Jigsaw (Black Raven Book 2) Read Free

from those in custody?”
    “They all know information buys leniency. Defense counsel Robert Brier has consistently advised them of that fact. None are talking. Silence is pervasive.”
    “And torture is now illegal.” The president’s distaste for the concession was obvious in his frown.
    “Watch that frown. The nightly comedians are using it in their parodies.”
    “Not running the country for their approval.”
    “They influence public opinion, and we need the public behind the ITT. I wouldn’t express your personal views on the gentle nature with which ITT interrogations are taking place.”
    “Of course not.” The president reached for his cup of coffee, took a sip, and studied his papers before resuming in his press-conference tone. “The ITT proceeding is a hybrid of U.S. federal judicial proceedings. The procedures that we are following are the product of a consensus of the forum countries. There is no privilege against self-incrimination. There is no appeal.”
    “Yes. Mention all of that.”
    “Punishment will be swift and permanent,” the president continued. “There is no death penalty, but there is the possibility of a lifetime of imprisonment. Ultimate Exile is a method of imprisonment that the world has agreed upon. A prison from which there will be no appeal and no escape.” The president paused, leafing through papers. “I’ll give more details about Ultimate Exile. The press loves the prison ship.” He looked up. “How much do you advise I say about Maximov?”
    “As little as possible,” the judge said. “State that the ITT is examining whether the Maximov organization, or any other international terrorist group, was involved in the four terrorist acts. With a guilty verdict that establishes any link in the terrorist acts, economic sanctions against the parties involved will be imposed by eighty-five percent of the world’s economies. All assets of complicit parties will be seized. The ITT has defense teams, we have prosecution teams, and we have Amicus teams. Tell the public about the role of the Amicus Curiae counsel; that the lawyers on the Amicus teams act as a friend to the court. They’re not prosecution or defense. Not for or against. They’re simply looking for the truth and acting as advisers to the judges. They assess the evidence and facilitate the proceedings, which resemble an adversarial process as much as possible. There is no need for you to suggest at the beginning that we know or believe Maximov is responsible for all of these acts.”
    “But even the general public believes the Maximov organization was involved.”
    “I know. But we need to avoid the appearance of prejudging, because, in reality, we aren’t. The dragnet could very well pull in other terrorist organizations. The U.S. prosecution teams have been culled from upper echelon Department of Justice attorneys. We were fortunate to get Robert Brier to head the defense team. The U.S. Amicus Curiae team, led by Stanley Morgan, is more than capable of tying the ends together and presenting a persuasive recommendation.”
    The president nodded. “Understood.”
    “One final caution. The press is using the term ‘ witch hunt ,’ which they’ve picked up from the defense teams. Dissuade them from using that term. This will be a fair trial. The end result will be unassailable. ‘ Witch hunt ’ implies prejudging. Prejudging makes the other countries nervous, and it gives human rights activists fuel.”
    Red flared in the president’s cheeks. “Witch hunt?” He ground his teeth, shook his head, and straightened his shoulders. “Could be good and bad, but after last night’s bombing in Vegas, I’d say Americans won’t give a damn about that label. For now, I’ll let the press run with it. I haven’t forgotten history. Americans love a good witch hunt.” His dark eyes flashed with hard-as-steel resolve, “As long as the goddamn witch is caught.”

Chapter One
     
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Sunday,