“As I’ll ever be,” I tug on the sleeve of my dress shirt before I’m escorted into the courtroom.
My eyes scan every face until they land on hers. She looks just about ready to cry, and it breaks my fucking heart. I wink at her and get a small smile back in return.
My mother is holding on to my father. Elias is standing on her other side. She looks just as distraught as Frankie does.
I sit down next to Matteo and Olivia at the defendant’s table.
“All rise for Judge Hullen.”
I stand, along with my lawyers and the prosecution.
“Please be seated,” the judge says as he takes his fucking throne. “Call the matter.”
“This is the matter of the State of Las Vegas versus Emilio Lopez, regarding an application for bail.”
There’s some more bullshit said between the judge and the lawyers before Matteo speaks again. “Your Honor, the defense wants it to be known that suspicion, no matter how strong, is not basis enough to sustain a criminal prosecution.”
“Your point, Mr. Valentino?” The judge raises a brow.
“Your Honor, the defense argues that the prosecution’s case is fundamentally deficient and incapable of establishing a case against my client. They have not been able to supply evidential reason for the arrest, other than the fact my client was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is no murder weaponrecorded. My clients fingerprints have not been found on the victim or items belonging to the victim.”
“Your Honor, the suspect admitted to the crime to the officers on the scene,” the prosecutor counters.
“My client was afraid. He’d just seen his first dead body. There was a lot of blood. That can be shocking to any man. He said what he thought he needed to say in order to pacify the officers on the scene, as they were agitated and aggressive. We all know what happens in this city when officers are agitated. People, innocent people, get shot,” Matteo argues. “The fact of the matter is the prosecution cannot confirm whether their evidence exists. A properly-instructed jury could never safely convict beyond reasonable doubt. We submit to the court that this threshold has not been met and respectfully seek that the charges be dismissed.”
Matteo sits back down. But the prosecutor stands. His face is beet red. He’s mad. “You can’t be fucking serious. He was there. He admitted to the crime. We had the murder weapon, Your Honor,” he yells.
“Order. Don’t make me hold you in contempt. Is there or is there not a murder weapon?” The judge looks between the opposing sides.
“We are having trouble locating it at the moment,” the prosecutor finally admits.
“Is there any other evidence that would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect is in fact the culprit?” the judge asks point-blank.
“He confessed, Your Honor,” the prosecution repeats.
“Under duress. Without evidence, you have no right to apply charges. Find the evidence and then you will have a case. Until then, case dismissed.” The gavel bangs down on the wood, and I stare in disbelief.
Holy shit. That actually worked?I hoped it would. I didn’t expect it to, though.
“I think you need a pay raise,” I whisper to Matteo.
“What I need is fucking retirement, and you assholes need to stop getting caught,” he grunts.
Chapter Thirty-Two
What just happened? Did he seriously just get the charges dismissed? I turn to my mom, who has been clutching my hand the entire time we’ve been sitting here, or I’ve been clutching hers. I’m not sure.
Either way, I need someone else to confirm what I just heard.
“What happened?” I ask aloud.
“He’s coming home, sweetheart,” she whispers.
“Today? What happens now?” There’s a bit of commotion at the front. The prosecutor isn’t happy about the turn of events and he’s approached the table Emilio is sitting at. I don’t hear what he says, but I watch as he gets dragged away.
“I don’t know what happens next,” Mom admits. “But the charges were dismissed. I imagine that means he can walk free.”
Emilio is talking to his lawyer. I want to go up to him. But I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. “Tío E, can I go up there?” I lean over my father and look over at my uncle.