Private Vegas (Private 9)

“Yes. Rick Del Rio.”

“Thank you, Ms. Brodeski. Your witness,” Lewis said to Eric Caine.

But Brodeski kept talking, explaining to Dexter Lewis’s back and everyone in the room, “I didn’t like Rick. I told Vicky from the beginning that he was troubled and angry. And I was right. That’s why she broke up with him.”

Eric Caine stood and spoke angrily from the defense table.

“Objection, Your Honor. Let me count the ways. The witness’s uncalled-for remarks are her opinion as well as irrelevant and prejudicial. Then she topped it all off with a little hearsay, and I object to that as well.”

The judge said, “Quite right, Mr. Caine. Ms. Brodeski, don’t volunteer opinions. Mrs. Gray, please strike the testimony from the record. Jurors, please disregard the witness’s remark. It may not be considered during your deliberations. Any questions? Mr. Caine?”

Caine said, “I have no questions for this witness.”

Dexter Lewis dismissed Ms. Brodeski, who beamed proudly when she walked past Del Rio. Then Lewis said, “The People call Mr. Bradley Sutter.”

Chapter 26

IT JUST KILLED me to sit helplessly by as Rick was accused of bad character and a sickening felony I was sure he hadn’t committed. Lacking a smoking gun, the prosecution was going to play on the jurors’ emotions. And I had to admit, Dexter Lewis had the superficial charisma of a pretty good dramatic actor.

I glanced up as Lewis called his next witness.

Bradley Sutter looked to be in his late twenties, had thinning hair, and his scalp was pink from the sun. He wore a new khaki jacket and blue pants, a white shirt, no tie, and a wedding ring.

He looked honest. He looked reliable.

Dexter Lewis asked for his occupation, and Sutter answered that he was a driver for UPS, that he’d been on his current route for two years, that he liked his job a lot, and that Ms. Carmody was one of his regular customers.

“I pick up and deliver to her on average two or three times a week,” said Sutter. “We talk about local news. I might tell her a joke. She liked a good joke. Excuse me. She likes a good joke.”

“Now, do you remember delivering a package for Ms. Carmody about three months ago?”

“I call her Vicky, by the way.”

“Okay, Mr. Sutter. Do you remember bringing a package to Vicky on June thirteenth?”

“Yes. It was an overnight letter from San Francisco. I checked my log.”

“And did anything about that day stand out in your mind?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Please tell the jury what you remember,” Lewis said.

“Okay. I went up to Vicky’s front door, handed her the letter, and asked her to sign. She did and we were talking, and then she said, ‘You remember Rick?’ I said, ‘Sure, what about him?’

“And she said something like, ‘He just called. Said he wanted to come by tomorrow, return something I left in his house.’ And I said, ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’”

“Mr. Sutter, why did you ask Ms. Carmody that question?”

Sutter said, “Well, about six months before that, a couple days after Christmas, I had a delivery for Vicky, and I parked my truck in front of her driveway, blocked it, actually. I had a couple of boxes for her, and as I was going up her walk, Mr. Del Rio wanted to get his car out and he leaned on the horn.”

Lewis said, “What happened after he blew the horn?”

“I said to him, ‘I’ll be right back, Mr. Del Rio,’ and he said, ‘Now. You need to move your truck now.’ Something like that. And he got a crazy look on his face. He revved the engine like he was going to drive through my truck.”

“Go on,” Lewis said. He made a half turn so that he could look at the jury as Sutter spoke.

Sutter seemed to me to be a sincere guy and a credible witness. He had a good job and was friends with the victim, who couldn’t speak for herself.