Let Me Call You Sweetheart

53

Geoff Dorso had been trying a case in the courthouse in Newark. At the last minute he had gotten a plea bargain for his client, an eighteen-year-old kid who had been joyriding with friends in his father’s car when he had crashed into a pickup truck whose driver had sustained a broken arm and leg.

But there had been no alcohol involved, and the boy was a good kid and genuinely contrite. Under the plea bargain he got a two-year suspension of his driver’s license and was ordered to do one hundred hours of community service. Geoff was pleased-sending him to jail instead of college would have been a serious mistake.

Now, on Thursday afternoon, Geoff had the unusual luxury of unscheduled time, and he decided to drop in on the Jimmy Weeks trial. He wanted to hear the opening arguments. Also, he admitted to himself, he was anxious to see Bob Kinellen in action.

He took a seat in the back of the courtroom. There were plenty of media representatives present, he noticed. Jimmy Weeks had managed to avoid indictment so many times that they had taken to calling him “Teflon Jimmy,” a takeoff on the Mafia mobster who had been known as “The Teflon Don,” now in prison for life.

Kinellen was just starting his opening statement. He’s smooth, Geoff thought. He knows how to play to the jury, knows when to sound indignant, then outraged, knows how to ridicule the charges. He is also picture-perfect in appearance and presentation, Geoff thought, trying to imagine Kerry married to this guy. Somehow he couldn’t see it. Or maybe he didn’t want to see it, he admitted to himself. At least, he thought, taking some comfort, she certainly didn’t seem to be hung up on Kinellen.

But then, why should that matter? he asked himself, as the judge declared a recess.

In the corridor he was approached by Nick Klein, a reporter for the Star-Ledger. They exchanged greetings, then Geoff commented, “A lot of you guys around, aren’t there?”

“Fireworks expected,” Nick told him. “I have a source in the attorney general’s office. Barney Haskell is trying to make a deal. What they’re offering him isn’t good enough. Now he’s hinting he can tie Jimmy to a murder that someone else is serving time for.”

“I sure wish I had a witness like that for one of my clients,” Geoff commented.