Read Hounded for Free Online Page A

the shots were fired, and in fact he was. The timing of that will have to be carefully scrutinized, and we’ll attack it in cross-examination.
    The most damaging evidence, at least as far as these documents go, has to do with the murder weapon. It was tied to a shooting murder a year ago in Paterson, one in which a woman named Carla Kendall was killed. Pete was one of the first to arrive on the scene and investigated the case. The murder weapon was never found—at least that is what Pete reported—and no arrest was ever made. But if ballistics are to be believed, that’s the weapon that killed Danny Diaz.
    Even worse, a pair of gloves was found tucked beneath the backseat of Pete’s car. On those gloves was gunpowder residue, and the conclusion investigators reached was that Pete fired the shots while wearing the gloves, and then quickly hid them away.
    It is a powerful case, which explains why an arrest was made so quickly. And it’s early on, so likely to get worse.
    Laurie and Hike read through the documents as I do, and they of course come to the same conclusion.
    We’ve got problems.

 
     
    The discovery information tells us some of what we’re up against.
    But it also says something far more revealing. Pete isn’t just an innocent man wrongly accused. He is an innocent man wrongly accused because someone specifically set it up that way.
    If Pete is not guilty of the murder, which is something I am positive about, then he’s been set up to take the fall. The gloves hidden in his car make that an absolute fact: they had to have been planted there, with the gunpowder residue on them.
    I call Pete, and he denies putting them there, so the person who did so would have known that it would be seen as significant evidence of Pete’s guilt.
    On one hand, this is very bad news, in that it means we’re against a smart, determined enemy, in addition to the prosecution. But it also presents an opportunity, in that the conspirators must have a reason for doing what they’re doing to Pete. So we can search for them, and we can also search for that reason. If we achieve either goal, we win.
    Of course, Pete’s occupation makes the task more daunting. He’s a cop, and has been one for many years. That means there is no shortage of people, in and now out of jail, who have a reason to hold a grudge against him. And those people are by definition criminals, and dangerous.
    Of course, the best person to tell me who those people might be is Pete himself, so I head back to the jail. Once again I’m treated with deference when I arrive and ask for Pete; maybe I am likable after all. I make a mental note to bring and hand out lollipops next time I come.
    I get to the room first, and Pete is brought in a couple of minutes later. “It’s a weird feeling being happy to see you,” he says.
    He’s saying that as the casual insult we as friends always hurl at each other, but this one has some meaning behind it. As Pete’s lawyer, not only am I the one true friend he has in his current predicament, but I am his lifeline to the outside world.
    If he is going to hear any good news, he knows that I am the one that will deliver it. It’s the same way with all my clients, and it’s not a position I relish, because good news in these situations is always in short supply.
    “It’s nice to be loved for who I am,” I say.
    “Yeah. What have you got?”
    I describe the prosecution’s case against him, or at least what we’ve received so far. I’m not really into face-reading, but even if I was, I wouldn’t be able to venture a guess this time. I don’t see anger, or fear, or even frustration. All I see is someone listening.
    When I finish, he says, “It’s a setup.”
    That simple sentence illustrates one advantage I have with Pete that I don’t have with other clients. He’s a detective, an investigator; this is his profession. Not only will I not have to take the time to explain every nuance to him, but he’ll be a