by C. P. Smith
Chapel was grinning at the irony when he walked into his office. The Mayor clearly wanted a man in his back pocket and Chapel was the farthest thing from a puppet the man could put in the SA’s office. He was built like a cowboy because he was one. He was long and lean with plenty of muscle and stood six-foot-two in his bare feet; put him in his boots, and he towered over most men. He had strawberry-blond hair, big blue eyes, and a crooked grin when he saw a woman that turned his head. Just like the one pacing in his outer office when he walked in.
“You must be Ms. Dash,” Chapel stated when she turned around.
He was used to women giving him the once-over when they met, so he was surprised when the woman didn’t bat an eye and got right down to business.
“Yes. This is Mr. Montoya,” she replied, gesturing to a Hispanic man standing at her side. “We came right down like you said.”
Jerking his head towards his office, mumbling, “Follow me,” Chapel moved to his desk and sat down, then indicated with his hand that Ms. Dash and Mr. Montoya should have a seat. Once they were situated, he leaned back in his chair and studied the pair.
He’d arrived in Pensacola twelve months before and wasn’t involved in the Sutton case. To his knowledge, Greystone had handled the homicide on his own, which in and of itself, was an oddity. Reaching forward, he hit the intercom. “Sybil, did you pull the Kingston file like I asked.”
“I put it in your inbox,” Sybil replied.
Chapel found the file, grabbed it from the top, and opened it. Reading the former SA’s notes, he was surprised at how thin the file was.
“You said you had some new evidence that would shed some light on the case?” he mumbled as he continued reading Greystones notes.
“Yes, sir,” Ms. Dash responded.
Chapel looked up, and a slow grin pulled at his lips.
“My father is sir, you can call me Derrick,” he drawled in his Texas twang.
“Thank you, Derrick. I’m Harley and this is Miguel,” she replied. “Did you want to see the security footage?”
Chapel nodded and turned to his computer, firing it up. Harley stood and handed him a disk. While he waited for the disk to load, he looked back at the file and read Kingston’s statement.
“It says here that his defense was there were three men behind the bar. That they were masked, and he couldn’t see their faces. He was hit from behind and when he woke up, he found Sutton, deceased, and the murder weapon in his hand.”
“That’s correct. Shouldn’t you know that already, though?” Harley asked.
Chapel looked up and grinned.
“I didn’t try this case. I just took over as SA this week.”
“Oh, does that mean it will take weeks for you to study the case before you’ll consider setting Kade free?”
Sitting back in his chair, Chapel cocked his head.
“You’re that convinced by this evidence?”
“Absolutely,” both Harley and Miguel responded.
“All right, let’s take a look and see what we’ve got.”
Twenty minutes later, after a thorough cross-examination of Montoya and Dash, his head was pounding and he was flipping back through the notes in Kingston’s file.
His good ole boy had been knocked clean out of him, and he was bordering on plain ole fuckin’ pissed.
Shoddy police work, an inept defense attorney, and from what he could see, an SA who didn’t care about justice and possibly had covered up information. They’d barely investigated and hung Kingston out to dry.
“Well,” Harley asked, her eyes wide as she waited patiently for his answer.
“I’ll put a call into Judge Baer and see how soon I can get an appointment with the man.”
“Just like that? You’re going to set Kade free?” she gasped, jumping from her seat, her eyes pleading him to say he would.
Lucky guy, Chapel thought, as he looked back and forth between the two.
“I have to confer with the Judge on the case and do some more research,” he answered, not about to get her hopes up. “However, if what I saw just breezing through the file was any indicator, I think reevaluating his case is warranted.”
“Can I leave my number with you?”
“You can, but I can’t discuss the case further with you. What we covered today is a matter of public record, I can’t divulge any further. I can only discuss this case with his attorney or legal representative from here on out.”
“Can you at least tell me how long you think it will take?” Harley said.
“Harley, the wheels of justice turn slowly. I’ll need time to look over the case files. If I’m convinced of his innocence, I’ll have to file a motion to dismiss and convince the Judge. It could take upwards of a month, assuming the evidence supports his innocence.”
“But you saw the video. Surely that proves his innocence and supports what he’s said all along.”
“It sheds light, yes. But it will still take time to investigate. I can’t just walk into the Judge’s office and ask for a dismissal based on the video alone.”
“But you know one of the men works at the prison where he is being held. And there have been attempts on his life already, probably to shut him up or deter him from looking for the real killer. That should prove to you he’s telling the truth.”
“The video puts three other men in the alley, but it doesn’t prove they killed Sutton.”
“How can you say that? Two were wearing masks,” she snapped, her brown eyes flaring in anger.
“For all I know they could have been working together and left Kingston to take the blame for all four of them,” he pointed out.
“You think that a man who just returned home to take care of his dying grandfather was in cahoots to kill Sutton on his first night back? That’s ludicrous and doesn’t make a lick of sense.”
“Honestly? No, it doesn’t make sense. But I have to prove that before the conviction can be overturned.”
“Well, what do you need to prove that?” she asked through her teeth, her temper still at a boiling point.
“Time.”
“Time?”
“Yep. Plain old time.”
“Fine,” she bit out before picking up her purse. “I’ll leave you to it then. But keep in mind that every hour Kade is inside, his life is in danger. So if anything happens to him while you’re taking your time, I’ll promise you now that I’ll personally make your life a living hell.”
Chapel rose at that threat, leaned forward, both hands on his desk, and smiled.
“Back home, we call women like you ball-busters.”
“Well, here in Florida, we call women like me someone to avoid,” she replied sarcastically, then turned on her heel and stormed out of his office.
Chapel looked at Miguel Montoya and lifted a brow.
“I wouldn’t want to be you,” he chuckled.
Nodding, he stuck out his hand and shook the man’s hand.
“Thanks for coming in. I promise to make a determination as quickly as possible.”
“For your sake, I’d put in overtime,” he advised with a smile before exiting the room.
Sitting back in his chair, he looked at the frozen image on his computer. “Okay, we’ll start with you, Mr. Drum.”
Reaching forward, he buzzed Sybil on the intercom. “Call Judge Baer and ask if he can squeeze me in this afternoon.”
“On it,” she replied, then he rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
Three hours later, he walked into Judge Baer’s office with a frown. He was admitted by the Judge’s secretary to an empty office and he took a seat. When Baer walked in, he stood and met the Judge with a smile.
“How’s life as the new SA treating you, Derrick?”
“Up until today, it was treating me kindly.”
Baer looked at the file in his hand and raised a brow. The Judge motioned towards the chair he’d just risen from, indicating he should sit. Chapel did as instructed, then waited for the Judge to get comf
ortable before he proceeded.
“I can tell by the look on your face you’re going to keep me late, so you might as well lay it out so we can get on with it.”
“Do you recall the Kingston case? Ex-Navy SEAL who was convicted of murder his first night home.”
“I recall it. Greystone went for blood on that case.”
“Today, I received new evidence that proves Kingston’s defense. There were three other men behind the bar.”
Baer took a deep breath, then let it out and muttered, “Let me call my wife and tell her to hold dinner. I presume you verified this evidence?”
“The owner of a video proving Kingston’s defense came forward today and handed it over.”
“Where was this evidence hiding during the trial?” he asked as he reached for his phone.
“On a Nanny Cam,” Derrick smiled.
“A what?” Baer responded, dropping the phone back into its cradle without calling his wife.
“A little old lady who lives in the retirement home near the bar is a bit of a runner. Her son installed a Nanny Cam in her apartment to keep an eye on her. It recorded the men as they passed by her window.”
“Why is this video just now coming to light?” the Judge asked, frowning.
“The little old lady was injured by a nurse assistant the same day as the murder. Her son saved the tape for evidence against the nurse assistant, but never viewed the footage past her injury.”
“And today he just decided to look at it?” he asked skeptically.
“No, sir. Today he was approached by a friend of Kingston’s looking for evidence to exonerate him. He remembered the murder, knew it was the same day as her fall, and they viewed the tape together.”
“So you’re telling me that based on this footage, you think it’s likely we convicted an innocent man. Not only an innocent man, but an honest to God war hero at that?”
“Yes, sir, that’s what I’m saying. One of the men in the video wasn’t wearing a mask, and Ms. Dash recognized him. He is currently employed at the same prison Kingston is doing his time. His name is Ian Drum and I pulled his information. He’s ex-Army and he discharged as soon as he could. I spoke with his last employer and he told me that Drum had a temper. He let him go after an altercation with another employee. I asked about any known associates and he told me Drum hung out with a shady character by the name of Todd Raff, who, incidentally, was reported missing by his wife. I haven’t spoken with her yet, but the missing person’s report indicates he disappeared a week after Sutton’s murder. You add all that up and then look at Kingston who is a decorated SEAL, one who discharged from a career in the Navy just to take care of his dying grandfather, and two and two don’t add up. As for motive, he’d had no contact with Sutton since high school, so that doesn’t add up either. A man like Kingston isn’t gonna kill a man over some girl he slept with twelve years before. He’s a highly trained SEAL, who had more control than that.”
“You’re sure you can’t find any connection between this Drum and Kingston?”
“Other than the fact he applied for a job at Renault two days after Kingston was convicted?”
“To keep an eye on his friend?” he argued as any good former prosecutor would.
“I think we both know that’s wishful thinking for the court, sir. Ms. Dash said two attempts were made on Kingston’s life, which I confirmed with the Warden an hour ago. My guess is, Drum is there to keep an eye on Kingston for someone else. For someone who wants this murder swept under the rug and can afford to do just that.”
“Jesus, Chapel, you’re implying conspiracy to commit murder and frame a man. We both know that shit only happens in the movies,” Baer gruffed.
“Yes, sir, I am. Sutton was a law-abiding citizen with no priors. He wasn’t having an affair, he didn’t use drugs, and he paid his taxes on time. There was no reason for his death, yet we have proof of at least three men who worked like trained killers, who wanted him dead. That speaks of money, sir. Money and power. I believe someone wanted him dead to keep him quiet. So with that in mind, I decided to see where he worked.”
“And?” Baer asked.
“You’ll find this interesting,” Chapel said. “Sutton’s employment record didn’t show anywhere in his case file.”
“Even in his personal information?”
“Nope. Are you curious yet?”
“I’m aquiver with anticipation. Tell me where he worked.”
“Consolidated Poly Film,” Chapel answered, then watched Baer’s reaction to that news.
The Judge cut his eyes towards him and frowned, his lip curling slightly at the news.
“You know Williams, I take it.”
“I know him. He’s a real sonofabitch,” Baer growled.
“And a friend of the Mayor if my google search was correct,” Chapel pointed out.
Baer closed his eyes for a moment and clenched his jaw.
“Of course, this is all speculation that requires reopening the investigation.”
“Jesus, Chapel, you’re actually saying you think it’s possible that a war hero has been framed for murder by one of the most powerful businessmen in Pensacola,” Baer stated, trying to wrap his head around this startling news. “If this leads back to Williams, one of the Mayor’s biggest contributors, we’ll have a clusterfuck the likes we’ve never seen.”
“Yes, sir, that’s what I’m saying. But I’ve come to learn in my short life that anything is possible. But right now, we need to decide what to do about Kingston,” Chapel pointed out. “We can worry about Williams and my speculation as to motive later. You and I need to decide if this new evidence exonerates Kingston or not before another attempt is made on his life. We don’t have the luxury of time, sir. We can’t sit around, pondering his innocence, while attempts are made on his life. If he’s killed in prison and we conclude later that he was innocent, that clusterfuck you mentioned will turn into a fire and brimstone lynching. I’m sorry, sir, but we need to decide tonight for Kingston sake.”
Baer sat back and contemplated all that Chapel had uncovered, and the implications left him weary. Williams was in the Mayor’s inner circle, an inner circle that was known for corruption, and he could almost read the headlines if what Chapel had suggested were true. Then he thought about Kingston in prison after serving his country for twelve years and felt a headache coming on.
Chapel waited patiently for the Judge to come to grips with all he’d laid out. He knew how it worked within The Boys’ Club. They had each other’s backs and membership was by invitation only. What he wasn’t sure of, was if Baer was one of the boys or his own man. He’d taken a gamble with what he knew of the Judge and decided he was a leader, not a follower. Luckily for Chapel and Kingston as well, he was able to breathe a sigh of relief when the Judge finally nodded, rolled up his sleeves, and put out his hand for Kingston’s file.
“I presume you brought me the security footage.”
“I did.”
“Then pop it in my computer and let’s see what we’ve got. I don’t want that man rotting in prison a day longer than need be if he’s innocent.”
Ten
Williams knew phone calls at one in the morning could only mean one of three things, and they were all bad. Either his daughter was in trouble, his mistress was pissed he didn’t show, or there was a mishap at work. Since he’d taken care of his mistress before coming home and she was smiling when he left, Williams knew it wasn’t Veronica. Since his daughter was currently asleep in her bed—he’d checked before he retired—he knew that only left Consolidated.
He was right, just not the way he expected.
“Williams,” he answered, his voice holding no evidence of sleep.
“We’ve got a problem,” Harland Green snapped down the line.
“And that would be?” Williams sighed, rubbing his eyes. As near as he could count, the Mayor and he had their hands in at least six deals that were volatile, and he’d didn’t feel like playing twenty questions.
“I just got off the phone with Baer.”
“And?” Williams asked. The Judge wasn’t involved in any of their dealings. He was too sanctimonious to get his hands dirty, so he was at a loss as to what Green was implying.
“New evidence that exonerates Kingston fell into the hands of the new SA I assigned,” Green hissed.
Williams bolted out of bed, not caring if he woke his wife, and bit out, “I thought you placed some redneck sonofabitch in that office that you could control. He was supposed to come to you before making any moves.”
“I did,” Green snapped back. “Apparently, I miscalculated his gratitude.”
“Then pull him and have Baer sweep it under the rug.”
“It’s too late. Baer has reviewed the file already and didn’t like what he found. Greystone was lazy covering his tracks with this one. Some resident in the retirement center caught one of your men’s images on a fucking Nanny Cam. It’s in the possession of the SA as we speak and Baer has seen it. The tape corroborates Kingston claim there were three men in the alley. It sounds like Baer may overturn his conviction within the next few days. Greystone went to great lengths to keep Sutton’s employment record out of the trial and that piqued Baer’s interest. He now knows he either has four suspects in Sutton’s murder or three suspects and an innocent man behind bars. Either way, we’re screwed. More than one killer indicates a conspiracy to commit murder and that, my friend, has him looking at you. And considering how much the man despises you, he’s got a hard-on the size of Tallahassee to prove you were involved.”
“He can speculate all he wants, but he’s got nothing that ties this to me.”
“Wrong, he’s got a picture of three men; one of which wasn’t wearing a mask. If they find him, they have you.”
Jesus, he is surrounded by incompetents.
“Who?”
“A man named Drum was all I got out of him,” Green answered.
“I’ll handle it.”
“You’d better fuckin’ handle it. Baer notifying me in the middle of the night was out of respect for the Mayor’s office and the fact he knows our affiliation. But he won’t back down from this, no matter what you bribe him with. Either you kill Chapel and a sitting Judge, which would cause an internal investigation, or you silence Drum and handle Kingston if he comes calling. Make the decision who dies, and do it now. I’m not going to prison for anyone,” Green ordered before the line went dead.