Chapter 7
807 Words
I was making my way down the hall when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, are you Jamie Quinn?"
I turned around and found myself face to face with a GQ cover model. From his shiny wingtip shoes to his tailored Armani suit to his glossy black hair, this guy looked like he was going places--if he hadn"t already arrived. I was pretty sure he was not Detective Hernandez.
"I see my reputation precedes me," I said with a smile. "And you are?"
"Nick Dimitropoulos, State Attorney"s office." He shook my hand firmly but briefly, all business.
"I"ve been assigned to the homicide case from this morning. Are you representing Adam Muller?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but I could tell he was stoked, like a lion circling a herd of wildebeests. Well, this guy was messing with the wrong wildebeest.
"I am." Did those two words really just come out of my mouth?
Did those two words really just come out of my mouth?"And what firm did you say you"re with?" he asked, eyeing my two year old suit, purchased off the rack at Macy"s. As my mother used to say, the classics never go out of style.
I smiled sweetly. Only rookie lawyers judge you by your appearance. I stored that tidbit of information in my brain. "I"m a sole practitioner, my office is downtown. So, jumping ahead a little, have you charged my client with anything?"
Before he could answer, one of his assistants walked over and whispered something in his ear. She handed him some paperwork and then left. Nick (I was sure he wouldn"t mind if I called him Nick) glanced at it and frowned. Turning his attention back to me without so much as an apology, he said:
"Not yet, but we"re working on it."
"Do you have any evidence, besides the fact that he wandered into a murder scene? Being in the wrong place at the wrong time isn"t a crime, as far as I know."
He looked disdainful. "Then, Ms. Quinn, you don"t know much. Your client made several incriminating statements."
I was so angry I could hardly contain myself. "You spoke to my client without me present? After he told you he had an attorney?"
"Of course not. He hasn"t said a word since he was brought in, and nobody asked him anything. But he did make spontaneous utterances at the scene."
Skimming the papers in his hand, he said, "It"s in the report. I"ll read it to you:
Victim deceased, apparently from blunt force trauma. Suspect found standing next to victim. When undersigned approached the suspect, suspect made the following unsolicited statements: "It"s all my fault, I did a bad thing," and also: "I"m sorry, I"m sorry, I"m so sorry…""
Oh, Adam! How was I ever going to talk my way out of this? I would have to go all alpha dog on Mr. State Attorney.
Oh, Adam! How was I ever going to talk my way out of this? I would have to go all alpha dog on Mr. State Attorney."Listen, Nick," I said, "I know how that sounds, but here"s the story. My client says all kinds of things because he has Asperger"s Syndrome. Are you familiar with it? No? Well, you might want to read up on it. People with Asperger’s Syndrome have difficulties with social interaction and often display unusual behaviors. The bottom line is this--Adam Muller is protected under the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008. Here"s a copy of the statute. So, if you"re not going to charge him, you have to let him go. Immediately. Or we"ll be filing a claim against the department under the ADA."
all kinds of things. His expression was a mix of contempt and barely-controlled anger. I must say it took away from his chiseled good looks, all that venom. When he was through glaring at me, he turned and walked off without so much as a "nice to meet ya." What"s up with people"s manners these days? I blame it all on the internet.
I yelled after him, "I"m entitled to a copy of the police report."
He turned around and walked back over to me. "Listen, Quinn,” he said, coldly, “I know your guy did it and when we"re through analyzing the evidence, there will be charges. Try hiding behind your statute then."
He stormed off again and, this time, he didn"t come back. Man, what a sore loser! He probably wouldn"t have been a gracious winner, either. I took a deep breath and shook the tension out of my neck and shoulders. Unclenching my jaw would take a bit longer. You can relax, Jamie, I thought, Adam is safe. At least for now….
You can relax, Jamie, Adam is safe. At least for now….
- Writer
