The Plane and the Parade (Veronica Barry Book 3)

by Sophia Martin

  Daniel kept stirring his tea. “We have to figure out who that person is. And if there’s anyone else. Otherwise they might go ahead without Roeder. Roeder’s arraignment is tomorrow, in the late afternoon. I want to believe the judge won’t allow bail, but you never know.”

  “They won’t be able to go ahead if Victor doesn’t bring the bacteria,” Veronica said.

  Daniel frowned. “I hope not, but you should have heard Roeder. He was like a crazy person, Ronnie. If he has an accomplice, and they’re as bad as he is—I don’t see them letting anything get in the way of their attack.”

  Veronica plunged a straw in her glass and took a long sip of tea, enjoying the sour tang of the lemon. It was so frustrating that she couldn’t just go to the station and shake Roeder’s hand, when all anyone really wanted was to stop him from carrying out this atrocity he planned. Even Felsen must want to stop him. But apparently stopping Veronica was more important to Felsen than stopping a terrorist.

  “Wait,” Veronica said, and then shut her mouth as the server brought their sandwiches. She held Daniel’s gaze as they remained mute, pausing until the young woman left again. Once she was gone, Veronica leaned in a bit. “Did you say Roeder’s arraignment is tomorrow? Like mine?”

  Daniel nodded, eyeing her. “Yes, but yours is in the morning, and his is one of the last of the day.”

  “So? I can just hang around the courthouse. Or leave and come back. It’s a public place, I’m sure I can come up with an excuse to be here. All I need to do is brush up against him. If the spirits have anything to show me, they’ll do it then, I’m sure of it.”

  “It would be awfully nice if they would just send you a dream tonight, instead,” he said, then bit into his sandwich.

  Veronica shook her head. “They just don’t seem to have the same sense of timing and details that we do. All they ever give me are clues, and sometimes I just don’t get them all. I mean, I’ve seen the accomplice. Twice. They’re probably like, ‘What’s her problem? We showed her everything she needs already.’ I have to do this—touch him, I mean—as kind of a little extra push, you know? To prompt them to give me a little more.”

  Daniel pursed his lips, raising his eyes to the ceiling. Then he met her gaze again. “So you think if you go to Roeder’s arraignment…”

  Veronica picked at her coleslaw. “I can do that, right? It’s public, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it’s public, but his defense attorney is going to love it if you show up. You’re going to trial for breaking into Roeder’s place of business—don’t you see how the defense could use that, if they can show you have an unnatural interest in Roeder’s trial?”

  “Because I showed up at his arraignment?”

  “Yes.”

  “How could they use that?”

  “I don’t know, say you planted evidence, that you tampered with Roeder’s computer, that you stole the money from the accounts somehow.”

  “They can’t pin the murders on me, though. Just because I supposedly broke a lock. They’d have no way of connecting those to me.”

  “Ronnie, defense attorneys are really good at finessing all sorts of improbable things to get their clients off. Just don’t go to the arraignment, okay?”

  Veronica groaned again, fisting her hands and thumping them against her forehead. She exhaled loudly and dropped her hands to the table again. “Okay. What if I just go to the courthouse?”

  “They’ll see you if you get within ten feet of Roeder.”

  “Dammit,” Veronica said, and crossed her arms. “This sucks.”

  “I know, Ronnie. Look, eat your lunch. We’ll think of something.”

  Veronica sighed. To be blocked from doing the only thing she could to help stop this attack from happening, when what she could do was so simple—it was too much.

  ~~~

  Kyung Park greeted her at the main desk where she’d presented herself and led her to his office, offering her a chair across from his desk. The neatness of his desk struck her—all he had before him was small stack of papers and a yellow legal pad with notes. Kyung’s small office was one of many in a medium-sized law firm called Lombardo & Williams, LLP. One wall was brick, with a small window, and the rest were painted light green. Against one of these was a large bookshelf full of hardbound books.

  “I hope you found the building without any trouble,” Kyung said as he sat down behind his desk.

  Veronica smiled and nodded.

  “Alright then, let’s get started,” Kyung said. “At your arraignment tomorrow, chances are they will waive the reading of the charges against you in order to save time, so I want to be sure to go over them now.”

  Veronica smoothed her hands over her yellow gingham skirt.

  “You’re being charged with felony burglary, Veronica. The maximum sentence should you be convicted is six years in prison, and a fine of up to 10,000 dollars, although I doubt you’d get that because nothing was actually stolen, at least that the church has reported.”

  Pressing her fingers into her lap to stop her hands from trembling, Veronica inhaled deeply, willing herself to remain calm.

  “You’re also being charged with a separate part of the code, ‘Unauthorized entry of property,’ which is the same as criminal trespass, and is a misdemeanor. You could be sentenced to up to six months in county jail, and a fine of up to $1,000.” Kyung paused to look up from his notes. Veronica didn’t say anything. Daniel had told her what the other charges were, but he hadn’t told her what the sentences might be. Kyung looked back down. “There’s one count of vandalism, and they’re estimating the damage as exceeding $400, so that can mean up to one year in county jail, and a fine of up to $10,000. Finally you’re being charged with preparing and offering false evidence, which is a felony, punishable with up to three years in prison. The judge has a lot of leeway with sentencing for that as well.”

  Veronica’s mind locked down. “So, worst case scenario, I’m looking at ten years in prison?” Veronica asked, noting in an absent way that her voice sounded perfectly normal. She couldn’t even begin to calculate how much she might have to pay in fines.

  “That would be an extreme worst case scenario, and we’d really have to piss off the judge to land you in prison for ten years,” Kyung said, and then smiled. “That’s not going to happen. I’m confident of that. But my job isn’t just to keep the worst-case scenario from taking place. My goal is to get as many of these charges dismissed as possible, and of course, should we go to court, to get you acquitted. Daniel assures me that you’re innocent of all of these charges.”

  Veronica nodded quickly. “I didn’t break the lock on that door, and I definitely didn’t go inside the church.”

  “Of the four charges, the easiest one to beat is going to be the vandalism charge. It doesn’t fit. Apparently the prosecution’s angle is that you trespassed with the intention of stealing evidence—this is where the burglary charge is coming from—and that you intended to use that evidence to make a fraudulent claim about having psychic visions concerning another case.”

  Veronica sucked in her lips and nodded.

  “Have you ever approached the police as a psychic, Veronica?”

  With a deep breath, she nodded again. “Yes. That’s how Daniel and I met. I had a vision about a murder that occurred back in February.”

  To his credit, Kyung’s face betrayed no reaction to this admission. “Have you approached anyone other than Daniel about this?”

  “No, but his partner knows about all of it. I’ve helped him on some other cases. He even called me to a crime scene recently.”

  “And the partner is Detective Felsen, the one who arrested you?”

  Veronica crossed her arms, hugging herself. “Yes. She hates me because I saw her planting evidence that led to the arrest of an innocent man for the murder last February.”

  “You saw her?”

  “In a vision. I have no proof. Daniel believes me, but up until recently I think he didn’t want to pursue
it out of loyalty to her. Anyway, Felsen really wants me to be permanently discredited. If I ever got people to really believe in what I see, and I decided to talk about what she did—plus, Daniel thinks she’s ashamed, and she can’t stand that I know, even if I never told anyone.”

  Kyung pondered this, lacing his hands together and pressing the index fingers like a steeple to his lips. “There’s the video,” he said, lowering his hands.

  “Of me going up to the side door of the LCCP. I put my hand on the knob and tried to turn it. It was locked, so I went around the other side of the building. The video will have to show that. And it’ll have to show the real vandals.”

  “I’m sorry, Veronica, they’ve sent me a copy of it, and that’s not what it shows.”

  Veronica felt her stomach drop. She swallowed and cocked her head to the side. “What does it show?” she asked.

  “The video shows you go up to the door, and then it cuts off. The DA’s office claims it got damaged somehow.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  “Yes, but unfortunately there isn’t much we can do to disprove it. We need to discuss whether you are open to plea bargains. I’ve dealt with ADA Spinoza many times, and I think he’d be amenable to dropping the felony burglary down to a misdemeanor without too much effort on our part. The criminal trespassing he’s not going to want to tinker with, but I bet we can get him to drop the false evidence charge and the vandalism charge altogether. If that’s something you’ll consider.”

  Veronica stared at her hands for a moment, noticing that the nails on her index fingers were shorter than the rest. She should trim them all to the same length when she got home later. What an odd thing to be thinking about right now, Veronica mused. I don’t suppose manicures are very important if you go to jail. With a sigh, she looked up, meeting Kyung’s steady gaze. “No,” she said. “I don’t want to make a deal. I want to go to trial. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t trespass. I didn’t break any locks. I didn’t falsify evidence.”

  “Veronica, many innocent people choose to plea bargain. Going to trial is a big gamble, and it costs a lot of money.”

  “They can’t possibly have any real evidence,” Veronica said. “Just that video, and it doesn’t prove I was ever in the building.”

  “All they have to do is bring up the psychic thing,” Kyung said. “They’ll make you look like you’re crazy or dishonest, and the jury will believe you would break in to any building they suggest.”

  Veronica covered her mouth with her hand.

  Kyung gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry to be so blunt. My mother would box my ears if she heard me say that. My grandmother was a mudang, did Daniel tell you?”

  Veronica shook her head, frowning. A ringing was starting up in her ears, and she was having trouble concentrating.

  “It’s like a Korean shaman. Anyway, my mom is still a big believer. And I’m not here to doubt you or say you are or aren’t what you say you are. But I have to be clear with you about the risks.”

  Responding with a quick nod, Veronica found it hard to meet his eyes. He was saying she couldn’t beat these charges. How had it come to this? All she had ever tried to do was use her abilities to help people, and now she was facing prison?

  “If I was willing to plea bargain,” she said carefully, “how much jail time do you think they would give me?”

  “It’s possible I’d get them to waive it entirely, in favor of probation. But that’s optimistic. I think you’re probably looking at anywhere from one to three years, as a guess. I’m also guessing there would be a substantial fine.”

  Her head really started to spin then. She leaned back in the chair, pressing her hands to her cheeks. Prison. Then what? She’d never be able to teach again. How would she support herself?

  Running her hands from her cheeks into her hair, Veronica attempted to breathe and clear her mind. Kyung was talking, but she couldn’t hear him. He picked up the handset of his phone, and said something about water. After a moment, a woman came into the office and handed Veronica a paper cup. Veronica stared at it, and then took a drink.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in,” Kyung said.

  Veronica shook her head, swallowing. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I can’t go to prison.”

  “Let’s just take this one step at a time, okay?” he said. “You don’t have to decide what you’re going to do right now. We’ll get through the arraignment tomorrow, and then we’ll see what Spinoza is offering. Then we’ll talk about all of your options in detail.”

  Staring at the cup, Veronica tried to let what he suggested sink in. It wasn’t a done deal. They would go step by step. But each step seemed to lead her closer to iron bars. She drank the rest of the water and set the cup on Kyung’s desk. “Thank you,” she managed, and stood. “I’ll see myself out.”

  Without waiting for his reply, she left.

  Maybe she could talk to Eric—beg him to pay for a hotshot lawyer who could work a miracle and get her acquitted. But why would he do that? Maybe she could sell the dress he’d given her. It might not sell for as much as he bought it for, but even with half its value, maybe she could afford—no. Fifty-five hundred dollars seemed like a lot to her, but she knew that the court fees alone would eat that up in a matter of weeks. She had no recourse—Kyung had taken her case pro bono as a favor to Daniel. Kyung was her only hope, and he didn’t think he could win it in court.

  Veronica exited the building, walking out into the sun. She stopped and leaned her side against a telephone pole. She took deliberate breaths, trying to calm herself. Tears filled her eyes and she bit her lips, breathing through her nose deeply and evenly. The muscles of her throat contracted and she covered her face as the sobs erupted.

  Walking quickly, she made her way to her car, fumbled to open the door, and then sat down, resting her arms and her forehead on the steering wheel as she gave herself to the sobbing. All I was trying to do was help, she thought. How can I live with these visions if I don’t try to use them to help?

  The airplane nightmare, stark in her memory, prodded her to make a call to the airline that might well get the attention of Homeland Security. She couldn’t do that now—it would only make her case worse. But could she let those people die?

  “What am I supposed to do?” she choked out. “How am I supposed to live with the things you show me if I can’t try to stop them?”

  No one answered. She was alone in the car, and no spirit came to comfort her. Veronica wiped her face with her hands, then searched her purse and the cubby between the seats for a tissue, without success. Finally she used the hem of her dress to dry her face.

  It was almost five. Daniel would be done with work in a few minutes. She drove to his apartment building, parking outside to wait.

  Chapter 21

  “I can’t believe he said that. His mom would kick his ass if she knew,” Daniel said, his fists clenching in his lap. They sat side by side on his couch.

  “He’s right, Daniel. Don’t you see? All they have to do is call Felsen to the stand and ask her in what capacity she met me, and the whole thing will come out, and I’ll look like a nutcase or a con artist or both,” Veronica said. She watched his orange and white and black and white clown fish swimming in their tanks rather than look at his face. She couldn’t bear to see the worry and strain in his features.

  “You aren’t going to accept a plea bargain,” Daniel said, catching her hand. “And you are not going to prison. I won’t let it happen.”

  Veronica turned from the fish to meet his eyes. His brow was furrowed, but she saw obstinacy there, not confidence. “I know you want that to be true,” she said. “But you have no control over how this plays out.”

  “I can have a chat with Felsen and she can put a stop to all of this,” Daniel said. “She doesn’t even have to admit that she was trying to frame you. She can say she made a mistake.”

  “Yeah, and fish can learn to ride bicycles.”

  They sat in silence f
or a few moments.

  Needing to change the subject, Veronica said, “Did you ever get to see Murphy’s emails?”

  Daniel nodded. “Yeah. Looks like he knew Leopold Victor. From what we can tell, they’ve known each other a long time. It’s actually not a surprise—they do have some things in common.”

  “Like being interested in bio weapons,” Veronica agreed.

  “Murphy’s last few emails are suspicious.”

  “Suspicious how?”

  “One of the techs thinks someone hacked his account. I’m guessing Roeder, but we can’t be sure yet.”

  “So Roeder contacted Victor?”

  “That’s my theory,” Daniel said, rubbing his eyes. “Oh, and we’ve got a list of people who probably got emails from the LCCP with meeting minutes and such. I’m going for a warrant, but I’m worried there’s going to be a lot of deleting going on before we get anything.”

  “You think they know you’re coming for their emails?”

  “Haines will probably warn them. We’re trying to be subtle and not contact anyone until we have the warrants in hand, but the system is slow, you know?”

  “How did talking to the FBI go?”

  The corners of Daniel’s mouth turned down. “Sometimes working with the FBI is fine—this was not one of those times.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I’m going to keep trying, but they aren’t on board yet. I guess they have some guys who keep an eye on the LCCP and they haven’t seen anything alarming, so there’s not a lot of enthusiasm for going after them.”

  “What about INTERPOL? Are they going to let the Belgian authorities know to look out for Antoine Jossey at the airport on Sunday?”

  Daniel nodded. “That, at least, I was able to do.”

  “Well, at least that’s something,” Veronica said. “I’ve been thinking, Daniel. I can’t let that plane go down, no matter what. But now, I can’t really call United and try to talk them into believing me that there’s something wrong with the plane. I’m sure if it get out that I did that, the ADA would use it against me. So you’re going to have to call them on Sunday morning.”