PASSIONS OF CRIME

Guilty?

Six – Guilty?

The next morning was going to be one of the toughest days in Tony's career. He still didn't know the fate of his client, pleading not guilty would certainly guarantee Rictor a second chance, but it didn't feel worth it.

He thought and thought and thought that evening, and finally at about three and half hours past midnight, called up his investigator for assistance.

"Hey, Mike?" said he, "I need you to do something for me."

"Tony it's three in the morning. What the hell do you want?"

"Do you have Parkinson's medical reports?"

"Yeah, they just came by in the afternoon. Why do you ask?"

"I feel like there might be something that has been overlooked."

"Like what man?" Mike's voice was starting to sound frustrated.

"I don't know. But just listen to me. If Danny Sierra put a hit on her, then whoever was sent to kill her must've carried a gun."

"Yeah, so?"

"How the hell was she killed with cyanide? I mean, forcing a person to drink poison isn't exactly a way to murder someone. And the mafia especially don't do stuff like that. It's too risky with the fingerprints and stuff like that."

"Tony, what are you saying?"

"I think you know what I'm saying."

There was a worried exhale from the other side.

"Look Mike," said Antonio, "if my client is innocent and if there's no bullet hole in her body it can only mean one thing."

"Alright. I'll look into it."

"Thanks man. Appreciate the help."

"Don't worry about it. Hey, does Sierra know about this cyanide shit?"

"I have no idea."

"Damn man. We're in some screwed up mess here."

"Yep. And one more thing."

"Yeah what?"

"Before we go into court tomorrow, I need you to do something important for me."

"What's that?"

Over the next ten minutes Tony explained to him the sequence of things that needed to be done, and by the end of the conversation both of them were convinced that this wasn't gonna be an easy affair at all.

"Okay," said Mike finally, "I'll do it."

"Alright then. Meet me outside the courthouse five minutes before we have to go in."

"You got it."

"Thanks again Mikey. Goodnight."

"Night Tony."

***

Danny Sierra's House, 3:36 a.m.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know?"

"It means I don't know!" cried Oliver Sierra, loud enough for the other person to hear but soft enough so as to not wake his father up, "I never asked for any of this shit in the first place."

"For Christ's sake, Ollie! If you knew you couldn't do it you could've asked someone else to handle it. Dad is gonna be pissed when he finds out, man."