[Lady Justice 22] - Lady Justice and the Conspiracy Trial

by Robert Thornhill

  The Professor, with Doctorates in Psychology, Philosophy and Sociology, sat next to Jerry, a stand-up comic. Next to them were my Dad and his ninety-year-old bimbo, Bernice, probably both packing heat.

  On a different day, the men in blue might be hauling Louie or one of the ladies of the night off to the pokey, but not today. Today was all about Kevin and Veronica.

  The bride and groom had insisted on a very plain and simple no-frills ceremony, with one exception. Mary Murphy said there just couldn’t be a wedding without a flower girl, and since she had experience, having filled that role at Ox and Judy’s wedding, she was the logical choice. Not wanting to disappoint the old girl, Kevin and Veronica acquiesced. The only dissenter was Willie who made it quite clear that the crazy old bat could throw dead flowers all over the church if she wanted to, but he wasn’t cleaning it up.

  Finally, the magic moment arrived.

  In place of the traditional wedding march, they selected We’ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters.

  As Karen Carpenter’s sultry voice filled the sanctuary, Mary dutifully scattered her rose petals down the aisle.

  Maggie and I were next, and as I heard the words of the song, I thought how perfect it was for the two of them.

  Sharing horizons that are new to us

  Watching the signs along the way

  Talkin’ it over just the two of us

  Workin’ together day to day

  Together

  Since Veronica had no father figure to give her away, the two of them decided to come down the aisle together, arm in arm.

  The bride and groom appeared and the congregation rose as they came down the aisle and took their places in front of Pastor Bob.

  When everyone was seated, he began.

  “My responsibility today is to unite two people in holy matrimony, and in accordance with their wishes, there will be no ‘dearly beloveds’ or long scripture readings. We will get right to the task at hand.

  “I asked the two of them to write their wedding vows and share them with me. To my surprise, they were almost identical, so today I am going to break from tradition and read their vows for them. Since most of you know the bride and groom, it is no big secret that their past lives have been, shall we delicately say, rocky. The vows they have written reflect the sentiment of the beautiful song we just heard, we’ve only just begun.”

  He read from a slip of paper. “The past is gone forever and means nothing to me. What matters, is the here and now and our future lives together. I will cherish whatever time is given to us, and I promise to love you and care for you until death do us part.”

  He looked at them “Do you so affirm?”

  They both nodded. “We do.”

  Then he turned to Maggie and me. “Do you have the rings?”

  “We do.”

  “The ring is a symbol of your commitment to each other,” he continued, “and I think in your particular case the symbolism is quite fitting. The diamond was formed deep in the earth under tremendous pressure before it was brought to the surface and sculpted into the beautiful stone it is today. Likewise the gold was buried for centuries before being mined, melted, forged and polished. The two of you have felt life’s relentless pressure and have passed through the fires of the worldly forge, and here you are today, two new souls coming together as one.

  “Kevin, you may place the ring on the third finger of Veronica’s left hand and repeat after me. Veronica, with this ring I thee wed and pledge my life to you.”

  When Kevin finished, Veronica placed her ring on his finger.

  “With this ring I thee wed and pledge my life to you.”

  Pastor Bob smiled and raised his hand. “Then by the authority vested in me by the State of Missouri and God’s holy church, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  After a big smooch, he announced, “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Kevin McBride.”

  Everyone cheered as the newlyweds made their way to the foyer to greet their friends.

  It was a beautiful wedding and a day to be cherished, but there was a dark cloud looming on my horizon.

  Tomorrow the trial would continue and I would be on the stand as a witness for the defense.

  CHAPTER 17

  Suzanne Romero’s defense strategy was simple. There would only be three witnesses. Calinda would be first, to reinforce the notion that her father would never kill the man she loved. I would be second to introduce the alternate theory that Jack was murdered by government assassins, and Maria Lopez would put the icing on the cake with her narrative of Jack being abducted, reinforced by the webcam video of the SUV leaving the motel.

  We would have to sell the conspiracy theory well enough to create reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors.

  Before the trial began, I was sitting with Calinda and I noticed a few new faces in the crowd. One of them was the spitting image of Carmine, just a few years younger and not quite as paunchy. I pointed him out to Calinda.

  “That man in the third row. Do you know him?”

  “Of course. That’s Uncle Frank, Daddy’s little brother. He takes care of the family business when Daddy’s not available. He’s been pretty busy since Daddy’s been in jail.”

  I had heard of Frankie Marchetti, but this was the first time I’d laid eyes on him.

  A few rows back were two other faces in the crowd I hadn’t seen before. Two white guys, mid-thirties, fit and well-dressed. I had heard that description before, and suddenly I realized that was exactly how Maria Lopez described the men who had taken Jack.

  After I thought about it for a moment, it wasn’t much of a stretch to believe the government would have people in the courtroom today. They must know we will be suggesting that Jack was killed by government assassins and they would want to know exactly what proof we had.

  The fact that I was the one who would be spilling the government’s beans gave me an uneasy feeling.

  I took another quick look around the courtroom and realized something was very wrong. Maria Lopez was nowhere to be seen.

  Suzanne and Carmine had just taken their seats at the defense table. I slipped to the rail and whispered, “Suzanne, Maria’s not in the gallery. Do you know something that I don’t?”

  I saw the concerned look register on her face. “I called her last night and she promised to be here. I even offered to pick her up again, but she said she’d be fine.”

  “Maybe she’s just running late.”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” she replied. “Without her testimony we don’t have a chance. Call Ox and have him track her down.”

  I clicked on my cell and gave Ox the message. He said he’d do his best.

  The bailiff’s voice jarred me out of my funk.

  “All rise for the Honorable Judge Milton Weathers.”

  When we were seated, the judge turned to Suzanne. “Ms. Romero, are you ready to proceed with your defense?”

  “Yes, Your Honor. The defense calls Calinda Marchetti to the stand.”

  After she was seated on the stand, the judge reminded her she was still under oath.

  “Calinda,” Suzanne began, “I believe we’ve already established from your previous testimony that you were romantically involved with Jack Carson. You knew from the moment you met Mr. Carson that he was investigating your father. The prosecution has arrested him for Jack’s murder and their entire case rests on proving that Carmine was so incensed with Jack’s investigation and your affair that he had him killed. I’d like to explore that with you this morning. You testified earlier that when your father found out you were seeing Jack, he was upset. Is that true?”

  “Of course he was upset. Jack was trying to prove Daddy was doing something illegal. He asked me not to see him, but when I told him how much I cared for Jack, he backed off. I remember him saying I was headstrong just like my mother, and if he forbade me to see him, I’d just do it behind his back.”

  “Didn’t that make things pretty intense around your house?” />
  “It probably would have, but then something happened and Jack decided to drop his investigation.”

  I cringed when I heard her say that. Undoubtedly the thing that had put the skids on Jack’s story was the disappearance of his inside source. Fortunately, Carmine wasn’t on trial for that murder, just Jacks.

  “So, did Jack continue to look into your father’s affairs?”

  “No, he told me that what we had together was more important than any story. In fact, after he dropped his investigation, I asked him to meet Daddy. They got along just fine. I remember Daddy patting him on the cheek and saying, ‘It’s a good thing my daughter loves you, Sonny.’”

  I saw Carmine bury his face in his hands. Calinda probably didn’t realize the message Carmine sent was that without Calinda, Jack would have been toast.

  Suzanne hurriedly changed the subject. “Were you aware of any other stories Jack was pursuing?”

  “Yes and no. He told me he was investigating something that involved the government. He said it was dangerous and that for my own safety he couldn’t tell me anything about it.”

  “Once he started that investigation, did anything change in your relationship?”

  “It did. He was gone a lot. He took several trips out of town. He had always been real calm and laid back, but after he started this investigation, he was real nervous and edgy. It just wasn’t like him.”

  “Do you remember the last time you spoke with him?”

  “I do. We were supposed to get together, but he called and cancelled. He said a woman from some chemical company came to town and he had to meet with her. He said it was really important for the story he was working on. That was the last time I heard his voice.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Suzanne said, sympathetically. “Please, one more time for the jury. The man you loved was murdered and you are confident that your father was not involved in his death.”

  “Absolutely positive.”

  “No further questions.”

  The judge turned to Grant Marshall. “Cross?”

  “Yes, Your Honor. Ms. Marchetti, I too am sorry for your loss, but I’d like to clarify a few points. You said Mr. Carson was working on another story, but you have no idea what it was and no knowledge of any information or evidence he might have collected. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then just one more thing. I imagine you and your father are very close, and now that your lover is gone, he’s probably the most important person in your life.”

  “I suppose so.”

  “With that in mind, you probably wouldn’t hesitate to do anything that would save his life --- even lie.”

  Suzanne jumped to her feet. “Objection!”

  Before the judge could rule, Calinda spoke. “No, I want to answer that. Do I believe my father killed Jack Carson? Absolutely not! There’s no way in the world he would have murdered the father of his grandchild. I’m pregnant. I’m carrying Jack Carson’s baby.”

  A hush fell over the courtroom.

  The look on Suzanne’s face told me she had no idea her witness was pregnant.

  Whether by design or by accident, Calinda had saved the best for last.

  The shocked prosecutor returned to his seat. “No further questions.”

  Suzanne rose. “The defense calls Walter Williams.”

  The moment I had been dreading had arrived.

  After being reminded I was still under oath, Suzanne began. “Let’s talk about your relationship with Jack Carson. How did it begin?”

  “One morning, Jack called my home office. He told me he had been working on a story about chemtrails.”

  “Let me interrupt just one moment. What exactly are chemtrails?”

  “Everyone has seen them,” I replied. “All you have to do is go outside pretty much any day of the week. There will be fluffy trails crisscrossing the sky from horizon to horizon.”

  “But aren’t those just condensation trails from the airplanes jet engines?”

  “That’s what we’re supposed to believe, but an Air Force pilot, Dale Fox, contacted Jack and told him that the trails were actually part of an ongoing program called Indigo Skyfold and contained dangerous chemicals, aluminum, barium and ethylene dibromide to name a few. Jack told me he had three meetings with Fox, and a fourth was scheduled. Fox was to bring him a sample of the brew being sprayed into our skies, but on the way to their meeting, Fox was killed in an auto accident. He called me to ask George Wilson, my former partner on the force, to take a closer look. He suspected foul play.”

  “What did he find?”

  “After closer examination of the vehicle, it was determined that the brake line ruptured. Evidence was inconclusive that someone had tampered with the line.”

  “Did Jack Carson ever share with you why the chemicals were being sprayed?”

  Grant Marshall jumped to his feet. “Objection! This wild speculation has absolutely nothing to do with Carmine Marchetti’s innocence or guilt.”

  “Quite the contrary, Your Honor,” Suzanne replied. “Someone killed Jack Carson, but Carmine Marchetti wasn’t the only one with a motive. Walt Williams went to Detective Blaylock as soon as Jack disappeared and gave him a lead to follow. It’s not the defense’s fault that the detective did not pursue that lead. The jury needs to know that there were other factors in play at the time of Jack’s death.”

  After a moment’s thought. “Objection overruled! I’ll allow it.”

  “Thank you, Judge. Now Walt, did Jack Carson ever tell you why the chemicals were being sprayed?”

  “According to Dale Fox, and I heard his words myself on a recording Jack made, the spraying was being done for two reasons, weather manipulation and defense. Fox had been warned by his superiors that the program was a matter of national security and any breaches of confidence would result in dire consequences. Fox talked and wound up dead.”

  Marshall was on his feet again. “Objection! The witness already testified there was no evidence that this Dale Fox died as a result of foul play.”

  “Objection sustained. The clerk will strike the witnesses’ last statement.”

  “Mr. Williams, Calinda Marchetti testified that Jack took several trips out of town. Do you anything about those?”

  “Yes, I know of two. His first was a trip to the Pinal Air Park in Arizona. According to Fox, this was a base of operations for Indigo Skyfold. Jack brought back photos of large tanker planes with no markings and aerial photos of a restricted command center. The second trip was a visit with Kristen Meghan, a former Air Force Bio-Environmental Engineer. She had found canisters of the chemicals being sprayed, but was silenced by her superiors who threatened to take her child away. That was a dead end. She refused to talk to Jack.”

  “Calinda also mentioned a meeting Jack had arranged with a woman from some chemical company. Did you know about that?”

  “I certainly did. The woman’s name was Louise Shipley. She worked for Monsanto at the company’s headquarters in St. Louis. Jack had learned that the aluminum being sprayed was falling to earth and contaminating many of our row crops. Monsanto had applied for and was granted patents to produce aluminum resistant seeds. She was supposedly bringing evidence of Monsanto’s complicity in the chemtrail conspiracy, but she disappeared before she could meet with Jack.”

  “So let me summarize, Jack Carson was working on a story that would expose a clandestine government program that had been going on for years. It was a program that involved the spraying of deadly chemicals into our atmosphere, and two people who were feeding information to Jack ended up dead or missing. Is that correct?”

  I could have added a third, Frank Katz, but that would have opened another can of worms regarding his manuscript.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Then, in your opinion, Mr. Williams, is it possible that Jack Carson could have been silenced to keep him from exposing a secret govern
ment program?”

  “I think it’s not only possible, but very probable.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Williams. No further questions.”

  “Cross Mr. Marshall?”

  “Yes, Your Honor. I have only one question for Mr. Williams. Sir, that’s quite a story you just told. Something one might see on an episode of X-Files. My question is this --- do you have even one tiny bit of evidence to support your wild theory?”

  So there it was. I had all kinds of evidence in the manila envelope in my safe, but to reveal its existence meant I was placing not only myself, but all those I love in danger. If I had to choose between them and Carmine Marchetti, it was a no brainer.

  Then, I looked up and saw something that made my blood run cold. One of the men I had seen earlier had a scar on his cheek running from his nose to his jaw line. I couldn’t see it from where I was sitting, but from the witness stand, it was as plain as day.

  It didn’t take a lot of thought to spit out my reply. “No, I don’t have any physical evidence.”

  “No further questions.”

  “You may step down, Mr. Williams.” He turned to Suzanne. “Any more witnesses for the defense, Ms. Romero?”

  At that moment Ox stepped into the courtroom. Suzanne gave him a searching look and he shook his head.

  I saw her shoulders droop. “No, Your Honor. The defense rests.”

  “Very well,” he said, banging his gavel, “due to the lateness of the hour, we’ll convene at nine tomorrow morning and hear closing arguments. Court dismissed!”

  After the courtroom cleared, we all gathered in the attorney-client room.

  Suzanne was obviously upset. “Ox, you found no sign of Maria Lopez?”

  “I wish that were true,” he sighed. “I looked everywhere, then finally remembered she said she kept a room at the Royale Inn. I twisted the clerk’s arm and he gave me the room number. That’s where I found her. She was dead.”

  We all sat in stunned silence.

  “Dead? How?” Suzanne asked.

  “Bludgeoned to death. I called it in and pretty soon the place was crawling with cops. The CSI guys checked the place with a black light and there were so many semen stains it looked like a sperm bank had exploded. The clerk admitted that Maria used the room to entertain her clients. The detective in charge chalked it up to a tete a tete gone bad. They’re looking for some john she might have picked up.”