A Matter of Life and Death

avoid a death sentence. He’d be locked away for life. Will you be upset if I don’t go for a death?”
“Personally, Vanessa, I would choose death over having to live the rest of my life in a cage. Death lets you off the hook.”
“I’m glad you agree. I’ll let you know about developments as they happen. And feel free to call me if you have questions.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the way you’re handling Betsy’s case.”
Carasco talked to Vanessa for a few more minutes. There was a big smile on his face when he hung up. If Lattimore pled, the case would be closed. If he didn’t, a conviction was assured.

CHAPTER THIRTY
The guard brought Joseph Lattimore into the contact visiting room moments after Robin and Jeff sat down. On the table was a pile of police, forensic, and autopsy reports that Robin’s associate had copied.
“Joe, this is Jeff Hodges, my investigator. We need to talk about something that’s come up. Then I’ll leave you two to start working on the penalty phase investigation.”
“How are you holding up?” Jeff asked as he and Lattimore shook hands.
“This isn’t my first time in jail, so I know the ropes. And knowing that Maria and Conchita are okay really helps.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Robin said. “So, I have good news and bad news. First, the good news. We lucked out. Your case was assigned to Harold Wright. He’s one of my favorite judges. He’s very smart, and he always tries to do the right thing.”
“What’s the bad news?”
“A YouTube video of your fight with Carlos Ortega surfaced. The video is all over the internet. I’ve seen it. The fight is brutal.”
Joe looked down at the table. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stop myself.”
“Some kids found Ortega’s body in a vacant lot not far from the encampment where you were living,” Jeff said.
Joe looked confused. “What was the body doing near the encampment? Carlos died miles away in that barn. That doesn’t make sense.”
“It would make sense if the body was put there to frame you,” Jeff said.
“And you have another problem,” Robin told Joe. “The police found hand wraps in a garbage can on Carasco’s property. There was a lot of blood on them. The lab found your DNA and DNA from Carlos Ortega and Betsy Carasco on them.”
Joe’s head snapped up. “They have my hand wraps and the wraps have that woman’s blood on them!?”
“Yes. Why are you surprised?”
“The guy who ran the fights took the hand wraps before I left the barn. Mrs. Carasco’s blood couldn’t have been on them unless the person who killed her put them on to frame me.”
“That makes sense. I wondered why you would keep bloody hand wraps with you, then reuse them at another homicide. I also thought that it was unlikely that you would throw away blood-soaked, incriminating evidence where the police were sure to find it.”
“I never had those wraps after I left the barn,” Joe reiterated.
“There was one piece of evidence we might be able to use for your defense. You remember you told me that Ortega looked sluggish when you fought? The autopsy found traces of a tranquilizer in Ortega’s blood.”
“He was doped!”
“I’m starting to think that the key to winning your case is the illegal fight,” Robin said. “The person who ran it is probably the person who set you up. Can you think of anything that will help us figure out who he is?”
“That’s all I’ve thought about. The only person who gave me a name is Sal, the guy who recruited me. And the only guy I can think of who we might be able to ID is the guy who drove me to the fight and to Carasco’s house. If he has a record, you might be able to get a mug shot. He’s so unusual looking that I’d know him instantly.”
“I have a techie friend who may be able to run facial recognition software on the big guy,” Jeff said. “If we get a hit, I’ll bring the photo to you.”
Robin stood and rang for the guard. “I’ll let you two get started. Remember, tell Jeff everything, and let us decide what’s useful and what’s not.”
“Got it,” Joe said just as the door to the corridor opened.
“So,” Jeff said when they were alone, “you’ve done time?”
“Yeah. When I was in high school, I was in a gang. I got arrested for assault. There weren’t serious injuries, and my lawyer was able to get the DA to agree to dismiss the charges if I went into the army. But I did spend a few weeks in jail.”
Joe smiled. “Getting arrested was the best thing that happened to me before I met Maria. The army got me away from the gang, and that’s where I learned how to box and cook.”
“Robin told you to prepare an autobiography. Have you had a chance to do that?”
Joe held out several pages of yellow lined paper. “This is what I have so far.”
“Great,” Jeff said. “I’ll copy this and get the original back to you. So, your folks, are they still alive?”
Joe shook his head. “Mom passed from cancer five years ago. And my father walked out when I was two. Haven’t heard from him since.”
“Okay. Brothers and sisters?”
“I’m an only child.”
Jeff took notes for another half hour before buzzing the guard.
“Please tell Ms. Lockwood how much I appreciate what she’s doing for me,” Joe said when Jeff started to leave.
“I will. You won the lottery when Robin decided to take your case. She’s going to give you everything she’s got, and that’s a hell of a lot more than any other lawyer in this city.”


CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Ian Hennessey was almost drunk. He figured one more scotch would bring him to a safe, warm place where the thoughts that were haunting him could not intrude. The day after he’d passed the bar, his parents had visited him at his condo, and his father had told