The Lawyer's Lawyer

CHAPTER Nine



A few days after her memo and affidavit had been sent, Danni went to see Jane Pelicano. She’d called first and made an appointment so Jane was ready for her.

Jane Pelicano was the top assistant state attorney in Lou Daniel’s office. She tried many of the high-profile capital felonies, so it was no surprise that she’d been assigned to this case. Danni had her work cut out for her but she was ready. She wasn’t sure why, but the desire to get a warrant and search Thomas Felton’s apartment was starting to consume her.

Jane Pelicano was standing up when Danni walked into her office. She came around her desk to greet Danni. The two women knew each other professionally because they’d worked on a lot of cases together.

“I read your memo and your affidavit, Danni. Sam sent me a memo, too, along with the file. I’m with him on this: Suspicion isn’t probable cause. We’ve got nothing to connect this guy. The fact that he was in Utah and is now here is totally explainable and his story checks out. After that what do we have? He fits part of the description, and the killer probably used a disguise, but that’s not going to cut it and you know it.”

Jane Pelicano was a tall woman with short, drab, brownish hair. Nobody would ever call her pretty nor would they call her ugly. Her features were ordinary and she did nothing to enhance them by wearing little makeup and conservative pantsuits every day. Her success was intrinsically tied to the fact that nothing was about her. She approached the job in a businesslike manner; she got the jury to focus on the evidence, and she had the ability and the confidence to out-lawyer even the best criminal defense lawyers and ram home the conviction. Under normal circumstances, Danni was no match for Jane Pelicano.

“What’s the harm, Jane, in putting it before the court?”

“The judges rely on us to screen these affidavits so they’re not dealing with frivolous motions all the time.”

“So this is about your reputation? Seven women have been murdered already. We need to have a sense of urgency here.”

Jane walked over to where Danni was standing. She didn’t get in her space but Danni could feel her.

“How long have you known me, Danni? Do you ever think I would put my own interests over getting the evidence against a serial killer?”

“No, I don’t. But explain to me again why you won’t even try. And leave out the part about the judge relying on you—because that seems to be about your reputation.”

Jane walked away from her at that point and stood behind her desk with her arms folded across her chest.

“Do you know how many reporters are here in town writing about these murders?”

“A lot.”

“More than a lot, Danni; there are reporters here from all over the globe. Let’s say we get the search warrant with this flimsy evidence, which is no evidence really, and search Mr. Felton’s apartment. And let’s say we find nothing. That day, not the next day but that very day, Mr. Felton will be known worldwide as a suspected serial killer. His reputation will be ruined forever. No matter what happens in this case, he has been labeled and he will be hounded by the press and other assorted sickos. People who have been labeled like that in the past for the most part never recovered. They got sick, they committed suicide, whatever.

“Sam told me that you said something about Mr. Felton being inconvenienced for a couple of hours—that is so far from the truth. The judge’s reputation would suffer as well. The Fourth Amendment protects the innocent from unreasonable searches and seizures. That’s also part of my obligation as a prosecutor.”

Jane had certainly given Danni a lot to think about, and she did it in that way of hers, with that air of certainty that she used in her closing arguments to convince the jury there was no other conclusion to reach. Danni didn’t come back at her right away. She paused for a few moments to give Jane and her speech the proper amount of respect.

“I hear you, Jane, and everything you said is true. You’re right. I haven’t considered all the ramifications for Mr. Felton nor do I want to. I want to keep my focus on those seven girls and the next victim, whoever she may be. If I can save her life and her family and her friends the heartache, I’ll move mountains to do it. This killer has talked to me. He’s intimated to me that he could kill my own daughter. He’s got to be stopped. As a matter of fact, now that I mention it, I talked to both Mr. Felton and the killer and their voices sounded familiar. I can add that to my affidavit.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that, Danni. A professional like you meeting with her superior and then with the state attorney, preparing a memo and an affidavit, and then suddenly recalling that the voices of the killer and her suspect were familiar—that is so outrageous it could get you fired.

“Look, I know this is personal for you. Sam told me all about your daughter’s situation, but that doesn’t justify bending the law. We have to follow the law. Having said that, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’ll ask for the search warrant. I’ll sit down with the judge and I’ll lay it all out for him or her, whoever we get, the pros and the cons, and we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”

Danni couldn’t believe her ears. Had she actually gotten through to Jane?

“Fair enough,” she said.

On the way out of Jane’s office, Danni realized she’d been had.



Danni had another meeting that day, with her ex-husband Mike, that she had put off for as long as she could. They met at The Swamp.

Danni was already sitting at a table when he arrived. She had gotten there early so she could pick out a spot where she felt comfortable, a table by the window, away from the bar and the crowd, looking out on the patio with College Avenue in the background. They could talk privately here.

Mike, a very successful pharmaceutical salesman, was dressed in a tailored blue suit with a pink shirt and lavender tie. He was always a bit of a dandy, Danni thought as she watched him walk to the table. He had a smile on his face and a look of confidence as if seeing him made it her lucky day. An objective observer would say he was a handsome man with thick black hair and a muscular physique, but Danni no longer saw him that way. He leaned over the table and kissed her on the cheek.

Danni cringed at his touch.

“So what is it that you needed to see me about?” Mike asked. “And how is our lovely daughter? I’m looking forward to my time with her this weekend.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Mike.”

“What? Is something wrong with Hannah?”

“No. She’s fine. She’s just not here.”

“I know she’s not here. She’s at school, right?”

“No. She’s not here in the state of Florida.”

Danni told him what happened at Whiskey River Springs and how she had had to take Hannah out of school. She even told him where his daughter was. She had debated about that in her own mind for some time but decided that he had a right to know. He was her father, after all. Not a very good one but still her father. Danni made sure she kept her voice low so nobody could possibly hear that particular part of the conversation.

“You can’t say anything to anybody about where she is. Secrecy is her only protection.”

“I can protect my own daughter,” he said haughtily.

Danni didn’t reply.

Mike’s smile was now gone, replaced by a sneer. “You had to be a cop, didn’t you? You had to go out there in a man’s world and prove yourself no matter what.”

Danni had figured it was going to get ugly although she didn’t know what Mike’s weapon of choice for today’s battle would be until that moment.

“This isn’t about me, Mike.”

“Oh, yes it is, Danni. How many other cops are there on your task force? How many of them are women? Who else’s children have been threatened? It’s definitely about you, Danni. It’s always been about you.”

There was some truth to the statement but so what? This conversation was about Hannah and her safety. She wasn’t going to let it deteriorate into another discussion about why their marriage had failed.

You slept with other women, you a*shole! Remember?

“Look, Mike, I don’t want to argue with you. I just want you to know what happened and where Hannah Jane is. You can call her anytime you like.”

“I know that,” Mike snapped. “And when this is over, we’re going to revisit the issue of custody. Your house is a dangerous environment.”

“Fine,” Danni said and stood up to leave. “Thanks for your concern.”

She smiled to herself as she walked out of the restaurant. He wouldn’t dare ask for custody. It would interfere too much with his social life.