and fibers from his clothes were found on her body, which was the DNA evidence of the olden days. Schmidt was charged with second-degree murder and held without bail. The prosecution wanted to try him as an adult. He had no alibi, because all of his friends were passed out in the family basement and no one could say with a hundred percent certainty that Schmidt had been there all night long. Schmidt immediately recanted his confession, but then a jailhouse snitch came forward and claimed that Schmidt had confessed to him while they were in lockup together.
“Schmidt was tried for murder and found guilty by a jury of middle-aged suburbanites who were so not his peers. The judge admitted the coerced confession and the jury bought the snitch’s story. DNA back then was different, so all they had were fibers. Fibers from his sweatshirt jacket were found on the deceased. Of course they were! She was his girlfriend! The jury found the fiber evidence compelling, and Levi Schmidt has spent the last fifteen years in prison for a crime he did not commit.”
I didn’t want to make light of my sister’s newfound purpose, but I did suddenly realize that my sister’s call for a ride home was more of a call to arms.
“I take it that this is the case you and Maggie are working on.”
“Yes,” Rae replied. “But I can only do so much.”
“Excuse me?”
“Minors aren’t allowed to interview witnesses in legal cases. Oh, sure, I could be tried for murder as an adult, but I can’t have a recorded conversation until I’m eighteen.”
“It does seem unfair,” I replied. “Okay, let’s go,” I said, nodding my head toward the door.
“We could use your help, Izzy.”
Me: Sigh.
“There are others who need our help. Not just Levi Schmidt.”
“I appreciate your passion for this cause, Rae,” I said, “but now is not a good time. I’m not independently wealthy. I have to keep the business afloat.”
“What about Harkey?” Rae said accusatorily. “You’re not making money on that investigation.”
“Harkey is my Schmidt, Rae.”
“That’s the difference between you and me, Izzy. You want to destroy a man; I want to set one free.”
“Tomato, tomah-to,” I replied.
Once we got in the car, Rae changed her travel plan. She wanted a ride to Henry’s house to discuss the case. I obliged since I’ve discovered not obliging Rae often has dire consequences. She phoned Henry when we were a few blocks from his house.
“I’m on my way over. Important matters to discuss . . . Yes. Izzy gave me a ride. Sure. I got it.”
I pulled the car up in front of Henry’s apartment.
“Park in the driveway,” Rae said. “His neighbor is out of town.”
“I don’t need to park, just get out of the car.”
“Henry needs to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“He didn’t say. But it could be important. Also, the way you avoid him is sooo obvious.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know. It makes you look like you can’t handle being friends with him because, well . . .”
“Stop talking,” I said with an air of authority that signaled a willingness to escalate to violence.
“The driveway on the left,” Rae said, and I followed her instruction.
Inside, Henry served me bourbon, handed Rae her SAT book, and told her they could talk about the case after she completed a practice test in his office.
“I heard you had information for me,” I said, once Rae was out of the room.
“I thought we talked about this already.”
“Excuse me?”
“Friends don’t talk to friends as if they’re meeting in a parking lot in the middle of the night to exchange top-secret information.”
“Some friends do. We could be friends like that.”
“I don’t want to be friends like that.”
“What if I do?” I said.
“Parking lots are cold this time of year.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Why so hostile, Isabel?”
“You pulled a bait and switch.”
“How so?”
“You told Rae you had information for me.
“Schmidt was tried for murder and found guilty by a jury of middle-aged suburbanites who were so not his peers. The judge admitted the coerced confession and the jury bought the snitch’s story. DNA back then was different, so all they had were fibers. Fibers from his sweatshirt jacket were found on the deceased. Of course they were! She was his girlfriend! The jury found the fiber evidence compelling, and Levi Schmidt has spent the last fifteen years in prison for a crime he did not commit.”
I didn’t want to make light of my sister’s newfound purpose, but I did suddenly realize that my sister’s call for a ride home was more of a call to arms.
“I take it that this is the case you and Maggie are working on.”
“Yes,” Rae replied. “But I can only do so much.”
“Excuse me?”
“Minors aren’t allowed to interview witnesses in legal cases. Oh, sure, I could be tried for murder as an adult, but I can’t have a recorded conversation until I’m eighteen.”
“It does seem unfair,” I replied. “Okay, let’s go,” I said, nodding my head toward the door.
“We could use your help, Izzy.”
Me: Sigh.
“There are others who need our help. Not just Levi Schmidt.”
“I appreciate your passion for this cause, Rae,” I said, “but now is not a good time. I’m not independently wealthy. I have to keep the business afloat.”
“What about Harkey?” Rae said accusatorily. “You’re not making money on that investigation.”
“Harkey is my Schmidt, Rae.”
“That’s the difference between you and me, Izzy. You want to destroy a man; I want to set one free.”
“Tomato, tomah-to,” I replied.
Once we got in the car, Rae changed her travel plan. She wanted a ride to Henry’s house to discuss the case. I obliged since I’ve discovered not obliging Rae often has dire consequences. She phoned Henry when we were a few blocks from his house.
“I’m on my way over. Important matters to discuss . . . Yes. Izzy gave me a ride. Sure. I got it.”
I pulled the car up in front of Henry’s apartment.
“Park in the driveway,” Rae said. “His neighbor is out of town.”
“I don’t need to park, just get out of the car.”
“Henry needs to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“He didn’t say. But it could be important. Also, the way you avoid him is sooo obvious.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know. It makes you look like you can’t handle being friends with him because, well . . .”
“Stop talking,” I said with an air of authority that signaled a willingness to escalate to violence.
“The driveway on the left,” Rae said, and I followed her instruction.
Inside, Henry served me bourbon, handed Rae her SAT book, and told her they could talk about the case after she completed a practice test in his office.
“I heard you had information for me,” I said, once Rae was out of the room.
“I thought we talked about this already.”
“Excuse me?”
“Friends don’t talk to friends as if they’re meeting in a parking lot in the middle of the night to exchange top-secret information.”
“Some friends do. We could be friends like that.”
“I don’t want to be friends like that.”
“What if I do?” I said.
“Parking lots are cold this time of year.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Why so hostile, Isabel?”
“You pulled a bait and switch.”
“How so?”
“You told Rae you had information for me.
Similar Books
