Read Online Blind Justice by James Scott Bell - Free Book Online Page B

honorable profession.”
    “Why did you go into law?” she asked.
    “Money,” I said.
    “I don’t believe that.” She was looking at me the same way she did at my office—like she could see into corners I was trying to keep hidden.
    “Anyway,” I said, “I can certainly think of several hundred other things that probably would have been better to go into.”
    “Like what?”
    “Dog catcher, for instance.”
    She smiled. “You’re a cynic.”
    “Maybe. But that’s the kind of world we live in. At one time I thought the law was a great and glorious thing, able to hold society together and bring justice to people. You get disabused of that notion real quick.”
    She thought about that for a moment, then said, “Is that why you’re so ready to make Howie plead guilty?”
    Now it was time for my lecture. “I really want you to understand the way it works, Lindsay. Remember, Howie’s my friend from way back. I only want what’s best for him. And that means getting him through this with the least possible pain.”
    She listened, looking skeptical.
    “Howie is facing a lot of pain in terms of jail time. Possible life sentence. What I’m trying to do is reach an agreement with the prosecutors that will lessen that significantly. The hard reality is, he’ll have to do time. The crime is just too heinous to avoid it.”
    Lindsay flinched a little. I said, “I don’t know why Howie would be driven to do something like that. I mean, who really understands the human mind? But it happened, and we just have to deal with it.”
    “What about the possibility that he didn’t do it?” Lindsay said forcefully. “Has anyone looked into that?”
    “Howie confessed, Lindsay. He’s admitted it.”
    “You must know that people have been known to confess to crimes they didn’t commit, for a variety of reasons.”
    “Where did you pick that up?”
    “I read, Jake. There was something in the paper not too long ago about this. A study by a couple of psychologists showed that false confessions are a big reason for innocent people being locked up.”
    “Yes, I—”
    “And one reason was what they called ‘internalized confessions,’ where an innocent person comes to believe he actually did something he didn’t do because of police coercion or guilt or something else.”
    “I think I—”
    “And the most susceptible to this type of confession are people who are of lower intelligence, subject to suggestion, and highly trusting of people. All of which Howie is.”
    Finally, she paused for a breath. “That may all be true,” I said, “but there is no evidence of it in Howie’s case.”
    “Have you looked for the evidence?”
    I shook my head.
    “All I’m saying is I know Howie. I know him better than anyone. He was always innocent and trusting and never violent. Never. He cried once when he accidentally killed a butterfly. He was twenty years old.”
    That seemed like the Howie I had known.
    “There’s no way he would kill his wife.”
    I said, “You mentioned in my office that she might have deserved it.”
    “I was angry when I said it.”
    “But it had some truth?”
    “She was a terrible person.”
    “That’s important to know. Even a sweet, good-natured dog can bite if provoked.”
    Lindsay shook her head. “Not Howie.”
    “Tell me about his wife.”
    “Oh, boy.” She leaned back in her chair as if to gather strength. “I don’t know where to start. No one wanted him to marry her, but he fell hard. I mean, Howie never had girlfriends growing up. So when Rae came along and actually made out like she liked him, it was all over.”
    “If you don’t mind my asking, what was in it for her?”
    “I don’t mind. I’ve asked myself that over and over. I wish I knew more about Rae’s background, where she came from, her family and all that. But she never talked about it. It was like some deep, dark secret. I just got the impression she was pretty messed up.”
    “Was she good