There were four people in Judge Lawrence Waldman’s chambers: Judge Waldman, District Attorney Robert Di Silva, Thomas Colfax, and Jennifer.
“You have the right to have an attorney present before you make any statement,” Judge Waldman informed Jennifer, “and you have the right to remain silent. If you—”
“I don’t need an attorney, Your Honor! I can explain what happened.”
Robert Di Silva was leaning so close to her that Jennifer could see the throbbing of a vein in his temple. “Who paid you to give that package to Camillo Stela?”
“Paid me? Nobody paid me!” Jennifer’s voice was quavering with indignation.
Di Silva picked up a familiar looking manila envelope from Judge Waldman’s desk. “No one paid you? You just walked up to my witness and delivered this?” He shook the envelope and the body of a yellow canary fluttered onto the desk. Its neck had been broken.
Jennifer stared at it, horrified. “I—one of your men—gave me—”
“Which one of my men?”
“I—I don’t know.”
“But you know he was one of my men.” His voice rang with disbelief.
“Yes. I saw him talking to you and then he walked over to me and handed me the envelope and said you wanted me to give it to Mr. Stela. He—he even knew my name.”
“I’ll bet he did. How much did they pay you?”
It’s all a nightmare, Jennifer thought. I’m going to wake up any minute and it’s going to be six o’clock in the morning, and I’m going to get dressed and go to be sworn in on the District Attorney’s staff.
“How much?” The anger in him was so violent that it forced Jennifer to her feet.
“Are you accusing me of—?”
“Accusing you!” Robert Di Silva clenched his fists. “Lady, I haven’t even started on you. By the time you get out of prison you’ll be too old to spend that money.”
“There is no money.” Jennifer stared at him defiantly.
Thomas Colfax had been sitting back, quietly listening to the conversation. He interrupted now to say, “Excuse me, Your Honor, but I’m afraid this isn’t getting us anywhere.”
“I agree,” Judge Waldman replied. He turned to the District Attorney. “Where do you stand, Bobby? Is Stela still willing to be cross-examined?”
“Cross-examined? He’s a basket case! Scared out of his wits. He won’t take the stand again.”
Thomas Colfax said smoothly, “If I can’t cross-examine the prosecution’s chief witness, Your Honor, I’m going to have to move for a mistrial.”
Everyone in the room knew what that would mean: Michael Moretti would walk out of the courtroom a free man.
Judge Waldman looked over at the District Attorney. “Did you tell your witness he can be held in contempt?”
“Yes. Stela’s more scared of them than he is of us.” He turned to direct a venomous look at Jennifer. “He doesn’t think we can protect him anymore.”
Judge Waldman said slowly, “Then I’m afraid this court has no alternative but to grant the defense’s request and declare a mistrial.”
Robert Di Silva stood there, listening to his case being wiped out. Without Stela, he had no case. Michael Moretti was beyond his reach now, but Jennifer Parker was not. He was going to make her pay for what she had done to him.
Judge Waldman was saying, “I’ll give instructions for the defendant to be freed and the jury dismissed.”
Thomas Colfax said, “Thank you, Your Honor.” There was no sign of triumph in his face.
“If there’s nothing else…” Judge Waldman began.
“There is something else!” Robert Di Silva turned to Jennifer Parker. “I want her held for obstructing justice, for tampering with a witness in a capital case, for conspiracy, for…” He was incoherent with rage.
In her anger, Jennifer found her voice. “You can’t prove a single one of those charges because they’re not true. I—I may be guilty of being stupid, but that’s all I’m guilty of. No one bribed me to do anything. I thought I was delivering a package for you.”
Judge Waldman looked at Jennifer and said, “Whatever the motivation, the consequences have been extremely unfortunate. I am going to request that the Appellate Division undertake an investigation and, if it feels the circumstances warrant it, to begin disbarment proceedings against you.”
Jennifer felt suddenly faint. “Your Honor, I—”
“That is all for now, Miss Parker.”
Jennifer stood there a moment, staring at their hostile faces. There was nothing more she could say.
The yellow canary on the desk had said it all.
3
Jennifer Parker was not only on the evening news—she was the evening news. The story of her delivering a dead canary to the District Attorney’s star witness was irresistible. Every television channel had pictures of Jennifer leaving Judge Waldman’s chambers, fighting her way out of the courthouse, besieged by the press and the public.
Jennifer could not believe the sudden horrifying publicity that was being showered on her. They were hammering at her from all sides: television reporters, radio reporters and newspaper people. She wanted desperately to flee from them, but her pride would not let her.
“Who gave you the yellow canary, Miss Parker?”
“Have you ever met Michael Moretti?”
“Did you know that Di Silva was planning to use this case to get into the governor’s office?”