When the gallery emptied out for the third time since the trial had begun, Tom stood up.
“Your Honor, I make a motion to dismiss this case against my client based on the admissions made by Chief Jeffries here in open court.”
“Mr. Merton, do you have anything to say?” Judge Holbrook asked calmly.
Merton was still standing in front of the jury, but he was no longer the preacher breathing fire and brimstone. He was speechless and bewildered.
“Mr. Merton?”
“I don’t know what to say, Your Honor.”
“Well, Mr. Merton, your main witness, the chief of police, has just stated that he framed Mr. Tobin. Does that help you?”
Merton suddenly realized that the jury was still in the room. There was no coming back from this mess.
“The State has no objection to a dismissal of its case against Mr. Tobin based on the admissions of Chief Jeffries,” Merton said finally.
“Case dismissed,” Judge Holbrook said. “Mr. Tobin, you are free to go. I want those officers who have been guarding Mr. Tobin to take Chief Jeffries into custody.”
Sam Jeffries had not said a word since Jack told him not to say anything, not because he listened to Jack but because he was struck dumb at the realization that the man he had set up for murder was giving him legal advice for his own good.
Chapter Seventy-One
Danni was kneeling in the dirt in her backyard garden picking weeds, the wind almost knocking her over. Gardening was her favorite pastime these days, regardless of the weather conditions. It soothed her. She wasn’t sure why, maybe it was just being close to Mother Earth—or being part of the universe, as Jack might have put it. Jack—he was the reason she was out here this morning. She needed to do something to get him out of her mind. What is happening? Is the jury deliberating yet?
“Can I get some fresh tomatoes, ma’am?”
She recognized the voice but didn’t turn around right away. It was her mind playing tricks on her. She stole a peek behind. He was standing right there in her backyard with a smile on his face and his arms outstretched. Was this real or just her mind playing tricks on her? Apparition or not, she went to him, her heart way ahead of her head. He was real. His arms encircled her as hers squeezed him. She melted into him, the tears coming in sheets. Tears of joy.
They held each other for a long time.
“I wanted to go to you right after you testified,” Jack said. “But—”
Danni put her finger to his lips and shook her head “no”—no words. She took him by the hand, led him up the porch steps and into the house, shutting the door behind them.
* * *
They had a celebration dinner that night at The Swamp. Ron closed off the second floor for his friends—Henry, Tom, Jack, and Danni. Downstairs was almost full, which was a good thing for a Tuesday. Business was returning to normal quickly. News of the events in the courtroom that morning had spread like wildfire throughout the town. A lot of folks all of a sudden wanted to go to The Swamp. But Ron, the consummate businessman, was having none of it. He was staying upstairs with his true friends.
There were smiles all around and a little good-natured ribbing. It had been an ordeal for all of them. When everybody had a little twinkle in their eye from the joy and the alcohol, Jack stood up.
“I want to propose a toast.” He almost had to shout to overcome the noise of the crowd below.
“To Danni, who told me she loved me for the first time from the witness stand in my murder trial. Well, it wasn’t actually me she told, it was everybody—the whole world. Who can ever top that?”
“Way to go, Danni,” Ron said.
“Danni, you put yourself in harm’s way for me, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life thanking you for it. If Robert Merton even thinks about prosecuting you, he is going to face the most ferocious lawyer he has ever seen.”
“Team of lawyers,” Tom said.
Jack leaned down, kissed Danni, and whispered in her ear.
“I love you, too.”
Then he was raising his glass again—the consummate toastmaster.
“And to Ron and Henry—every man should be so lucky to have friends like you. Ronnie, you supported all of us, fed us, stood with us when your neighbors wanted to shoot you. Put your business on the line for me. That is true friendship. I’m not sure I deserve it.”
“I’m not sure I can afford it,” Ron quipped.
“And Henry, the worst fisherman in the world.”
Henry raised his glass. “Maybe the second worst,” he said.
“You do the necessary, Henry. Whatever it is. I only know the part that Danni told me about, and that was enough. Thank you, my friend.”
Henry couldn’t help himself. He stood up and hugged his dear friend, the beer spilling everywhere.
Jack still wasn’t done.
“And last but not least, to my lawyer, Tom, who was paid an ungodly amount to represent me.”
“Keep that to yourself, Jack. I’d go broke with clients like you.”
Jack waited for the laughter to subside.
“Tom, it was no picnic having me for a client. I overrode your suggestions at every turn. Yet you stuck with me. You pulled me through. I will never forget what you did.”
“You know what this case makes him, don’t you, Jack?” Henry asked.
“No, what?”
“The lawyer’s lawyer’s lawyer.”
Nobody got the joke but Jack and Henry, who were laughing so hard they were in stitches.
Epilogue
Sam Jeffries was lying on the bed in his jail cell in his yellow jumpsuit when an Oakville police officer opened the door. Sam didn’t know what was going on.
“You’ve got company,” the officer said. Then Sam saw Danni.
“Danni, what are you doing here?”
Danni walked into the cell. “I came to see you, Sam. I heard what you said about me yesterday in court, and I wanted to thank you.”
“Thank me? I got you involved in this whole mess.”
“Sam, you weren’t thinking straight. What man who went through what you went through would be thinking straight? You went a little crazy, that’s all. But you didn’t follow through on it. You came to your senses at the last minute.”
“That’s a nice way to put it, Danni, but I destroyed everything I stood for my whole life. I set up an innocent man for murder. I can’t ever forgive myself for what I’ve done.”
“Sure you can. The man you set up forgives you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s here.”
“Who’s here?”
“Jack. He’s right down the hall. He wants to talk to you.”
“No. I can’t. I wouldn’t know what to say to him. I don’t want to talk to him anyway.”
“Sam, he wants to say something to you. Let me get him.”
“No.”
“Come on, Sam, do this for me. You know you owe me one.”
Sam was sitting up on his cot now. His arms were resting on his thighs and his head was sunk so low it almost touched his knees. He didn’t respond to Danni’s question. He had nothing left.
Danni waited for a moment, then walked out into the hallway and waved to Jack to come along.
A minute later, Jack appeared in front of the jail cell. Danni opened the door. Sam was still in the same position.
“Hi, Sam,” Jack almost whispered the words. Sam just stayed there, not moving. Finally, he raised his head.
“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you. Did you really give me legal advice yesterday in that courtroom?”
“I did.”
“Listen, Jack, I know words won’t do it—”
“No, they won’t, Sam, so don’t even try. We all made mistakes to get us here—the three of us. Your loss, Sam, was unimaginable.”
“I still can’t get my arms around this. Why would you come here to see me, even if you don’t have any hard feelings?”
&n
bsp; “Danni loves you and I love Danni.”
“Okay.”
“Look, Sam.” Danni cut into the conversation. “Jack and I have a proposition for you. Just sit back and listen for a minute.”
Sam didn’t know what to do or what was coming. “Okay. I’ve got all the time in the world. What’s the proposition?”
“I’d like to be your lawyer,” Jack said. “I think it would be a pretty hard case for Merton to prosecute when the man you supposedly set up for murder is representing you. I will make a speech every day on the courthouse steps as to why you are innocent and should not be prosecuted. Merton is still smarting from this defeat you handed him. He might be angry but he’s not stupid.”
Sam was silent for a long time. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes,” Danni said.
“I have no money.”
“Money is overrated,” Jack said. “I’m the lawyer who represents people for free. Remember?”
Sam was beside himself.
“I don’t deserve this,” he said. “I need to spend the rest of my life behind bars.”
“Listen, Sam,” Danni said. “I know you’ve been through a lot but so have your son and your daughter-in-law and your two grandchildren. You can’t bring Alice or Kathleen back but you can go forward and be a father to your son, and a grandfather to those kids.”
“I haven’t thought much about them, I know.”
“It’s time to move forward, Sam. Jack and I want to give you that chance.”
“You two are unbelievable.”
“I’m just passing it on, Sam,” Jack said. “A few people just did the same thing for me, including this lady who connects the two of us.”
Sam hesitated for a moment or two.
“Okay, Jack, if you’re crazy enough to offer, I’m still crazy enough to accept.”
The two men shook hands.
“I’d love to see Merton’s face when he gets this news,” Sam said.
Acknowledgments
My greatest joy has always been my family and I have been blessed in that regard.
My three children—John, Justin, and Sarah—are my anchors. We have always been there for each other. John’s wife, Bethany; Justin’s wife, Becky; my children’s mother, Liz Grant; my five grandchildren, Gabrielle, Hannah, Jack, Grace, and Owen; and my great-granddaughter, Lilly, make up the rest of my inner circle. The next band of the circle is my brothers and sisters: John, Mary, Mike, Kate, and Patricia and their significant others: Marge, Tony, Linda, Bill, and John. You form a unique bond when you grow up in a railroad flat in New York City with your mother and father and five brothers and sisters. My siblings have always kept my feet firmly planted on the ground. I also have an extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, in-laws, close friends, three godchildren—Ariel, Madison, and Nathaniel—and a great-godchild, Annalyse, whom I love dearly.
I’m thrilled to have a new publishing home at Center Street, and I’m grateful to Publisher Rolf Zettersten and Associate Publisher Harry Helm for their enthusiasm for my work. Additionally, I would like to thank Marketing Dierctor Andrea Glickson, VP of Sales Karen Torres, Publicity Director Shanon Stowe, Web Publicist Sarah Reck, Publicist Sarah Beatty, and Jacob Arthur, who always responds to my e-mails.
Thank you to the staff at Center Street for the outstanding layout and cover design of this book, and especially to designer Tina Taylor.
Larry Kirshbaum, my agent on my first two books, has always given me tremendous support. Emily Hill, a friend and mentor, has taught me, and is still teaching me, how to promote my books on the Internet.
I owe a large debt of gratitude to my friends who have read my work and provided me with their honest analyses and opinions. I am tempted not to name names because I’m concerned that I might forget someone. But, having filed that disclaimer, I’m going to give it a shot:
Dottie Willits, Kay Tyler, Robert “Pops” Bella, Peter and Linda Keciorius, Diane Whitehead, Dave Walsh, Lindy Walsh, Lynn and Anthony Dennehy, Caitlin Herrity, Gary and Dawn Conboy, Gray and Bobbie Gibbs, Teresa Carlton, Linda Beth Carlton, Kerrie Beach, Cathy Curry, Dee Lawrence, Ron DeFilippo, Urban Patterson, Stephen Fogarty, Patty Hall, Brian Harrington, Paul Hitchens, Nick Marzuk, and Richard Wolfe.
I will always be indebted to Kate Hartson for giving me the opportunity to be a successful writer. Kate has been my mentor from the very beginning, my original publisher, and she also happens to be my sister.
About the Author
James Sheehan is the author of The Mayor of Lexington Avenue and The Law of Second Chances. He was a successful trial attorney for thirty years and now teaches law at Stetson University College of Law and is the Director of the Tampa Law Center, Stetson’s satellite campus located in Tampa, Florida.
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Contents
Dedication
Prologue
PART ONE: October 1993
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
PART TWO: Eight Years Later
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
PART THREE: Almost Two Years Later
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
PART FOUR: April 21, 2003
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Newsletter
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
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sp; Copyright © 2013 by James Sheehan
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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ISBN 978-1-4555-0867-9
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