Chasing Suspect Three by Rod Hoisington

Author:Rod Hoisington [Hoisington, Rod]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Cozy Mystery
ISBN: 9780615717586
Amazon: 0615717586
Publisher: Author
Published: 2012-12-16T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Sandy came out of the courthouse elevator feeling like skipping instead of walking across the lobby. Her meeting with Shapiro had exceeded her expectations. She had given Shapiro a headache. She argued her client was a first time criminal offender, there was no premeditation, plus the FBI talk about a drug gang provided reasonable doubt. They both knew it would sound great in front of a judge. She had Shapiro in her fist.

When he started to go back over his primary arguments for Margo’s arrest, she interrupted him. She wanted the charge reduced to manslaughter. He admitted the court might agree with some of her arguments. After additional discussion, he offered to reduce the charge against her client to second-degree.

Geez, he agreed, not bad. A reduction from first degree all the way down to manslaughter wasn’t going to happen anyway. Just a ploy, to ask for more than she expected to get. Second degree murder gave her a meaningful victory. Easier to defend, and would take the death penalty off the table.

In spite of all that, she pressed her luck. With arms folded across her chest, she shook her head. “Manslaughter.”

“Sober up.”

“Manslaughter,” she said it again.

Shapiro had his face all screwed up. “Either you’re bluffing or you’re daffy. Which is it, Sandy?”

“Okay, so I’m bluffing. I’ll take second-degree on one condition.”

“You want bond.”

“I want bond. Personal Recognizance.”

“No way! Two hundred thousand.”

“Fifty. She’s local, no priors.”

After a long pause. “Okay. Free on fifty.” Shapiro agreed without further argument. They talked for another few minutes about how she should proceed with the bonding out procedure.

She kept a straight face and held off throwing her fists in the air coming down in the crowded elevator.

As she entered the lobby, she was surprised to see Chip near the entrance talking with a sheriff’s deputy. He noticed her at the same time. She hadn‘t seen him in three days and he looked insanely delicious even wearing his favorite sport coat that could use a pressing. Standing straight and tall came naturally to the ex-Marine officer.

He shot her one of his light-up-the-room smiles, and her knees went soft. She felt a reckless urge to rush over and throw her arms around his neck. He’d better cancel any plans he had for tonight, because a lengthy repertoire of lustful thoughts was racing through her mind.

She realized keeping her distance from him for the last few days had been foolish. As soon as she stopped turning into mush, she hurried over to him.

He said, “Haven’t seen you smiling like that since you took delivery on your new Miata. I know it’s not because you saw me.”

She gave him a mild in-public kiss on the lips. “I came from seeing Mel Shapiro. I just talked my client out of jail.” She couldn’t hold back the broad grin. “No applause please.”

“The victim’s wife? You’re joking.”

“Long story. The victim was involved in international drug running, we think the guy who shot at me—.”

“Yeah, I heard about that part.”

“We think he was from a Salvadoran drug mob and—.

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