Free Sly Fox: A Dani Fox Novel by Jeanine Pirro Page B

charges against Hitchins after he resisted arrest and assaulted White Plains police officers?” His smile was gone. His voice had turned ugly.
    Wow, I thought, O’Brien really had pulled strings.
    “Sir, I don’t believe we need these new charges to successfully prosecute Rudy Hitchins for first-degree assault.”
    “Oh,” he said in a mocking voice. “Miss Dani Fox, who has never officially tried a criminal case in Westchester County, has decided that it’s perfectly okay to resist arrest and assault White Plains police officers now. She’s decided that those charges don’t matter because she’s already charged this suspect with beating up his girlfriend and that’s enough.”
    Without giving me a chance to explain, Whitaker continued: “You realize the police are on our side, don’t you, Miss Fox? You understand that when a criminal resists arrest and assaults an officer, the police really don’t like that. And when a prosecutor decides to blow off those charges, it doesn’t sit well with the officers who were in danger or with the chief of police. You do understand that, right?”
    He was lecturing me much like a kindergarten teacher speaking to a five-year-old. Once again, Whitaker didn’t let me answer. “Now, Miss Fox, I realize how eager you are to go to trial on this case, but let me give you a quick lesson on how justice works here in Westchester County and in every other prosecutor’s office in our glorious nation—just in case you missed this crucial bit of illumination in Albany Law School. The police charge a suspect with as many serious felonies as possible each and every time they make an arrest. A prosecutor then uses those charges as leverage to negotiate the best plea bargain for the public good. This avoids wasting taxpayers’ hard-earned money on frivolous and expensive trials and also eliminates the chances of a jury of complete fools releasing someone to the streets who needs to be locked up.” He paused, apparently to give me time for this to soak in, and then said in a ridiculing voice, “ Am I making this simple enough for you, my dear? ”
    My dear? Who did he think he was, my mother? I really was going to have to find a coffee mug with the word PRICK printed on it. Keeping my temper in check, I replied, “Yes, you are.”
    With his voice still dripping with sarcasm, Whitaker said, “Well then, Miss Fox, perhaps you can explain to me why I just got a call from a very angry White Plains chief of police telling me that you are being a real—” Whitaker caught himself midsentence and said, “How can I put this more delicately?”
    He glanced at Pisani, who was clearly enjoying my dressing-down.
    “Perhaps you can substitute the word ‘witch,’” Pisani volunteered.
    Whitaker nodded. “Let’s just say, the chief of police feels you are showing a certain lack of esprit de corps.”
    “Sir, I was standing there when they arrested Rudy Hitchins. I saw what happened.”
    I hoped my reply would be enough for Whitaker to understand why I didn’t want to move forward on the extra counts. I was trying to warn him that O’Brien hadn’t told his boss the real story and that his boss hadn’t told the police chief the entire truth about what really had gone down outside O’Toole’s. I hoped my admission—that I had been there when Hitchins had been arrested—would be enough for Whitaker to read between the lines. But judging from the expression on his face, Whitaker was used to reading unlined paper.
    He said, “If you were at the scene, then you realize how serious these charges are and why the White Plains police are furious and want them filed against Mr. Hitchins.”
    Okay, I thought, I’m going to throw out another bone. “Sir, as I just mentioned, I was there. I saw what happened and I would not ever want to be in a position in court where our office might be embarrassed.” I paused and said, “ How can I put this more delicately? Let’s just say ‘questionable