Nailed by Flynn Joseph

Author:Flynn, Joseph [Flynn, Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: mystery, cops, thriller, Fiction
Publisher: Stray Dog Press, Inc.
Published: 2011-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Ten minutes later, Corrie was asleep, and Ron had showered and lay in his own bed. He felt better, at least about Ms. Knox. He sensed not only was their attraction mutual but so was their nervousness. It reassured him that she had doubts, too.

He was just about to turn out the light when his phone rang. He picked it up on the first ring and still had time to run through a list of possibilities of who might be calling: Sergeant Stanley, Oliver, Clay Steadman, Leilani . . .

“Hello, Ronny. You there, Son?”

His father. Walter Ketchum. The unrepentant bigot.

“Yeah, Dad. I’m here.”

Ron and his father had been estranged for more than thirty years, from the time Walter Ketchum had beaten DeWayne Michaels half to death until the time Ron used his unfortunate upbringing to defend himself in the wrongful death suit brought by Marcus Martin on behalf of the family of the late Sharrod Carter.

Ron had agreed when his lawyer, Jack Hobart, suggested using the twist on the disadvantaged youth defense. He knew immediately, of course, that this would be a slap in his father’s face, but he didn’t care. At that time, he occasionally had trouble even remembering what his father looked like. It bothered Ron only a little when Jack told him they’d have to subpoena his father to corroborate that Walter was, in fact, the cracker sonofabitch they made him out to be.

But what Ron hadn’t expected in the least, could never have imagined in a million years, was that the trial would lead to a grudging peace between the two of them, if not an outright reconciliation.

The day Walter Ketchum showed up in court to testify, he didn’t avoid looking at his son. He didn’t swear at him. He didn’t spit at his feet. He strode right up to him, embraced him, and cackled that he hadn’t had such a good laugh in years as when he heard what his son’s defense strategy was going to be.

“It was goddamn brilliant!” Walter said. “Take the spooks’ own favorite lament — Wasn’t my fault, Your Honor, I was deprived — and turn it right around on them.” When Walter had told all his old retired cop buddies of this ploy, he informed his son, two of them had laughed so hard they’d given themselves hernias.

Then Walter took the stand and didn’t hesitate in painting himself as the redneck racist his son said he was. He was shameless in laying out his prejudices for the world to see. Ron had a hard time not squirming as he listened to his father testify.

But he knew how effective the old man had been when Marcus Martin said he had no questions for the witness. After finishing his testimony, Ron’s father stopped him in the corridor outside the courtroom.

“Ronny, I was happy to get up there for you today,” Walter Ketchum said. “I know you’ve hated me for a long time now, and maybe from your point of view, you’ve had reason.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.