Book Excerpt: The lawyer didn't like where this was going

This is the last of three excerpts from Lisa Scottoline's new novel, "Corrupted," which is now available.

'What?" Bennie froze. "What are you saying? Richie did it? He committed the murder?"

"No, Richie's dead. He got killed."

"Richie was the victim?"

"Yeah, he's dead. I'm not cryin', believe me."

"You didn't tell me it was Richie when you called me." Bennie tried to wrap her mind around it. She had thought Richie was a part of Jason's past - and hers.

"I know, I worried you wouldn't come."

"I would have anyway." Bennie let the awkward moment pass. "Did the cops tell you they're going to charge you?"

"No, but that detective thinks I did it. Gallagher. He tried to get me to make a statement, but I told him I wanted to call you. I wouldn't sign the papers."

Bennie knew he meant the papers required by Miranda to determine a waiver of counsel, ironic given Jason's history. "Let's get some background, so I'm up to speed. Jason, tell me where you live."

"403 East Gansett Street. In Fishtown."

"OK." Bennie should've known from the chicken wings. The homicide detectives thought the way to a confession was through a defendant's stomach. If he was from South Philly, they got cheesesteaks from Pat's or Geno's, and if he was from Olney, they got crab fries from Chickie's & Pete's. The chicken wings would have come from Byrne's at Kensington and Lehigh.

"I live in a house with a roommate. It's a chick. Gail Malloy."

Bennie made a note. "How long have you lived there?"

"Moved there six months ago, from home."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, I don't have a girlfriend."

"How about a job?"

"I wait tables at Juarez, you know, the chain. It's in East Fishtown."

"Good. Got any friends?"

"Just Gail, my roommate. She works at Juarez, too. She manages it. She's cool."

"What's her cell number?"

"I wanted to call her but they only let me make one call." Jason rattled off a number, and Bennie wrote it down.

"Have you been in any legal trouble, as an adult?"

"Only misdemeanors. I didn't serve any time."

"Any weapons involved?'

"No.

Bennie made a note. "So tell me what happened tonight."

"OK." Jason sniffed. "Anyway, after work, I wanted to eat, so I go into this bar, Eddie's, on Pimlico Street. I sit down, and who do I see but Richie Grusini, sittin' at the bar. You know the story with me and Richie."

"So what happened?"

"I had a few beers, and I guess it just got to me, watching him laugh with his buddy, having a good time. He was flashin' all this cash, and this girl was coming over to them and she was hangin' all over him." Jason shook his head, looking down. "Anyways, I thought to myself, where's the justice? Here he is, he got every-thin', and he never paid for what he done to me, he got away with it, so I decided to do somethin' about it, not just suck it up."

Bennie didn't like the way this was going.

"So I get up and say to him, hey, 'member me? Right away he shoves me, and we're in a fight and they throw us out."

"Is that how you got the bump on your forehead?"

"No, that came later."

"What time did this take place?"

"About 11? The game was still on."

"How many people at the bar?"

"I dunno, about nine?"

Bennie made a note. "Including the bartender?"

"No."

Bennie wrote 10 witnesses, which was 10 too many. "How many beers had you had?"

"Three."

"Were you drunk?"

"No. So the bartender threw us out, and Richie's buddy left, and I was going to let it go, like we went opposite directions, I took a lef' to the bus, but Richie and his buddy went to the right, and the bartender, he watched us split up. I waited at the bus stop, and I saw where Richie went, and the bartender went inside. But the bus didn't come, and I got madder and madder and I was like, why not, so I turned back and I went after Richie, like, down the street. He turned into an alley, and I figured he was gonna take a leak, and I went after him."

"Why?"

"I wanted to have it out with him, I admit it." Jason's pale skin flushed. "I wanted to tell him how he ruined my life. I went up to him in the alley and he was standin' at the middle, facin' the wall about to unzip his pants, and then all of a sudden, he hits me, really hard, right above my eye." Jason gestured at his injury. "I fell back and my head hit the ground, and I def passed out. Then I don't know what happened, how long I was out. But when I woke up, Richie was lyin' there in the alley and blood was everywhere, like, coming from his throat, and there was this big, like, cut. That's prolly how I got the blood on me. He was all still, like, he wasn't moving." Jason's good eye widened slightly. "I couldn't believe it, and I got up and in my hand was a hunting knife. I don't know where it came from, it wasn't mine I swear, but Richie was dead, then there were sirens and people were yelling and the police came and arrested me."

Bennie couldn't tell whether he was lying, but this wasn't the time to find out. "So you're saying somebody killed Richie and put the knife into your hand?"

"Yes, they framed me. Richie was a mean bastard, he musta had tons of enemies. Anybody coulda killed him."

"But how would they know you and Richie were there? Did they follow you into the alley?"

"Prolly, yes. They set me up!"

Bennie hid her doubt. "Did you notice anyone following you into the alley?"

"No, but anybody coulda seen us. It's an alley but the front part is wide enough to park in. There was a white pickup there."

"Whose was it? Was it Richie's?"

"I don't know. All I know is, I didn't kill him."

"Was anybody else in the alley?"

"No, not that I saw."

"Did anybody pass by and see you and Richie fight?"

"No one was around, I don't know."

"Were any stores open, near the alley?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Was there any noise during your fight? Did Richie yell at you or shout?"

"No, why?"

"I'm wondering if we can find a witness, somebody who heard something. Like somebody from one of the surrounding buildings, in an apartment or something."

"I didn't see anybody, I don't know who the hell killed him, but that guy took out the trash. You know the story, you remember." Jason shook his head in disgust. "I'm not sorry he's dead, I'm glad he's dead."

lisa@scottoline.com

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