An Insignificant Case

Chapter Thirty-Three

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Charlie woke up with a nervous stomach on the day Judge Noonan had set to hear pretrial motions in Guido’s case. Not only was he anticipating an attack on his client, but Henry Roman was trying to settle a case in San Francisco, and Charlie would be on his own.

He knew that the hearing wouldn’t last long and the issues weren’t that complicated, but his gut was still in knots because he was afraid that he would make a mistake that would hurt his client. He was also very nervous about being the center of attention in a case that was being covered by all the major national news networks.

While he showered and shaved, he remembered that Bridget thought he was a good lawyer, Judge Noonan said he tried a good case, and most of his clients had nice things to say about the way he handled their cases. It didn’t help, and he was a wreck by the time he left his apartment.

He had asked Bridget to have the police who were guarding Guido drive to the apartment so he could arrive at the courthouse with his client. An unmarked car was parked out front. Just before he got in the back seat, Charlie spotted two Harleys parked a block away.

He had convinced Guido to trade his caftan for a suit when he went to the hearing on the pretrial motions, but he was still shocked to see how professional his client looked. Guido had trimmed his beard and cut his hair, and he was wearing a charcoal-gray pin-striped suit, a cream-colored shirt, and a conservative blue tie with white and red stripes.

“You look great,” Charlie said. “Everyone is going to think you’re the lawyer and I’m the client.”

Guido smiled. “I have been reading books about the law. Being an attorney doesn’t seem so hard.”

“Well, there you are. When you’ve put this case behind you, you can go to law school.”

“I think not. It would interfere with my painting.”

Charlie was tempted to ask Guido if he’d tried to contact his mother, but he didn’t want to upset his client, and he figured Guido would tell him if he’d talked to her.

Guido’s bodyguards parked in a space designated for police cars and escorted Charlie and Guido to the corridor outside the courtroom. Charlie grabbed his client by the arm and steered him through the mob of reporters, answering the questions hurled at them with a repeated “No comment.”

Once they were safely inside the courtroom, Charlie led Guido toward the bar of the court. He noticed Gary and Bob sitting in the back of the spectator section. As he walked down the aisle, Elin flashed him a warm smile. Charlie had asked her to take notes, and she was sitting near the front of the spectator section.

Bridget and Thomas Grant occupied the prosecution table. Charlie nodded at them before taking his seat.

“How long will it be before I can go home and paint?” Guido asked.

“The hearing shouldn’t be long,” Charlie said just as the judge took his seat on the bench.

“Good morning,” Anthony Noonan said. “Are the parties ready to proceed?”

Thomas Grant stood. Charlie was certain that Grant knew little or nothing about the issues that would be discussed and that Bridget had written the legal memos in support of the State’s positions, but this way, Grant would get his name in the news stories as the lead prosecutor.

“The State is ready, Your Honor,” Grant said.

“Mr. Sabatini is ready, Your Honor,” Charlie said.

Charlie had filed motions to have the death penalty declared unconstitutional. He wasn’t surprised when the judge denied them. His arguments had been litigated at the state and federal levels and had not prevailed, but he had to make a record for an appeal in case Guido was sentenced to death.

“Let’s move to your motion in limine, Mr. Webb. I’m going to exclude any mention of the thefts from the steak house and the other Italian restaurant, but I’m going to allow the prosecution to introduce evidence that Mr. Sabatini sold a painting to Miss Hall, then broke into her restaurant and took it and other items.”

Charlie and Henry Roman had concluded that Judge Noonan would rule the way he had and that they didn’t have any strong arguments for excluding the evidence about the theft from La Bella Roma.

“I have nothing to add to the arguments Mr. Sabatini made in the memo in support of our motion, and I object to your ruling with regard to allowing the State to introduce evidence about the sale and liberation of the painting and the other objects from La Bella Roma,” Charlie said.

Judge Noonan smiled. “You’ve made your record, Mr. Webb. Does the prosecution have a problem with my ruling?”

“We object to the exclusion of the evidence about Mr. Weiss’s course of conduct,” Grant said.

“Okay. Anything else? If not, I’d like Mr. Webb, Miss Fournier, and Mr. Grant to come into chambers so we can go over scheduling.”

Everyone stood when Judge Noonan left the bench.

Charlie, Bridget, and Thomas Grant spent half an hour in Judge Noonan’s chambers working out the details of jury selection and the trial. Charlie wouldn’t have minded chatting with Bridget, but she was with her boss, and he decided it would make her look bad if Grant felt that they were too chummy.

Charlie told Guido the schedule Judge Noonan had set for the trial.

“Why don’t you head back to your farm,” he said. “And remember the words No comment when we get ambushed in the hall by the members of the Fourth Estate.”

Guido smiled. “I will follow your instructions to the letter.”

Gary and Bob intercepted Charlie just inside the courtroom.

“Is the blonde who was sitting behind you the woman you’ve got the hots for?” Gary asked.

Charlie blushed.

“I completely get it,” Bob said. “Good luck.”