A Course of Passion

53: Frame Up

Once we get there, we get to Richie's P.O, April. We tell her why we are there and she smiles as she says, "Richie Caskey, one of our success stories. Coverboy for "Parolee Magazine." She eyes us all, then quickly adds on, "or maybe not. What'd he do?"

Maddison comments, "well, you don't seem surprised that he might have done something."

She shrugs as she sits in her chair, continuing to work, "20 years, 4,000 cons. If one of 'em turned into a mermaid, that might surprise me."

"All right, look," I move on, "he's gotta file a log with all of his appointments, meetings, job interviews, right?"

She nods, "yeah, what are you looking for?"

I look to Maddison then Amanda, and Amanda explains to her, "we're, um, we're looking at a rape that happened near a Hempstead shelter, one that he was living in last year. June 14th, 6:00 p.m. Hoping you can tell us where he was that day."

She gets up from her chair, moves one box and opens another. It doesn't take her more then a minute to find the right folder, "you're lucky I'm one of the organized ones around here." She murmers as she looks through her papers until she comes across it, "June 14th, 4:00 p.m., meeting with his attorney at the Hempstead shelter."

"So what, he says good-bye to his lawyer, and then he goes out and he rapes somebody?" I ask out rhetorically, none of this making sense to me.

April returns to us, passing the file over, "lawyers have that effect on some people."

Maddison simply says, "he was there" as we all look at the paperwork.

Olivia agree's to let me be the one to bring Richie in. We get everything in order, and that evening I head into the shelter. I learn Richie is in the restroom and make my way inside, "Smitty," he greets me with a smile while drying his hands, "I got a job. I'm the new ad salesman at radio station WNMZ. Wall-to-wall sports, 24/7."

"Richie, we need to talk." I say, then pull out my badge to show him.

"Are you kidding me?" He replies, looking defeated. I move to help walk him out of the shelter, the back way so the others don't see, "look, whatever your name is, you know I wouldn't do something like that. You got to know me."

I spit back to him as we get out the door, "yeah, maybe I would've gotten to know you better when you were raping cocktail waitresses."

"No, no, you know how that happened. I can't even remember anything." He tries to claim.

"Oh, really? You know what, Richie, that makes a great story for our little sessions in there and for your wife, but I'm not buying it." I spit, annoyed at everything this man is saying.

He claims to me then, "it was one waitress, one time."

I quip back, "you see, your memory's getting better already, now walk." I growl, needing him to move.

Olivia comes out of the stairwell from the street and asks, "hey, we good?"

"You remember my lieutenant." I spit to Richie as he retreats down the steps.

We get Richie to the station and place him in a room. He asks for his lawyer and we give him a call the next morning. When he gets there I walk Richie to him, "you'd think I could make a friend in a shelter." He says to me as we get into the main area.

"Just save it, all right." I roll my eyes, "just save it. Look, here's your lawyer. Have fun."

"I can't believe they made you stay the whole night." Zimmerman says to Richie. Then he turns his attention to me, "detective, your little masquerade was shameful and illegal--