Corrupt City. Tra Verdejo

you can cross-examine the witness when you are ready.”

      “Thank you, Your Honor,” Matthew replied.

      Tyler Matthew walked toward Donald and stared him right in his eyes, hoping to intimidate the former detective, but Lucky wasn’t fazed by the staredown. He held his ground until the fancy defense lawyer looked away.

      Tyler Matthew first got his license twenty-five years ago as a public defender. He became famous when he was able to get all charges dropped against Al “The Stallion” Soprano in one of the biggest Mafia cases to hit NY in the ’80s. He even won a civil lawsuit against the city. Ever since that case, he had been defending high-profile clients who could afford his rate, which was anywhere from $5,000 plus, an hour.

      “Donald, can you please state for the court and jury your last employer.”

      “You mean who I worked for?”

      “Correct. You do remember your last employer, right?”

      “For the past fifteen years I’ve worked for the New York Police Department.”

      “Are you aware of the brotherhood code in the police department?”

      “What brotherhood?” Lucky asked, confused.

      “Testifying against one of your own is against the brotherhood.”

      “I object, Your Honor!” Johnson interrupted.

      “Withdrawn, Your Honor. Lucky, today you made some accusations in this courtroom. You have implicated my clients’ involvement in all sorts of criminal activities. It is my job to make sure those accusations are nothing but the truth. How old are you?”

      “I’m thirty-eight years old.”

      “Are you a family man?”

      “No, I’m not. My job didn’t permit me to have a family. I worked too many hours.”

      “But, all three of your partners, they have a family. I don’t see why you couldn’t. Any reason as to why?”

      “I object, Your Honor. His questions are irrelevant to the case.”

      “Your Honor, I’m just trying to see if Mr. Gibson is a credible witness. I’m trying to establish his character, that’s all,” Matthew shot back

      “Overruled. Counsel, I hope you are going somewhere with this. You are running on thin ice.”

      “Thank you, Your Honor. I understand. Please continue, Mr. Gibson.”

      “I understand my partners are all married, but trust me, you don’t want to use them as examples or role models. They are horrible husbands and fathers. They have all committed adultery. The clients you are defending loved having sex in our department. It didn’t matter where—in the police car, holding cell, right on their desk. You name it, they did it.” Lucky chuckled.

      “But you still haven’t answered my question. Why are you avoiding answering me? Why don’t you have a family?”

      “I don’t want a family, and I don’t need a family. When my partner was killed in the line of duty, I had to call his wife and tell her about the murder. I wouldn’t want my wife to receive a call like that. That’s why I avoided a family. I still dated females. I just stayed away from serious relationships.”

      “You don’t have any kids?”

      “No.”

      Matthew paused and walked back to his desk.

      Lucky took a deep breath, hoping they didn’t know about his daughter. He poured himself a glass of water. He knew he was in an awkward situation, but he kept his composure because the jury was still watching him.

      “Donald, you know you are under oath. Once you make a statement, it becomes a record of the courts.”

      “I understand.”

      “Let’s go back to the M&M case for a second. You stated you couldn’t comprehend why Money Mike was let off the hook and his members received short sentences. Could it have been because of you?”

      “What? Are you serious?” Lucky shouted back. “I did what I was told to do. I did my job.”

      Mr. Johnson caught Lucky’s attention from his chair and hand signaled him to calm down.

      “Did they tell you to go around killing rivals?” Matthew asked.

      “As an undercover detective, you have to play whatever roles you need to in order to keep their trust and to stay alive. That’s nothing new. We killed if we had to, just to stay in character.”

      “You still didn’t answer my question. Did you kill rival members with the fella you call Thirty-eight?”

      “I object, Your Honor. He’s leading my witness.”

      “Overruled. C’mon, Mr. Johnson, you know you can lead in cross-examination.”

      Lucky, looking for help, was hoping Johnson’s objection didn’t get overruled. Matthew had him trapped against the wall.

      “We are all waiting for your answer, Mr. Gibson.”

      “Yes.”

      Lucky knew his credibility was shot. Even the body language of a few jurors changed a bit.

      “Is it true that some of your wiretaps also included your voice in the background?”

      “Of course, they did. They were strapped on my chest. You could hear my heartbeat.”

      “Mr. Gibson, let me refresh your memory.”

      “I object, Your Honor. Where are these wiretaps? There could be anything on those tapes.”

      “I agree. Sustained. Counsel, don’t talk about mysterious wiretaps in my courtroom. Unless you are submitting new evidence, please proceed.”

      “Is it true your captain approached you about your conduct during the investigation?”

      “No, he never approached me about my conduct. He patted me on the back and told me to keep my mouth shut.”

      “He wanted you to keep your mouth shut about what?”

      “They didn’t want me to talk about my involvement with M&M. They thought my behavior was a bit much.”

      “Over the edge, you think?” Matthew asked with a friendly smile, hoping Lucky would bite.

      “I guess a little too much.”

      “I just asked you if you were approached by your captain about your behavior and you said no.”

      “No, I didn’t. I thought you were referring to IA, Internal Affairs.”

      Lucky’s credibility took another hit. Perry’s family was all sitting on the edge on their seats. They knew Lucky was messing up, and that was hurting their case.

      “I warned you earlier that you are under oath. Secretary, read back for the records.”

      “Counsel,” she said. “‘Is it true your captain approached you about your conduct during the investigation?’

      “Witness. ‘No, he never approached me about my conduct. He patted me on the back and told me to keep my mouth shut.’”

      “Mr. Gibson, how can we trust anything that’s coming out your mouth is the truth? In the past few minutes, we all have witnessed you change your testimony. Were charges dropped against M&M because your wiretaps also incriminated the police department?”

      “No, I don’t agree. I was asked to do what’s necessary to bring down M&M. I acted as a gangster, only to build the trust I needed to shut down their operation. My behavior wasn’t a mystery. It was necessary to perform at a maximum level.”

      Matthew walked right up to the jury, and without