Page 52 of Jason's Justice
“When big dealers were brought in, and if it was a federal case because of the amount of drugs, Dad would talk to them, and he would pull strings to get them off with communityservice, or probation. However, if the dealers accepted the deal, then whenever they received a large shipment, I was called in to take the drugs to the people that were to sell them. I was to stop by Dad’s house first, and he would take several packages of the drugs from me. When I went to gather the money from the sellers, again, I swung by Dad’s house, and he would take his quote, unquote, cut of the money.”
“Was Katherine Miller involved in this?”
“No,” he said firmly, then sighed and the chain connecting his wrists and ankles rattled as he bent and scrubbed his face. “Dad was the one that forced me to date Katherine. I thought she was cute, but not cute enough to date.” He looked over at Ilsa, and without being prompted, he talked directly to her.
“Dad forced me to ask her out, because he wanted me to get her hooked on drugs, to keep Larry in line at work. Larry started questioning some things Dad was doing, and Dad didn’t like it. He told me that if I could get in good with his daughter, and get her hooked on drugs, then he could control Larry.” He shook his head again, and looked like he was going to cry when he spoke next, but he looked directly at Jason as he finished.
“Dad, George Babcock Grayson, that man sitting right there in the black suit with the navy-blue tie, is the one that told me to encourage Stephanie’s parents to go after Katherine for the death of their daughter. He was the one that told the men from the LAPD that was on his payroll to break into the evidence locker and remove the video of what happened on that fateful night. It was Dad that was behind it all. Katherine had nothing to do with it, neither did Stephanie. Dad also told me that if I didn’t break it off with Stephanie, then she would met her demise at Larry’s hands. When I questioned him, he told me he had ways to get rid of problem people with no trace. It wasn’t until the trial for me that I realized what he meant.”
“What was that? What did he mean?”
“Larry had buyers that would come and have sex with girls, then take them away, leaving money behind. If I hadn’t gotten caught, and didn’t end up in prison, my next step in Dad’s organization would have been to work with the girls.” He paused and shook his head. “According to Dad, that would be my next step up the ladder.”
“Do you know a man by the name of Duane Manchester?” Jason only asked as a spur of the moment question. He didn’t know whether it shocked him or not when Michael’s features tightened, and he sat up straighter.
“I do.”
“In what capacity?”
“I never personally met him, however, I saw him on the streets when he was working undercover. Both Larry Mason and Dad told me to avoid him at all costs. When I questioned them, they said it was above my pay grade. However, a few months later, I was working with one of the cops from LAPD that Dad had on his personal payroll. He told me that Duane Manchester was the man that could take Dad down for his illegal activities.” Michael shrugged, sighed heavily, and settled back in his seat. “Since I’ve been behind bars for a year now, I’m only assuming that this Manchester guy said something and that’s why we are here today.”
“What would you say if I told you that it was Larry Mason that came forward and opened this investigation for us to end up here today.”
“I’m shocked, Mr. Mason seemed to be Dad’s right hand man. Can you tell me what happened?”
“On the day you were sentenced to life in prison, your father showed up at Larry’s home and demanded to be taken to Katherine Miller’s apartment. Mr. Mason already testified that George Grayson wanted to kidnap Katherine and have one of Larry’s buyers step in and deal with her.”
Michael shook his head sadly, and turned to glare at his father. “You couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you? I listened to you when you told me to start to date Katherine in order to keep Mr. Mason in line. Then you stepped in and told Stephanie’s parents that it was Katherine that wrecked the car, you also told your goons at the LAPD to destroy evidence that would put me behind bars. I know you’re my father, but I hope they throw the fucking book at you!”
“OBJECTION!”
“The jury will disregard this witness’s last statement,” the judge said, and turned to Jason with a glare.
“I’m done with this witness,” Jason said as he went behind his table and watched as the three guards led Michael away. When they were adjacent to George’s table, the man jumped to his feet and tried to lunge at his son. Michael was hurried away, and the bailiffs ended up taking George to the floor, and cuffed him. The judge called the trial for the day, and said that if neither side had any other witnesses, then when they returned the next day, it would be for closing arguments. He left, and Jason waited until it was just him, Ilsa, and Lyle Anderson in the court.
“What do you think?” Ilsa asked quietly as they gathered their papers. “I’m going to be honest here, I about came out of my chair when Michael started talking about Katherine.”
“Thank goodness you didn’t, we didn’t need that.”
“I know, you’re such a good prosecutor that I knew you would handle it. I don’t know if you did, but I kept a tight eye on the jurors.”
“And?”
“And they were all disgusted when Michael talked. It wasn’t one thing, it was the entire testimony. I’m not a betting woman, but I feel good about the verdict coming in in our favor.”
“Well, let’s go back to your house and write up a killer closing argument to bring it home.”
They walked out with their heads held high, and they were almost to the parking lot when someone called their names. The three of them paused and waited for the head lawyer on George’s team to approach them.
“We need to talk, Black,” the man said in a frustrated tone.
“No deals.”
“Hear me out.”
“No,” Jason said coldly, then lifted his head and stared down his nose at the other lawyer. “Your client used his position of power in a federal agency. He used that power to enterprise drugs, guns, and women for his own gain. He needs to be judged by his own peers.” Jason turned on his heel and walked away with Ilsa, and Lyle. As they drove out of the parking lot, the lawyer was still standing there, looking defeated.
Lyle went in a different direction, probably back to his own office or home, while Ilsa and Jason went to Ilsa’s home. As soon as they entered, they went to their respective bedrooms, and met in the kitchen an hour later, dressed in casual clothes, and freshly showered. Without saying a word, they worked like a well-oiled machine as they got their dinner cooked and on the table. Neither spoke until they had finished eating.
