Killer Ambition - [89]

Just saying the words made my stomach knot. There were still a few loose ends that needed tidying, but we were pretty much as ready as we were going to be. What plagued me were the unanswered questions. Not only how everyone ended up on Boney Mountain, but also how Ian and Averly found out about the kidnapping to begin with. As to the latter question, I probably already had my answer. Now that I knew how close Russell and Ian were, I felt sure that Russell told Ian. The problem was, with Russell my staunch enemy, I had no way to prove it. Even if there were phone calls between them at the relevant time, there was no way to prove what Russell had told him.

The grim look on Bailey’s face told me she was well aware of what we were up against.

“Well, one step at a time,” I said. “First, let’s get through this preliminary hearing on Averly.”

I headed up to the office and printed out the new complaint, charging Averly with two counts of being an accessory after the fact. Judge Daglian’s clerk, Manny Washburn, called to tell me that we could do the re-arraignment at nine a.m. sharp tomorrow. “But don’t be late,” he warned. “He’s squeezing you in before his regular calendar.”

“I’ll be there. But tell the judge Terry’s going to make a pitch for bail, so-”

“She already warned us.”

No shock there. I spent the rest of the day catching up on my caseload. By seven o’clock, I decided to head for home. I wanted to make sure I got to bed at a reasonable hour. It was going to be a tough morning.

I woke up on time and tried to prepare myself for the butt-slamming I was about to get from the press. No matter how I tried to spin it, reducing the charges on Averly so dramatically was going to hurt us. We’d be accused of sloppy police work, sloppy lawyering, and overreaching. But it was better to get it over with now, and on our own terms, than lose the counts at prelim-or worse, in the middle of trial. I got in at eight thirty and reviewed my notes for the bail argument. Fifteen minutes later I started to head down to court, but got stuck on back-to-back phone calls from lawyers and witnesses on my other cases. By the time I finished, it was five minutes to nine. I raced out the door to the elevator and punched the button. I glanced down at my watch over and over again as precious minutes ticked by before an elevator finally arrived. By the time I made it to the courtroom, it was five minutes past nine. Judge Daglian was already on the bench-and fuming. Manny, the clerk, was shaking his head.

“Ms. Knight, what does nine sharp mean to you?”

“I’m so sorry, Your Honor. I got stuck on-”

“Not interested. If it happens again you can bring your checkbook. Now, please give the new charging papers to the clerk and counsel and arraign the defendant.”

As I handed out the copies, I noticed there were only two reporters in the audience and no cameras. Odd. I’d expected Terry to call every news outlet in town to witness this early victory. When I’d finished arraigning Averly on the new charges, Terry launched into her bail pitch.

“Your Honor, I remind the court that the defendant is entitled to reasonable bail now that the capital charges are gone. And these tremendously reduced charges prove that the People’s case against my client is unraveling by the minute.”

“So what do you suggest, Counsel? O.R.?” Judge Daglian’s raised eyebrow made it clear that Averly’s release on his own recognizance was not an option.

Terry lifted her chin, the “tell” that she was spoiling for a fight, but she reined in her baser instincts. “I’d say at most a bail of ten thousand would be appropriate.”

“People? You good with that?” the judge asked.

“No, Your Honor, we’re not. Jack Averly has already given us ample cause to believe he’d be a flight risk.” I outlined his trip to New York, how he’d been apprehended at LaGuardia Airport, his possession of Brian’s ID, and his drug history. “I’d ask for five hundred thousand dollars bail.”

Terry sputtered about the “outrageousness” of my request. The judge split the baby.

“I’ll set bail at two hundred and fifty thousand.”

I’d figured we’d land somewhere in this ballpark, and ordinarily I wouldn’t have worried that a defendant like Averly would be able to make bail. But Averly had deeper pockets floating around him than most other defendants. I scooted up to my office and called Bailey immediately.

“I’ll put a tail on him,” she said. “Don’t sweat it, Knight.”

I didn’t have time to sweat it. The press had missed this development on the first bounce, but they more than made up for it now. I got an avalanche of calls demanding information. Sandi, the media relations director, decided it would be best to handle this in a press conference. The conference room off Vanderhorn’s office was so crowded, reporters were sitting on the floor. For a change, I was glad Vanderhorn had asked me to stand next to him at the podium. He’d be within arm’s reach if I needed to throttle him.

But he started well enough. “As I’ve said before, this investigation is ongoing. It is not uncommon to amend charges as new information comes in-”