The Price of Justice (2 page)

C
HAPTER

3

D
ani Trumball was lost in a brief when her assistant stuck her head inside the windowless office.

“There’s a lady here to see you.”

Dani looked up at Carol, who was standing in the doorway with a wide grin. Carol had worked at the Help Innocent Prisoners Project, or HIPP, in New York City, almost as long as Bruce Kantor, the director, and knew the rule about appointments. No one was seen without one. At least, that was the official position. And, like many rules, it was often broken.

“I don’t have anyone scheduled, do I?”

Carol just shook her head and kept grinning.

“I give up. What’s the joke?”

“No joke. I’m smiling because of who it is.”

“Okay, who?”

“You’ll never guess.”

“You’re right. So just tell me.”

Carol made a mock frown. “Oh, you’re no fun today. It’s Amelia Melton.”

Now Dani understood Carol’s behavior. The grand matriarch of the wealthy Melton family was the last person she expected in HIPP’s offices. HIPP represented incarcerated men and women across the country who claimed they’d been wrongfully convicted, but they only took cases when the prisoners couldn’t afford their own counsel. The Melton family could hire the best legal minds in the nation.

“What’s she doing here?”

“Says she has a matter to discuss with you.”

“With me? She asked for me specifically?”

“Yep.” Carol put her index finger below her nose and, effectuating a snooty accent, said, “I’m here to see Ms. Trumball. Please let her know.”

“Wow. I guess I shouldn’t say ‘make an appointment’ when a Melton comes calling. Bring her in. Oh, and offer her some coffee.”

Carol nodded, then two minutes later, a woman who appeared on the north side of seventy, dressed as though fashions hadn’t changed since the 1950s, walked into Dani’s office. Despite her wrinkles, she still had high cheekbones and finely chiseled features. Dani suspected she had been beautiful in her youth.

The elder woman glanced around at the spartan furnishings and wrinkled her nose. “I assume you know who I am,” she said as she sat down opposite Dani’s desk.

“Of course I do.”

“And I suppose you know about my grandson, Winston?”

Dani nodded. His arrest and conviction had been carried by all the national media. Perhaps even the worldwide media, for all Dani knew.

“Someone else has confessed to the crime.”

This was news to Dani. The New York papers hadn’t carried any story about it. “That’s wonderful for you. Has Winston’s conviction been overturned?”

The elder stateswoman frowned. She brushed back wisps of silvery white hair that had escaped from her chignon, then folded her hands in her lap. “That’s why I’m here to see you. The state attorney says it’s too late. That the governor has already signed his death warrant.”

Dani sat back in her seat and scrutinized the woman sitting opposite her, her body held erect and her face set in a firm grimace. No doubt she was used to people doing her bidding, Dani thought. Especially elected officials, whose campaigns the Meltons lavishly supported.

“Mrs. Melton, your grandson had top-notch trial attorneys handling his case. I’m sure they can advise you of his legal rights.”

“They represented him right onto death row. I want you now.”

“But why?”

“I’ve done my research. You have the best track record around of reversing wrongful convictions.”

“I doubt that’s true, but even if it is, HIPP can’t take on your grandson’s case.”

Mrs. Melton sat up even straighter in her seat and waved her finger at Dani. “Don’t you tell me it’s about money, that I have too much for you to step in.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s true. You can afford to hire the best attorneys. If I worked on your grandson’s case, I wouldn’t be able to represent innocent inmates who don’t have the resources to hire someone else.”

Mrs. Melton stood up. “I’m aware that you operate on donations. This is my proposal. Take Winston’s case, and I’ll donate $500,000 to your organization. Win it, and I’ll donate an additional $500,000. Plus your expenses, of course. Think about how many innocent impoverished men and women you can help with that money.”

Dani supposed this was how Mrs. Melton always approached problems, by buying a solution. “I’m curious, Mrs. Melton. Why is it you’re here, and not Winston’s parents?”

“Humph! As well it should be them. Not a spine in either of them. I hate to say it—even though Donald is my son, he’s no stronger than his wife. Fell apart completely when Win was first arrested, and now barely visits him in prison. Too devastating, he claims. Abysmal behavior. At least Lucy makes the trip every week.” She shook her head. “None of this is your concern. Just Winston.” She turned and walked to the door, then looked back. “I’ll call you in two days for your decision.”

For once, Dani was at a loss for words. She tried to stamp down her mounting fury. Justice shouldn’t be for sale to the highest bidder. It was bad enough that the well-to-do were better able to skirt jail time because they could afford the slickest attorneys. Now this woman wanted to preempt Dani’s caseload by waving a wad of cash in her face. She stifled a scream, then rose from her chair and made her way to Bruce’s office.

“I just had a visit from Amelia Melton,” she said as she sat down in a chair opposite his desk.

Bruce shot up in his chair. “
The
Amelia Melton?”

“In the flesh.”

“She lose her way as she headed to Wall Street?”

“Nope. Seems my reputation as a crack defender of the unjustly convicted has somehow infiltrated her mansions. She wants me to represent her grandson.”

“I didn’t know she had another grandson.”

“She doesn’t. She was here about Winston. The one facing execution for the rape and murder of a seventeen-year-old girl.”

“I assume you told her we can’t.”

“I tried to. She dangled a half-million-dollar donation to HIPP as an incentive, with a matching amount if we get him off.”

Bruce sat back in his seat and picked up a pencil, which he began to twirl in his fingers. He was silent for a moment, then said, “Much as I hate to say this, it’s something I’m going to have to bring to the board. I don’t think it’s in my job description to turn down that kind of money without consulting them first.”

“You don’t think—?”

“No. But they need to be the ones to turn her down.”

“As she left, she told me she’d call back in two days for our answer.”

Bruce’s eyebrows knit together, and his lips pinched. “Did she now? Well, when she calls back, tell her we’re not her flunkies to order around.” His voice grew progressively louder as he spoke. “We’ll let her know when we have an answer, and if that’s not soon enough for her, too bad. God! The nerve of her. Just because she has money to throw around doesn’t mean we’re going to bow at her feet.” His rant finished, he let out a deep sigh, then said, “I’ll tell the board we need an answer quickly.”

C
HAPTER

4

“I
call this special meeting to order,” Linda Chase said as she banged the gavel twice. The five men and three women stopped their chattering and turned to the chairwoman of the board of HIPP. “As you know, Jacob’s been working on our budget for next year, and we’re woefully short.” She turned to the man sitting at her side. “Would you give a brief update on this issue?”

“Sure. In past years, we’ve gotten a $500,000 grant from the Department of Justice. For the coming year, they’ve cut it to $200,000. In addition, New York State has cut our grant from $100,000 last year to $25,000 this year. Two of our biggest private-foundation donors have cut their contributions in half, reducing our income by another $200,000. And even the smaller donors are sending in less. The economy is hurting everyone, and organizations like ours are suffering.”

“What’s Margie doing to make up for the shortfall?” Noah Diamond asked, referring to the fund-raising professional the board had hired.

“Everything she can. But every other nonprofit has experienced cuts, so she’s really had to scramble for each dollar. The way I see it, we should be down more than $600,000 for next year’s budget.”

There was silence around the table. Linda knew what they were thinking. Staff cuts. Something they were all loath to do. They had discussed the possibility at the last regular board meeting. She smiled brightly. “I have a solution.”

They all turned their attention to her.

“Amelia Melton has asked HIPP to represent her grandson, Winston Melton. If we agree, she’ll immediately donate $500,000 to us. If our attorneys win his freedom, we’ll get another $500,000.”

Shouts of approval arose from the table, from all except Noah. As the noise settled down, he said, “Doesn’t this go against our mission statement?”

“How so?” Jacob asked.

“We help inmates who can’t afford their own attorneys.”

Linda shuffled through some papers and pulled out HIPP’s bylaws. “It says here our mission is to represent those inmates believed to be wrongfully convicted. There’s nothing about ability to pay.”

“But still,” Noah continued, “we’re a nonprofit. We don’t charge for our services.”

“And we’re not charging here. Mrs. Melton has agreed to make a donation to our cause.”

“A difference without a distinction,” Noah muttered.

Jacob cleared his throat, then stood up. “Noah, I appreciate your concern. But the goal of HIPP is to help free as many innocent men and women as we can. Without funds, we’ll have to let go of staff, and that will dramatically reduce the number of people we can help. It’s not an ideal solution, but right now, it’s the only solution.”

Linda banged the gavel once more. “Is there a motion?”

“I move to accept Amelia Melton’s donation and have HIPP represent her grandson,” Jacob said.

“I second.”

“All in favor?”

All seven in the room said, “Aye.”

“The motion is passed.”

C
HAPTER

5

A
s soon as Dani arrived at HIPP’s office on Fourteenth Street in the East Village, she found a message on her desk that Bruce needed to see her. She got herself settled, brewed a cup of coffee from the Keurig coffeemaker a grateful client had donated to HIPP, then strolled into his office.

He looked up from his work and motioned for her to sit.

“You’re not going to like this. I’ve heard back from the board. They want us to take Winston Melton’s case.”

Dani folded her arms across her chest. “But why? We’ve never represented a wealthy client.”

“Apparently, the board members have been scrambling for money. They see this as a necessary compromise.”

“I won’t do it.”

With a pained expression on his face, Bruce said, “You have to, Dani. If they don’t raise the funds, the board plans to lay off a third of the staff.”

“I’m sorry, Bruce. I can’t do this. When you hired me. I agreed to accept a fraction of my usual salary because HIPP performed a vital service. You convinced me that many innocent prisoners languished in jail because there weren’t enough attorneys who’d work for free. I was moved by your cause. It’s my cause now. I just can’t turn my back on others because Mrs. Melton has bought me. Find someone else in the office to represent him.”

“She insists it be you.”

Dani just shook her head. “I’m sorry.” Then she stood up and left his office.

Back at her own desk, Dani took out her cell phone and called her husband. She knew his schedule. Doug wouldn’t begin teaching his first-year criminal-law class for another fifteen minutes. When he answered, she filled him in on her conversation with Bruce.

“You’re right, of course,” Doug said. “But sometimes, being right isn’t enough. We all have to do things we don’t like at times, for the greater good.”

“What’s the greater good here? The superwealthy often think they can buy anyone and anything. Now it’s at the expense of some poor inmates who I won’t get to represent because I’m tied up with Melton’s case.”

“The greater good is what can be done with that money. HIPP can keep attorneys on staff who will fight for those poor inmates. You have to pick your battles. I don’t think this should be one of them.”

Dani felt the steam go out of her. She hated the thought of feeling she’d been bought. Even more so, she hated that Doug was right. She hung up, then walked back to Bruce’s office.

“I don’t like this, but I’ll represent Winston.”

“I don’t like it either. But thank you.”

“I’ll give Mrs. Melton a call. I assume I can use Melanie and Tommy?”

“Of course.”

Melanie Quinn, once a junior associate at HIPP and now seasoned enough to handle her own caseload, still worked with Dani on death-penalty cases. Tom Noorland, a former FBI agent and now an investigator at HIPP, was always Dani’s pick to help her ferret out the facts of a case.

Dani headed back to her office, stopping on the way to let Melanie and Tommy know of their new case. Once settled behind her desk, she began where she always did—with a Nexus search of news reports on Winston’s case. The first article she came across was of his arrest.

Palm Beach Gazette

December 20, 2007

Winston Melton, son of Donald and Lucy Melton and grandson of Amelia Melton and the late Horace Melton, was arrested yesterday and charged with the rape and murder of 17-year-old Carly Sobol. Ms. Sobol’s body was found behind Palm Beach High School four days ago. According to the Palm Beach police, evidence found at the scene clearly implicates Winston Melton. Those close to the Melton family assured reporters that Winston had nothing to do with that tragedy and expressed confidence that he would be cleared.

Melton, a freshman at Princeton University, was at his family’s winter home in Palm Beach for his semester break. He graduated from Vanguard Preparatory School in Connecticut, where several faculty members described him as an excellent student.

Horace Melton was the founder of HoMe Bank, the nation’s third-largest financial institution. Later, he diversified his holdings into real estate, including two Las Vegas casinos and numerous luxury condominium buildings in Manhattan, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, all under the umbrella of HoMe Properties, Inc.

Dani scrolled down to the next article.

Palm Beach Gazette

May 6, 2008

The trial of Winston Melton began today with a police description of the discovery of Carly Sobol’s body behind Palm Beach High School. The medical examiner testified that the high school senior had been raped and killed. The cause of death was ruled as strangulation. No DNA was recovered from Ms. Sobol’s body, but a strand of hair identified as belonging to the defendant was discovered near the body. During the afternoon, several of Ms. Sobol’s classmates testified that Carly and Winston had been dating until he broke off the relationship when he left for college.

Dani skimmed the rest of the article, as well as the daily accounts that followed. The last one appeared a few weeks later.

Palm Beach Gazette

May 22, 2008

GUILTY!

The jurors in the murder trial of Winston Melton, dubbed by the national media as the “Princeton Rapist,” returned a guilty verdict today. The defendant showed no emotion as the verdict was read, while his mother, sitting behind him, sobbed loudly. Bail was revoked, and sentencing was scheduled for one week from today.

When she finished the news accounts, she turned to Lexis and read the appellate decisions. From the newspaper accounts and court decisions, it didn’t seem like a slam-dunk case against Winston. With high-priced lawyers representing him, Dani was surprised he’d been convicted. And even more surprised that, given his family, the state attorney hadn’t glommed onto the new confession. There had to be more going on than she’d read. That was usually the case. She’d have to wait until she spoke to his past lawyers to find out what. Fortunately, the always unpleasant task of informing prior attorneys they’d been replaced had been left to Amelia Melton. Just as well, Dani thought. When a Melton spoke, no one dared raise any
questions. As Dani had now seen firsthand from HIPP’s board of directors.

She’d have to wait until tomorrow to phone Jackson Donahue, head of the criminal trial division at White, Cobbs, and Donahue. It was one of the largest of the mega Wall Street firms, headquartered in New York City but with offices around the world, and its attorneys handled the legal work for Horace Melton’s various business enterprises. It was not surprising that his widow had turned to that firm when she’d looked for a lawyer to represent her grandson.

Reluctantly, Dani gathered some files she’d been working on to bring to Stan Eustice, another attorney at HIPP. Stan would have to take over her cases so she could give her full attention to Winston Melton. With the death warrant already signed, HIPP had less than six months to try to clear him.