'The state rests,' O'Shay said.
'Any witnesses for the defense?' the judge asked.
Geary shook his head.
'No witnesses, Your Honor,' Mancini said, 'but I have a motion for the court.'
'Very well, Mr. Mancini.'
Peter could not imagine what motion Mancini might I make. if he were the judge, he would have both defendants breaking rocks on Devil's Island by now. Peter guessed that Mancini was putting on a show to make Booth think he was earning his fee.
'I move for dismissal of the charges against Mr. Booth,' Mancini said. 'The state has accused Mr. Booth of possession of a controlled substance. Now, there was a controlled substance under Mr. Mammon's seat in a car registered to Mr. Mammon, but there has been no evidence connecting Mr. Booth with that controlled substance. Officer Loudhawk never said he saw Mr. Booth with cocaine and nothing was done to determine whether Mr. Booth had ingested cocaine, although this could have been accomplished with a simple blood test. I don't believe probable cause exists to bind over Mr. Booth.'
'What was he doing with the ten-dollar bill up his nose?' the judge asked with a straight face.
'That is for the state to explain, Your Honor. He could have been cleaning his nasal passages, he may enjoy the aroma of American currency. I don't know.
But there is certainly no evidence that he was snorting ording to t cocaine with that bill. Acc he officer, you do that from a mirror. There is no evidence that the mirror and the bill tested positive for cocaine.'
Judge Staley frowned. He was lost in thought for a moment. When he addressed Becky O'Shay, he sounded concerned.
'What do you have to say to Mr. Mancini's argument, Miss O'Shay?'
Peter gazed at the prosecutor. He was certain she would respond with a brilliant argument. Instead, all she managed was, 'Mr. Mancini is being ridiculous, Your Honor. It's obvious that Mr. Booth was snorting cocaine.'
'Why is it obvious? There is no evidence that there was cocaine on the bill or the mirror, the cocaine was under Mr. Mammon's seat, the car is registered to Mr. Mammon and Mr. Booth denied using cocaine.'
'He had the bill up his nose,' O'Shay repeated in obvious frustration at her inability to counter Mancini's argument.
'That's not illegal conduct in this state, no matter how disgusting it may be. No, Miss O'Shay, I'm going to have to grant Mr. Mancini's motion.'
O'Shay looked as if she wanted to. say something else, but she slumped onto her seat instead. Peter thought she looked adorable. He wanted to rush across the room and console her. Instead, he studied Christopher Mammon, expecting him to go insane with rage because his co-defendant was free and he was not, but Mammon sat passively as judge Staley addressed Steve Mancini's client.
'Mr. Booth, don't think you have me fooled one bit.
I know damn well you possessed and used cocaine on the evening of your arrest, but we are a country of law and one of our most fundamental rules of criminal procedure is that the state must prove its case with evidence, not conjecture. If the state can't do that I must set you free, no matter what my personal feelings might be. So, I am going to dismiss the case against you. But that doesn't mean I'm going to forget your face. You better not come before me again, young man. You've had your break. If I ever see you again, I will make certain that you go to prison for a long, long time.
'As for you, Mr. Mammon, this court finds probable cause to bind you over for prosecution in the circuit court on the charge of possession of a controlled substance. You will be released, Mr. Booth. Guard, you can take Mr. Mammon back to jail.'
Amos Geary took a long drag on a cigarette and trudged toward his office. The old lawyer was short of breath and he walked with effort. Peter hoped he would make the three blocks to the office without collapsing.
'What did you learn from this morning's outing, Mr. Hale?' Geary wheezed.
'Uh, well, I saw how a preliminary hearing works.'
Geary shook his head. 'You saw an aberration.
Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, the judge binds over the defendant. I don't know what got into Brett this morning.'
'Steve was pretty amazing. I didn't know he was that good an attorney.'
'You know Mancini?'
'We went to law school together.'
'Himn,' Geary said.
'What does that mean?'
'Watch yourself. Mancini's an opportunist.'
'Why do you say that?'
Geary took another drag on his coffin nail. 'Has he suggested that you invest in Mountain View?'
'is that the condominium deal?'
Geary nodded. 'He's tried to get every lawyer in town to invest, except me.
He knows I don't have a pot to piss in.'
'Steve seems to think those condos will make him rich.'
'Oh, they will. If Bend is awarded the Winter Olympics. That's a big if. If Bend doesn't get the Olympics, Steve just might end up in my tax bracket. I 'just hope I he doesn't sucker Jesse Harmon into putting up some money.' The name sounded vaguely familiar and Peter asked, 'Who is Jesse Harmon?'
'He's one of the most successful farmers in the county. Mancini wasn't divorced more than a month when he put a move on Donna Harmon, Jesse's daughter.'
Geary drew on his cigarette and they walked on together in silence. Peter was not surprised that Geary was trashing Steve, especially after the way Mancini had shown him up in court. Geary never had a nice thing to say about anyone. Peter decided that Geary was just a sour old fart who, like his father, could not stand seeing a younger man succeed.
Peter's thoughts turned to Becky O'Shay. He wondered if she was seeing anyone. Peter had gone out with Rhonda Kates again. She was okay, but O'Shay was really interesting.
'The D.A. sure was bent out of shape when the judge swallowed Steve's argument,' Peter said.
'Rebecca doesn't like to lose.'
'How long has she been a prosecutor?'
Geary stopped in mid-stride and looked at Peter.
Then, he shook his head in disgust.
'I know exactly what you're thinking. Forget it.'
'Forget what?' Peter asked innocently. Wearily, Geary shook his head again.
'That cute little thing has every young buck in three counties panting after her, but I'm going to give you some advice, which I assume you won't take. Stay.away from Rebecca O'Shay.'
'What's wrong with her?'
'Did you see that Tom Cruise movie where he plays a vampire?'
'Interview with the Vampire?'
'That's the one.'
'Sure. Great flick.'
'Remember the little girl vampire?'
'Yes'
'Rebecca O'Shay was the model.'
Chapter SIX.
His mouth was dry and he could barely breathe. She was so beautiful. He knew if he touched her she would be soft like a rabbit. He wanted to close his eyes and stop his ears to make time move faster, to bring her to the moment where she would take off her clothes, but he was afraid he would miss that moment if he shut his eyes.
He heard a sound on the path that went past the girls' dormitory. Instantly he was down, hidden by the bushes. Two girls passed, chatting about a boy one of them was dating. They giggled. When they were gone he
