Partners

8.

Bradley came through with his promise to procure testimony. The first witness was a nineteen-year-old part-time college student who lived two blocks from the Flea Market. His name was Jacoby, and he swore to Mr. Rudd that he saw Tee Ray on his knees with his hands in the air and that he heard four loud shots, then two not as loud. He also heard Tee Ray scream, “Don’t shoot!” but the shots kept coming. Jacoby claimed to be lurking in the shadows because he was in the process of sneaking into the Flea Market to buy some pot for himself and a friend. The friend happened to be the girlfriend of a rather rough character, thus the sneaking around.

A month before the trial, Jacoby disappeared. Vanished without a trace. The police searched and investigated and went through the motions but found no sign of Jacoby. Sebastian had warned him that he could be in danger, and the kid claimed to be lying low. His mother said she had been concerned because he had been flashing around some cash, but she had no idea where it had come from. A week into the search, Jacoby called home, said he was in L.A. with some new friends and wasn’t coming back.

Bradley and his boys swung into high gear and found another witness, an unindicted felon named Rufus. He claimed to have seen and heard everything, just like Jacoby. Sebastian spent hours with Rufus and became convinced the man could handle the rigors of a trial. He could stick to his story and withstand a brutal cross-examination.