Private Vegas (Private 9)

It was pretty clear that Sutter’s testimony was going to hurt Rick, and I already had a good idea about what he was going to say.

Chapter 27

DEXTER LEWIS SAID, “Mr. Sutter, please tell the court what happened after the defendant menaced you.”

Sutter said, “I brought the boxes up to the porch as Vicky was coming out of her house. I’m figuring that if he runs into my truck, I’m calling the cops, and anyway, the truck is insured to the hilt.”

“Please go on.”

Sutter said, “So Vicky goes tearing out, shouts to Mr. Del Rio, ‘Rick, Brad will only be a minute. Please don’t get upset. I’m asking you, Rick.’”

“And then what happened?”

“He said, ‘Stay out of it, Vicky.’ Then he got out of his car and shouted at me, ‘Do you like your job? Do you?’

“He pulled out his phone and I heard him say, ‘I want to report one of your drivers for unprofessional behavior and for blocking a driveway.’ He gave my license plate number. Nothing I could do, so I went to where Vicky was standing, got her signature, and asked her if she was going to be all right.

“She said she’d broken up with Mr. Del Rio and that he was angry about it. I told her if she had any trouble to call me on my cell phone. And then, as I was trying to leave, he pulled his car in front of my truck and blocked me in.”

“Then what?”

“He said, ‘You haven’t seen the last of me.’ And then he called me an effing moron. He drove off a split second ahead of my own call to the cops.”

Sutter shot a pointed look at Rick, who had already taken a few pointed looks from Geralyn Brodeski.

Lewis was saying, “Okay, so, to make sure we’re all following you: According to Vicky, she broke up with Mr. Del Rio the day of this incident, which was two days after Christmas.”

“That’s right.”

“And then, about six months later, on June thirteenth, Vicky told you that Mr. Del Rio was coming over the next night. June fourteenth.”

“That’s right.”

“And why do you remember this?”

“Because I was worried about Vicky.”

Caine objected, said that the witness was speculating, that there was nothing in evidence or anywhere else to show that Mr. Del Rio was a danger to Ms. Carmody or even to Mr. Sutter. All Rick had done was call Sutter a moron.

Lewis countered the objection, saying that the defendant had tried to intimidate the witness, and, further, he said that Vicky breaking up with Del Rio had made the defendant angry and hostile.

But Judge Johnson sustained Caine’s objection, which clearly pissed Dexter Lewis off.

The ADA recovered his glossy composure and said to Sutter, “Okay. Now, the next night, did you have occasion to see Ms. Carmody?”

“I had a pickup from the Reynolds family across the street, and I happened to glance over at Vicky’s house, and she was at her front door. And Mr. Del Rio’s car was in the driveway. It’s a gray Land Rover. I see him get out of his car and go up the steps. Vicky let him in and she closed the door.”

“And did you see Vicky after that?”

“No. A few days later, I made a delivery to her neighbor Ms. Brodeski, who told me that Vicky had almost died from a beating and was in the ICU.”

I wished I could take Sutter’s place on the stand, say that Rick’s temper was not a true indication of his character. That he had put his life on the line countless times to save soldiers and civilians. That he had helped put killers away in our city. That he was honest. That he was good.

Lewis said, “Thanks, Mr. Sutter. You’ve been very helpful. Your witness,” he said to the defense.

“Were you intimidated by Mr. Del Rio?” asked Eric Caine.

“I need my job. It’s a good company, and I didn’t have a plan B.”