Chasing Justice by H. Terrell Griffin

Author:H. Terrell Griffin
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Published: 2015-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

The video conference room at the jail was crowded. Reporters from all the local outlets had settled in, waiting for something juicy to happen. None of them had been kind to Abby. The stories were always a bit salacious, slanted awkwardly against a fine woman. Who knew why journalists sometimes decided to take sides in a case before all the facts became known? When a prominent man was murdered and a policeman’s wife charged with the crime, it was too much to pass up. The story was headline material, and the titillating hint of sex got everybody’s attention. The scandal would quickly lose its allure if it turned out that Abby was neither the murderer nor the lover of the dead man, or that Bannister’s murder was nothing more than a random event.

I’d called the judge’s assistant when I hung up with Swann. I told her what had happened, and asked if the judge would hear a bond motion this afternoon. He agreed and called Swann to tell him to be at the courthouse ready to argue the motion.

I’d also called Robin Hartill at the Longboat Observer. I could count on her to write the story straight, and I would give her an exclusive interview as soon as the hearing was over. I also owed her boss.

I’d dropped Gus at the hospital where his car was parked and then drove the short distance to the county jail. As I was setting up at counsel table, Swann swaggered into the room. “I was catching a plane to Jacksonville,” he said. “Now I’ve got to stay overnight.”

“Sorry, George, my guest room is booked for tonight.”

“You want to play games like this?”

“The game began when you indicted my client for first-degree murder and sent your hounds out to arrest her. We could have had a conversation with the judge and skipped a hearing. Just let her keep the bond she’s on.”

“I’m following the law.”

“You’re gaming it, George. Or trying to. Are you familiar with the Manatee High School football team?”

“No.”

“Well, they’re a damn good team, year in and year out. They win state championships. They play in the top class in the state. They’re coached by one of the best high school coaches in the country.”

“What’s your point?”

“In this game, the one you and I are playing, you’re the Manatee High School football team. You’re good as long as you’re playing in your class. But, I’m the Tampa Bay Bucs, and you’re playing way above your level of competence. You don’t stand a chance.”

“Hah,” he said. “We’ll see.”

Sometimes a poke in the eye is good for arrogance. It makes you stop and think, and it makes you mad. The anger is what survives, and anger brings about mistakes. The game that Swann was playing was a head game. I wonder if he understood that.

The TVs cranked up and Judge Thomas was on the big screen in the middle. “Good afternoon, gentlemen.”

“Good afternoon, Your Honor,” Swann and I said in unison.

“I understand that a grand jury has indicted Mrs.

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