Murder For Revenge

“What exactly did you say would happen if he held back any more money?” Levine asked.

“I said I would kill his ass.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

“But I didn’t do it. Someone else wasted him.”

“Do you have any idea who it was?”

“Nah. O’Malley was askin’ for it. I’m not the only guy he pissed off.”

“Unfortunately, you’re the only person who threatened to kill him in front of witnesses. And it doesn’t help that O’Malley was beaten to death by a blunt instrument.”

Larry shrugged. “It wasn’t me. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Well, Larry, we’ll need to give the jury something more than your word. Do you have an alibi for the time of the murder?”

“When was it?”

“Saturday, between two and three in the morning.”

“Saturday! Between two and three!” Larry repeated excitedly.

Levine nodded.

“Oh, man, I must be livin’ right. I have a great alibi…”

Suddenly, Larry paused. He ran his tongue across his lips.

“Uh, there might be a little problem.”

“Yes?”

“What if my alibi involves something illegal?”

“That could present difficulties, but remember, you’re charged with murder and you’re feeing a possible death sentence.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Besides, the bitch will never testify against me.”

Levine looked interested. “Who are you talking about?”

“The bitch who was in the movie. Angie something. I don’t remember her last name. She’s some runaway I picked up at the bus station.”

“I’m not following you.”

“Okay. Look, selling dope ain’t all I do. It’s tough to make ends meet, so I got this other deal goin’ with a couple of the independent video stores. Like, for special customers, I make these movies.”

“What kind of movies?”

“Adult movies. Porno. I film ‘em at my house, then I dupe ‘em and sell ‘em to these few guys. Sometimes, they’re special order. You know, some guy has a fantasy, I do it for him on a video.”

“What does this have to do with your alibi?”

“Okay. On Saturday, between one and three, I was doing this rape thing for this guy.”

“A rape thing?”

“Yeah. He was real specific. He wanted a video. It had to be a redhead. She gets lured into the bedroom. Then, she gets beat up and tied to the bed. Then she gets raped and beat up some more. So, I go to the bus station. The girl’s perfect. Young, big tits. The hair was a problem. She was brunette. But we dyed her hair.

“I told her I was a movie scout, which, I guess, was technically true. I laid the thing out. She gets two hundred bucks for doing the movie. She was so fucking stupid. She bought the whole thing. She even believed it would all be acting and that she’d get paid.”

Larry laughed and shook his head. “The bitch sure looked surprised the first time she got hit.”

Levine looked upset for a second, but he composed himself.

“If you beat up this girl and raped her, what makes you think she’ll testify for you?”

“That’s the good part. We don’t need her. See, I filmed this shit in my bedroom. I worked the camera part of the time and a guy named Rodney beat her up and raped her. Then, Rodney worked the camera.”

“Well, this Rodney isn’t going to admit he did that.”

“Oh, I ain’t countin’ on Rodney. He’s outta here, anyway. The guy’s a drifter. I don’t know where he’s gone.

“No, the thing that’s go

“Aren’t you worried about being identified if the police see the video?” Levine asked.

“Nah. First, this bitch is long gone. We dumped her in a vacant lot and told her what we’d do to her if she ever went to the cops. She was so scared, she’s probably hit Alaska by now.

“Second, you can’t tell from the movie if it’s real or fake. I’d just say she was acting and no one could prove otherwise.”

“How can I get ahold of the video?” Levine asked.

“It’s still at my house. I was go

“Is there only one copy?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I better act fast. Tell me where it is and I’ll have my investigator pick it up. I want to put it in my safe.”

“Fuckin’ A!” Larry shouted. “I got to say this. I was really scared I’d get another asshole for a lawyer, but you are really good.”

Levine smiled modestly. “Why don’t you wait to congratulate me until the charges are dropped. Now, where do I find the tape?”

“It’s in my bedroom in the closet. There’s a lot of tapes, so you’re go

“How will the investigator know which one to take?”

“It’s labelled Angle’s Delight. I think it’s up by the front on the top shelf.”

Levine stood.

“You’ll let me know if you get it, right?” Larry said.

“I don’t want an i

Larry sprang to his feet when the guard told him his attorney was waiting to see him. It was four in the afternoon and he was thrilled that Levine was back so quickly. When the guard opened the door, Larry rushed into the room. He stopped dead, just as the door locked behind him.

“Who are you?” he asked the ski

“I’m Marty Long, your court-appointed counsel. I would have been over sooner, but you wouldn’t believe my day,” the young man said with an anxious chuckle. “First, I get stuck in Judge Lourde’s courtroom. Then, just when I thought I could get in to see you, there was this emergency at the office. Anyway, I’m here now. So, let’s get started.”

“Wait a fucking second. Where’s Levine?”

“Who?” Long said, looking up from the papers he was pulling out of a worn attaché case.

“My lawyer. Noah Levine. The guy was here this morning. He knew all about my case. He said he was court appointed.”

Long looked confused. “We don’t have a Noah Levine in the Public Defender’s Office. I guess there could have been a screw-up.” He laughed. “It happens all the time. I’d better check to make sure there aren’t two lawyers working on this case. Actually, it would be a relief if you did have another lawyer. I’m swamped right now, and I was wondering how I was going to have time to do all the work on this, uh, it’s a murder case, right?”

Larry stared open-mouthed at the fidgeting lawyer. What a toad, he thought. Thank God, he had Levine on the case.

Tom Farrell helped ease his daughter into the front seat of the rental car. He had cranked the seat back so it was reclining. He hoped this would make it easier for Angie to sleep on the ride to the airport. They would take a five o’clock flight home to Nebraska.

As soon as she was settled in her seat, Farrell reached across and fastened Angle’s seat belt. He avoided looking at her face. Whenever he saw the scars, the broken nose, and the bruises, it made him start to cry. He loved her so much, it broke his heart to think that something he might have done had caused her to run away. His pastor assured him it was the drugs that had destroyed Angie’s childhood, but he wondered if he had driven her to them with the pressures he put on her to be perfect. The months she was gone had been hell for Tom and his wife. He vowed that they would never lose her again.

As soon as Angie’s seat belt was fastened, Farrell sat back and started the car. He was driving out of the hospital parking lot when Angie said, “Daddy,” in a voice so low he could barely hear her.