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entered the drug trade when Dom died.
You entered with him? Quinn asked.
Of course not. A shiver racked her.
Damn it, it s too cold in here. Quinn yanked off his suit jacket and dropped the heavy material
over her shoulders.
Instant warmth and the scent of male surrounded her. Something inside her stomach softened. Not
on purpose. The Children s Art Clinic of New Jersey hired me to teach a couple of classes a week to
kids. I had so much fun teaching those kids how to sculpt. Her hands trembled, so she clasped them
together. The CAC is a nonprofit that exposes underprivileged kids to the arts. The job didn t pay
much, but I loved it.
Jake tapped his silver pen on the pad. The CAC was a drug front?
Not at all. Freddy put the drugs in my trunk, I drove from New York to Jersey, and somebody
would take the drugs out while I taught classes.
Quinn dropped into the one vacant chair by his brother. Did you know?
No. She allowed her own stupidity to reflect in her voice. For six months, I ran drugs, and I had
no clue.
Quinn shook his head. The kind of danger you must ve been in&
She nodded. I m a moron. How could anybody have no clue they were trafficking drugs across
state lines for six months? But really, how often to you look in your trunk if you re not storing stuff?
Quinn stared at his brother. If she had no idea, if she had no intent to traffic, there s no crime,
right?
Jake slowly nodded.
Juliet shook her head. Seriously? I m Dom Spazzoli s stepdaughter and Freddy Spazzoli s
stepsister. No way would a federal prosecutor or jury believe I was unaware of the drug transfer.
Period.
She has a point, Jake said.
Besides she picked at a sequin on her dress, wanting to get it all out there I didn t call the
cops once I found out. I called Freddy and yelled at him. He had me look at a building across the
street that had a camera pointed right at me. I was on camera for six months. Freddy believes in
insurance policies.
Did the cameras ever catch you looking in the trunk? Jake asked, scribbling on his notepad.
Not until the day I discovered what was going on, she said quietly. Crap, she really needed to
tell the whole story. So, I got out of town. I mean, I acquired false identification and got out of
town.
Jake held up a hand. I believe what my client means is a friend of hers supplied her with false
identification. She neither purchased it, nor has she used it since.
Juliet frowned. No, I
Good enough, Quinn growled. We can revisit the false-identification issue later. For now, I
want you to tell me everything you learned about Freddy s drug business.
The door opened, and Reese pushed a rickety cart holding an older television on top of a DVD
player. Freddy was very cooperative and supplied me with a video that is quite intriguing. He
plugged in the electronics and grabbed a rusty remote.
Jake slammed his pen down. We re in the middle of something.
Reese flashed a dangerous smile. I understand what you re doing. However, why don t we watch
this video? Afterward, I ll leave so you can confer with your client on how she wants to plead this
out.
Ice-cold fingers traced Juliet s spine. This was so not going to be good. Her shoulders
straightened, and she flashed Quinn an apologetic grimace. Push play, Agent Johnson.
Reese engaged the television and player before starting the video. Several minutes went by that
showed several wrapped white packages put into her trunk in front of her apartment in New York and
then taken out of her trunk in New Jersey. The men involved were Freddy s lackeys, but not once did
Freddy make an appearance.
Quinn wandered to lean against the far wall.
Jake stretched his neck. First, there s no proof those are drugs. Second, not once has Juliet been
on screen with the trunk open. You ve got nothing, Agent.
Reese pressed a button. Let s fast-forward to the end, shall we?
Juliet briefly closed her eyes. Good idea.
The tape scrolled forward until it showed the events of the day that changed her life forever. The
camera captured her leaving the art clinic just in time to see a man slam her trunk closed. She stilled,
and he ran away. A frown marring her face, she d hustled forward and opened the trunk.
Cash. Tons of wrapped and stacked cash lined her entire trunk.
The interrogation room went deadly still.
Even with the grainy camera, there was no question that a lot of money sat in her trunk.
She d whipped out her cell phone and called Freddy, who d laughed his head off when explaining
the cameras. She d turned to look directly at the camera while still on the phone. Slowly, she d ended
the call, torn her cell phone apart, and left the shattered pieces on the pavement. After slamming the
trunk shut, she d gotten in the car and driven off.
The recording went fuzzy and then black.
Reese turned off the television. As you can see, counselor, your client drove off with full
knowledge her trunk was full of cash. She had enough knowledge of her family to know that it was
probably drug money. She neither called the police nor the DEA. What she did do is disappear from
town with the money. That s theft at the very least, and more than likely, accessory after the fact on the
drug charges.
Juliet opened her mouth, and Jake shook his head. Don t speak.
She nodded. Her driving away with all of the cash looked horrible for her.
Reese continued, I think I can get her on trafficking drugs, however. A jury is unlikely to believe
the I-didn t-know defense. They rarely do. He slammed the remote down on the table.
Juliet jumped.
Reese leaned in. I understand why you ran. Stealing so much money from Freddy and his cronies
certainly put a hit out on you. I m going to leave now, and you and your attorney are going to figure
out how to turn the money over to the DEA and what type of evidence you can come up with to send
your brother to jail. It s your only hope.
I have no evidence against Freddy. She ignored the warning flashing in Jake s eyes. Besides,
the money is gone. Every last dollar.
Jake motioned Reese to back up. Okay, we re going to talk in hypotheticals now. Does everyone
understand?
Slowly, both Quinn and Reese nodded.
Good. Jake peered at her. Hypothetically, even though you have no knowledge of any money,
what would a woman in the situation like the one you just saw on the tape have done with all of that
money?
The moment seemed a bit late for hypotheticals, but what the heck. Juliet lifted her chin.
Hypothetically? I suppose the woman would ve had some fun giving all the money away. Maybe
some to the Art Clinic, some to the First Baptist Church on Delaney Street that needed a new roof,
some to the Catholic Church around the corner, some to the boy s baseball club in southern New York
for new backstops. I suppose then the woman would give money to charities and churches as she
drove west to safety. Until it was all gone.
Reese staggered back. All gone?
Jake chuckled. I don t suppose the woman would ve kept track of where all the money went?
She plastered on her sweetest smile. I would assume a woman like that would ve kept track.
Definitely.
Reese shook his head. You had start-up money for the gallery. That was drug money.
She clasped her hands together. If you check my bank records, you ll see I emptied out my savings
as I left town. I used my own money to start the gallery. All of her money, in fact. She hadn t used
one cent of Freddy s drug cash.
Jake pushed back from the table and stood. My client and I are leaving.
Reese held up a hand. Wait a minute. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
entered the drug trade when Dom died.
You entered with him? Quinn asked.
Of course not. A shiver racked her.
Damn it, it s too cold in here. Quinn yanked off his suit jacket and dropped the heavy material
over her shoulders.
Instant warmth and the scent of male surrounded her. Something inside her stomach softened. Not
on purpose. The Children s Art Clinic of New Jersey hired me to teach a couple of classes a week to
kids. I had so much fun teaching those kids how to sculpt. Her hands trembled, so she clasped them
together. The CAC is a nonprofit that exposes underprivileged kids to the arts. The job didn t pay
much, but I loved it.
Jake tapped his silver pen on the pad. The CAC was a drug front?
Not at all. Freddy put the drugs in my trunk, I drove from New York to Jersey, and somebody
would take the drugs out while I taught classes.
Quinn dropped into the one vacant chair by his brother. Did you know?
No. She allowed her own stupidity to reflect in her voice. For six months, I ran drugs, and I had
no clue.
Quinn shook his head. The kind of danger you must ve been in&
She nodded. I m a moron. How could anybody have no clue they were trafficking drugs across
state lines for six months? But really, how often to you look in your trunk if you re not storing stuff?
Quinn stared at his brother. If she had no idea, if she had no intent to traffic, there s no crime,
right?
Jake slowly nodded.
Juliet shook her head. Seriously? I m Dom Spazzoli s stepdaughter and Freddy Spazzoli s
stepsister. No way would a federal prosecutor or jury believe I was unaware of the drug transfer.
Period.
She has a point, Jake said.
Besides she picked at a sequin on her dress, wanting to get it all out there I didn t call the
cops once I found out. I called Freddy and yelled at him. He had me look at a building across the
street that had a camera pointed right at me. I was on camera for six months. Freddy believes in
insurance policies.
Did the cameras ever catch you looking in the trunk? Jake asked, scribbling on his notepad.
Not until the day I discovered what was going on, she said quietly. Crap, she really needed to
tell the whole story. So, I got out of town. I mean, I acquired false identification and got out of
town.
Jake held up a hand. I believe what my client means is a friend of hers supplied her with false
identification. She neither purchased it, nor has she used it since.
Juliet frowned. No, I
Good enough, Quinn growled. We can revisit the false-identification issue later. For now, I
want you to tell me everything you learned about Freddy s drug business.
The door opened, and Reese pushed a rickety cart holding an older television on top of a DVD
player. Freddy was very cooperative and supplied me with a video that is quite intriguing. He
plugged in the electronics and grabbed a rusty remote.
Jake slammed his pen down. We re in the middle of something.
Reese flashed a dangerous smile. I understand what you re doing. However, why don t we watch
this video? Afterward, I ll leave so you can confer with your client on how she wants to plead this
out.
Ice-cold fingers traced Juliet s spine. This was so not going to be good. Her shoulders
straightened, and she flashed Quinn an apologetic grimace. Push play, Agent Johnson.
Reese engaged the television and player before starting the video. Several minutes went by that
showed several wrapped white packages put into her trunk in front of her apartment in New York and
then taken out of her trunk in New Jersey. The men involved were Freddy s lackeys, but not once did
Freddy make an appearance.
Quinn wandered to lean against the far wall.
Jake stretched his neck. First, there s no proof those are drugs. Second, not once has Juliet been
on screen with the trunk open. You ve got nothing, Agent.
Reese pressed a button. Let s fast-forward to the end, shall we?
Juliet briefly closed her eyes. Good idea.
The tape scrolled forward until it showed the events of the day that changed her life forever. The
camera captured her leaving the art clinic just in time to see a man slam her trunk closed. She stilled,
and he ran away. A frown marring her face, she d hustled forward and opened the trunk.
Cash. Tons of wrapped and stacked cash lined her entire trunk.
The interrogation room went deadly still.
Even with the grainy camera, there was no question that a lot of money sat in her trunk.
She d whipped out her cell phone and called Freddy, who d laughed his head off when explaining
the cameras. She d turned to look directly at the camera while still on the phone. Slowly, she d ended
the call, torn her cell phone apart, and left the shattered pieces on the pavement. After slamming the
trunk shut, she d gotten in the car and driven off.
The recording went fuzzy and then black.
Reese turned off the television. As you can see, counselor, your client drove off with full
knowledge her trunk was full of cash. She had enough knowledge of her family to know that it was
probably drug money. She neither called the police nor the DEA. What she did do is disappear from
town with the money. That s theft at the very least, and more than likely, accessory after the fact on the
drug charges.
Juliet opened her mouth, and Jake shook his head. Don t speak.
She nodded. Her driving away with all of the cash looked horrible for her.
Reese continued, I think I can get her on trafficking drugs, however. A jury is unlikely to believe
the I-didn t-know defense. They rarely do. He slammed the remote down on the table.
Juliet jumped.
Reese leaned in. I understand why you ran. Stealing so much money from Freddy and his cronies
certainly put a hit out on you. I m going to leave now, and you and your attorney are going to figure
out how to turn the money over to the DEA and what type of evidence you can come up with to send
your brother to jail. It s your only hope.
I have no evidence against Freddy. She ignored the warning flashing in Jake s eyes. Besides,
the money is gone. Every last dollar.
Jake motioned Reese to back up. Okay, we re going to talk in hypotheticals now. Does everyone
understand?
Slowly, both Quinn and Reese nodded.
Good. Jake peered at her. Hypothetically, even though you have no knowledge of any money,
what would a woman in the situation like the one you just saw on the tape have done with all of that
money?
The moment seemed a bit late for hypotheticals, but what the heck. Juliet lifted her chin.
Hypothetically? I suppose the woman would ve had some fun giving all the money away. Maybe
some to the Art Clinic, some to the First Baptist Church on Delaney Street that needed a new roof,
some to the Catholic Church around the corner, some to the boy s baseball club in southern New York
for new backstops. I suppose then the woman would give money to charities and churches as she
drove west to safety. Until it was all gone.
Reese staggered back. All gone?
Jake chuckled. I don t suppose the woman would ve kept track of where all the money went?
She plastered on her sweetest smile. I would assume a woman like that would ve kept track.
Definitely.
Reese shook his head. You had start-up money for the gallery. That was drug money.
She clasped her hands together. If you check my bank records, you ll see I emptied out my savings
as I left town. I used my own money to start the gallery. All of her money, in fact. She hadn t used
one cent of Freddy s drug cash.
Jake pushed back from the table and stood. My client and I are leaving.
Reese held up a hand. Wait a minute. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]