Jeff Sherratt - Guilty or Else

“She always had some tall tale. Finally, I got upset and told her not to insult my intelligence any longer. Then the truth started to come out. She learned that her boyfriend was not only unfaithful to his wife, but he also cheated on her.”

“That’s not all she found out.” Jack returned with an aluminum briefcase.

“I was getting to that, Jack,” Bonnie said. “Anyway, she must’ve found out Welch was a crook and involved with some very vile people. She seemed frightened.”

Jack put the case on the coffee table. “She was scared because she was stealing his money.” He shook his head. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

Bonnie’s face grew stormy. “We don’t know she stole it. Here’s what she’d said: ‘The bastard owes me.’ Please excuse my language, but that’s what she’d said.”

“Either she stole it or this was her share of the loot.” Jack opened the case and stepped aside.

I took a deep breath. It was full of currency. I stared at the hard cash arranged neatly in rows. “Did you count it?”

“Sixty-seven thousand and change,” Jack said.

Bonnie stood and paced the room. She stopped and looked at me, her eyes pleading. “You’re a lawyer, Mr.

O’Brien. Are we in trouble? Are we going to jail? What should we do?”

“ Oh, Christ ,” I blurted out. Then I realized that in this household, taking the Lord’s name in vain was not acceptable. “I’m sorry. Well anyway, I’m not licensed in Kansas. I can’t give you legal advice.”

“We’re not asking you as an attorney, just as a person. We don’t normally trust lawyers, but we trust you, defending that poor guy,” Jack said. “We don’t know what to do, or who to turn to. Please, Mr. O’Brien.”

“I have to know more. What else can you tell me?”

“There’s not much else to tell,” Bonnie said.

“You said Gloria told you Welch was involved with some bad people. Did she mention any names?”

Bonnie’s eyes started to fill. “No, I don’t know if she even knew-”

Jack jumped in. “I think she knew and I think she was in cahoots with them.”

Bonnie sat down and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. “I don’t want to hear this, Jack. I’ll admit, Gloria wasn’t an angel, but she wasn’t an evil person.”

“Oh, Bonnie.” Jack put his arm softly around her shoulders. He looked up at me. His face reflected his wife’s deep sadness. “That’s all we know, Mr. O’Brien.”

“The day she died, that afternoon, she made a long distance call to Kansas,” I said.

Bonnie slowly raised her head. She remained silent for a few seconds. Then her eyes opened wide. “Yes, of course. I remember now. It was suppertime. I was setting the table, had the phone in one hand and the dishes in the other. I wasn’t paying close attention.”

“What did she say?”

“She was angry, ranting about her married boyfriend. He went out of town to some big to-do with his wife. He’d sent her a Dear John letter, dumped her. She’d gotten it in the mail just before she phoned here. Gloria had said she was going to call him and have it out. She was going to put the screws to him. That’s how she phrased it, put the screws to him.”

She pulled a Kleenex from the box on the end table and wiped her eyes. “I’d heard all about her troubles with her boyfriends before. I wasn’t really listening too closely. Wait a minute. She seemed worried about something else. I don’t remember exactly what she said; something like she thought the Greek might be on to her.”

The Greek! It had to be Karadimos.

“Does that mean something, this Greek guy?”Jack asked. “Do you know who or what she was talking about?”

“God almighty, this could break the case wide open.” I thought for a second. It might be a problem getting Bonnie’s statement admitted-hearsay-but now was not the time to think about the evidence code. “Is there anything in writing? Letters, a note about the money, anything like that?”

They both shook their heads.

“Do you think we should talk to the authorities?” Jack asked.

I grabbed him by his shoulders. “Please, by all means, don’t talk about this to a soul. And I mean not anyone! We have to keep this top secret for a while. You could be charged with receiving stolen money. And listen, Jack: Gloria had been involved with some very bad people. If they knew about this, it could be bad for you. I won’t get into that, but please keep quiet about this.”

“I understand. We’ll keep our traps shut. Won’t we, Bonnie?”

“What are we going to do?” Bonnie asked.

“I won’t lie to you. This whole thing, the money, all of it, may come out. This is a murder case, after all. Let me think a moment.”

I now believed that Gloria had been involved in criminal activity, and Bonnie and Jack had accepted money from her. That meant they would most likely be charged as co-conspirators.

I strongly felt that they were innocent, decent people just doing a favor for a wayward friend. But the law wouldn’t make that distinction. And what about Karadimos?

He’d have them whacked as soon as he realized they knew about Gloria, the money, and the fact that the Greek was on to her. But I also knew they would be of no help at the Rodriguez trial. Whatever they told me would not be allowed. It was all hearsay and no court in the land would allow their testimony to be admitted.

My eyes scanned the room and settled on the couple, on the sadness and guilt written on their faces as they huddled close to each other. I felt compassion for them, felt it in the depths of my soul.

“Look, Bonnie, you won’t have to come to California to testify. But with what you told me, there’s a good chance I’ll be able to prove my client’s innocence without even going to trial.”

“What about the money?” Jack asked.

“Hide it. Don’t put it in the bank. Don’t let anyone know you have it. It’s probably untraceable, anyway. Bury it for a few years. Then after this is over, spend it a little at a time.” I stopped and looked at their worried faces. “Listen, I’m not telling you this as a lawyer, you understand. But by admitting you took the money, you could be in serious trouble. Don’t tip your hand. Please , please, listen to me.”

Bonnie made a tent with her hands and placed them in front of her mouth, then shook her head. “We don’t want the money. It’s corrupt. Gloria probably died because of it. I’ll burn it. I’ll burn it all up.” She wept openly; tears ran down her face. The hurt came from deep within. “The Bible says money is the root of all evil.”

“Bonnie,” I said in a calm voice. “Money is not evil. It is not corrupt. It has no soul. It’s just money. The correct quote is, ‘ The love of money is the root of all evil.’ You and Jack don’t love money. You love each other. Money won’t change that.”

I walked around the room and tried to persuade her as I would a jury. “Perhaps you guys could do something virtuous with the money. If nothing else, it will give some meaning to Gloria’s life. Please think this over. I know you’re upset, but don’t do anything foolish. Okay?”

Jack came over, grabbed my hand and shook it. Bonnie looked up at me and dried her eyes with the palms of her hands. It looked like a tiny smile was beginning to surface.

“Thank you, friend. Thank you very much,” Jack said.

“Don’t thank me. I want to thank you.” I glanced at my watch; it was time to leave. “Bonnie, you are without a doubt the best cook on the planet. If you ever decide to move to L.A. you could make a fortune in the restaurant business.”

She laughed at the absurdity of the remark. “As they say in L.A., no way, daddy-o.”