Deadly Defiance, page 27
Paula felt rested and relaxed the next morning. She got up, ate breakfast, and then spent a half hour putting on makeup and getting dressed. She couldn’t decide what to wear. Should she dress conservatively or flash it up a bit? Finally she decided a little distraction would be good during Rawlins’s opening, so she wore a red linen-look suit with matching shoes. She felt good but that soon changed when Stan called at just after eight.
He told her he hadn’t had any luck yet finding the insurance policies but was planning to go out to East Texas to track down Mellon’s accountant. He promised her he’d still keep digging and assured her that he hadn’t given up. She knew he was stubborn and would diligently search for the policies, but in reality she’d pretty much given up on him finding them. She had resigned herself to the fact that she’d have to create reasonable doubt with what she had.
Bart escorted her to the courthouse and helped her through the throng of reporters as he had done the day before. Then he left her to go to work. Maureen Thompson was at the counsel table when she arrived. She went over to her and took a seat.
“Good morning,” Paula said. “How are you doing today?”
“Okay,” Maureen said, but her smile looked forced.
Paula leaned in close. “Anything going on yet?”
“No,” she replied softly. “It’s been quiet. Rawlins has been studying his notes and his associate has been organizing evidence.”
Paula gazed around the packed courtroom. People were standing against the side and back walls. Paula wondered if the judge would allow that during the trial. She saw Elena and waved to her. Then she spotted Detective Besch talking to Linda Samuelson, Stuart Rawlins’s assistant. Paula heard a loud conversation behind her. She turned and saw the judge entering the courtroom.
The bailiff stood up. “All rise for the Honorable Leon Sands!”
The room quieted and everyone stood up. The judge motioned for everyone to be seated. “All right. Mr. Rawlins. You may read the indictment.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
"In the name and by the authority of the State of Texas: The Grand Jury of Dallas County, State of Texas, duly organized at the August Term A.D., 1995 of the 14th Judicial District Court, Dallas County, in said court at said term, do present that one Maureen Thompson, defendant, on or about the 25th day of February 1995, in the County and said State, did intentionally or knowingly cause the death of her husband, Rodney Rutherford Thompson, by stabbing him with an ice pick until he was dead, such act being against the peace and dignity of the State of Texas."
“Very good, Mr. Rawlins. You may proceed with your opening statement.”
“Thank you. Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. In the course of this trial the state will show, beyond any reasonable doubt, that on the evening of February 25, 1995 the defendant, Maureen Thompson, did enter into the apartment rented by her husband and located in the Regency West Apartment complex, for the purpose of murdering her husband, Rodney Thompson.
“The motivation for this murder was anger, jealousy, revenge, and a $500,000 insurance policy. Mr. Thompson had just left the defendant and took up residence with another woman. To make matters worse he left Ms. Thompson penniless, massively in debt, and in a home that was about to be foreclosed. Her anger and jealousy was understandable, but it did not give her the right to kill her husband to collect the insurance.
“The body was discovered by Lance Shepard, a maintenance man living at the Regency West Apartments. Mr. Shepard will testify that on the evening of February 25, 1995 he was contacted by the manager to check on a report of loud music coming from apartment 247, occupied by the decedent, Rodney Thompson. When he arrived at the apartment he quickly understood why the neighbors were complaining. Someone in apartment 247 had turned the stereo up so loud it could be clearly heard outside the apartment. He knocked on the door but there was no answer, so he peered into the front window and saw an overturned lamp. Fearing that Mr. Thompson may have had a medical emergency, he used his master key to enter the apartment.
“Once inside, he proceeded into the living room observing the overturned lamp, a broken vase on the hardwood floor, and magazines and newspapers scattered about. There was also such an odor in the apartment that he had to hold his nose to keep from gagging. The stench seemed to be coming from the kitchen, so he went there to investigate. That’s where he found the decedent, Rodney Thompson, on the floor, naked from the waist up, and with an ice pick stuck in his chest.
“Upon discovery of the body, Mr. Shepard immediately called 911. Several minutes later Detective Leonard Gossett and two patrol officers arrived and secured the crime scene. Detective Gossett will testify that he found the murder weapon, a nine-inch Johnson-Rose chrome-plated ice pick sticking out of the body. He called the paramedics who arrived about eight minutes later. They checked the victim, determined he was dead, and called the medical examiner.
“The medical examiner will testify that when he arrived he examined the body and found ten additional wounds from the ice pick in close proximity to the victim’s heart. He subsequently calculated that the murder took place between ten and eleven p.m. that evening.
“Paul Robb from the forensic analysis unit will testify that there were two sets of fingerprints on the ice pick—the victim’s and the defendant, Maureen Thompson.
“Detective Gossett will also testify that after securing the crime scene he went to the defendant’s house located only four miles from the crime scene. There he questioned her and she denied any knowledge or involvement in the homicide but could not provide a verifiable alibi. She also revealed that her husband had recently left her for another woman, allowed her car to be repossessed, and refused to support her or their children.
“Friends and family will testify that Maureen pleaded with her husband not to abandon them, but he was under a lot of stress from a failing business and became so depressed that he was unable to face, let alone deal with his problems. Although we cannot probe the defendant’s mind it is quite likely she came to the conclusion that the insurance policy on her husband’s life was more likely to solve her problems than pleas to the husband.
“So, it is not surprising that on the night of February 25, 1995, after she had put her two children to bed, she put on her Rollerblades and skated over to her husband’s apartment to kill him. We know that was her intent because she turned up the volume of the music so that the ensuing struggle would not be heard by the neighbors. Then she went to the Waterford crystal ice bucket that they had been given as a wedding present, picked up the ice pick, and proceeded to violently stab Rodney Thompson, not once or twice but eleven times in the heart.
“This tells us that this was a crime of passion, a premeditated, calculated murder in retaliation for Mr. Thompson’s infidelity, abandonment of the family, and destruction of the marriage.”
This is where Rawlins would have noted that Maureen Thompson had collected on her first husband’s insurance policy despite the fact that he had also been hacked to death with an ice pick. Fortunately for Maureen, Judge Sands had ruled that the first murder trial would not be mentioned as it was irrelevant since she hadn’t been convicted. Rawlins had protested the ruling strenuously but Paula had argued that any mention of that trial would be extremely prejudicial to the defendant’s case and the judge agreed.
As a practical matter every juror knew of the previous murder trial and the accusations made against Ms. Thompson from all the media reports within hours of the murder, but the judge had instructed them to disregard those reports and not consider any evidence other than what was presented to them by counsel during trial. So, Rawlins bit his tongue and concluded his statement.
“So, I’m confident you will do your duty as jurors to carefully weigh the overwhelming evidence we will present to you and find the defendant guilty of the murder of Rodney Rutherford Thompson.”
“Thank you,” Judge Sands said. “Ms. Waters. Would you like to make an opening statement now?”
Paula wondered what she should do. She feared if she didn’t make a strong opening statement the jury might make up their minds before she got a chance to put on her case. She had to somehow make them keep from drawing any conclusions until all the evidence was in. The dilemma that she faced was that she didn’t want to lay out a defense she couldn’t prove. The jury would be unforgiving if she suggested Doc Mellon was responsible for the murders and then couldn’t prove it or at least make it appear more likely that Doc Mellon was the murderer.
The judge cleared his throat. “Ms. Waters.”
Paula stood up. “Ah. Yes, Your Honor. I think I will make an opening statement now.”
It was a gamble, but Paula finally decided she had to take it. If she lay back and simply tried to argue that Rawlins hadn’t proven his case, whether he had or hadn’t, she’d lose. There was just too much circumstantial evidence of Maureen’s guilt. She had to put forward her alternate theory and pray to God that Stan could find the insurance policy that would prove Doc Mellon was the murderer.
“All right, then,” the judge said. “You may proceed.”
Paula took a deep breath, nodded to the judge, and then turned to the jury. “Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. I know you are all wondering what I could possibly say to contradict or nullify the conclusions Mr. Rawlins has drawn from the evidence he has promised to provide you during the course of this trial. I will admit his arguments seem persuasive, but that’s because you won’t know the whole story until we put on Maureen’s case. So, I would suggest you not put the noose around Maureen Thompson’s neck quite yet. You see, I intend to call witnesses who will provide a dramatically different explanation for what occurred the night of February 25, 1995.
“Specifically, Maureen’s sister will testify that she and the defendant went to Rod’s apartment the weekend before the murder to drop off the kids and she personally saw Maureen chipping ice for lemonade. So, it’s no big surprise that the defendant’s fingerprints were found on the murder weapon.
“You’ll also hear from Charlie Hatch, the superintendent for Thompson Construction. He’ll testify that Thompson Construction was in serious financial trouble and owed $250,000 plus interest to someone you all have probably heard of—Doc ‘the Clock’ Mellon, the former football star. He’ll tell you that Mellon wasn’t the type of man who would write off a debt. In fact, you may have heard that Mr. Mellon has recently been arrested on charges of assault and battery and extortion among other charges.
“In the course of the trial I’ll put on expert witnesses who will explain Doc Mellon’s methods of doing business which include threats, intimidation, and bodily harm. We may not be able to prove absolutely that Doc Mellon killed Rodney Thompson but I’m sure we will be able to convince you that it is much more likely that he is the murderer.
“While you are listening to this testimony, I want you to remember the prosecution has to prove their case beyond all reasonable doubt. As Mr. Rawlins has already told you there are no eye witnesses. All the prosecution’s evidence is circumstantial including the defendant’s fingerprints on the murder weapon which, as I said, got there quite innocently. All the defense has to do is create reasonable doubt as to Maureen’s Thompson’s guilt. If we do that you must acquit her.
“Maureen and I want to thank you all in advance for your jury service. I know what an inconvenience it is to have to serve on a jury, particularly for a long case like this one, but I want you to know you are rendering a great service to the community and we appreciate it very much.
“One last reminder, and I know I’ve said it already but it’s so important I’m going to say it again. You have an obligation to listen to all the evidence before you make up your minds. Keep an open mind until the last witness sits down. This is a complicated case and it’s going to take your complete attention and concentration to effectively digest all the facts, sift through the evidence, and come to a just decision.
“But I know you can do it, and I’m confident when the dust settles you’ll find Maureen Thompson innocent. Thank you.”
Paula smiled and walked back to the counsel table. Maureen gave her a nervous smile. She felt relieved. Now at least she knew what she had to do and didn’t have to hold back.
The judge looked at his watch. “All right, we’ll take a twenty-minute recess and then Mr. Rawlins, you can call your first witness.”
“Very good, Your Honor,” Rawlins said.
The judge stood up and left the bench. The courtroom broke into excited chatter. Paula stood up and watched the jury file out of the jury box. She wondered what they were thinking. Had she piqued their curiosity? Would they keep an open mind as she had asked them to? She thought she saw the last juror smile at her, or was it her imagination? She prayed they’d do the right thing.
Chapter 30
Confrontation
As promised Brenda picked Jodie up at seven and took her to IHOP for breakfast. On the way Brenda filled her in on the latest developments.
“We identified the two bodyguards. They do have cartel connections, so I think Mr. Long must be involved with the cartel in some fashion.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“Yes, he ended up at the Hilton last night. He’s still there right now. As soon as he leaves we’ll follow him to the meeting.”
“So, you never heard from Rico?”
“No. I don’t know what happened to him. Hopefully he’ll be at the meeting.”
When they got to IHOP Agent Lot was already there drinking a cup of coffee. He stood up when they walked in and waved them over.
“So, any idea what this meeting is about?” Jodie asked.
“Yes, we think it’s about your garnishments,” Agent Lot replied. “The cartel has to decide how to deal with the situation. You’ve put the squeeze on their money laundering machine and they have to do something about it. It’s also probably about our arrest of Melendez and his men.”
“So, how are you going to handle the meeting? Are you going to shut it down and arrest everybody?”
“No. We have to have a good cause to do that. We’ll just have to play it by ear and hope we can ID some of the participants. If we see Rudy or Helio, of course, we’ll go in immediately and arrest them. They’ll probably put up a fight and that will legally allow us to arrest the whole lot of them. How long we can hold them will depend on who and what we find on the premises.”
The waitress came over and took their orders. Agent Lot had banana nut pancakes, Brenda a vegetarian omelet, and Jodie an International Passport Breakfast with Swedish pancakes. She poured them all coffee before she left.
“So, what do you think they’ll do about the garnishments?” Jodie asked.
“That may be why Lee Long is here,” Lot replied. “They need advice on how to deal with the legalities of the garnishments. There are too many of them to deal with in a traditional manner.”
“Traditional?” Jodie asked.
“Bribery, intimidation, and murder. You and Stan are too heavily guarded, the Alvarez family is out of reach, too; so they may be forced to hire attorneys to protect their interests. The question under discussion, I believe, will be whether to hire attorneys to appeal the judgment and quash all the garnishments, or abandon everything you’ve captured.”
“What do you think they will decide to do?”
“I don’t know. Hopefully Rico can fill us in on their plans.”
“If he’s even at the meeting,” Brenda said.
“Let’s hope he is,” Lot replied.
Agent Lot’s phone buzzed. He answered it and listened intently for thirty seconds and then hung it up. “Okay, time to roll. The limo is on the move.”
They got up quickly, paid the bill, and left. Agent Lot pointed to his vehicle and suggested they all go with him. He gunned the engine before Jodie had even buckled her seatbelt.
They drove several miles toward the outskirts of town until they found themselves in an industrial district. The reek of oil filled the air. Agent Lot pulled over in a convenience store parking lot and killed the engine.
“They’ll be driving by here in a couple of minutes. We’re to wait here for further instructions.”
Brenda nodded and Jodie took a deep breath.
“You guys do this a lot?” Jodie asked.
“All the time,” Brenda replied, smiling. “Most of the time it’s pretty boring, but I have a feeling today might be different.”
Jodie realized she had a knot in her stomach. She was usually pretty cool under pressure but all the talk of the cartel focusing all of their attention on Stan and her had her worried. Perhaps they’d been a bit too aggressive in their approach to the case. She realized Stan’s philosophy of ignoring the nature of your enemy and relying on the government for protection was a bit reckless in hindsight. Flashbacks of Ricardo’s assassination jolted her. She began to sweat and shake slightly. Brenda looked at her intently.
“You okay?” Brenda asked.
Jodie sat up straight and smiled. “Yeah. I’m fine. This is just a little nerve-racking.”
“Maybe you should have stayed back at the motel.”
“No way!” Jodie protested. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Brenda nodded and turned away. Agent Lot’s phone buzzed. He picked it up, listened a moment, and then started the engine.
“They’re almost here. We’re to cover the back of a warehouse about half a mile from here.”
Jodie looked out her window and saw the limo coming down the street. It passed along with several other FBI vehicles following at a safe distance. As soon as they were out of sight Agent Lot took them to their assigned spot on the perimeter of a big office-warehouse complex. Agent Lot picked up a radio on the seat next to him and held down the talk button.
“South team in position.”
