21st Birthday by Patterson, James (mystery books to read txt) 📗

his apartment, Mr. Burke took the opportunity to leave town. The people cannot take a chance that he will do so again.”

The judge said, “Mr. Burke, how do you plead?”

“Not guilty, Your Honor. May I speak?”

“Save it for your trial, Mr. Burke.”

“Your Honor, I didn’t do it.”

“Okeydoke,” said Kahn. “Based on the language of the referenced section of the penal code and the allegations as to the special circumstances, the court finds that the defendant is not entitled to bail and will be remanded to the Men’s Jail at the Hall of Justice for trial. To be held, let’s see, in three months. The precise date will be forthcoming.”

The clerk called the next case and Yuki headed toward the doors at the rear of the courtroom. Chief Charlie Clapper was standing in the aisle as Yuki and Deirdre headed to the door. Clapper touched her shoulder and said, “Well done.”

Yuki thanked him before she was carried along by the force of the crowd behind her.

As her husband — and her intern — had predicted, Yuki rocked.

And she glowed.

CHAPTER 59

CINDY HAD BEEN STANDING in the narrow space behind the last row of seats in Courtroom 2C, with a view over the heads of the spectators in the gallery.

As soon as Judge Kahn denied bail for Burke, Cindy left the courtroom and stationed herself in the corridor so that she faced the double door. Her pal and cameraman, Jonathan Samuels, stood right behind her and was already shooting video to capture the flow of people in the corridor.

Cindy fluffed her hair, straightened her collar, pressed her lips together.

In seconds Yuki would be there. In Cindy’s opinion, Yuki had handled her part like the pro she was. In the process she had steamrolled Newt Gardner and had walked away with the win.

Now the courtroom doors opened and the fresh tide of people coming out blocked Cindy’s view. She looked up at Samuels, who was a head taller than she.

“Jonny.”

“Shove your way in. I got you.”

Cindy cut through the crowd, spotted Yuki, and called her name.

Yuki turned to Cindy and grinned. They put up their right hands and slapped them together. Samuels held up his fingers, folding them in one at a time. Five, four, three …

Then Cindy said, “We have with us Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano, who has just presented charges against Lucas Burke, English teacher at Sunset Park Prep, and accused murderer of his wife and child. Mr. Burke’s request for bail was denied by Judge Vivian Kahn. Mr. Burke has been bound over until his trial. Ms. Castellano, a comment please for our readers.”

“Sure, Cindy. In brief, it was a good day for the people of —” She didn’t get to finish. Kathleen Wyatt came through the courtroom doors, manic, wild-eyed, wearing a cap over her hair, a red tunic over her tights. She threw her arms around Yuki, saying, “Ms. Castellano, thank you, thank you!”

She collapsed against Yuki and was crying on her shoulder.

Cindy stepped in and said, “Kathleen, it’s me, Cindy Thomas. Do you wish to make a statement on camera?”

Kathleen nodded her head vigorously, mopped her eyes with the back of her hands as Yuki slipped away through the crowd.

Cindy said, “I have with me Kathleen Wyatt, mother of Tara Burke, and grandmother of Lorrie Burke. Kathleen?”

Cindy put the mic up to the distraught woman’s face.

“I want to say that though Tara will never see her twenty-first birthday, and Lorrie will never reach her second, I’m happy to see Lucas Burke has been locked up. That’s all. And to thank the SFPD and the district attorney’s office for everything they did.”

Samuels shut down the camera as Cindy ended her conversation with the woman in red.

Once Kathleen walked out, Cindy said, “Wow. I couldn’t have planned that. Do we have something we can use? I know. I’ll call Yuki if needed and we can do a solo shot out on the street.”

She saw Newt Gardner leaving the courtroom, winning attitude on display, reporters bunching up around him.

He stopped walking and addressed the press.

“Folks, what you’ve just seen is a classic example of lazy police work, a rush to judgment. My client has suffered an unspeakable loss, and he has pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges. Mr. Burke has been falsely accused and we will prove this in court. Like all citizens, my client will have a trial and be judged by his peers.

“That’s all. Thank you.”

Samuels said to Cindy. “Now, that’s a wrap.”

CHAPTER 60

I LEFT THE COURTROOM, taking the fire stairs to escape the mobbed corridor and caught up with Yuki on the second-floor landing.

My hug caught her by surprise and almost threw us both down the staircase. I grabbed a bannister to stop our fall, then we both started laughing.

“High heels are no joking matter,” she said, shaking her finger at me.

“Sor-ry,” I said. “Yuki, you were great. You made that newt look like a worm.”

“Hah! Well either way, he didn’t get Burke bonded out. Did you see Brady in the gallery?” she asked.

“I didn’t, but let’s go see him now.”

Yuki looked at her watch. “Sure. Okay.”

She took off her shoes and — holding them in one hand, other hand on the bannister — we climbed to the fourth floor. I could see from the entrance to the squad room that Brady was in the house and he wasn’t alone.

“There’s Cindy,” Yuki said, “and her photographer. I’m gonna duck out. Best if she interviews Brady without me. What if we meet at MacBain’s after work and talk over bottomless beer?”

“Brilliant,” I said.

MacBain’s, the after-work beer-and-burger joint, couldn’t be more convenient for me, Yuki, and Claire, and a short cab ride away for Cindy.

By six, Claire, Yuki, and I had taken the table against the wall between the front window and the old-timey juke box. Claire had pulled up Cindy’s front page