Uncommon Thief
Page 52
Chapter 52
Verdict
It was still dark outside Maria’s dorm at 7:00 a.m. as a cold front had come through during the night bringing thick clouds and drenching rain. She’d gotten word from Roberts late the previous afternoon that a verdict was in and that it would be read at 10:00 a.m. the next day. Maria hadn’t been able to sleep knowing that Fred’s fate would be decided in the coming few hours. On the one hand she felt encouraged by Paula Dupree’s unexpected appearance and stunning testimony. But while her testimony showed the possibility that another player was in the game, it did nothing to diminish the evidence against Fred.
Maria pulled herself out of bed, dreading the day ahead. She wanted to get it over and get on with her life, but the thought of Fred not being a part of it was incomprehensible. He was part of her now, part of her very being and his demise would be her demise. She got in the shower and felt the hot pulsating flow melting away the stiffness and tension that had built up during a sleepless night. She was to meet Steve and Randy downstairs for breakfast at 7:45 so she got dressed quickly and rushed out the door only to be confronted by Jessica Jamison, a quiet girl that she barely knew, holding the bag that had once contained the $100,000 that she and Fred had taken from Devil’s Canyon.
“Is this yours,” Jessica asked irritably.
“Ah. . . . Yeah. I have been looking for that. Where did you find it?”
“Somebody put it in my cubicle. I had to go through it to figure out who it belonged to.”
Maria’s heart sank. That cubicle had been overflowing and looked like it hadn’t been touched for several semesters, so Maria had picked it as good hiding spot. She wondered if she’d taken all the money out of the gym bag the last time she accessed it. She thought she had deposited all the cash into the FDF bank account along with the cash donations that had come in, but she might have left a bundle or two of 100 dollar bills for expenses. She swallowed hard.
“Thank you for returning it,” She said shakily.
“Don’t you believe in banks?” Jessica asked curiously. “There were stacks of cash in there.”
“Oh, that. My uncle gave those to me from my college fund. I meant to go to the bank and make a deposit last week, but I forgot. I believe in banks, but he doesn’t. He says there’s going to be a major financial crisis in the next few years and a lot of banks will fail.”
“Really?” Jessica said seeming alarmed. “Should I tell my parents?”
Maria had done a paper on the perilous condition of our national banks for her economics class, so she started recalling some of her research.
“If you want. My uncle isn’t the only one who believes this. Many believe the real estate that secures billions of dollars of bank loans has been overvalued and that soon the bank examiners or creditors will demand fair valuations. If that happens banks will be forced to demand more collateral and call in notes if additional collateral is not forthcoming. When notes are called, businesses are forced into bankruptcy and when loans are not paid banks fail.”
“Holy shit! Why isn’t somebody doing something about it?”
“Because nothing can be done. It’s too late. Greedy bankers and gutless regulators have let this happen and now the people will suffer when there is a collapse.”
“What about Congress? Can’t it do something?”
Maria laughed. “Seriously? No, there is no legislative fix for this. They will be spending their time pointing the finger at whoever they think is to blame.”
“Wow! That’s depressing.”
“If you want to talk about this some more, we can get together later, but I’m having breakfast with some friends and I’m late.”
“Oh, no problem. See you later,” Jennifer said thoughtfully. “Oh, and good luck in court.”
Maria gave Jennifer a hard look. She wondered if she bought her story or not. It was hard to tell. A vision of her and Fred in adjoining jail cells flashed in her mind. She shook it off knowing that co-ed jails didn’t exist except in dreams. When she stepped into the cafeteria she saw Steve and Randy sitting somberly at a table. She joined them.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “Had a brush fire I had to put out.”
Steve frowned. “Oh God, what?”
She described her encounter with Jennifer.
“Wow, that was quick thinking,” Steve said. “Is that the bag you have with you?”
“Yes. I couldn’t put in my room. My suite mates are nosy and they are smarter than Jennifer. They would put two and two together.”
“Shit,” Randy said. “What are you going to do with the bag, you can’t bring it to court?”
“We’ll just leave it in Steve’s trunk, nobody will know we have it.”
“In my trunk,” Steve protested. “What if they search my car?”
Maria laughed. “Nobody’s going to search your car, you dummy, relax.”
After a few silent moments they got up and got in line to get their breakfast. When they had filled their trays, they reconvened back at their table.
“I’m not hungry,” Maria said after staring at her food for a moment.
“I’ll eat anything you don’t want,” Randy announced.
“Help yourself,” Maria replied dejectedly.
“Cheer up,” Steve said. “I think the jury is going to acquit Fred, don’t you, Randy?”
Randy shrugged. “I hope so, but there was some pretty damning evidence. The whole thing with Candy makes Fred look like a womanizer.”
“Oh, and if a beautiful, sexy woman tried to seduce you, you wouldn’t melt like a slice of cheese on a griddle?” Maria asked.
Randy smiled. “Well, if you throw in the $6 million it could happen, I guess.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Men are all weak kneed around a pretty face.”
“No, not me,” Steve protested. “I always think things through before I act.”
“Yeah. When’s the last time a woman has tried to seduce you.”
“Ah, well—”
“Yeah,” that’s what I thought. “Talk to me when you’ve lost your virginity.”
“I’m saving myself for my wedding night.”
“That’s good. I wish Fred had done that.”
After breakfast they got into Steve’s car and drove to the courthouse. The courthouse lobby was crowded and they were mobbed by reporters as they entered and made their way to the elevators.
“Ms. Shepard, do you think your boyfriend will be acquitted?”
“We’ll see,” she replied.
“Ms. Shepard, will you stay with Fred if he is acquitted after he betrayed you?”
Maria looked briefly at the reporter. “I think so. He’s probably suffered enough for his mistake.”
The elevator door opened and they went in with the crowd that was waiting. When the elevator opened in the hallway outside the courtroom, they faced another onslaught of reporters and spectators.
“Ms. Shepard, what will you do if your boyfriend is found guilty? Will you stick with him or get on with your life?”
Maria ignored the question as Steve and Randy escorted her into the courtroom. Maria’s parents had saved seats for them, so they joined them. When Maria looked up, she saw Fred looking back at her hopefully. Then the judges’ door opened and the bailiff cried out, “Please rise for the Honorable Troy Sessions.”
The judge whispered something to the bailiff and then took the bench and looked out over the courtroom. “Bailiff, bring in the jury, please.”
The bailiff nodded and went through the door to the jury room. A moment later the jurors came filing out and one by one and took their seats. Maria watched each one carefully to see if their expressions might indicate which way the verdict would go, but it was impossible to tell. She sighed heavily in anticipation.
“Madam foreperson, has the jury reached a verdict?”
Maria was surprised a woman had been elected foreperson. She didn’t know if that was good or bad. Would a woman be harder on Fred than a man? Then
fear washed over her. Of course a woman would be harder on Fred. They’d be angry over his betrayal. Oh, my God. They’re going to convict him!
The foreperson stood, “Yes, your honor, we have.”
“Alright then, please read the verdict.”
The foreperson stiffened and replied, “On the count of felony murder we find the defendant, not guilty.”
There was a stir in the courtroom. The judge glared at the gallery and said, “There will be order!”
Maria breathed a sigh of relief. Did that mean Fred was off the hook. Could he not be guilty of murder but still guilty of robbery? She looked at Roberts but his face was expressionless.
“Continue,” the judge commanded.
The foreperson looked back at the written verdict. “Yes, your honor, “and on the count of bank robbery we find the defendant, not guilty.”
The courtroom erupted in bedlam and Maria jumped to her feet. She looked toward Fred but couldn’t get a look at him. Randy suddenly grabbed her and swung her around. Then Steve put his arms around her and hugged her so hard she thought her ribs would burst. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Fred smiling with tears running down his face. She grabbed him gratefully and held him for a long time, not wanting to let him go.