Steve Martini - Undue Influence

It takes three people to ultimately block her way. I am one of these. The broken strap of Laurel’s handbag is outstretched in her hands at Melanie Vega’s throat as I haul Laurel away. Melanie’s purse is on the floor, and as I struggle with Laurel, the camera catches me roller-skating on a cylinder of lipstick. So much for grace.

Cassidy has these images played back a third time for the jury just in case they missed some part of it, this last rendition in slow motion so that they can fully appreciate the choreography of this rage.

Then the monitor on its cart is rolled to one side.

Lama is puffed up with himself. It was Jimmy who found the tape and brought it to Cassidy, ferreted it out, information from the courthouse groupies who told him about the brawl.

As the lights come back up, Morgan has a witness on the stand. He is midway through his testimony, having been interrupted only long enough to show the video. George Ranklin, the bailiff who was outside of Department Fourteen the day of the altercation, has laid the foundation for introduction of the tape. Lama spent ten minutes outside the courtroom prepping him.

Morgan quickly gets Ranklin to testify that he was close enough during the courthouse incident to hear angry words spoken by Laurel.

‘Officer, can you tell us, as you sit here today do you recall what it was exactly that Laurel Vega said during the attack on the victim?’

‘I heard her say, “I’ll kill the bitch.” ’

It is one of those seminal moments in a trial, an alleged perpetrator spouting prophesies, the kind of statement which after an act of murder makes little hairs stand out on the neck of those who hear them. Several of the jurors now take a moment to study Laurel.

At this moment, when she is the object of their interest, Laurel is in my ear, an ardent plea that this is not true.

‘You were there,’ she says. ‘You heard it. You know I didn’t say that.’

The ‘b’ word is evident on the tape; the rest of it I think is some artful suggestion by Lama. I have no such recollection of any death threat, though in private moments, in the confidence of the jailhouse cubicle, Laurel has said as much to me, that if someone else had not acted first, she could indeed have killed Melanie.

‘Were those the defendant’s exact words?’ says Cassidy.

Ranklin makes a face. ‘ “Let me kill the bitch,” or “I’ll kill the bitch,” something like that,’ he says. ‘It was a long time ago in a crowded room with a lot of noise.’

Morgan strides toward the jury. ‘ “Let me kill the bitch,” ’ and she looks at Ranklin purposefully — ‘or “I’ll kill the bitch.” ’ She repeats the witness’s words while Lama emits glazed expressions of malicious pleasure from the counsel table.

‘That’s what I remember,’ says Ranklin.

‘And when did she say this?’

‘While she was being restrained,’ he says. ‘Immediately after she attempted to strike the victim.’

‘Who was doing the restraining?’

‘I recall that it took a couple of gentlemen,’ he says. ‘Her lawyer, over there.’ He points to me. ‘And one or two others.’

‘But you have no doubt that those were her words: “Let me kill the bitch,” or “I’ll kill the bitch”?’ Given the chance, Cassidy would carve these words over the judge’s chair, just under the state seal and its motto of ‘Eureka.’

‘That’s what I heard.’

‘Officer, do you recall reading about the murder of Melanie Vega in the press?’

‘Sure,’ he says. ‘It was big news. Of particular attention to those of us who worked in the courthouse, because we were seeing the Vegas every day in court during the custody case,’ he says.

‘And you remember that this altercation — the attack by the defendant on Melanie Vega — as having occurred on the afternoon of the same day that Melanie Vega was murdered, is that correct?’

‘Yes. There was a lot of talk about it in the courthouse the next day.’

‘Talk by who?’

‘The people who worked there, who’d heard about the ruckus between the two women.’

‘So would you say there was a general perception on the part of people who had followed the custody case that there was bad blood between the two women?’

‘Objection. Calls for speculation.’

‘Withdrawn,’ says Cassidy.

‘Did you have occasion to watch any portions of the Vega custody case while you were on duty?’

‘I saw some of it,’ says Ranklin. ‘A few hours.’

‘And from your own personal observations, was it your impression that there was a general sense of animosity harbored by the defendant, Laurel Vega, toward Melanie Vega?’

Ranklin laughs. ‘It comes with the turf. A bitter divorce. Disagreement over custody. Sure. There was bad blood,’ he says. ‘It was obvious to anybody who watched.’

‘Thank you, officer. The witness is yours,’ says Cassidy. She takes her seat next to Lama, who as he looks at me is the picture of satisfaction.

Ranklin is in his mid-twenties, a fixture in the courthouse for the last five years. He has bounced between assignments in a couple of departments. I have seen him a hundred times in the elevators, nodded to him, and said hello. He is a friendly soul, a strapping kid, well over six feet, an advantage for security in a courthouse setting, the ability to intimidate without resort to a weapon.

Ranklin is a bit of cipher to me, so I probe carefully around the edges, not anxious to cause any irritation. I paint him quickly into the posture of the neutral law-enforcement officer that he is, just doing his job. It is how the jury will no doubt see him. I want them to know that I am looking through the same-colored prism that they are using. Perspective is everything.

‘In your position with the court you must observe a lot of trials? You spend more time in this place than I do.’

He agrees, and laughs a little. This sands some of the edge off any anxiety. Many young defense lawyers have learned through sorry experience that you can do your case no end of damage by leveling a broadside at a detached and neutral cop.

‘I suppose you would develop a keen sense for reading witnesses on the stand? A well-tuned ear for hostility?’

He concedes that this is something one picks up.

‘Did you actually have occasion to hear or see any of the testimony of the defendant, Laurel Vega, when she appeared in the custody case?’

He says that he did not, that he was in another department at the time.

‘So other than the brief encounter out in the hallway you never had an opportunity to personally observe any statements by the defendant as they might have reflected on her feelings toward the victim?’

‘That’s true,’ he says.

If he saw parts of the custody case, and formed opinions of bad blood between the two women, there is only one other possibility. Ranklin must have listened to Melanie Vega harangue Laurel from the stand. While this might reflect more on Melanie’s hostility toward Laurel, it is still Melanie who is dead. That I might be able to show that she inspired her own demise still serves to flesh out a neat motive. So I leave it alone.

‘Officer Ranklin, let me ask you, are you absolutely certain that outside of the courtroom that day you heard Laurel Vega say she wanted to kill Melanie Vega, that she actually used the word “kill”?’

‘That’s what I heard.’

‘Are you certain that she might not have used the word “bitch,” and said something else?’

‘No. She called her a bitch and said she wanted to kill her.’

Lama has done his homework on this one — Mr. Persuasion. Ask me what I heard in a conversation, even an angry one, seven months ago and I would be lucky if I could remember the participants, much less the words that were used.