The Investigators Part 85

"Amy Payne called Peter Wohl and told him about the message at the hospital. Peter brought it to me. I put out a Locate, Do Not Detain on Ketcham. Danny the Judge read it. When a South detective went to Justice and told him he had found a guy named Ketcham wearing only an overcoat locked up in the NIKE site, Danny called me."

"That's why everything is going on here?"

Coughlin nodded.

"You don't have any authority in one of those sites, you know. They're federal property."

Coughlin ignored that.

"Ketcham positively identified one of the Five Squad as the guy who raped the granddaughter, and gave us a sworn statement to the effect. Plus, that the same guy had stolen twenty thousand dollars from him."

"I wonder how convincing a witness Mr. Ketcham would be," Giacomo said.

"I went to Hanging Harriet McCandless-Tony Callis did-and got her to overturn the magistrate's decision to grant bail to Amos Williams and one of his thugs, a sc.u.mbag named Baby Brownlee. Jason Was.h.i.+ngton got them to give statements saying they had more cocaine at the time of their arrest than Five Squad turned in as evidence, and more cash, and in the case of Brownlee, a gold Rolex that until a couple of hours ago seemed to have disappeared."

"Same question, Denny. I wonder what sort of witnesses Mr. Williams and Mr. Brownlee would make against fine police officers? Frankly, I would be p.r.o.ne to ask them, several times, so the jury would be sure to hear their answer, whether the police or the district attorney had offered them anything-like immunity from prosecution-in exchange for their agreeing to say these terrible things about these fine police officers."

"Baby Brownlee's gold Rolex showed up this morning in a safe-deposit box in Harrisburg, the only key to which was in the hands of another fine pure-as-the-driven-snow police officer a.s.signed to the Narcotics Unit's Five Squad. And there was some fifty thousand-plus in cash in the same box."

"I presume you think you can prove the watch in question is actually Mr. Brownlee's?"

"He bought it at Bailey, Banks and Biddle. They made a record of the serial number."

"Very interesting story, Denny. Is that all of it?"

"Not quite," Coughlin said. "I had breakfast with Savarese this morning."

"Did you really?"

"I told him that we didn't want to subject his granddaughter to the humiliation of having to testify against her rapist, and that what we proposed to do was have him plead guilty to enough charges of violating the civil rights-"

"Violating somebody's civil rights? Whose civil rights?" Giacomo interrupted.

"Williams's and Brownlee's, for sure. Probably some others. We picked up everybody they arrested within the last ten days when their bail was revoked, and reinterviewed them. We're prepared to go further back, if necessary."

"Why would you believe that an attorney would recommend that this guy cop a plea like that? It seems to me that, in this case, there is very little chance that the victim would ever testify against him."

"Savarese put it another way," Coughlin said. "He said he didn't think there could be a trial if there was no one around alive to try."

"He has a point," Giacomo said. "You didn't think that simple observation about life in general could in any way be construed as a threat against anyone, did you?"

"Manny, he as much as told me he's going to kill this guy just as soon as he finds out who he is."

"Not in so many words, right?"

"Not in so many words."

"If Mr. Savarese is, in your opinion, so prepared to cause the unlawful deaths of others, in particular those who have in some way caused harm to members of his family, why do you suppose he didn't do something dreadful to Mr.-Ketcham, you said?-"

"Ronald R. Ketcham," Coughlin furnished.

"-when he had the opportunity?"

"Peter Wohl thinks Savarese wanted him to starve to death," Coughlin said.

My G.o.d, that's probably exactly what Savarese intended to do.

"What do you want from me, Denny?"

"I want-what the h.e.l.l, you'd have his name in a couple of minutes anyway-Officer Herbert Prasko to roll over on the Five Squad. In exchange for which, he'll get a twenty-year plea bargain, which means probably seven years in a federal prison."

"Why should I encourage him to do that?"

"Because otherwise you know that Savarese will have him killed."

"I know nothing of the kind!"

Who do I think I'm fooling?

"Come on, Manny!" Coughlin said.

"You've got the deal lined up?"

"The U.S. Attorney has been very helpful."

"Why?"> "Because-I'm guessing-he thinks he'd have a hard time convicting Savarese on an unlawful-abduction charge. And maybe because he thinks he'll look good in Was.h.i.+ngton if he put a local cop away on a civil rights charge. And the FBI will get the credit for uncovering that travesty of justice."

"Very interesting," Giacomo said.

"That's it, Manny," Coughlin said.

The two men looked at each other. First Coughlin shrugged, and then Giacomo.

"Let's go back on the record, Counselor," Coughlin said Giacomo shrugged again.

"I presume, Mr. Giacomo," Coughlin said, "that you are here to represent one or more of the police officers we arrested last night and this morning on charges of misprision in office?"

"That's right, Chief Coughlin."

"I advise you herewith that I am about to arrest one of those officers, specifically Officer Herbert J. Prasko, Badge Number 5292, on additional charges."

"What would those charges be?"

"That Officer Prasko, at gunpoint, stole twenty thousand dollars, more or less, from Mr. Ronald R. Ketcham, of Philadelphia, who then occupied Room 138 at the Howard Johnson motel on Roosevelt Boulevard in this city, such acts const.i.tuting armed robbery in the first degree."

"Anything else, Chief Coughlin?"

"That Officer Prasko, in Room 138 of the Howard Johnson motel on Roosevelt Boulevard in this city, forced Miss Cynthia Longwood, of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, by threatening her life, to disrobe, and thereafter did force Miss Longwood to take his p.e.n.i.s into her mouth, where he therein e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, such acts const.i.tuting Involuntary Deviate s.e.xual Intercourse."

They looked at each other.

"Do I understand, Mr. Giacomo, that you are representing Officer Prasko?"

"I am willing to represent Officer Prasko if that is his desire. I have not yet had the chance to confer with Officer Prasko."

"I will take you to him now, Counselor," Coughlin said.

He pushed himself out of the armchair, walked to the door, and opened it.

"Where's Prasko, Danny?"

"In the interview room, upstairs," Danny said.

Coughlin waved Giacomo ahead of him toward the stairs that led up to South Detectives.

Officer Prasko, who was handcuffed to the metal chair in the interview room, smiled when he saw Armando Giacomo come into the room.

"Boy, am I glad to see you, Mr. Giacomo," he said.

"Officer Prasko, I am Chief Inspector Coughlin," Coughlin said. "I am placing you under arrest for armed robbery and rape."

"What?"

"Before we go any further, Officer Prasko, this is Mr. Armando C. Giacomo, who is an attorney, and who has been sent by the Fraternal Order of Police to render such a.s.sistance to you as may be mutually agreeable."

"I know Mr. Giacomo," Officer Prasko said.

"Chief, may I have a minute alone with Officer Prasko?" Giacomo asked.

"Certainly," Coughlin said.

He walked to the door.

"Chief Coughlin!" Giacomo called. Coughlin turned.

Very discreetly, Manny Giacomo indicated the one-way mirror on the wall, and shook his head, "no."

"When we're through, I'll knock at the door," Giacomo said.

Denny Coughlin, very discreetly, signaled-by holding his balled fist, thumb extended upward, at waist level-that he understood Mr. Giacomo did not wish anyone looking into the room through the one-way mirror, and that he agreed to grant the wish.

Coughlin closed the door to the interview room and walked into the adjacent room. Captain David Pekach, Sergeant Jason Was.h.i.+ngton, and Detective Tony Harris were sitting on chairs looking through the mirror.

"Out," Coughlin ordered.

Captains, sergeants, and detectives do not question the orders of chief inspectors.

They left the room.

"I'm a little disappointed to see Giacomo," Captain Pekach said. "I thought even he drew a line someplace."

"Would you like me to represent you on the charges that have been laid against you, Officer Prasko?" Giacomo asked.

"Yes, sir. Very much. Thank you."

"You understand that we now have an attorney-client privilege? Everything that you tell me in confidence will not go any further than me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. Just a quick answer. We can get into details later. What about the original charge? Essentially that you diverted evidence to your personal use?"

"That's bulls.h.i.+t, Mr. Giacomo. What that is is a couple of n.i.g.g.e.r drug dealers trying to take me down, take the whole Five Squad down."

"And the second charge, that you robbed a man of twenty thousand dollars at gunpoint?"

"I don't know what the h.e.l.l that's all about."

"And the rape?"

"Jesus, I'm a married man, Mr. Giacomo."

"Now, listen to me carefully, Officer Prasko," Giacomo said. "I'm a pretty good attorney, and with just a little luck, I could probably convince a jury that what you are is an honest cop with a good record."

"Thank you."

"And that the allegations made by the drug dealers-who would believe a drug dealer against someone like yourself?-were simply an attempt by them to get back at you for arresting them."

"That's what it is, Mr. Giacomo."

"Even though the police have in their possession the gold Rolex one of your crooked pals stole from Baby Brownlee."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me talk," Giacomo said reasonably. "Please don't interrupt my chain of thought."

"Yes, sir. Sorry."

"I could probably even manage to convince a jury-especially after we marched all your character witnesses to the stand-your parish priest would stand up for you, wouldn't he, Officer Prasko?"

"Absolutely. I'm sure Father-"

Giacomo held up his hand to silence him.

"I could probably convince a jury that Mr. Ketcham was doing the same thing the drug dealers were doing. I mean, after all, what's the difference between them except the color of their skin, right?"