Part 73 (1/2)
”You're not going to get away with this bulls.h.i.+t. I know my rights!”
”Get away with what, Mr. Brownlee?”
”Coming to my place in the middle of the f.u.c.king night and hauling me off.”
”If you are suggesting that something illegal has transpired-”
”I want to call my f.u.c.king lawyer!”
”-you err. Would you like me to explain your situation to you?”
”I got my rights, motherf.u.c.ker. I got the right to see my lawyer.”
”Your attorney is free to visit you during the prescribed visiting hours at the Detention Center,” Was.h.i.+ngton said.
”What's with this Detention Center bulls.h.i.+t? I made bail!”
”You were were out on bail,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. ”As I am sure the officers who returned you to custody informed you at the time of your rearrest, the magistrate's decision to grant you freedom pending trial has, on appeal, been overridden.” out on bail,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. ”As I am sure the officers who returned you to custody informed you at the time of your rearrest, the magistrate's decision to grant you freedom pending trial has, on appeal, been overridden.”
”What the f.u.c.k does that mean?”
”The Honorable Harriet M. McCandless, Judge Judge McCandless, on reviewing your case, decided there was a real possibility that you would fail to appear for your trial. And/or, based on your criminal record, that there was a real possibility that you would engage in further criminal activity while free on bail. And/or, that you posed a real danger to society. She therefore overturned the magistrate's decision and ordered you remanded.” McCandless, on reviewing your case, decided there was a real possibility that you would fail to appear for your trial. And/or, based on your criminal record, that there was a real possibility that you would engage in further criminal activity while free on bail. And/or, that you posed a real danger to society. She therefore overturned the magistrate's decision and ordered you remanded.”
”Ordered me what?”
”Returned to custody. Which is your status now.”
”How long am I going to be in here for?”
”If you mean 'in custody,' I devoutly hope for a very long time.”
”I want to make bail.”
”You don't seem to be able to grasp your situation, Mr. Brownlee. Let me go over it again for you. You were arrested, charged with the possession of a quant.i.ty of controlled substances-which was later determined to be cocaine. At the time of your arrest, you were brought before a magistrate in the police administration building. He decided that, upon posting a bail of twenty-five thousand dollars, or having a bail bondsman post it for you, you could be released until your trial. The bail was posted, and you were released from custody. The decision of the magistrate was appealed by the district attorney to Judge McCandless-are you familiar with Judge McCandless, Mr. Brownlee? I understand she is known within the criminal community as 'Hanging Harriet.' ”
”I know who the b.i.t.c.h is.”
”I believe that somewhat rude nickname is based on Her Honor's reputation for sentencing those found guilty in her court to the most severe penalties provided for in the law.”
”I told you, I know who she is.”
”Well, as I said before, when the district attorney appealed the magistrate's decision to grant you a conditional release, she granted the appeal and ordered you remanded.”
”So what happens now?”
”When we have finished our little talk, you will be transported to the Detention Center and held there until your trial. I understand, with the load placed on the criminal justice system, that it will be at least ninety days, and very possibly longer, before you will be brought to trial.”
”You can't do that!” Brownlee said indignantly, but without very much conviction.
”I think you would be astonished at what a judge can do, Mr. Brownlee.”
”So what am I doing here?”
”We are going to have a little chat,” Was.h.i.+ngton said.
”About what?”
”If there is anything lower than a drug dealer, Mr. Brownlee, anyone deserving to be punished to the full extent of the law, it is a police officer involved in drug trafficking. That, unfortunately, may work to your advantage.”
”I don't know what the f.u.c.k you're talking about.”
”According to the record of your arrest, which took place at the Howard Johnson motel on Roosevelt Boulevard last Thursday evening, you were found in possession of a package of cocaine weighing approximately one kilo, or a little more than two pounds.”
”I never saw that s.h.i.+t before in my life,” Brownlee said. ”What that was was a frame.”
”And in possession of a loaded, snub-nosed Smith and Wesson .38 Special-caliber revolver, serial number J- 384401.”
”I never saw that gun before, either.”
”Possession of which, since you are a convicted felon, violates not only the Philadelphia ordinances proscribing possession of a pistol without a license, but also federal law, which proscribes possession of any any firearm by a convicted felon, or by someone under indictment for a felony. Both conditions apply to you. You are a convicted felon, and you are under indictment for several instances of drug dealing, in addition to what happened last Thursday evening. I think you should be prepared to see yourself arrested on firearms charges by both Philadelphia and federal authorities.” firearm by a convicted felon, or by someone under indictment for a felony. Both conditions apply to you. You are a convicted felon, and you are under indictment for several instances of drug dealing, in addition to what happened last Thursday evening. I think you should be prepared to see yourself arrested on firearms charges by both Philadelphia and federal authorities.”
”We'll see what happens. I don't know nothing about no gun.”
”Finally, your arrest record shows that you had on your person one thousand four hundred and thirty dollars and fifty-two cents.”
”So what? Is that against the law?”
”Now, Mr. Brownlee, what we find interesting is that Mr. Ronald R. Ketcham, to whom you apparently intended to sell the cocaine-”
”Never heard of him,” Baby Brownlee interjected.
”As I was saying,” Was.h.i.+ngton went on, ”Mr. Ketcham, to whom you and Mr. Amos J. Williams planned to sell the cocaine, had in his possession twenty thousand dollars. Twenty thousand dollars ordinarily buys two kilos of cocaine.”
”So what?”
”Mr. Ketcham has given us a sworn statement that he went to the Howard Johnson motel with twenty thousand dollars in cash to meet Mr. Williams-who is again in custody, by the way-and exchange it for two kilos of cocaine.”
”I told you I never heard of him.”
”Tell me, Mr. Brownlee, did you ever wonder why Mr. Ketcham was not arrested at the time you were?”
That caught Baby Brownlee's attention, Was.h.i.+ngton saw, although he said nothing.
”Let me tell you what happened, Mr. Brownlee. You went into Mr. Ketcham's room at the motel. He showed you that he did in fact have the twenty thousand dollars, the agreed-upon price. You then left his room-”
”Bulls.h.i.+t.”
”-went to Mr. Williams's blue Oldsmobile, went into the trunk, and took from it a beach bag. At that time the narcotics officers, who were watching the entire transaction, arrested you, and Mr. Williams, and the others.”
Baby Brownlee shrugged.