“Never. I am not stupid, Roberto.”
“Good kid. Now, sit tight. Your father is worried. We will discuss next steps after the bail hearing.” Roberto said, putting his massive hand and squeezing on Andre’s shoulders. He was born to do this. To be the protector of a family that has done so much for him and his career.
The bail hearing took place forty-five minutes later. When Andre stood next to Roberto in the courthouse that seemed too small and stuffy, he thought he was on the verge of dying.
“Your honor, I ask for this frivolous charge to be dropped immediately, and an official apology to be granted by the prosecutor for mistreating my client, who was harassed and taken out of his domicile with no basis or evidence.”
“The defense wishes to muddy the water, your honor.”
“There is no evidence whatsoever to link my client to the supposed crime. I sympathize with the prosecutor’s interest to get to the bottom of this high profile case. However, that is not reason enough to mistreat my client on the basis of a flimsy wish to give the appearance of progress.”
“Alright. I heard you both. What evidence do you have counselor?” The judge interjected.
“Eyewitness, your honor,” the prosecutor said. “We ask that the defendant remains under custody and request that the motion to grant bail be denied until the medical examination is completed.”
“Your honor, this is a mockery of justice and your courtroom. They claim to have an eye witness, who hasn’t come forward. For all we know, they may be making this up, your honor. Now, since when is that the basis for our time-honored legal tradition presumed guilty until proven innocent? This is outrageous, your honor. Let this court not stand for this kind of witch hunt.”
The judge nodded her head. “You have got to do better than that, counselor. Last I checked we still abide by the constitution. We can’t be making things up as we go along. This court won’t stand for the mistreatment of citizens on the basis of hunch and unreliable evidence. Until such time when there is credible evidence to detain the defendant, I am dismissing the request for further detention and release the defendant on his own recognizance. Now, Mr. DelPero, I know all about your tricks. You are getting away clean this time. You may not get lucky the next time around.”
Roberto DelPero had for once the upper hand in putting forth a compelling legal argument. He knew he might not get lucky the next time. He would talk to his client in the privacy of a controlled environment where he will build a bulletproof defense as he had done so many times in the past. Andre cried from the relief of not having to face the holding cell once more.
“Did you do it?” Antonio Palermo asked immediately after Andre and Roberto arrived at the Southie villa surrounded by high walls.
“Did what, pop? I didn’t do anything illegal to the girl. It was just fun like all other times.”
“Is killing someone fun to you?” The father screamed knocking Andre on his head. Roberto stood by on the side.
“Killing? There was no murder, pop. I swear on nana’s grave I did nothing wrong.” Nana was the beloved matriarch of the family, Antonio’s mother who had taken over the family business when her husband died of a heart attack.
“Sir, my information is that the girl was unconscious when she was found and transported to the hospital.” Roberto clarified.
“Well, she is dead now. Dead. What difference does it make she was alive when they found her? She is dead. Whatever you did, you better say something before I knock your head off.” The father said tersely.
“I told you, pop. It was a party. No different than other parties. There was the usual dancing and drinking. We hooked up once. But that was pretty much it. She was not unconscious for sure.”
“Is this what I worked my life for? Protecting you and providing for you so that you can dick around and waste your life away? Should your mother be stressing out because you haven’t grown up yet? Tell me!”
“I am sorry,” Andre cried. It is not the first time that he had seen a girl pass out at a party. They check out and check back in once the high wears off. Nothing unusual. But to die from passing out? No way, he said to himself. He feared may be she overdosed.
“Sir, if I may, we were able to dismiss the case for now. All they have is an eye witness linking Andre to the scene. Once the medical exam is done, there will be physical evidence. We need to try to get a hold of this evidence to know what is coming down the pike.”
“Which hospital is she at?”
“St. Mary’s.”
“Call Tony and see what he can do,” Antonio said before turning his attention to Andre. “So you swear you had nothing to do with the girl dying?”
“Yes, I swear. Unless it is some kind of freak accident…” Andre wiped tears off his face and prepared himself to be on lockdown for the foreseeable future.
“In that case, you have nothing to worry about. No leaving this house or talking to anyone outside of Roberto and me. You understand?”
“Yes, pop; I am really sorry.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent anxiously awaiting the results of the autopsy. One of the secrets of running a good organization is to have someone you can count on at key places. A lesson Antonio has lived by since the old days and still utilizes in this era of peace. Tony was a family friend who worked in medical records office at St. Mary’s.
“Tony, how you doing?” Roberto asked, responding to a return call he had been waiting for from his office.
“Not looking good,” Tony answered.
~~~
