Slow Kill - Michael Mcgarrity [85]
“I’ve already informally approached the judge on your behalf in that matter. Any official request I make to ask him to reconsider setting bail will be rejected. You’re to be held without bond.”
“Can’t you do something? Tell him I’ll surrender my passport, sign over the equity in my house and business to a bondsman. Plus my cash. I can put together almost a million dollars.”
“I don’t think if you had three million in cash and assets the judge would let you out.”
“Do something, dammit.”
Ingram sighed sympathetically and leaned forward. “Getting you out of jail isn’t an option. In fact, as I see it, you don’t have many options.”
“What are they?” Dean asked.
“As things stand right now, you can cooperate with the prosecution and get the murder charge reduced and most of the other charges dropped. But if the cops develop sufficient probable cause to get an arrest warrant for Claudia Spalding, you may wind up on the short end of the stick.”
“How so?”
“She may decide to testify against you. That means the DA will have her, instead of you, in his pocket. He’ll go after you full-bore, using Spalding as his star witness. He won’t even think about negotiating with you. He’ll try you on all the state charges. Once that’s done, the DEA can step in and file against you in federal court.”
“That’s double jeopardy.”
Ingram shook his head. “No it isn’t, Mr. Dean. The criminal codes in this country are complex, and the federal government has drug laws on the books that aren’t duplicated by state statutes.”
“Claudia wouldn’t do that to me,” Dean said.
Ingram raised an eyebrow. “Has she been in touch with you to offer aid?”
Dean shook his head. “I want you to call her.”
“I tried that under the pretext of asking her to make a sworn statement on your behalf. I spoke to one of her employees, who told me she refused to take my call. That should tell you something, Mr. Dean.”
“Shit!”
“It could get worse,” Ingram said. “From what I’ve learned, Claudia Spalding has the financial wherewithal to hire a team of the best defense lawyers, private investigators, and expert witnesses money can buy. I’m sure if she’s arrested, a motion to separate her case from yours will be filed and most likely granted. That will put us in an adversarial relationship with her. Are you prepared to go that route?”
“Can’t you do anything to keep that from happening?” Dean asked.
“Certainly I can argue against it, if that’s really what you want. But I don’t see how it serves any purpose. Actually, I’ll use the very same tactic on your behalf, if you’re willing to cooperate.”
Dean started nibbling at another hangnail. “So where does that leave me?”
“We can go to trial and I’ll mount the best defense possible. We can dispute the circumstantial evidence, bring in psychologists to testify that Spalding manipulated and used you, call on medical doctors and pharmacologists to challenge the cause of death findings, file motions to have witness statements excluded, pound away at any evidence collection screwups, and do everything possible to place the preponderance of blame on Mrs. Spalding.”
Dean peeled the hangnail free and picked it off his tongue. “Can we win?”
“You never know. But whatever the outcome, you’ll most likely still be in jail—maybe even prison—while you’re awaiting trial on the other charges. Plus, by then you’ll have to ask for a public defender to represent you.”
“Why not you? I can pay your fee.”
“Now you can,” Ingram replied. “But you won’t be able to hire a private attorney in the future if the DEA and local cops can trace the money you made on drug trafficking back to your business and personal accounts. If they succeed, your assets will be frozen, confiscated, and disposed of. And believe me, they’re doing everything possible to make sure that happens.”
Dean sagged in his chair, head lowered, eyelids fluttering. “This wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.”
“Do we go to trial or do I call the DA?” Ingram asked.
Dean looked up from the table. “Call the DA.”
“Are you willing to talk to them right now?”
Dean nodded.
Ingram stood.