Robert Browne: Trial Junkies

But when they got there, they had been turned away, told that the police would be holding her until her arraignment three days later. Nobody was allowed to see or speak to her, except for her lawyer.

But what lawyer?

Hutch doubted she had one on retainer.

Still in a state of denial, he had decided he'd find her a good one. But then Nadine and Tom Brandt pulled him aside in the station house lobby and Nadine said, "You sure you want to do that?"

Hutch had frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"We were talking about this on the ride over. And let's face it, like Matt told us, the cops have had somebody in mind for this for several days now. They wouldn't have arrested her if they didn't think she was guilty."

"We're talking about Ronnie, remember? Our Ronnie."

"She hasn't been our Ronnie for years. And if you don't think she's capable of this, don't forget that story she told us back in college. About how she sent her mother to the emergency room."

"With a kitchen knife," Tom said.

Hutch remembered the story and shook his head. "She was defending herself. Brought the knife up when her mother went to slap her. She was doing the dishes at the time."

"That's her side of it," Nadine said. "Maybe her mother has a different story."

Tom nodded. "Let's look at this logically. By her own admission Ronnie has a history of violence, she and Jenny never really got along, and Ronnie herself said they'd been in contact recently."

Hutch balked. "One night. At a play."

"Maybe it's been more than that."

"Even if that's true, why would she kill Jenny? What's the motive?"

Nadine thought it over, shrugged. "Envy, maybe?"

"Envy?"

"Jenny was everyone's golden girl, and look at Ronnie. She's a dog groomer, for godsakes."

"So? You're a real estate developer, Tom's a professor, I'm a washed-up actor. What's the difference? We're all servicing somebody ."

Nadine studied him impatiently. "That isn't how Ronnie sees it, okay? She was envious of Jenny. First with you-"

" Me ?"

"Don't pretend you don't know she always had a crush on you. But that's just part of it. She looked at Jenny and saw the life she wanted but would never get."

"So she kills her?"

"Maybe she cracked. Maybe she's had issues for years and they all just came to the surface when she saw Jenny at the Godwyn."

Hutch couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're serious about this."

"All I know is about a month before the murder, she called me out of the blue and started rambling on about Jenny. Sounded a little obsessive and borderline incoherent."

"Or maybe she was just drunk," Hutch said. "Believe me, I know the territory."

"Maybe. But as much as I hate to say it, the first name that popped into my head when I found out about the stabbing, was Ronnie's."

"It all fits together if you ask me," Tom said.

Hutch shifted his gaze between the two of them. "Are you even listening to yourselves? We all envied Jenny, we've all done some crazy shit, and by your logic, any one of us could have killed her."

Tom nodded, looking solemn. "Except Ronnie's the one they arrested."

When it finally came down to it, Hutch hadn't listened to his friends. Call it a massive character flaw, but he always wanted to think the best of people, even when he was bitching and moaning about them.

Even when they'd been arrested for killing the woman he loved.

Matt, Andy and Monica hadn't heard the conversation with Nadine and Tom, and Hutch didn't bother sharing it with them. Andy looked completely stunned and Matt kept shaking his head over and over, saying, "This can't be right. Ronnie wouldn't hurt a fly."

"If we don't get her a lawyer," Andy said, "they'll stick her with a public defender. And if that happens, you might as well throw away the key right now."

Hutch had agreed. "I'll take care of it."

So he had called his lawyer right there from the station house lobby, got a referral for a top flight criminal defense firm, and asked them to send someone over.

The associate who showed up was a tall, athletic blonde named Karen Waverly, who seemed slightly annoyed that her evening had been interrupted.

"Which one of you is Ethan Hutchinson?" she asked.

Nadine laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

"Why would I be kidding?" Waverly was all business.

"You don't watch TV? Go to the movies?"

"I prefer books," she said, then scanned their faces. "Is this supposed to be top secret or are you going to tell me which one of you-"

" I called you," Hutch said, stepping forward, his hand outstretched. "Ethan Hutchinson."

She shook the hand. "All right, Mr. Hutchinson, just so you know, there's not a whole lot I can do tonight. I'm going to go in there, and with any luck they'll let me sit in on the interview."

"Luck?" Andy said. "Don't they have to let you? You're her lawyer."

"Not officially, not yet. If she doesn't outright ask for representation, they may play games to keep me out of there. And if that happens, we can only hope she keeps her mouth shut. They'll use every trick they have to pull a confession out of her."

"Unless she didn't do it," Hutch said.

Waverly paused, giving him a tight smile. "There's always that possibility, but that doesn't mean they won't try anyway. I've seen more than one innocent person confess to a crime they didn't commit."

"That's nuts," Andy said. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Some people don't hold up well under the strain of interrogation. After a while they'll say pretty much anything just to get the cops to leave them alone."

"Just tell us this," Nadine said. "Would the police have arrested Ronnie if they didn't have some kind of evidence against her?"

Matt swiveled his head and shot Nadine a look.

"If all they had was a potential suspect," Waverly told her, "they might call her in for an informal interview. But the fact that they arrested her usually indicates that they feel they have a pretty strong case. And if they can secure that confession, your friend's future doesn't look promising."

Hutch studied her a moment. "You think she's guilty."

"Doesn't matter what I think. My job is to represent a defendant to the best of my ability and that's what I intend to do."

"I get that," Hutch said, "but you do think she's guilty."

"I can't make a determination of guilt or innocence without the facts in front of me, and it's a question I never ask a criminal defendant. But if you want my gut feeling about this or any other case that goes to trial, let's just say the police don't usually get it wrong."

Hutch glanced at Nadine and Tom, and for the first time, wondered if they were right about Ronnie.

Could she really have done this?

As the last of his sweat finally dried up and he went through the courthouse security scanner, Hutch kept thinking about that night and the few days that followed.

Waverly had explained that even if she could get in to see Ronnie, attorney-client privilege would prevent her from telling them anything, so they might as well go home. She had Hutch's cell phone number and would have her office contact him about any financial arrangements. And if Ronnie authorized it, Waverly could discuss the case with him after that.

When they all got outside, Matt had immediately spun on Nadine, saying, "What the hell was that all about? You think Ronnie did this?"

"It was just a question," she said. "Don't get your panties in a wad."

But Matt clearly wasn't happy with this response and the next thing Hutch knew there was a full scale argument going, right there on the station house steps, the group split down the middle over the question of guilt or innocence.