I Needed a Lawyer With Flexible Hours and the All the Right Credentials...
Previously, Part 12: As if the Blizzard Wasn't Enough, I Ended Up at the Norwood Police Station...
Damn! I needed a lawyer. I only knew of one in town: my friend Kenny's father, Milton, who had a law office in the center next to Bendinelli's Variety. The front was all white with fake pillars on each side, giving it that prestigious law office appearance and making it stand out amongst all the other brick storefronts surrounding it. He was partners with his two brothers, Al and Bernie. I went in to talk to them about my case.
I was assigned, Bernie. He was the youngest of the three, physically the biggest but the least intimidating. He sat with me and listened. He seemed to have a handle on the case and a solid plan to get me off. I immediately hired him. I had no other choice. I had a hearing with the Clerk Magistrate in a week.
The day before the hearing, Bernie called and told me to pick him up at the office. He wanted me to drive. I thought it was strange that he wanted me to drive. I was the one who was about to lose my license for speeding, passing in a restricted area, driving negligently, and failing to stop for a police officer. But it was reassuring he had enough faith in me to let me drive. Or, maybe he didn't want to drive…
We had a productive ride to the court in Dedham. Once we walked in, it became very real. I saw the cop who was driving the black Ford Galaxie, waiting. He was in full uniform, his shoes spit-shined, with sharp creases in his pants, and a focused look on his face that let me know he was determined to convict. Nothing had changed. He still had a hard-on for me…
We were brought into a small, well-lit room with one long, narrow table in the middle that had chairs on both sides and one at the far end for the Magistrate. I sat on one side, closest to the Magistrate. Bernie was to my right and the cop was sitting directly across from me, seething.
The cop spoke first, and he painted a picture of a hothead who almost hit an elderly woman with his car and then sped away and failed to stop for a police officer who was in his personal vehicle but clearly displayed his badge.
When it was my turn to speak, I explained that the elderly woman stepped out from behind a 10' high snow bank without looking and how I reacted quickly and avoided hitting her. I continued, "After I saw that she was okay, I drove away. Then, a black Galaxie chased after me, flashing its high beams. It sped up beside me into oncoming traffic, and I could see the driver had his left hand on the wheel and was pointing for me to pull over with his right. He did not show me a badge, or I would have immediately pulled over. It became dangerous when he stayed next to me, so I sped up to avoid being involved in a collision with him and oncoming traffic. When the driver of the Galaxie wouldn't back off, I sped up and drove away. I thought he might've been a lunatic with a gun. I saw no indication that he was a police officer…"
The Magistrate was silent. He had heard two completely different stories. He asked Bernie and I to leave the room and wait in the hallway. He needed time to talk with the cop behind closed doors.
When we were called back into the room, Bernie and I knew the Magistrate's decision would decide whether this would end here or proceed to a criminal trial…
To be continued…
*All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental…