Bury the Lead - By David Rosenfelt Page 0,15
most surprising thing is that they are holding guns.
“What the . . . ?” Cummings starts.
“Turn around! Hands against the wall!” Millen barks as his officers move toward Cummings.
Vince says something—I can’t make out what—and moves toward Cummings. Vince is pushed out of the way by the officers, and Laurie grabs hold of him, keeping him out of the fray.
“Are you crazy?” asks Cummings. “What the hell . . . ?”
Millen pays no attention, screaming even louder. “Now! Against the wall!”
Cummings still doesn’t react, and is roughly turned around, pushed against the wall, and his hands are cuffed behind his back.
“Daniel Cummings,” Millen begins, “I am placing you under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law . . .”
He completes the Miranda warning. By now Cummings has been reduced to stunned silence. “What is the charge, Captain?” I ask.
“For right now it’s just the murder of Linda Padilla. But my guess is, there will be others.”
He signals for his officers to take Cummings out of the room, and they do so immediately. As Cummings leaves, I say, “Do not say a word to anyone until I am in your presence.” Cummings doesn’t respond; the shock of all this is affecting his mind’s ability to process.
“Do you understand?” I ask. “Not one word.”
He finally nods slowly, then is led away.
As Millen follows them, he turns to me. “Well, lawyer, looks like you got yourself something to do.”
• • • • •
I LOOK OUT THE WINDOW and see a large group of reporters and three television trucks in front of the hospital. Millen obviously leaked the word in advance so as to take full publicity advantage of the arrest.
“Let’s go,” I say. “They’ll be taking him down to County.” It’s the place where the newly arrested are taken for booking and processing.
Laurie starts for the door, holding Vince by the arm and leading him along. Vince looks stricken, even more so than Cummings had, and for the first time in my memory he seems speechless.
Our car ride down to County is relatively quiet. The radio is reporting the arrest, and Millen and the DA are already planning a press conference to gloat. I attempt to question Vince, to see if he had any inkling of what could be behind this, but all he can say is, “There’s no way . . . just no way.”
We arrive at County and become fresh fodder for the waiting press. I am barraged with questions, but I refuse all comment, saying that I am waiting to speak with my client. I really have no idea what the facts are, and I don’t want to get caught saying something that I will have to retract later. Wherever this is going, there will be a media spotlight on it the entire time, and we’ll have to play the public relations game well.
Laurie, Vince, and I hang out in the waiting area while Cummings is booked, even though I’ll be the only one allowed in to meet with him. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Vince this upset, and I can tell Laurie is noticing this as well.
Except for the time spent waiting for a deliberating jury to return a verdict, these might be the most anxious moments a lawyer can have. The authorities feel they have the evidence to convict the accused, yet as his lawyer, I have absolutely no idea what that evidence is, or even what the facts of the case are.
This situation is even more troubling than most. With all the media attention, the district attorney and police would be particularly loath to make a mistake. They have been under tremendous pressure, but it would increase tenfold if they arrested a suspect and then released him.
They also must know that if they have the wrong man, then the world will realize it as soon as another murder is committed. They would not risk looking so foolish unless they were positive they were right.
I’m not at all sure I even want to take on this case. Cummings might well be guilty, and I don’t really have any compelling need for a serial killer as a client. Besides, I wasn’t even that crazy about him when I thought he was just a law-abiding, pompous reporter.
I decide to broach this with Vince, who is the reason I’m in this mess in the first place. “You know, Cummings might want to pick his