The Reversal

evidence and trial strategy. I decided in that moment that it was my case, my trial, my deal .
    “None of that matters,” I said loudly from my position to the side.
    All eyes turned to me. Even Williams turned.
    “Can you talk into the microphones, Mickey?”
    It was the same voice from behind the line of lights. He knew to call me Mickey. I once again moved to the microphones, boxing Williams out like a power forward going for the rebound.
    “The murder of a child is a crime that must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, no matter what the possibilities or risks are. There is no guarantee of victory here. But that was not part of the decision. The measure is reasonable doubt and I believe we surpass that. We believe that the totality of evidence shows that this man committed this horrible crime and it doesn’t matter how much time has gone by or how long he has been incarcerated. He must be prosecuted.
    “I have a daughter only a little older than Melissa was…. You know, people forget that in the original trial, the state sought the death penalty but the jury recommended against it and the judge imposed a life sentence. That was then and this is now. We will once again be seeking the death penalty on this case.”
    Williams put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me away from the microphones.
    “Uh, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” he said quickly. “My office has not yet made a determination in regard to whether we will be seeking the death penalty. That will come at a later time. But Mr. Haller makes a very valid and sad point. There can be no worse crime in our society than the murder of a child. We must do all that is within our power and our reach to seek justice for Melissa Landy. Thank you for being here today.”
    “Wait a minute,” called a reporter from one of the middle seats. “What about Jessup? When will he be brought here for trial?”
    Williams put his hands on both sides of the lectern in a casual move designed to keep me from the microphones.
    “Earlier this morning Mr. Jessup was taken into custody by the Los Angeles police and is being transported from San Quentin. He will be booked into the downtown jail and the case will proceed. His conviction was reversed but the charges against him remain in place. We have nothing further at this time.”
    Williams stepped back and signaled me toward the door. He waited until I started moving and was clear of the microphones. He then followed, coming up behind me and whispering into my ear as we went through the door.
    “You do that again and I’ll fire you on the spot.”
    I turned to look back at him while I walked.
    “Do what? Answer one of your setup questions?”
    We moved into the hallway. Ridell was waiting there with the office’s media spokesman, a guy named Fernandez. But Williams turned me down the hall away from them. He was still whispering when he spoke.
    “You went off the script. Do it again and we’re done.”
    I stopped and turned and Williams almost walked into me.
    “Look, I’m not your puppet,” I said. “I’m an independent contractor, remember? You treat me otherwise and you’re going to be holding this hot potato without an oven mitt.”
    Williams just glared at me. I obviously wasn’t getting through.
    “And what was this shit about the death penalty?” he asked. “We haven’t even gotten there and you didn’t have the go-ahead to say it.”
    He was bigger than me, taller. He had used his body to crowd my space and back me up against the wall.
    “It will get back to Jessup and keep him thinking,” I said. “And if we’re lucky, he comes in for a deal and this whole thing goes away, including the civil action. It’ll save you all that money. That’s really what this is about, right? The money. We get a conviction and he’s got no civil case. You and the city save a few million bucks.”
    “That’s got nothing to do with this. This is about justice and you still should have told me what you were doing. You don’t sandbag your own boss.”
    The physical intimidation got old real fast. I put my palm on his chest and backed him off me.
    “Yeah, well, you’re not my boss. I don’t have a boss.”
    “Is that right? Like I said, I could fire your ass right here right now.”
    I pointed down the hall to the door to the press conference room.
    “Yeah, that’ll look good. Firing the independent prosecutor you just hired. Didn’t Nixon do that during the Watergate mess? Worked