Corrupt Justice

by Peter O'Mahoney

  The men at the prosecution table seemed to shake their heads in unison as Hunter handed the file to the witness.

  “Listen, it is me but,” Chow responded softly. “It was in China. It wasn’t here. I—”

  “No further questions at this point.” Hunter walked back to his table. “However, we reserve the right to recall this man as a defense witness.”

  Chow stepped off the stand, looking defeated, looking like the liar he was. The jury members stared at him as he walked past the prosecution table, their thoughts about his testimony almost loud enough to hear.

  “The prosecution rests.” Alwen stated after Chow exited the court.

  It was the ending to the prosecution’s witnesses that Hunter was after. The jury members were beginning to ask questions. The doubt had begun to rise.

  The game was on.

  Chapter 41

  Rhys McCann hated the attention. The eyes of the jury, the ears of the judge, and the focus of the lawyers were going to be squarely on him. He hated that thought. He hated even looking at himself in the mirror, and he hated what other people would think when they looked at him.

  He spent the morning preparing as best he could—four Advil for the hangover, with two extra in his pocket, a hot shower for the body odor, and two coffees for his mind. This was his day in court, the day he’d been dreading. He knew the lawyers were smart, smarter than he was, and they would try and trick him with their convoluted questions.

  And that’s the problem with lies—they’re so easily taken apart.

  He stepped into the courtroom when called as a witness, looked to Mary-Ann, the desperation on her face, and then to the jury, the apprehension on their faces. Wearing a suit one size too big, and a pair of old shoes, he looked like he worked for minimum wage. The sweat was already starting to build under his shirt, and he was glad he had a jacket to hide the growing wet patches.

  Li McCann was sitting on a seat in the courtroom, supporting her stepson, waiting for his version of events from a year prior. They talked about what he would say, they discussed what the lawyers would ask, and they were nervous about the mistakes he could make. As a contracted security guard, he’d provided a witness statement to police after the car was found in the reserve, and he almost memorized every word. Once Rhys McCann was sworn in, he turned to the defense lawyer, staring at him, waiting for the lawyer to try and outwit him.

  “Can you state your name for the court?” Hunter stood, ready to begin the defense case.

  “Rhys McCann.” Rhys leaned forward to the microphone.

  “And can you inform the court who your father is?” Hunter planted the question early in the testimony to poke the belly of the beast, to get under the skin of his witness. Hunter already knew what the answer would be.

  “No.”

  “Pardon, Mr. McCann? Are you refusing to answer the question?”

  “I don’t want to talk about him here. He has nothing to do with this case.”

  “Permission to treat the witness as hostile, Your Honor.” Hunter turned to the judge.

  “He’s your witness, Mr. Hunter. You called him and we’re only two questions into your case.”

  “And he has information he’s not sharing.” Hunter replied. “Mr. McCann’s testimony is essential to the truth, and he’s clearly withholding information.”

  Judge Ramos looked to the prosecution table, watched them talk amongst themselves for a moment, and when they offered no objection, he waved Hunter on. “Permission is granted to treat this witness as hostile.”

  “Is deceased detective Sidney McCann your father?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And can you please inform the court what your relationship is with the car owner, Mr. Kenneth Chow?”

  “I work for a security company, Benson Security, and we’re contracted to provide security monitoring to Mr. Chow’s work site.” His tone was nice, formal, if not friendly. “It’s a solid job.”

  “Did you work there on August 2nd last year?”

  “No.”

  “Did you work at that site in Chinatown in the week prior to the car being stolen?”

  “No. I was at home sick all that week. I had the flu.”

  “Were you anywhere near the site on that day?”

  “I was at home in my apartment all day.”

  “Interesting.” Hunter shrugged. He leaned against the lectern. “I’m going to play you footage of that night and can you please tell me if you are in the picture?”

  “Footage?” The shock was plastered on his face. “I wasn’t told about any footage.”

  “The defense would like to introduce recently obtained footage from the Town-Side Cab Company. This footage has been provided by the cab company for the night in question.”

  “Objection, Your Honor.” Alwen stood. “Lack of foundation. We have no idea of the authenticity of this evidence. We will need time for our experts to determine the authenticity of the footage.”

  “I assure you, Your Honor, the foundation of this evidence will be quickly established. It was given by the Town-Side Cab Company, and the Managing Director of that company has signed an affidavit on its accuracy.” Hunter retorted, picking up a piece of paper and handing it to Judge Ramos.

  Ramos read the words purposely, then nodded. “I’ll allow it. The objection is overruled, but get to the point quickly, Mr. Hunter.”

  “The footage we have obtained is from the dash-cameras of the cabs that drove through the area that night.” Hunter nodded to Esther, sitting at the defense table, and she typed on her laptop to start the first piece of footage on the court monitor at the side of the room. “You see, Mr. McCann, some cabs are fitted with dash-cameras for insurance and security purposes. The by-product of that system is they record everything they drive past. All cabs also have GPS trackers, so we can see where a cab was, what street they were in, and what exact time they were there. By tracking the GPS data, we have evidence there were two cabs in that street over the fifteen minutes between 11:11pm and 11:24pm. Everything is recorded, Mr. McCann, even when we think things aren’t being recorded, in this day and age, we always find something. As you can see from the timestamp on the dash-camera footage, this recording starts at 11:11pm on August 2nd. Can you please inform the court if you see Mr. Chow’s Jaguar sedan?”

  The footage ran, the name of the street clearly visible as the cab rounded the corner, and Esther paused the footage as the cab drove past a parked white car. There appeared to be a person, dressed in black, leaning against the back of the car, however the picture wasn’t clear.

  “Mr. McCann, do you recognize any car in that footage?”

  “Who knows?” He looked to the jury and scoffed. “A lot of cars look the same. Looks like the same make and model as the stolen car, but there are many of those cars in Chicago.”

  “Do you know the license plate number for the sedan that was stolen?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “It was plate number, AU 72670.” Hunter moved across to the screen. “Mr. McCann, can you please tell the court the numbers on that vehicle?”

  He leaned forward. “AU 72670.”

  “In that footage, can you see a person leaning against the back of the car?”

  “I can.”

  “And do you know who that is?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure, Mr. McCann?”

  “I don’t know who that is.”

  “Roll the footage of the next cab.”

  Esther did as instructed; the second cab coming from the other direction down the empty road, first past a clear street sign, and then traveling further down the road. As the cab approached the parked Jaguar, the footage paused for a moment. From the dash-cam footage, the face of the person leaning against the sedan was clear.

  “Can you please tell the court who is leaning against the back of the sedan?”

  Rhys sat back, mouth agape.

  “Mr. McCann? Can you please tell the court who is leaning a
gainst the car?”

  “It appears to be me.”

  “Appears to be?” Hunter walked back over to the screen and tapped on the screen. “Appears to be?! I’m not sure how often you look in the mirror, Mr. McCann, but that picture looks exactly like you. Is it you or not?”

  “Look, it was a long time ago.” Rhys started talking with large hand movements. “I probably got my nights mixed up. You know how it is with working late, one night blends into the next. Who knows where I was one night a year ago?”

  “So I’ll ask you again, where were you on the night the car was stolen and later torched?”

  “It looks like I was near the car.”

  “And what were you doing there that night? You don’t appear to be in work uniform?”

  “Just hanging around.”

  Hunter raised his eyebrows. The sweat started to appear on Rhys’s brow, and he turned away from the jury, before wiping it away. He knew at this point; he was almost trapped, and he had to do what he had always done—talk his way out of it.

  “Mr. McCann, can you please tell us what happened after this cab drove past?”

  “I went home.”

  “How did you get home?” Hunter continued.

  “I guess…” Rhys looked to his stepmother. “I guess I walked home.”

  “Is it a long way to your apartment from there?”

  “I needed the exercise.”

  “Before your father died, police officer Sidney McCann, talked about legacy. He talked about the legacy he would leave behind. What’s your legacy? What is it that you are going to leave behind?”

  “Objection.” The prosecutor cut in. “Irrelevant. This family talk is not relevant to this case.”

  The turmoil was clear on Rhys’s face.

  “Sustained. Move on, Mr. Hunter.”

  Hunter nodded, but the seed had been planted in Rhys’s mind.

  “Mr. McCann,” Hunter walked across the room, standing in front of where Li McCann sat. “Did you have anything to do with stealing the Jaguar?”

  “Objection,” Alwen interrupted. “Leading the witness. Clearly, this is an attempt at distraction.”

  “Sustained.”

  “Mr. McCann, do you know anything about who stole the car?”

  Rhys looked at his stepmother, then the judge, and then the jury. His pause was long enough to be a time-out in a football game.

  “Mr. McCann,” Judge Ramos insisted. “Please answer the question.”

  “Sorry… what was the question again?”

  “Do you know who stole the car?”

  “No.”

  “When a cab is active, it records the dash-cam footage, immediately uploading its location and visual information to the cloud.” Hunter continued. “That data is then available to review. We have that information here, listed in this report. This location data places you at that Chinatown location exactly between 11:11 pm and 11:24 pm. We can see you next to the car. Who are you protecting?”

  Rhys drew in a breath, moved in his chair, and pulled his shoulders back.

  “Alright. I saw the car that night.” He began to look flustered. He couldn’t sit still. His eyes were on the exit. He began to formulate the best way out of his dilemma.

  “Mr. McCann, the evidence is here. The charade is over. It’s time to let go of your secrets. It’s time to give up. Who stole the car?”

  Rhys bit his lip, looking at the people in the courtroom, tears building in his eyes. “I was there, but I didn’t steal the car.”

  “It’s over.” Hunter’s voice was low. “We have footage of you next to the car. We know you’ve lied to the court. Now is the time to be honest. Save your own skin. Don’t go down for someone else’s crime. Save yourself. Who told you to steal the car?”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Rhys stared at the door. There were too many people between him and the exit. “I didn’t commit any crime.”

  “There’s no more running, Rhys. There’s no more hiding. It’s time to admit the truth. Who stole the car?”

  Rhys rubbed his face, looked down.

  “Mr. McCann?” Hunter pressed.

  “My life is hell anyway.” Rhys whispered.

  “Sorry?”

  “Chow can’t make my life any worse than it already is.” He murmured. “My life is hell.”

  “Do you admit to stealing the car?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I—”

  “Of course, you know! How could you forget taking the car?! The evidence is here!” Hunter slapped his hand on the lectern.

  “I didn’t—”

  “You did! You drove that car away, didn’t you?!”

  “I didn’t steal it!”

  “You set her up!” Hunter shouted. “You set the defendant up for money, didn’t you?!”

  “No!” Rhys bit his lip, looking at his stepmother, tears building in his eyes. “I took the car, but I didn’t steal it!”

  “You admit you drove the Jaguar, license plate AU 72670, away from the scene on August 2nd?”

  “I drove it away.” He conceded. “But I didn’t break the law by taking the car. I didn’t steal it.”

  “What do you mean you didn’t steal it?”

  “I had the keys.”

  “Mr. Chow gave you the keys to his car?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And why did Mr. Chow give you the keys to his car?” Hunter turned and looked to Mrs. Li McCann. Her stepson did the same, before looking into his hands.

  “I was paid by Chow to steal Mary-Ann’s handbag, and then pretend to steal his car. He didn’t pay me to burn it. I was supposed to take the car, put the handbag on the front seat, and leave it in the reserve near Mary-Ann’s place. Then the cops would find it, and harass Mary-Ann. She was never supposed to have charges filed against her, just roughed up and told to leave the site alone, or Chow would press charges.”

  “Which cops?”

  “Chow was in the pockets of some cops, I don’t know which ones. He was paying someone.” Rhys fought back the tears. “He paid me to steal the handbag and dump the car near her house. Just to get her off the work site. She was causing trouble for the workers. Too much disruption.”

  “How much were you paid?”

  “Five hundred.” He whispered. “Five hundred to drive the car to the reserve. I didn’t break the law. All I did was drive a car.”

  “Then why burn the car? Why set it alight?”

  “Because of stupid Sid.”

  Rhys didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t have to.

  Hunter had already figured it out.

  Chapter 42

  The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

  It was all there, all the information he was after—the week off work, the bags of ice, the sale of the freezer. Something heavy dragged out of the trunk of the car.

  “Where was your father from July 26th until August 2nd?” Hunter questioned.

  “How would I know?”

  “You were the only one that knew where Sidney McCann was for the week after the July 26th.”

  “I didn’t mean to say Sid.”

  “You took the week off work. You filled your freezer with bags of ice. You sold your freezer the week after.” Hunter’s tone was soft. “That’s what was dragged out of the trunk. That’s why you torched the car. That’s why you had to get rid of the freezer. To destroy the evidence. Did he start to smell? Is that why you had to dump the body? You didn’t have a car, but you used Chow’s car to transport his body.”

  Rhys McCann didn’t respond.

  “The truth, Mr. McCann. It’s time for the truth.”

  “Stupid Sid. He shouldn’t have tried to make everything right,” he whispered. “Sid shouldn’t have done that to her.”

  “Her?”

  “No! That’s not what I said!” He slammed his hand on the arm of his chair. “I didn’t say her!”

  “Her?” Hunter leaned forward. “Who?! Who are you talking about?!”
>
  Rhys looked up, to the seats of the courtroom, and his eyes landed on the woman who had stood up suddenly. She clutched her bag to her chest, trying to shield herself from the truth. Li McCann stood motionless, caught under the direct gaze of everyone in the courtroom. Every single pair of eyes was locked onto her.

  On instinct, she moved, keeping her head down, her hair dropping over her face, making her way towards the exit. At the end of the row of seats, Nathan Steele, large enough to cast a long shadow, stood, blocking her path.

  Li McCann looked back to her stepson seated on the witness stand, but he looked away, avoiding eye contact. She had no option but to sit back down, and she did it slowly, gripping her handbag to her chest.

  “What happened?” Hunter turned back to his witness.

  “I… I don’t know,” he stated, trying to save his own skin. “She called me.”

  “Who called you?”

  “Li. My stepmother.”

  “And what did she say?”

  “That I had to talk some sense into Sid. I had to do something. She begged me to do something. She begged me to stop him. Stupid Sid said he was ready to uncover everything. He was ready to turn over on everyone he ever knew. Li didn’t want that. She didn’t want to go through all the pain again. She wanted me to help her.”

  “So you killed him?”

  “It was self-defense!” Rhys pleaded. “He came to my apartment after he talked to Nina Aisha. Stupid Sid said he felt like he had to expose everything for Nina. He had to do it for the girl. For the girl! What about me? Why couldn’t he have done anything for me?!” Knowing his lies had been blown, Rhys formulated the best option to talk his way out of the situation. “He tried to attack me, but I moved in self-defense. It was self-defense. I didn’t mean to hit him that hard. He tried to grab me, push me against the wall, so I hit him. I was trying to save myself.” Rhys shook his head, the whole court on edge until he continued. “After I punched him, he fell and knocked his head on the side of my freezer. I didn’t mean to kill him. It was an accident. I only hit him once.”