from the desk drawer. “We’re going to soft-pedal the physical details of the killings.”
At first he thought she was patching a tear in one of the pages, but then he realized it was masking tape and she was covering several lines of his writing.
“We’ve rethought our strategy. If the Briars’ suffering is made too vivid, the jury may have trouble seeing Mickey as a victim.”
“ Victim ?” Cardozo’s eyes jerked up. “What are you talking about? That bastard’s no victim—he was responsible !”
“We’re not interested in Mickey Williams’s responsibility. Forget it. That’s not what this trial is about.”
“Then what is it about?”
“ Corey Lyle ’s responsibility. Because Mickey was carrying out Lyle’s instructions.”
“Tess, will you please skip the commercial?” Cardozo pushed out a weary exhalation. “Just tell me in plain English what the hell you’re up to now.”
“Mickey is no longer under indictment.” Her glance flicked up. “He’s testifying for the prosecution against Corey Lyle. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Excuse me, but yes, I have a big problem. It stinks.” Cardozo had to wonder: If the deal had been worked out recently, why had the feds erased Mickey’s stats two years ago?
“Sometimes you have to make a deal with a demon in order to catch the devil. The Briar murders are the first case where we can prove Corey Lyle programmed a man and sent him out to kill. Corey Lyle is a monster. He’s responsible for close to a hundred deaths that we know of. And hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage. Compared to Corey Lyle, Mickey Williams is insignificant .”
“Fine, but Mickey Williams happens to be a murderer too, and a sociopath, and a child molester. And it sounds like you’re letting him walk.”
“Mickey Williams is not legally responsible.” DiAngeli slid a manila folder across the desk: PAYNE-WHITNEY. PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION OF MICHAEL WILLIAMS, CONFIDENTAL . “He’s no more a murderer than your gun is. He’s a weapon. And Corey Lyle loaded him, aimed him, and pulled the trigger.”
“That’s a load of bull guano and you know it.”
“Damn it, Vince. I don’t impugn your professionalism and I wish you’d respect mine.”
“Then give me something to respect.”
Her color darkened. “Now, just hold on a minute. I’ve worked twenty-hour days for almost two years, researching every angle of this case. I’ve interviewed I don’t know how many potential witnesses. I’ve consulted with the country’s top psychologists and criminologists and forensic experts. And one fact emerged time and time again: In and of himself, Mickey Williams is no more dangerous than a cup of water.”
“Tess, I saw John Briar’s body. No cup of water did that. I also saw Mickey’s record before the feds shredded it. The man’s a threat to any community he sets his foot in. Including wolf packs and alligator colonies. For the public good, he has to be kept under twenty-four-hour lock and key.”
“Stop worrying about that. He’s under guard.”
“Where?”
“All right—if you must know, he’s in the federal witness relocation program.”
“Christ. That program’s about as secure as a paper bag.”
“Vince, I understand the new strategy may come as a shock. I understand you may feel hurt we didn’t call you in at the planning stage. You may even feel we’ve thrown your work out. But we haven’t. You did terrific work, and without it we’d never have had this chance to nail Corey Lyle.”
“So I get a gold medal, you get your chance, the government gets Corey Lyle, and what does the public get? Shafted .”
“There are considerations and ramifications here that you’re not aware of.”
“Then make me aware of them.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“What a shame.”
“Would you please stop seeing this thing in black and white?”
“Believe me, I’m seeing it in full color.”
DiAngeli drew in a long, deep
At first he thought she was patching a tear in one of the pages, but then he realized it was masking tape and she was covering several lines of his writing.
“We’ve rethought our strategy. If the Briars’ suffering is made too vivid, the jury may have trouble seeing Mickey as a victim.”
“ Victim ?” Cardozo’s eyes jerked up. “What are you talking about? That bastard’s no victim—he was responsible !”
“We’re not interested in Mickey Williams’s responsibility. Forget it. That’s not what this trial is about.”
“Then what is it about?”
“ Corey Lyle ’s responsibility. Because Mickey was carrying out Lyle’s instructions.”
“Tess, will you please skip the commercial?” Cardozo pushed out a weary exhalation. “Just tell me in plain English what the hell you’re up to now.”
“Mickey is no longer under indictment.” Her glance flicked up. “He’s testifying for the prosecution against Corey Lyle. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Excuse me, but yes, I have a big problem. It stinks.” Cardozo had to wonder: If the deal had been worked out recently, why had the feds erased Mickey’s stats two years ago?
“Sometimes you have to make a deal with a demon in order to catch the devil. The Briar murders are the first case where we can prove Corey Lyle programmed a man and sent him out to kill. Corey Lyle is a monster. He’s responsible for close to a hundred deaths that we know of. And hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage. Compared to Corey Lyle, Mickey Williams is insignificant .”
“Fine, but Mickey Williams happens to be a murderer too, and a sociopath, and a child molester. And it sounds like you’re letting him walk.”
“Mickey Williams is not legally responsible.” DiAngeli slid a manila folder across the desk: PAYNE-WHITNEY. PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION OF MICHAEL WILLIAMS, CONFIDENTAL . “He’s no more a murderer than your gun is. He’s a weapon. And Corey Lyle loaded him, aimed him, and pulled the trigger.”
“That’s a load of bull guano and you know it.”
“Damn it, Vince. I don’t impugn your professionalism and I wish you’d respect mine.”
“Then give me something to respect.”
Her color darkened. “Now, just hold on a minute. I’ve worked twenty-hour days for almost two years, researching every angle of this case. I’ve interviewed I don’t know how many potential witnesses. I’ve consulted with the country’s top psychologists and criminologists and forensic experts. And one fact emerged time and time again: In and of himself, Mickey Williams is no more dangerous than a cup of water.”
“Tess, I saw John Briar’s body. No cup of water did that. I also saw Mickey’s record before the feds shredded it. The man’s a threat to any community he sets his foot in. Including wolf packs and alligator colonies. For the public good, he has to be kept under twenty-four-hour lock and key.”
“Stop worrying about that. He’s under guard.”
“Where?”
“All right—if you must know, he’s in the federal witness relocation program.”
“Christ. That program’s about as secure as a paper bag.”
“Vince, I understand the new strategy may come as a shock. I understand you may feel hurt we didn’t call you in at the planning stage. You may even feel we’ve thrown your work out. But we haven’t. You did terrific work, and without it we’d never have had this chance to nail Corey Lyle.”
“So I get a gold medal, you get your chance, the government gets Corey Lyle, and what does the public get? Shafted .”
“There are considerations and ramifications here that you’re not aware of.”
“Then make me aware of them.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“What a shame.”
“Would you please stop seeing this thing in black and white?”
“Believe me, I’m seeing it in full color.”
DiAngeli drew in a long, deep
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