it must seem like everyone is abandoning you, but I want you to know that you’ve got friends who care, and they’re working behind the scenes to help you through this. I’m doing what I can, and Sam is working his angles. We want to help.”
Danny looked puzzled. “Help? How? What exactly are you doing?”
“There have been discussions, Dano, with the right people. I think we’re close to arranging a deal on very favorable terms.”
“What kind of deal?”
“A plea bargain. Here’s what it would look like: You would have to plead guilty to negligent homicide, as well as DUI. You’d lose your driver’s license for a year, maybe two. You’d have to do some community service, and you’d receive a seven-year prison sentence, almost all of it suspended.”
“ Almost all?”
The State’s Attorney’s Office is insisting that you serve at least some jail time. Sixty days. Like I said, the rest of the sentence is suspended, so as long as you stay out of trouble, sixty days is all you’d serve.”
“So, I’d have to go to jail, and I’d have to plead guilty to a felony? That means the State Bar will probably revoke my law license. Think about the humiliation that would cause my family.”
“But think about the alternative, Dano. If you go to trial, there’d be a ton of publicity. It’ll be brutal. Think about what that would do to your family. Besides that, you could lose. In fact, you probably will lose, in which case you could be in prison for ten years , maybe longer. What does Leo Lewis recommend?”
“You know Leo. He’d love to try the case, partly because he’s a publicity hound, but also because he loves a challenge. He thinks there’s a chance that if I tell a good story, I’d be acquitted. But Leo is also practical, and he said the same thing you just did: If I’m convicted by a jury, I could be looking at a long time in jail, so if I don’t want to take that risk, I should consider a plea bargain.”
“Talk to Leo about this, Dano. Sam will be filling him in so this can go through the right channels, but I wanted to talk to you first. It’s a good deal. I’m sure Leo will tell you the same thing.”
Danny picked up the picture of his daughter from his desk and stared at it with unfocused eyes. “This is all happening so fast. I can’t even think straight. I’m going to need some time to sort everything out.”
“They won’t give you much time, Dano. The state’s attorney may take a lot of heat if he cuts a deal. The only reason he’s open to this is that, if you cut the deal now, he can put the right spin on it and make himself look good. He can take credit for acting quickly and decisively and procuring a confession and a plea bargain in a matter of days. They’ll play up the seven-year sentence and won’t focus on the fact that most of it is probated. But if you don’t give him that victory, he’s got no incentive to bargain. As you get closer to trial, he’s got more taxpayer money invested in the case, and the media coverage will pick up again, so a plea bargain will look like a copout for him at that point. You’ve got to take the deal now, or it’ll be gone.”
Danny continued staring at Allie’s picture as he put it down on his desk. “I can’t put my family through a trial, Blair.”
“And you can’t risk ten years in jail, not when you could be in and out before the summer’s over.”
Danny pushed his chair back from the desk and stared at the floor for a long moment. “You know, even if I went to trial and got off, that just wouldn’t be right. Think about the McGraths. How would they feel if I were acquitted? I’d have a hard time living with that.” He looked up at Blair. “I need to accept responsibility for what happened. This is the right thing to do, isn’t it?”
“It’s the right thing to do, Dano.”
“I’ll call Leo and tell him to take the deal.”
CHAPTER 16
Wednesday
Y ou wanted to see me, Lieutenant?” Lieutenant Thomas
Danny looked puzzled. “Help? How? What exactly are you doing?”
“There have been discussions, Dano, with the right people. I think we’re close to arranging a deal on very favorable terms.”
“What kind of deal?”
“A plea bargain. Here’s what it would look like: You would have to plead guilty to negligent homicide, as well as DUI. You’d lose your driver’s license for a year, maybe two. You’d have to do some community service, and you’d receive a seven-year prison sentence, almost all of it suspended.”
“ Almost all?”
The State’s Attorney’s Office is insisting that you serve at least some jail time. Sixty days. Like I said, the rest of the sentence is suspended, so as long as you stay out of trouble, sixty days is all you’d serve.”
“So, I’d have to go to jail, and I’d have to plead guilty to a felony? That means the State Bar will probably revoke my law license. Think about the humiliation that would cause my family.”
“But think about the alternative, Dano. If you go to trial, there’d be a ton of publicity. It’ll be brutal. Think about what that would do to your family. Besides that, you could lose. In fact, you probably will lose, in which case you could be in prison for ten years , maybe longer. What does Leo Lewis recommend?”
“You know Leo. He’d love to try the case, partly because he’s a publicity hound, but also because he loves a challenge. He thinks there’s a chance that if I tell a good story, I’d be acquitted. But Leo is also practical, and he said the same thing you just did: If I’m convicted by a jury, I could be looking at a long time in jail, so if I don’t want to take that risk, I should consider a plea bargain.”
“Talk to Leo about this, Dano. Sam will be filling him in so this can go through the right channels, but I wanted to talk to you first. It’s a good deal. I’m sure Leo will tell you the same thing.”
Danny picked up the picture of his daughter from his desk and stared at it with unfocused eyes. “This is all happening so fast. I can’t even think straight. I’m going to need some time to sort everything out.”
“They won’t give you much time, Dano. The state’s attorney may take a lot of heat if he cuts a deal. The only reason he’s open to this is that, if you cut the deal now, he can put the right spin on it and make himself look good. He can take credit for acting quickly and decisively and procuring a confession and a plea bargain in a matter of days. They’ll play up the seven-year sentence and won’t focus on the fact that most of it is probated. But if you don’t give him that victory, he’s got no incentive to bargain. As you get closer to trial, he’s got more taxpayer money invested in the case, and the media coverage will pick up again, so a plea bargain will look like a copout for him at that point. You’ve got to take the deal now, or it’ll be gone.”
Danny continued staring at Allie’s picture as he put it down on his desk. “I can’t put my family through a trial, Blair.”
“And you can’t risk ten years in jail, not when you could be in and out before the summer’s over.”
Danny pushed his chair back from the desk and stared at the floor for a long moment. “You know, even if I went to trial and got off, that just wouldn’t be right. Think about the McGraths. How would they feel if I were acquitted? I’d have a hard time living with that.” He looked up at Blair. “I need to accept responsibility for what happened. This is the right thing to do, isn’t it?”
“It’s the right thing to do, Dano.”
“I’ll call Leo and tell him to take the deal.”
CHAPTER 16
Wednesday
Y ou wanted to see me, Lieutenant?” Lieutenant Thomas
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