boy."
"Why did your son call Sergeant Shaw?" Dexter asked him.
"To beg him to leave us alone." She turned to MacFarland. "We're law-abiding people, but it don't help no one to be hassled every day by the cops. I'm a single mother and I got to put the bread on the table. I can't have some loony cop bugging us all the time."
"What happened in that alley, Mrs. Cruz?"
"My son asked the cop to lay off us. But he wouldn't listen to Tomas. All he could talk about was that cop who was killed. The cop kept saying 'You did it and I'm gonna get you for it.' My son said, 'No, no, quit. I didn't do it.' That's when the cop said, 'Don't give me no lip,' and tossed this garbage can at my boy. And then he just started beating him and beating him while my boy begged him to stop. 'Confess, confess' was all that son of a bitch would say."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Why didn't you show yourself, Mrs. Cruz, or go for help?"
Hilda Cruz began to weep. "I was scared. I thought he'd kill me." Dexter touched her hand. "Thank you, Mrs. Cruz."
"Any questions, Mr. Yates?" MacFarland asked.
Yates sat silent for a moment. "No questions, Your Honor."
"You can step down, Mrs. Cruz." MacFarland motioned to the bailiff to assist her. The bailiff gently touched her elbow and guided her back to her seat.
Dexter flipped through the papers on his table. "I'd like to call Sergeant Sliran to the stand."
Yates leaned back and whispered to Shaw. "You want to let me in on what's going on, Sergeant?"
"This is bullshit, Yates, absolute nonsense. I never touched the boy."
"Could she have been in the alley?"
Shaw glanced back at Hilda Cruz, dabbing her eyes with a Kleenex. "Yes, maybe, I don't know."
Yates sighed. It fell together with sickening simplicity. "Dexter had this all along."
"What?"
Yates ignored him. "That's why Dexter had a jury impaneled before contesting the confession."
Shaw grabbed Yates. "What are you talking about?"
"It's over," Yates said flatly.
Sliran smirked at Dexter as the attorney approached. "Where were you, Sergeant Sliran, while your partner was in the alley?"
"In the car."
"Could you see Sergeant Shaw talking with Tomas Cruz?"
"Nope."
"Could you hear them talking?"
"Nope."
"Did you hear anything at all from that alley, Sergeant?" Sliran looked at Shaw.
"Sergeant, answer my question. Did you hear anything at all?"
"Some crashes, maybe."
Shaw ran a hand over his face.
"Yes or no, Sergeant, did you hear some crashes?"
"Yes."
"What kind of crashes?"
Sliran turned to Yates for help. Yates sat impassively, his face expressionless. It had ended for him already.
"I dunno, like garbage cans being banged around."
"Did it sound like a fight?"
"Objection." Yates made the obligatory motion, casually, not even looking at the judge. "He's leading the witness on. The witness already described the noises."
"Objection sustained," MacFarland said.
"How long did these noises last?"
"I dunno, a few seconds, maybe a minute."
"And when did your partner come out of the alley?"
"I guess five or ten minutes later."
"Thank you, Sergeant." Dexter smiled at Yates. "Your witness." Yates tapped his fingers on the table. "I have no questions."
The courtroom fell silent. Shaw looked anxiously at Yates, who sat with his head down, doodling on his legal pad. Macklin watched the judge.
MacFarland sighed and cleared his throat.
"The defense has shown that there is considerable doubt as to the validity of the confession. Under the circumstances I rule that the confession is inadmissible as evidence in this proceeding."
Dexter grinned like a monk set loose in a whorehouse.
"Do you have any more witnesses, Mr. Yates?" MacFarland asked.
Yates frowned. The case was lost. Without the confession, there was no way to convict the gang members. "No, Your Honor."
Dexter was jubilant. "Your Honor, the defense respectfully requests that judgment be made in my client's behalf."
"The charges are dismissed."
The youths broke into laughter,
"Why did your son call Sergeant Shaw?" Dexter asked him.
"To beg him to leave us alone." She turned to MacFarland. "We're law-abiding people, but it don't help no one to be hassled every day by the cops. I'm a single mother and I got to put the bread on the table. I can't have some loony cop bugging us all the time."
"What happened in that alley, Mrs. Cruz?"
"My son asked the cop to lay off us. But he wouldn't listen to Tomas. All he could talk about was that cop who was killed. The cop kept saying 'You did it and I'm gonna get you for it.' My son said, 'No, no, quit. I didn't do it.' That's when the cop said, 'Don't give me no lip,' and tossed this garbage can at my boy. And then he just started beating him and beating him while my boy begged him to stop. 'Confess, confess' was all that son of a bitch would say."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Why didn't you show yourself, Mrs. Cruz, or go for help?"
Hilda Cruz began to weep. "I was scared. I thought he'd kill me." Dexter touched her hand. "Thank you, Mrs. Cruz."
"Any questions, Mr. Yates?" MacFarland asked.
Yates sat silent for a moment. "No questions, Your Honor."
"You can step down, Mrs. Cruz." MacFarland motioned to the bailiff to assist her. The bailiff gently touched her elbow and guided her back to her seat.
Dexter flipped through the papers on his table. "I'd like to call Sergeant Sliran to the stand."
Yates leaned back and whispered to Shaw. "You want to let me in on what's going on, Sergeant?"
"This is bullshit, Yates, absolute nonsense. I never touched the boy."
"Could she have been in the alley?"
Shaw glanced back at Hilda Cruz, dabbing her eyes with a Kleenex. "Yes, maybe, I don't know."
Yates sighed. It fell together with sickening simplicity. "Dexter had this all along."
"What?"
Yates ignored him. "That's why Dexter had a jury impaneled before contesting the confession."
Shaw grabbed Yates. "What are you talking about?"
"It's over," Yates said flatly.
Sliran smirked at Dexter as the attorney approached. "Where were you, Sergeant Sliran, while your partner was in the alley?"
"In the car."
"Could you see Sergeant Shaw talking with Tomas Cruz?"
"Nope."
"Could you hear them talking?"
"Nope."
"Did you hear anything at all from that alley, Sergeant?" Sliran looked at Shaw.
"Sergeant, answer my question. Did you hear anything at all?"
"Some crashes, maybe."
Shaw ran a hand over his face.
"Yes or no, Sergeant, did you hear some crashes?"
"Yes."
"What kind of crashes?"
Sliran turned to Yates for help. Yates sat impassively, his face expressionless. It had ended for him already.
"I dunno, like garbage cans being banged around."
"Did it sound like a fight?"
"Objection." Yates made the obligatory motion, casually, not even looking at the judge. "He's leading the witness on. The witness already described the noises."
"Objection sustained," MacFarland said.
"How long did these noises last?"
"I dunno, a few seconds, maybe a minute."
"And when did your partner come out of the alley?"
"I guess five or ten minutes later."
"Thank you, Sergeant." Dexter smiled at Yates. "Your witness." Yates tapped his fingers on the table. "I have no questions."
The courtroom fell silent. Shaw looked anxiously at Yates, who sat with his head down, doodling on his legal pad. Macklin watched the judge.
MacFarland sighed and cleared his throat.
"The defense has shown that there is considerable doubt as to the validity of the confession. Under the circumstances I rule that the confession is inadmissible as evidence in this proceeding."
Dexter grinned like a monk set loose in a whorehouse.
"Do you have any more witnesses, Mr. Yates?" MacFarland asked.
Yates frowned. The case was lost. Without the confession, there was no way to convict the gang members. "No, Your Honor."
Dexter was jubilant. "Your Honor, the defense respectfully requests that judgment be made in my client's behalf."
"The charges are dismissed."
The youths broke into laughter,
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