member of the jury believed the accused. We were all positive your daughter was telling the truth and was raped. On behalf of the entire jury, we wish to apologize to you for the absolute miscarriage of justice. None of us had even heard of a directed verdict before.”
Alexey returned the hand shake. “Thank you for your kind words. The past is the past. Now we must concentrate on the future to make sure this never happens to a poor innocent child again. We must find out why the judge did what he did.”
Alexey extended his arm to the rear of the room. “Please.”
Bill followed his lead and followed him to a quiet corner table.
“May I call you Bill or would you prefer Mr. Johnson?”
“Bill would be fine.”
“Do you drink vodka, Bill?”
“Thanks, but no thanks. A glass of water would be just fine.”
“Do you mind if I do? It helps relax me. A bad habit from the mother country.”
Bill nodded. He wanted to get right to the reason for the invitation. “What can I do for you, Mr. Cummings?”
“Please, call me Alexey.”
“What can I do for you, Alexey? Surely you have far more connections, far more influence in finding out things than I do.”
Alexey liked his direct approach. He liked the fact Johnson was not intimidated and apparently wanted to find out why, for whatever his own reasons were.
“May we order first? The prime rib is excellent. Then we can talk.”
They were now having coffee. Each refused dessert. The dinner was excellent. The prime rib more than lived up to their expectations. The wait staff did not hover but a quick look by Alexey was understood and his glass was refreshed, fresh rolls were brought, and they were left alone to talk. Alexey did most of the talking, really asking questions, and Bill did most of the listening, at times being noncommittal.
By the time the check was presented, and there was no question who invited who, the two of them had a mutual understanding. A mutually beneficial understanding.
“Thank you, Alexey. I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and conversation. Yes, I have some more work to do, but I promise, I will call you as soon as I have something to report.”
Bill looked down at the business card with the personal cell phone number.
“I will call this number, leave a message, and you can call me back.”
Both parties shook hands. The meeting had been more successful than either had anticipated.
“May I offer you a ride home?”
“No thanks, I have my own car.”
Bill noticed a rather large black town car waiting at the curb. He thought he recognized No Neck One and No Neck Two in the front seats.
“Good night, Bill.”
“Good night, and thanks, Alexey.”
CHAPTER 19
Anthony was becoming totally paranoid, or he had been watching far too many cop shows on TV.
He put on a Mets baseball cap purchased at the drug store, dark sunglasses, checked out of the roach motel, walked to Penn Station, and took Amtrak to Washington, D.C. He decided to spend the day just wandering around. From there he boarded an overnight train to outside of Orlando. Finally he made his way to Greyhound for a three hour ride to Miami. No ID needed. He paid for everything with cash.
There are still ways to beat the system.
Now he needed a place to stay. A hotel was out of the question. He found bungalows for lease listed in the Miami Herald . No reference required, all they wanted was cash. Anthony paid for three months in advance. For the first time in months, he felt safe and sound.
“Ma, it’s me, Anthony. Yes, I’m fine. I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and need a vacation; a break. I said I was fine. I’ll call you every week to let you know I’m okay. Yes. I love you too. Bye.”
Anthony then decided he needed some new clothes. Warm weather clothes. Shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. He also decided he needed a new look. Just in case. He used his safety razor and twenty minutes later was completely bald. He
Alexey returned the hand shake. “Thank you for your kind words. The past is the past. Now we must concentrate on the future to make sure this never happens to a poor innocent child again. We must find out why the judge did what he did.”
Alexey extended his arm to the rear of the room. “Please.”
Bill followed his lead and followed him to a quiet corner table.
“May I call you Bill or would you prefer Mr. Johnson?”
“Bill would be fine.”
“Do you drink vodka, Bill?”
“Thanks, but no thanks. A glass of water would be just fine.”
“Do you mind if I do? It helps relax me. A bad habit from the mother country.”
Bill nodded. He wanted to get right to the reason for the invitation. “What can I do for you, Mr. Cummings?”
“Please, call me Alexey.”
“What can I do for you, Alexey? Surely you have far more connections, far more influence in finding out things than I do.”
Alexey liked his direct approach. He liked the fact Johnson was not intimidated and apparently wanted to find out why, for whatever his own reasons were.
“May we order first? The prime rib is excellent. Then we can talk.”
They were now having coffee. Each refused dessert. The dinner was excellent. The prime rib more than lived up to their expectations. The wait staff did not hover but a quick look by Alexey was understood and his glass was refreshed, fresh rolls were brought, and they were left alone to talk. Alexey did most of the talking, really asking questions, and Bill did most of the listening, at times being noncommittal.
By the time the check was presented, and there was no question who invited who, the two of them had a mutual understanding. A mutually beneficial understanding.
“Thank you, Alexey. I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and conversation. Yes, I have some more work to do, but I promise, I will call you as soon as I have something to report.”
Bill looked down at the business card with the personal cell phone number.
“I will call this number, leave a message, and you can call me back.”
Both parties shook hands. The meeting had been more successful than either had anticipated.
“May I offer you a ride home?”
“No thanks, I have my own car.”
Bill noticed a rather large black town car waiting at the curb. He thought he recognized No Neck One and No Neck Two in the front seats.
“Good night, Bill.”
“Good night, and thanks, Alexey.”
CHAPTER 19
Anthony was becoming totally paranoid, or he had been watching far too many cop shows on TV.
He put on a Mets baseball cap purchased at the drug store, dark sunglasses, checked out of the roach motel, walked to Penn Station, and took Amtrak to Washington, D.C. He decided to spend the day just wandering around. From there he boarded an overnight train to outside of Orlando. Finally he made his way to Greyhound for a three hour ride to Miami. No ID needed. He paid for everything with cash.
There are still ways to beat the system.
Now he needed a place to stay. A hotel was out of the question. He found bungalows for lease listed in the Miami Herald . No reference required, all they wanted was cash. Anthony paid for three months in advance. For the first time in months, he felt safe and sound.
“Ma, it’s me, Anthony. Yes, I’m fine. I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and need a vacation; a break. I said I was fine. I’ll call you every week to let you know I’m okay. Yes. I love you too. Bye.”
Anthony then decided he needed some new clothes. Warm weather clothes. Shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. He also decided he needed a new look. Just in case. He used his safety razor and twenty minutes later was completely bald. He
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