the same things on the
world market. All the while he’s funded by some bottomless pit of money. Who are these partners? No one ever asks because
he’s Robert Graham, the philanthropist, the great do-gooder.”
“You do a mess of homework for some puff piece.”
“Old habits,” Jake said. “I don’t buy it. Something is wrong with him. I can smell it. You say something is wrong with this
case you’re working on? I promise you they’re connected for a very good reason. Now, that’s the story
I
want to do.”
“Oh, grow up, Jake,” Casey said. “I know your momma didn’t tell you this but there aren’t a lot of squeaky-clean billionaires
out there. I think you’re taking a side road, and I note a little jealousy.”
“Like I said, this isn’t my story,” Jake said. “I’m supposed to do the interview with him at his offices in Rochester the
day after tomorrow. Also, my contract’s up in a couple months and I’ve got a fourteen-year-old with braces. I’m too old for
jealousy.”
“You’re married?” Casey asked.
“She’s gone,” Jake said, fixing the TV smile onto his face. “Cancer, but we had a lot longer together than they said we would.
Good years. It’s been a while, so I’m as over it as you can get with these things.”
Casey cleared her throat and said, “I’m sorry.”
“The ring keeps me out of trouble for the most part,” Jake said, flexing his fingers. “Otherwise, they’d be hanging all over
me.”
They sat for a minute, drinking away the awkwardness, then Jake said, “I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll help you sniff around
your corrupt little town tomorrow, tell the show I want to get some B-roll of this Freedom Project in the trenches, and head
to Rochester the day after for the interview with Graham. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find your evidence.”
“If I’m going to shake this thing loose,” Casey said, “I’ll need that scandal. I need someone to come forward and admit they
destroyed the evidence, but even then, I’d need to show a judge that they did it on purpose and why if I’m going to get him
to grant me a new trial.”
“What was it you hoped to get from the evidence?” Jake asked.
“If I had the knife Dwayne carried and if I can show the blood on it doesn’t match the victim’s DNA, along with the other
suspicious elements of the case, my guy walks.”
“Where would you get her DNA?” Jake asked.
“They’d have carpet samples or clothes with her blood on it,” Casey said. “That, or I could even have the body exhumed.”
Jake grimaced, then asked, “Didn’t I read your guy was convicted for rape and murder?”
“He was.”
“How dead was she when they found her?” Jake asked.
Casey wrinkled her nose. “Meaning?”
“Stone cold? Right to the morgue?” Jake asked. “Or was she still bleeding? Even breathing? And they rushed her to the hospital.”
“What would it even matter?” Casey asked.
“What about a swab?” Jake said. “If she went to the hospital, they would have done the rape kit.”
“But that would have gone into evidence,” Casey said.
“The rape kit would have,” Jake said, “but usually, when a hospital has a rape victim, they’ll test for STDs and AIDS when
they do the rape kit. If he raped her, his DNA will be in those swab samples. If it’s someone else, your guy still walks.”
Casey sat silent, then said, “I kept thinking of this case as a murder. The rape is another part of it I didn’t think about,
for the trial, I mean. They should have done a blood test on any samples they got. If it matched Hubbard’s, they would have
used it. If it didn’t, the defense should have.”
“Either way, it sounds like the police evidence is gone,” Jake said. “I think your only hope is the hospital.”
“Would a hospital even have something like that?” Casey asked.
“One thing I’ve learned about hospitals,” Jake said, “they keep everything.”
11
J
world market. All the while he’s funded by some bottomless pit of money. Who are these partners? No one ever asks because
he’s Robert Graham, the philanthropist, the great do-gooder.”
“You do a mess of homework for some puff piece.”
“Old habits,” Jake said. “I don’t buy it. Something is wrong with him. I can smell it. You say something is wrong with this
case you’re working on? I promise you they’re connected for a very good reason. Now, that’s the story
I
want to do.”
“Oh, grow up, Jake,” Casey said. “I know your momma didn’t tell you this but there aren’t a lot of squeaky-clean billionaires
out there. I think you’re taking a side road, and I note a little jealousy.”
“Like I said, this isn’t my story,” Jake said. “I’m supposed to do the interview with him at his offices in Rochester the
day after tomorrow. Also, my contract’s up in a couple months and I’ve got a fourteen-year-old with braces. I’m too old for
jealousy.”
“You’re married?” Casey asked.
“She’s gone,” Jake said, fixing the TV smile onto his face. “Cancer, but we had a lot longer together than they said we would.
Good years. It’s been a while, so I’m as over it as you can get with these things.”
Casey cleared her throat and said, “I’m sorry.”
“The ring keeps me out of trouble for the most part,” Jake said, flexing his fingers. “Otherwise, they’d be hanging all over
me.”
They sat for a minute, drinking away the awkwardness, then Jake said, “I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll help you sniff around
your corrupt little town tomorrow, tell the show I want to get some B-roll of this Freedom Project in the trenches, and head
to Rochester the day after for the interview with Graham. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find your evidence.”
“If I’m going to shake this thing loose,” Casey said, “I’ll need that scandal. I need someone to come forward and admit they
destroyed the evidence, but even then, I’d need to show a judge that they did it on purpose and why if I’m going to get him
to grant me a new trial.”
“What was it you hoped to get from the evidence?” Jake asked.
“If I had the knife Dwayne carried and if I can show the blood on it doesn’t match the victim’s DNA, along with the other
suspicious elements of the case, my guy walks.”
“Where would you get her DNA?” Jake asked.
“They’d have carpet samples or clothes with her blood on it,” Casey said. “That, or I could even have the body exhumed.”
Jake grimaced, then asked, “Didn’t I read your guy was convicted for rape and murder?”
“He was.”
“How dead was she when they found her?” Jake asked.
Casey wrinkled her nose. “Meaning?”
“Stone cold? Right to the morgue?” Jake asked. “Or was she still bleeding? Even breathing? And they rushed her to the hospital.”
“What would it even matter?” Casey asked.
“What about a swab?” Jake said. “If she went to the hospital, they would have done the rape kit.”
“But that would have gone into evidence,” Casey said.
“The rape kit would have,” Jake said, “but usually, when a hospital has a rape victim, they’ll test for STDs and AIDS when
they do the rape kit. If he raped her, his DNA will be in those swab samples. If it’s someone else, your guy still walks.”
Casey sat silent, then said, “I kept thinking of this case as a murder. The rape is another part of it I didn’t think about,
for the trial, I mean. They should have done a blood test on any samples they got. If it matched Hubbard’s, they would have
used it. If it didn’t, the defense should have.”
“Either way, it sounds like the police evidence is gone,” Jake said. “I think your only hope is the hospital.”
“Would a hospital even have something like that?” Casey asked.
“One thing I’ve learned about hospitals,” Jake said, “they keep everything.”
11
J
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