could you help but be angry?”
Salazar looked back and forth between the two of them. “You don’t have children, do you?” Both men shook their heads. “When the police stormed my apartment, I watched Rosita’s head hit the floor. I heard her scream and then heard her go quiet. I’m a doctor, and I know what kind of damage a fall like that can do to an infant. I thought she was dead.”
Finn and Kozlowski continued to look at him, not comprehending his point.
“You see, when you are a parent, and you believe that your child has been killed, you die as well. I couldn’t imagine my life without my daughter; everything lost meaning to me in an instant. When I found out that she was alive—that she would survive—it was like being reborn. Am I angry at the men who blinded my daughter? Yes. Am I angry at the men who put me here? Yes. But bitter?” He shook his head. “My daughter is alive. Blind, yes, but a happy, healthy, beautiful girl. She is safe, and she knows how much I love her. As long as I know that, the bitterness will not swallow me.”
He leaned forward, staring hard at Finn. Finn thought Salazar’s eyes might bore a hole through him with their intensity. “Now, Mr. Finn,” he said slowly. “Would you like to hear more about the specifics of my case?”
Finn could feel Kozlowski stiffen in the chair next to him, but he refused to look at him. He didn’t hesitate in his answer. “Yes, Mr. Salazar,” he replied. “I think I would.”
Chapter Fiv e
“He’s a remarkable man, isn’t he?” Dobson asked as he emerged from
the Billerica House of Correction with Finn and Kozlowski.
“He’s different, I’ll give you that,” Finn replied.
“On the inside, because he’s got a medical background, he was assigned a work detail as an orderly in the infirmary. Doctors in there say he’s one of the best physicians they’ve seen. They obviously have to ‘oversee’ everything he does because he’s a prisoner and because he never got his license in the U.S., but there isn’t one of the doctors who wouldn’t want him treating them.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Impressed enough to take the case?”
Finn looked at Kozlowski, who hadn’t said a word since they’d left Salazar. “I gotta think about it a little,” Finn said. “I’ll give you a call one way or another later this afternoon.”
Dobson looked disappointed but held his tongue. “I’ll wait for your call” was all he said before heading over to his car.
Finn turned in the other direction, toward the far end of the large parking lot where he’d left his car. The wind whipped across the open fields that surrounded the prison, stinging Finn’s eyes. Kozlowski fell into step with him silently. “What’d you think?” Finn asked.
Kozlowski said nothing; he just kept walking next to Finn, not even looking at him.
“I mean, you gotta admit, the guy seemed to have his shit together. I know that doesn’t mean he didn’t do some bad things in the past, but you ask me now whether I think this guy tried to rape and kill a cop? I’m not buying it. And it sure sounds like the investigation had some significant holes in it.” Finn’s eyes darted over toward the large detective. “You said you were friends with Steele, right?”
“That’s what I said.”
Finn waited to see if there were any additional thoughts Kozlowski cared to reveal, but trying to get information out of the man was like trying to get money from an old-line Brahmin. “Right. So you may have a different view of the guy. Me? I’m just trying to figure out whether this is worth my time. I mean, if the guy’s innocent, I’d like to help him. Plus, if I get him out, we could really hit the jackpot on a civil rights lawsuit against the city. I mean, fifteen years in that hellhole? What’s a jury gonna value that at? Ten million? Maybe fifteen?”
Finn paused again, to see if Kozlowski would fill the silence: nothing. “Of course, if he’s guilty and
Salazar looked back and forth between the two of them. “You don’t have children, do you?” Both men shook their heads. “When the police stormed my apartment, I watched Rosita’s head hit the floor. I heard her scream and then heard her go quiet. I’m a doctor, and I know what kind of damage a fall like that can do to an infant. I thought she was dead.”
Finn and Kozlowski continued to look at him, not comprehending his point.
“You see, when you are a parent, and you believe that your child has been killed, you die as well. I couldn’t imagine my life without my daughter; everything lost meaning to me in an instant. When I found out that she was alive—that she would survive—it was like being reborn. Am I angry at the men who blinded my daughter? Yes. Am I angry at the men who put me here? Yes. But bitter?” He shook his head. “My daughter is alive. Blind, yes, but a happy, healthy, beautiful girl. She is safe, and she knows how much I love her. As long as I know that, the bitterness will not swallow me.”
He leaned forward, staring hard at Finn. Finn thought Salazar’s eyes might bore a hole through him with their intensity. “Now, Mr. Finn,” he said slowly. “Would you like to hear more about the specifics of my case?”
Finn could feel Kozlowski stiffen in the chair next to him, but he refused to look at him. He didn’t hesitate in his answer. “Yes, Mr. Salazar,” he replied. “I think I would.”
Chapter Fiv e
“He’s a remarkable man, isn’t he?” Dobson asked as he emerged from
the Billerica House of Correction with Finn and Kozlowski.
“He’s different, I’ll give you that,” Finn replied.
“On the inside, because he’s got a medical background, he was assigned a work detail as an orderly in the infirmary. Doctors in there say he’s one of the best physicians they’ve seen. They obviously have to ‘oversee’ everything he does because he’s a prisoner and because he never got his license in the U.S., but there isn’t one of the doctors who wouldn’t want him treating them.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Impressed enough to take the case?”
Finn looked at Kozlowski, who hadn’t said a word since they’d left Salazar. “I gotta think about it a little,” Finn said. “I’ll give you a call one way or another later this afternoon.”
Dobson looked disappointed but held his tongue. “I’ll wait for your call” was all he said before heading over to his car.
Finn turned in the other direction, toward the far end of the large parking lot where he’d left his car. The wind whipped across the open fields that surrounded the prison, stinging Finn’s eyes. Kozlowski fell into step with him silently. “What’d you think?” Finn asked.
Kozlowski said nothing; he just kept walking next to Finn, not even looking at him.
“I mean, you gotta admit, the guy seemed to have his shit together. I know that doesn’t mean he didn’t do some bad things in the past, but you ask me now whether I think this guy tried to rape and kill a cop? I’m not buying it. And it sure sounds like the investigation had some significant holes in it.” Finn’s eyes darted over toward the large detective. “You said you were friends with Steele, right?”
“That’s what I said.”
Finn waited to see if there were any additional thoughts Kozlowski cared to reveal, but trying to get information out of the man was like trying to get money from an old-line Brahmin. “Right. So you may have a different view of the guy. Me? I’m just trying to figure out whether this is worth my time. I mean, if the guy’s innocent, I’d like to help him. Plus, if I get him out, we could really hit the jackpot on a civil rights lawsuit against the city. I mean, fifteen years in that hellhole? What’s a jury gonna value that at? Ten million? Maybe fifteen?”
Finn paused again, to see if Kozlowski would fill the silence: nothing. “Of course, if he’s guilty and
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