Directed Verdict (Failed Justice Book 1) by Rick Santini Read Free Book Online Page B

good. It compensated for the misery his ex-wife and her attorney had caused him all these years. Misery loves to get even.
    Anthony didn’t know any of this. All he knew was he was hurting, it wasn’t his fault, and someone had to pay. That’s why God made ambulance chasing, blood sucking, negligence attorneys. He wanted his pound of flesh and DeAngelo promised to get it so he could smile again. Just as the TV ad stated.
    He was unaware No Neck One and No Neck Two were fast becoming students of the law. They had their rather large noses and hands into everything. Everyone else was making their job much easier.
     
    ***
     
    Judge K hated Miami. It was where his ex lived. It was where his son Teddy had lived before the tragedy. Walter Kolkolski had few friends or relatives; none in Florida. When he was told by the Chief Judge to take a vacation, he had nowhere to go, no one to see.
    Miami Beach seemed as good a place as any.
    The bungalow was not in the high priced district. In fact it was below Lincoln Avenue where the high rise hotels began. It was in an area where the Jews and shvartzas lived. It was small and clean and only a short two blocks from the beach. Most importantly, no one knew him there.
    Walt’s routine was the same every day. He would stop at the corner deli for coffee and a buttered hard roll, then on to the beach with the cheap aluminum beach chair he bought from Walgreens. He carried a blanket from the bungalow, a water bottle, and his five-year-old laptop. He would make sure every inch of skin was covered with sunscreen and then check out what was going on in Superior Court in Essex County, New Jersey.
    He was on vacation—a forced vacation. This was not retirement. He wanted to know who was trying which cases and what defendants were getting away with murder. Most important, he was watching the Chief Judge, just waiting for him to screw up.
    He had no God damn right to force me to take a vacation. I knew exactly what I was doing, and I will do it again if given the chance.
    By two thirty it was time for him to call it quits. The sun, even with a floppy hat, souvenir t-shirt and sunscreen, was getting to him. Maybe a cold shower, a long nap, and then he would find a place to eat. Wally loved Jew food, though he told no one. He would get to Wolfie’s by five, five thirty, and have creamed cole slaw, a hot pastrami on rye, and a bottle of Dr. Brown’s cel-ray. The bowl on the table was always filled with kosher pickles and tomatoes and he would eat every last one. That’s what they were there for, he reasoned.
    I’m sure I locked the door when I left this morning.
    Walter was looking at the partially opened door to this bungalow. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
    The room was a mess. It had been tossed, as the cops would say. It also smelled. On the worn bedspread was a load of feces from a very large dog or possibly human. On the bed was a computer generated note.
     
    Oops, sorry. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. You booked on your laptop and we control it. Now we control everything. Have a nice day, Your Honor.
     
    Wally felt himself getting sick and raced to the bathroom. He stayed there for a good fifteen minutes. He was afraid to come out. He called the police while sitting on the can.
    The usual report was filed. Nothing appeared to have been stolen. It was a huge embarrassment and the message had been received, loud and clear.
    The overturned verdict was not going away. It would sit there and smell, like what was on the bed he had to sleep in tonight. The fact the feces had been removed, fresh linen, blankets and covers supplied, did not remove the knowledge of what had happened.
    Wally was never a legal scholar but knew enough to research the law. He had a damn good idea of what he would find. Later that evening, while sitting in the wicker chair on the far side of the room, he confirmed what he already knew.
    Once a directed verdict was given and the defendant set free, he