Blind Justice by William Bernhardt Read Free Book Online Page A

quietly.
    “Thanks, pal.”
    “But don’t be hanging around here a lot, okay? Bad for my reputation.” His voice took on a somber tone. “You need to be careful this time, Ben. Very careful.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You’re playing with the big boys. Organized crime. South American drug cartels. And worst of all, the FBI. If you get in their way, they will not be kind.”
    “They may call in my unpaid parking tickets?”
    “They may blow your fucking head off, Ben.”
    “Oh.” The air around them seemed to go flat. “I’m not dropping this, Mike.”
    “Then watch your backside, chum. At all times.”
    Ben rose. If this talk was intended to scare him, it was working. “Well, I have about a million things to do.…”
    “Ben?”
    “Yes?”
    “Are you interested in this case because Christina is your friend, or…?”
    “She’s asked me to represent her.”
    “I was afraid of that. You may want to reconsider.”
    “Look, Morelli, I may not be the best attorney in the world, but I hardly think—”
    “Do you know who this case has been assigned to?”
    “The district court judge won’t be assigned until after the indictment.”
    “Technically, that’s true. But consider—Judge Collins is practically retired, and Judge Schmidt is up to his eyeballs in that huge Sand Springs RICO class action. Who do you think is going to get this case?”
    A cold chill spread through Ben’s body. “No.”
    “I’m afraid so.”
    Ben slapped his forehead. “I can’t believe it. What else could go wrong?”
    “I don’t think it gets much worse than this. Not for you, anyway.”
    “He’ll have to recuse himself. He knows her—he used to work with her.”
    “Says he doesn’t remember her from Adam.”
    “Well, he sure as hell remembers me.”
    “True enough,” Mike said. “Unfortunately, contacts with counsel generally are not grounds for recusal, as well you know. I don’t see him stepping down from a high-profile case like this one promises to be.”
    Ben tried to reply, but found he was only able to produce a hoarse, choking sound. He stumbled toward the door, contemplating this hideous prospect.
    The United States versus Christina McCall—with the Honorable Judge Richard O. Derek presiding.
    Judge Derek, the newest member of the federal judiciary in the Northern District of Oklahoma, formerly in private practice at the firm of Raven, Tucker & Tubb.
    Ben’s old boss. The one who hated him.

7
    A S BEN DROVE TO the Creek Estates Lodge, he tried to imagine what could possibly be worse than Richard Derek getting Christina’s case. All things considered, Jack the Ripper would’ve been a more agreeable judicial assignment. It had been almost eight months since Derek had been appointed to the federal judiciary, and Ben had scrupulously managed to avoid being before His Honor. This time, unfortunately, it appeared there was no way out. Not without abandoning Christina.
    Derek had been Ben’s supervising attorney back at Raven, Tucker & Tubb. Just recalling the experience gave Ben shivers. Every single day he had been required to put up with Derek’s egomaniacal, hypochondriacal ravings. Ben had suffered through as best he could. But when Ben started personally investigating the strange mutilation-murder of a client, Derek went through the roof. As a result of Ben’s investigation, the firm ended up losing a major corporate client—a client that, as Ben discovered, was suppressing evidence and embezzling large sums of money from its shareholders to create a private slush fund. But Derek didn’t care about any of that. Derek lost one of his drawing cards, and he blamed Ben. In a particularly nasty fit of pique, Derek trumped up some false charges and got Ben fired.
    About four months later, Ben heard that Derek had been appointed to the federal bench. It seemed an odd move for someone who considered himself the Prince of Litigators, but it wouldn’t be the first time the prestige and godlike power