Spencer had built his case well. Despite the small doubts, days of testimony and evidence were guiding the jury towards a guilty verdict. Schultz and all his connections were close to squashing the ant they thought Cowan was.
They were confident it was over.
But Hunter was about to shock them all.
Chapter 33
Every prosecution case has a hammer; either a star witness or a piece of evidence that finishes the job, and smashes the final nail into the coffin of guilt. Jerry Schultz was that hammer—the witness that tidied everything up into a neat little bundle, confirming all the information that had been laid out over the past five days. Everything else had built up to the final prosecution’s witness—a man, respectable in appearance, pointing the finger squarely at Cowan. He was the man to finish him off, and he was taking great pride in it. His testimony was uncomplicated, easily understood, and extremely condemning. Almost the perfect prosecution witness.
Almost.
“Thank you for taking the time to discuss the case, Mr. Schultz.” Hunter moved to the lectern with a folder in front of him. Schultz nodded a response to his former employee. “Mr. Schultz, would you call yourself friends with Mr. Cowan currently?”
“We’ve had a strained relationship over the last year.”
“Have you stated your life would be better if Mr. Cowan was out of the picture?”
“Not true.”
“Mr. Schultz, can you please read the text message you sent on September 5th to Mr. Cowan?” Hunter walked to the stand and handed Schultz another piece of paper.
Schultz took his glasses from the top pocket of his suit, and ran his eyes over the line. “Oh, come on.” Schultz scoffed. “I didn’t mean that. That was stated in the heat of the moment.”
“Please read the message to the court.
“This is out of context.”
“Are you denying you sent the message?”
“I sent this message, but—”
“Then please read it to the court.”
Schultz groaned. “‘Stop contacting me. It’d be better if you were behind bars. If you don’t back off, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life there.’ But you’re taking that out of context.”
“I can’t imagine a context where the statement means anything different, Mr. Schultz. Can you please inform the court how many times Mr. Cowan called you in the five months before the arrest?”
“I don’t know.”
“I do.” Hunter held up a telephone listing and introduced it as evidence. “This telephone listing states that Mr. Cowan called you fifty-five times. That’s how many times he called you in the five months before his arrest. And do you know how many times you answered his call?”
“I don’t.” Schultz shook his head.
“Five times.” Hunter stated. “So that’s fifty missed calls from Mr. Cowan to your phone in the five months before his arrest. Did you find his calls annoying?”
“I suppose I did.”
“And what was the reason you didn’t answer all those calls?”
“I was busy.”
“You were busy fifty times?”
“I’m a busy man.”
Hunter paused, walked back to his table, and picked up another sheet of paper.
“Mr. Schultz, can you please tell the court how you know the arresting officer of this case, Detective Holmes of the Chicago PD?”
“We know each other well.”
“You’ve had dinner with him?”
“That’s right. There’s no crime in that.”
“Mr. Schultz, have you been into the Five-Star Gentlemen’s Club previously?”
“I have.”
“And are you aware of the layout? Enough to advise Detective Holmes where the drugs would be located?”
“That’s correct.”
Hunter nodded. “Can you please tell the court how you know Tony Kokkinos?”
“He’s a friend.”
“Monthly golf games?”
“Yes, but again, there’s no crime in that.”
“Before the raid, did you discuss the delivery of drugs with Mr. Kokkinos?”
“We didn’t, no.”
“But you did meet with him in the days before the raid?”
“I can’t remember the specific day, but I’m sure we did.”
“And what did you discuss?”
“I can’t remember the exact conversation, but it was likely we discussed business. That’s what we usually talked about. I know a lot of people and I’m well-connected.”
“It appears that way.” Hunter replied. “According to the police report, the drugs were delivered by a white van, but the driver slipped away before the time of the raid. The license plate numbers were recorded on surveillance footage outside the Five-Star Gentlemen’s Club. Mr. Schultz, do you know the owner of the white van?”
Schultz stared at Hunter, not responding.
“Mr. Schultz? Do you know the van owner?”
“The van was reported stolen the day before the raid.”
“But you’re a part owner of the company that owns the van, aren’t you?”
“I have a lot of business interests and I’m not involved in all of them.” Schultz responded. “But I may own part of the company.”
“May own? The defense would like to introduce the ownership of the van company to the court as Exhibit 75. Can you please read the name of the person who owns twenty-five percent of the company?” Hunter handed the file to the witness.
“It says ‘Barrel Associates’ owns part of the delivery company.”
“And are you part owner of ‘Barrel Associates?’”
He moved in his chair, pulling his suit jacket tighter. “I have a financial interest in it, but again the van was stolen before the raid. It was nothing to do with me.”
“Mr. Schultz,” Hunter’s voice rose. “Did you have lunch with Mr. Cowan’s ex-wife, Ms. Forde, one week before the arrest?”
Schultz sat back. He wasn’t prepared for that question.
“Mr. Schultz?” Hunter pressed. “Did you and Mr. Cowan’s ex-wife have lunch one week before the raid?”
“We were old friends catching up.”
“Really?” Hunter feigned surprise. “When was the last time you saw her before that lunch?”
Schultz shrugged. “Years ago.”
“And you would like the court to believe that you, a respected member of the community, had caught up for lunch with Mr. Cowan’s ex-wife, a known drug-addict and a witness in this case, by chance only a week before the raid?”
“That’s what happened.”
“Did you transfer Mr. Cowan’s ex-wife any money after that lunch?”
Schultz shifted again in his chair. Hunter moved to the defense table and tapped his finger on the file at the edge of the desk. Schultz had no idea what information Hunter had. He didn’t know if it was a bluff, or whether he was going to pull out her bank statements. Schultz taught Hunter the trick when he first started in law—the folder could be a bluff, or it could be a trap. The witness had to make a decision, under pressure, to either tell the truth and confirm what was in the folder, or to lie, and risk the validity of the entire testimony if there was evidence.
“After we had lunch together, I felt sorry for her. She’s a lovely lady.” Schultz conceded. “She’s had a hard life, so I transferred her some money to help her get back on her feet. That’s all it was. Just old friends helping each other out.”
“And how much money did you transfer to help get her back on her feet?” Hunter tapped the folder again.
“Fifteen thousand.”
“Fifteen thousand? To someone you haven’t seen in years? Because you just ‘felt sorry’ for her?” Hunter looked to the jury and saw a number of confused faces. “Are you sure the payment wasn’t for helping to set up Mr. Cowan?”
“Objection!” Spencer jumped to his feet. “Accusation! I’m not sure what the defense is implying here, but it’s not worthy of
this court’s time.”
“Withdrawn.” Hunter was quick to respond. “Mr. Schultz, have you been charged with fraud related offences in the past?”
“Objection!” Spencer stood again. “Relevance. The witness isn’t on trial here.”
“Your Honor, the defense is trying to establish the credibility of the witness. The court deserves to know the history of the man that initiated this whole process.”
“Overruled. You may answer the question, Mr. Schultz.”
Schultz paused for a long while before responding. “I’ve had ridiculous and ludicrous charges laid against me.”
“And you were convicted of those charges?”
“Those charges were overturned on appeal.”
“Did you serve time in prison?”
“You know the answer to that.” Schultz looked away and grunted. “I served two months before the decisions were overturned.”
“Mr. Schultz, can you tell the court why you’re so closely connected to all the eye-witnesses in this trial?”
“Coincidence. That’s the way life is some days.”
“Coincidence.” Hunter repeated, looking at the jury. “It seems a bit more than that. There are important witnesses, eye-witnesses, from all walks of life, from all professions, and they’re all connected to you. So, I’ll ask you directly, did you set Mr. Cowan up to get him out of your life?”
“Objection!” Spencer pleaded. “Your Honor, this is an outrageous accusation.”
“Sustained. Don’t make me hold you in contempt, Mr. Hunter.” Judge Marshall stated.
Hunter nodded. “Mr. Schultz, have you paid witnesses to lie in this courtroom?”
“Objection!”
“Withdrawn.” Hunter replied before Judge Marshall could respond. “Mr. Schultz, would it make you happy to see Mr. Cowan behind bars?”
Schultz sat with his mouth ajar, contemplating his answer for a few long moments before responding. “I suppose it would.”
Hunter looked to the jury and saw a number of them were sitting with their mouths open, staring at the witness, stunned by all the coincidences.
“No further questions.”
Hunter returned to his seat at the defense table, knowing his cross-examination had gone well, but not sure if it was enough to win the case.
Spencer declined a chance to redirect. He would only be digging a bigger hole. “The prosecution rests.”
Chapter 34
With the case hanging in the balance, with the opportunity to access his father’s file disappearing, Tex Hunter only had one witness to call. He’d done all he could to raise doubt in the prosecution’s case, he’d done all he could to question the validity of the raid.
Calling his witness was a risk, but so was most of the case. The name would stir the opposition, they would object, and he planned on that. He’d met the witness for only the second time that morning, an hour before court, with little time to prepare the questions. He was sure he could’ve missed something, he was sure he didn’t know the whole picture, but he had to take the chance, he had to roll the dice.
Hunter stood, knowing his witness had the chance to change the course of the trial.
“The defense calls Jasmine Langford to the stand.”
“What?” Spencer’s mouth dropped open. “Objection. Your Honor. She’s not listed on the defense witness list.”
“But she is on the prosecution’s list.”
“Approach.” Judge Marshall called them forward. “Care to explain what is going on?”
“Jasmine Langford is a prosecution witness,” Spencer began as he approached the bench. “But she was reported missing more than five weeks ago. Nobody has heard from her in over a month. We presumed she was dead, at least kidnapped. Her name is on the police missing persons’ list. I would hate to think the defense has been hiding her.”
“Your Honor, we were contacted two days ago by the witness and she informed us that she would like the chance to tell the truth about this case. We would like to give her the opportunity to tell the truth.”
“Are you sure you want to call a prosecution witness as your first witness, Mr. Hunter?”
“As our only witness, Your Honor.”
“It’s your case, counselor. If she was a prosecution witness, then I presume you’ve seen her witness statement. I’ll allow it.”
The court doors opened, and Jasmine Langford was timid as she walked to the stand. She didn’t look like a stripper, and the last five weeks had been good to her. Wearing a cardigan to cover her ample chest, with jeans and boots to match, she refused to look at the prosecution table, or at Rick Cowan. They were all staring at her intensely.
“Miss Langford, thank you for coming to testify today.” Hunter stood after Jasmine took her oath. “I understand that coming to this courtroom is hard for you. I’ll start by asking if you originally provided a witness statement to the police about your knowledge of the events that occurred on the October 5th?”
“The first statement I made was on the day of the raid in the back of a van.”
“Do you know what happened to that statement?”
“I was told it was lost in a clerical error.”
“And did you make another statement?”
“I did.”
“Is this the statement you made claiming to have seen Mr. Cowan with the drugs?” Hunter picked up a piece of paper and handed it to the witness.
“I guess so.”
“And is that witness statement true and correct?”
“No.”
“Is any of it true and correct?”
“Apart from my name, no. I was told what to say, and I signed my name on the bottom.”
There was an audible gasp from one of the jury members.
“Why would you lie to the police on a witness statement?” Hunter walked towards the jury box.
“Because Jerry Schultz, along with another man, came to my apartment and promised to pay me twenty-five thousand dollars if I went to the police and told them exactly what they wanted me to say. They threatened me with a gun and said if I didn’t take the deal, they would hurt me.”
More members of the jury gasped. They were easily taken in by Jasmine’s honest demeanor.
“And what would you do with the money?”
“The money would help me start a new life, and it would protect me from men like Rick Cowan. Jerry Schultz came to my apartment and wrote down exactly what I had to say, and I went to the police station and said it.”
“Did you receive money for doing that?”
“Yes.” Her reply was meek. “But they only gave me five thousand.”
“Why didn’t you receive twenty-five thousand as promised?”
“The other man, I don’t know his name, said I would receive the rest of the money once I testified in court.”
“Were they paying you to tell the truth in court?”
“No. They wanted me to say exactly what they’d written down.”
“Are you telling the truth now?”
“Yes.”
Jasmine fought back tears as she kept her eyes focused on the microphone in front of her. Hunter paused for a long moment, and looked across to the jury. They were hanging off her every word, taken in by her sad eyes, but Hunter knew the prosecution would destroy her in cross. His job was to make them so convinced by her testimony, they doubted anything that would come next.
“How do you know Mr. Cowan?”
“I worked as an exotic dancer in his club.”
“Are you aware of the location of the cameras in the club?”
“Yes. Every inch of the club is covered by video cameras. It’s for our safety.”
“And were you aware the cameras were turned off on October 5th?”
“There was a problem with the cameras that morning, but we were told they would be back up and running by that night.”
“Was that unusual?”
“Very unusual. I’d never seen all the cameras out before.”
/> “In your original police statement, did you state you saw Mr. Cowan receive the shipment of drugs?”
“Yes.”
“And is that true?”
“No.”
“Mr. Schultz paid you to say Mr. Cowan had drugs on him?”
“Yes.”
“On October 5th, did you see Mr. Cowan receive any drugs?”
“No.”
“Have you ever seen Mr. Cowan receive a shipment of drugs?”
“No.”
“Have you ever seen Mr. Cowan take drugs?”
“No.”
“And on October 5th, did you see Mr. Cowan handle the drugs?”
“No.”
Hunter paused for dramatic effect. He walked back to the lectern, waited a few moments, and then continued. “Did you meet with Jerry Schultz and the unidentified person after October 5th?”
“Yes. They came to my apartment and offered a deal. They said they’d read my original statement and they made it disappear. Then they asked me to say whatever they said, and the other man threatened me with a gun. They said that they had also paid other witnesses to testify against Mr. Cowan. They didn’t tell me the names of the other witnesses.”
“Did they explain why they wanted to do this?”
“They said it was time to take Rick Cowan down.”
“Did you want to take him down?”
“Not really. I wanted a new start. I wanted to move away.”
“And was it at this point they offered to pay you to lie?”
“It wasn’t really an offer. They didn’t give me a choice.”
“Why have you changed your mind, and come to this courtroom to tell the truth?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Thank you for coming forward and telling the truth, Miss Langford.” Hunter nodded. “No further questions.”
Spencer waited a few moments before moving. He sat at his desk, tapping his pen on the table, staring into nothingness. He hesitated a number of times, before smirking and making a number of scoffing noises. It was all a performance for the jury. Finally, he began his questioning, still behind his desk. “Miss Langford, what do you do for work?”
Deadly Justice: A Legal Thriller (Tex Hunter Book 4) Page 17
