There were other people assembled that Heidi didn’t recognize. Probably friends or relatives of the witnesses. According to Gideon, the man who’d sold Amy drugs was being held under guard outside the doors and wouldn’t make an appearance until it was his turn to testify.
While she looked from Dana to Gideon, Heidi had to wipe her eyes. A month ago she’d been at an all-time low over her friend and hadn’t even heard of Detective Gideon Poletti.
So much about her world had changed since then. She was in love.
Please, God, let Dana’s world change, too. Allow her the opportunity to come home and be a comfort to her family. Allow her to move about freely again…to fall in love…
“All rise.”
The judge entered the courtroom. Heidi stared at the man with the steel-rimmed glasses. He would decide Dana’s fate. He alone had the power to order a new trial by jury or set her free.
Let him be a wise, discerning judge…
“The court of the Honorable Quinton T. Landers is now in session. You may be seated.”
THROUGHOUT THE HEARING, tremendous tension had been building. Gideon watched Ron Jenke get up to cross-examine Kristen. According to John, she’d be the last one to testify before Fleischer took the stand. After the summations by the attorneys, it was up to the judge. Gideon’s breathing felt constricted.
“Ms. Welch, in the trial last August, you testified that Amy Turner was terrified her sister, Dana, was going to kill her.”
“That’s what she told me.”
“Yet just now you testified to the court that you knew Amy Turner hated her sister with a violent passion. Furthermore you admitted that you and Stacy and Amy were all heavy drug users. Why did you withhold that information at the first trial?”
Kristen hunched her shoulders. “Because you never asked me those questions. Before it started, you told me just to answer what I had to and not volunteer anything.”
Her simple, truthful response had to be devastating to Ron Jenke. Gideon exchanged a meaningful glance with John.
“I have no more questions of this witness, your Honor.”
The judge told Kristen to step down. “Mr. Cobb? Do you have any more witnesses?”
“One more, Your Honor.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’d like to call Mr. Manny Fleischer to the stand. If the sergeant-at-arms would escort him in.”
Subdued for the moment, the slight, benign-looking man entered from a side door, handcuffed and closely guarded. The lowlife had been pushing drugs on teens for years. He deserved to be sentenced to life! But John had worked out a plea bargain with him if he’d testify. Now it was in the judge’s hands. Considering that Dana’s release hung in the balance, though, it was worth it.
After Fleischer was sworn in, John Cobb got up from the table.
“State your name for the court.”
“Manny Fleischer.”
“Your age?”
“Forty-two,” he muttered.
“You’ll have to speak up, Mr. Fleischer,” the judge warned him.
“Forty-two!”
“Your address?”
“3010 Windward Drive, Sherman Heights.”
“What do you do for a living, Mr. Fleischer?”
“I’m a custodian.”
“Where?”
“Pickford Alternative Drama High School.”
“How long have you been employed there?”
“I don’t know… Ten years.”
Gideon shook his head. That was too long for him to get away with corrupting kids.
“Would you please tell the court the reason for your arrest Friday afternoon?”
He rolled his eyes. “I got caught selling ecstasy to some students.”
“In fact, we’ve just heard from two of those students, who took the witness stand a few minutes ago. Do you see them in the courtroom?”
The man nodded.
“The court needs a spoken answer, Mr. Fleischer.”
“Yes!”
“Did you ever sell drugs to Amy Turner?”
“Yes!”
“What kind of drugs?”
“Ecstasy, smack, death wish, LSD.”
“We’ve heard testimony that a few months before she died, she starting buying heroin. Is that true?”
“Yes! I already told you—smack.”
“Both Kristen and Stacy have testified that on the day Amy died, they drove to the school so she could buy more heroin from you. Is that true?”
“Yes!”
“Why do you think she changed to heroin?”
He hunched his shoulders. “She wanted a bigger buzz.”
“In order to live at that address in Sherman Heights, you would have to charge a lot for the stuff you sell.”
“Like a lot of the kids, she was good for it.”
“Except that she didn’t have any money on the day she died. So how come she went home with a larger amount of heroin than usual? What kind of negotiations were worked out?”
“She gave me her ATM card and the pin number. She said I could withdraw the money as soon as she deposited her tuition check. I knew her dad had the bucks, so I figured why not.”
Gideon closed his eyes. He knew where John was going with this. The man was brilliant. Just keep it up…
“How much did you give her?”
“A lot.”
“Because you wanted the money.”
“Sure.”
“Was it enough to kill her?”
“If she snorted it all in one go.”
“Do you think that’s what she intended?”
“I’m no mind reader. All she told me was that she was going to take the trip of trips.”
A jolt rocked Gideon’s body. That was it! That was the testimony he’d been waiting for!
“Thank you, Mr. Fleischer. I have no more questions.”
The judge turned to Ron Jenke.
“You wish to cross-examine?”
“No, Your Honor.”
“You may step down, Mr. Fleischer.”
As the drug pusher was escorted out of the courtroom, Ron Jenke said, “If it would please the court, I would like to make a statement at this time and forgo my final summation.”
“Is that all right with you, Mr. Cobb?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Go ahead, Mr. Jenke.”
He rose slowly to his feet, but didn’t move from behind the table. “Considering the evidence presented, it’s clear to me that Amy Turner planned her own death to create the impression that her sister murdered her. It is my belief that a gross miscarriage of justice has been done to Dana Turner.”
He turned to took at the woman seated next to Gideon. “I apologize to you, Ms. Turner, and to your family, for the pain you’ve been forced to endure.
“Your Honor—” he addressed the judge once more “—I’d like to make the motion that this young woman go free.”
There were cries of joy in the courtroom, among them, Heidi’s. Gideon couldn’t refrain from covering one of Dana’s freezing hands with his own. She didn’t move. She was still in shock.
The judge took off his glasses and leaned forward. “Thank you, Mr. Jenke, for your gracious apology to the Turner family and the court. Our system isn’t perfect, but it does allow for grievances to be revisited and, as in this case, rectified.
“I concur with both counselors that Amy Turner took her own life. Therefore, I vacate my former decision. Dana Turner, as of this moment you’re a free woman. Please remove her handcuffs.”
The female police officer quietly did his bidding.
“There. I’m sure that feels better.” The judge spoke directly to Dana with a compassionate smile. “It is the hope of this court that in time you can put the worst of this experience behind you.
“So much of my work deals with the ugly. Today we’ve all witnessed something beautiful. For that, I would like to commend the fine investigative work of Detective Gideon Poletti. You’re an honor to
the badge you carry.”
He gazed out at the audience. “Court is adjourned.” After pounding the gavel, he left the podium.
The sound seemed to bring Dana to life. She turned to Gideon. The next thing he knew he was being hugged by a woman whose happy sobs resonated in his soul.
WHILE HER PARENTS and the Turners dashed down to the front of the courtroom, Heidi hung back for a moment, savoring the sight of the man she loved embracing her dearest friend.
“Heidi?”
“Kevin!” She grabbed Gideon’s son and rocked him in a hug, so full of happiness she couldn’t contain it. “Your father did it! He’s so wonderful! I love him so much!”
The boy lifted a beaming face to her. “He’s the greatest.”
“He is. Let’s go get him.”
On their way down to the front, she hugged Max and Gaby, then introduced Kevin to John Cobb and the various witnesses whose testimony had helped turn everything around.
Suddenly she heard her name being called. Dana was running toward her. They met halfway and threw their arms around each other. While the tears ran nonstop, neither of them could find words. Soon both sets of parents had joined them in a group embrace.
“Do you think there’s room in there for one more?” asked a familiar male voice.
Heidi caught sight of Gideon’s brilliant blue eyes. “Darling!” She launched herself at him. A pair of powerful arms caught her. He crushed her against his body, and she clung to him, trying to tell him, trying to show him how she felt.
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered against her lips. “We have plans to make.”
She lifted shining eyes to him. “Gaby told me she and Max drove to Las Vegas to get married. Why don’t we do the same?”
“When?”
“Right now. We can be back tomorrow. The Calders said they’d watch Kevin overnight.”
His body stilled. “What about your parents?”
“I’m not marrying them.”
“No. You’re not.” His handsome face broke out in a smile.
“When we get back, we’ll plan a big church wedding with all our friends and family. But I don’t want to wait another second to be your wife.”
“My fantasy really is coming true.”
“I hope it includes children, because Kevin and I had a heart-to-heart while you were gone.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. When I told him I’d always wanted a little brother or sister, he said he’d always wished for one, too.”
Gideon’s eyes ignited.
“He said his mom was through having kids, but he knew you wanted more. I’m pretty sure it was Kevin’s way of telling me it was all right if we got married.”
His hands grasped her arms and caressed them. “The news keeps getting better and better. The truth is, I want you pregnant with my child as soon as I can make it happen.” His voice shook as he said the words.
“You don’t want that as much as I do. There’s just one problem. I’m not sure Kevin’s ready for us to go away on a honeymoon.”
“I know he’s not, but just living with you will feel like we’re on one.”
“Well,” she whispered, “get ready to be loved like you’ve never been loved before. There may be days I’ll lock you in our bedroom so you can’t leave me.”
“Heidi…” His eyes glistened.
“It’s true. While I was listening to the judge’s final remarks, I realized how precious life is. There’s not a moment to waste.
“Unless you want me to work, I’m not planning to teach in the fall. Pregnant or not, I’m going to make a home for you and Kevin. I’m prepared to indulge my private detective for as long as he wants.”
She pressed her mouth to his, offering him a taste of the glories that awaited them.
ON FRIDAY EVENING Gideon handed a prize to Bob, the student who scored highest on the test given after the coroner’s visit. The pocket dictionary of police and legal terms was another instant hit.
When the noise subsided, he said, “If you recall, Heidi read us a synopsis about a woman wasting away in prison. This woman had been wrongfully accused of murdering her sister. At the time she didn’t know the story’s ending.”
Everyone nodded and made comments about what an emotional story it was.
“I have it on good authority that she’s finished it now. Heidi? I hope you don’t mind my springing this on you, but I’m sure the rest of the class would like to hear how it all turned out.”
His wife of three heavenly days and nights shot him a surprised glance before getting to her feet. He watched the way her shimmering red-gold hair swung about her shoulders. A memory as recent as two hours ago assailed him—of burying his face in that glorious hair after they’d made love.
“Well, this is the way I ended the story. The woman named Dana had a friend who believed in her innocence. By some miracle, this friend, a teacher, learned that a homicide detective was teaching a night class on criminology in her room.
“So she joined his class to see if she could learn how to conduct a criminal investigation herself. Instead, she fell headlong in love with the handsome detective and his son.”
Everyone started smiling. Gideon should have guessed his wife would pull something like this for putting her on the spot. But he didn’t mind. He was so crazy about her, he couldn’t think straight.
“Out of the goodness of his heart, he told her he’d investigate the case if she’d act as his assistant. In less than a week he turned the whole case around, and Dana Turner is now a free woman,” she said with tears in her voice.
“It seems her sister, Amy, suffered from a brain tumor that twisted her mind and led her to take drugs. In the end she committed suicide, but arranged it to look as though her sister had murdered her.
“This detective had suspected drugs all along. He insisted an autopsy be performed that hadn’t been done at the time of the death because the family couldn’t bear to have their daughter’s body violated. That’s how they felt about it, but he convinced them it needed to be done to get at the truth.
“He asked the best coroner in the county to do the job. Dr. Carlos Diaz. The report stated that a tumor was found, along with traces of morphine in the liver. It proved the victim died from an overdose of heroine, not carbon monoxide poisoning as the initial medical report had revealed.”
Emily’s hand shot up. “You’re talking about you and Detective Poletti.”
“Yes!” Nancy blurted.
“I knew it!”
“We all knew it!” Carol shouted.
Heidi looked at him with adoring eyes. “It terrifies me to think what would have happened if he hadn’t agreed to teach this class for Daniel Mcfarlane.
“Because we met, my friend is free to pursue her life, and I found the man of my dreams. Just so you know, my last name is Poletti now. Gideon and I were married on Tuesday night. That’s why he had to cancel Wednesday’s class.
“Kevin would be here, but he decided he’d rather go fishing with my dad, his new grandpa.”
Everyone burst into applause, then they all jumped out of their chairs to hug both Heidi and Gideon and give their congratulations. Amid the excited tumult, Heidi’s gaze met his.
“I love you.” She mouthed the words he couldn’t hear often enough.
As Gideon mouthed the same words back, he knew life didn’t get any better than this.
When class was over, he intended to drive her to Daniel’s house. It was time to show her off and thank his mentor for the opportunity that had brought him his soul mate.
He could already hear what Daniel would say…
“I knew you didn’t really want to take that class over for me. You thought it’d be a big bore. That’ll teach you to remember my number-one rule—never assume anything.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7836-7
MY PRIVATE DETECTIVE
Copyright © 2001 by Rebecca Winters.
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My Private Detective Page 23