask for the search warrant.
I’ll sit down with the judge and I’ll lay it all out for him or her, whoever we get, the pros and the cons, and we’ll let
the chips fall where they may.”

Danni couldn’t believe her ears. Had she actually gotten through to Jane?

“Fair enough,” she said.

On the way out of Jane’s office, Danni realized she’d been had.

Danni had another meeting that day, with her ex-husband Mike, that she had put off for as long as she could. They met at The
Swamp.

Danni was already sitting at a table when he arrived. She had gotten there early so she could pick out a spot where she felt
comfortable, a table by the window, away from the bar and the crowd, looking out on the patio with College Avenue in the background.
They could talk privately here.

Mike, a very successful pharmaceutical salesman, was dressed in a tailored blue suit with a pink shirt and lavender tie.
He was always a bit of a dandy
, Danni thought as she watched him walk to the table. He had a smile on his face and a look of confidence as if seeing him
made it her lucky day. An objective observer would say he was a handsome man with thick black hair and a muscular physique,
but Danni no longer saw him that way. He leaned over the table and kissed her on the cheek.

Danni cringed at his touch.

“So what is it that you needed to see me about?” Mike asked. “And how is our lovely daughter? I’m looking forward to my time
with her this weekend.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Mike.”

“What? Is something wrong with Hannah?”

“No. She’s fine. She’s just not here.”

“I know she’s not here. She’s at school, right?”

“No. She’s not here in the state of Florida.”

Danni told him what happened at Whiskey River Springs and how she had had to take Hannah out of school. She even told him
where his daughter was. She had debated about that in her own mind for some time but decided that he had a right to know.
He was her father, after all. Not a very good one but still her father. Danni made sure she kept her voice low so nobody could
possibly hear that particular part of the conversation.

“You can’t say anything to anybody about where she is. Secrecy is her only protection.”

“I can protect my own daughter,” he said haughtily.

Danni didn’t reply.

Mike’s smile was now gone, replaced by a sneer. “You had to be a cop, didn’t you? You had to go out there in a man’s world
and prove yourself no matter what.”

Danni had figured it was going to get ugly although she didn’t know what Mike’s weapon of choice for today’s battle would
be until that moment.

“This isn’t about me, Mike.”

“Oh, yes it is, Danni. How many other cops are there on your task force? How many of them are women? Who else’s children have
been threatened? It’s definitely about you, Danni. It’s always been about you.”

There was some truth to the statement but so what? This conversation was about Hannah and her safety. She wasn’t going to
let it deteriorate into another discussion about why their marriage had failed.

You slept with other women, you asshole! Remember?

“Look, Mike, I don’t want to argue with you. I just want you to know what happened and where Hannah Jane is. You can call
her anytime you like.”

“I know that,” Mike snapped. “And when this is over, we’re going to revisit the issue of custody. Your house is a dangerous
environment.”

“Fine,” Danni said and stood up to leave. “Thanks for your concern.”

She smiled to herself as she walked out of the restaurant.
He wouldn’t dare ask for custody. It would interfere too much with his social life.