Dark Horse

48

The scene was as nightmarish as anything Landry had ever watched. Erin Seabright, tied spread-eagle on the bed, screaming and crying as one of her captors violated her.

Dugan, Weiss, Dwyer, and he stood in a half circle, arms crossed, watching the tape play, their faces like stone. At the top of the half circle, Bruce Seabright sat on a chair, his complexion the color of putty.

Landry punched the power button off and slammed a fist against the side of the television. He wheeled on Seabright.

"You sick son of a bitch."

"I've never seen that before in my life!" Seabright shouted, coming to his feet.

"Landry…" Dugan warned.

Landry didn't hear him, he didn't hear Weiss' phone ring. He was hardly aware anyone else was in the room. He saw only Bruce Seabright, and he wanted to beat him to death with his bare hands.

"What? You were saving it for later?" Landry said. "Planning your own little film festival?"

Seabright shook his head vehemently. "I don't know how that thing got in my office."

"You put it there," Landry said.

"I didn't! I swear!"

"The kidnappers sent it to you, just like they sent the first one."

"No!"

"And if it had been left up to you, no one would have seen either of them."

"That- that's not true-"

"You lying sack of shit!" Landry shouted in his face.

Dugan tried to step between them, shoving at Landry's chest. "Detective Landry, step back!"

Landry stepped around him. "It wasn't bad enough you wanted rid of her? You wanted to see her tortured too?"

"No! I-"

"Shut up!" Landry shouted. "Shut the fuck up!"

Seabright stepped back, small eyes popping with fear. The backs of his legs hit the folding chair he'd been sitting on, and he stumbled and fell awkwardly back down onto it.

"Landry!" Dugan shouted.

Dwyer stepped in front of him, holding up a hand. "James-"

"I want a lawyer!" Seabright said. "He's out of control!"

Landry stilled himself, slowed his breathing, stared at Bruce Seabright.

"You'd better call God, Seabright," Landry said tightly. "It's going to take more than a lawyer to get your sorry ass out of this crack."

J ade's bail hearing took twenty minutes. Five minutes for business and fifteen minutes for Shapiro to hear himself talk. For what a guy like that charged by the hour, Landry supposed he ought to at least give the appearance of being worth more than the average suit.

Landry stood at the back of the courtroom, taking roll of the attendees. He was still trembling from the adrenaline and rage that had burned through him in the conference room. Like counting sheep, he counted heads. Shapiro's entourage of lawyers-in-waiting, the assistant state's attorney, a small pack of reporters, and Trey Hughes.

The prosecutor, Angela Roca, stated her intention to take the case before the grand jury and asked for bail in the amount of a million dollars.

"Your Honor," Shapiro whined. "A million dollars! Mr. Jade is not as wealthy as his clients are. For all intents and purposes, that would amount to denying bail altogether."

"Fine by us, Your Honor." Roca said. "Mr. Jade has been identified by his victim as a kidnapper and rapist. Additionally, the Sheriff's Office considers him a suspect in the brutal murder of one of his employees."

"With all due respect, Your Honor, Mr. Jade can't be penalized for a crime for which he has not been charged."

"Yeah, I caught that one in judge school," the Honorable Ida Green said sarcastically. Ida, a tiny redheaded New York transplant, was one of Landry's favorite judges. Nothing impressed Ida, including Bert Shapiro.

"Your Honor, the prosecution's case-"

"Is none of my business. This is a bail hearing, Mr. Shapiro. Need I enlighten you as to basic proceedings?"

"No, Your Honor. I remember vaguely from law school."

"Good. You didn't waste your parents' money. Bail is set at five hundred thousand, cash."

"Your Honor-" Shapiro began.

Ida waved him off. "Mr. Shapiro, your client's clients spend that much on a horse without batting an eye. I'm certain if they are as devoted to Mr. Jade as you are, they'll help him out."

Shapiro looked pissed.

Roca took the inch and went for the mile. "Your Honor, as Mr. Jade has lived in Europe and has many contacts there, we consider him to be a flight risk."

"Mr. Jade will surrender his passport. Anything else, Ms. Roca?"

"We request Mr. Jade be required to submit to a blood test and give a hair sample for the purposes of comparison to evidence in custody, Your Honor."

"Make it so, Mr. Shapiro."

"Your Honor," Shapiro argued. "This is a gross invasion of my client's person-"

"A colonoscopy is a gross invasion, Mr. Shapiro. Hair and blood samples are so ordered."

The proceedings ended with a bang of the gavel. Trey Hughes got up, went to the front of the courtroom, wrote a check for the clerk, and Don Jade was a free man.