Partners

19.

During the lunch break, Mancini asked Sebastian to step aside for a word. He whispered, “I don’t like this jury. We’ll offer a deal.”

“I’m listening,” Sebastian said.

“Plea to first degree, we’ll drop the death penalty.”

“Great. So my guy will spend the next forty years in prison.”

“Does he want the death penalty?”

“No, but he’d rather get the needle than forty years.”

“Are you saying no?”

“I can’t do that. I’ll run it by him, but I’m sure he’ll say no.”

Tee Ray said no quickly. They were eating sandwiches at the defense table, along with Will Kendall, and prepping for the afternoon. The courtroom was empty except for two armed deputies lounging in the back row. Their job was to keep an eye on the defendant, but after hauling him back and forth between the jail and the courthouse for days now, they knew they had little to worry about.