Chapter 40: Confessions Part II

Deb:

Unfortunately, neither Vic nor his boyfriend, Rodney, were at home when I went there. I almost wanted to call his cell phone and ream him a new asshole for not being available when I needed him. I mean, his nephew is sitting in jail and he’s out having a fucking social life? Where is his family loyalty?! I would have loved to sit there waiting for him, and been able to give him a piece of my mind about how he’s leaving Michael and me when I’ve never left him, but I can’t right now. Finding the answers I need to help Michael out of this mess is more important, but rest assured, I will deal with him and his defection later. After all, he owes me and it’s time to pay the fuck up!

I enter the police station, determined to see the one man who knows more about the situation my son is in than what he is saying. Charging up to the desk, I see the familiar face of the night desk sergeant. He was the one I’d defended Vic’s right to have his HIV meds to when he was wrongly jailed for indecent exposure not so long ago. As he looks up, I can see the instant recognition in his eyes as he looks at me. I can also see that he’s hard-pressed not to roll his eyes at me for whatever reason. Well this shit stops now!

“Good evening, Officer Goddard.”

“Mrs. Novotny, surprised to see you here…”

“Yes, I know. Unfortunately, the circumstances aren’t any better than the last time. I… I want to thank you for what you did for my brother last time he was here. How’s your sister?”

“She’s okay. They put her on a different med to help slow down the blindness, but that’s not why you’re here, is it?”

“No. I have a situation with my son and I need to speak with Carl Horvath. Is he available?”

“He was supposed to be out of here a couple hours ago. I’ll check, but for what it’s worth, I think you should let that boy of yours pay for what he’s done. It’s… he’s, not like the situation with your brother, Mrs. Novotny.”

“We all make mistakes, Sargeant,” I tell him, trying not to get pissed at his comment.

“Whereas that’s true, this wasn’t a mistake, and I think you know that as well as I do. I’ll see if Carl is still here.”

He moves off before I have a chance to respond. Even though I know he’s telling me the truth, I can’t help but feel that Michael was just misguided by Lindsay. I mean, I always knew that she was toxic in her own way. It’s why I always warned Brian against her when she wasn’t looking. I never knew how low Lindsay would go to have her way with Brian.

But I thought once she met Melanie, her infatuation with him died an instant death. Too bad I never thought to warn Michael about her. I guess I just didn’t see the need to, since she wasn’t his type. Michael isn’t the Alpha male Brian is; I can admit that. My son was built to follow, not lead.

It took me a while to realize that, but I never ever thought that this is the path he would trod down. If it wasn’t for Lindsay…

My thoughts are interrupted by Officer Goddard again. “Carl said that he would be right out. He’s just finishing up a call.”

“Thank you,” I say, as he settles himself back into his seat.

As I wait for Carl, I can’t help but wonder what that call was about. Was it about Michael’s case? Would Carl be able to tell me anything to help him? Would he even want to? I can’t help but feel a little betrayed by Carl during this entire process.

Sure it wasn’t fair for me to expect him to choose between my son and his job, but couldn’t he have taken himself off the case?! Hell, he usually works homicide, so surely there should have been someone else to take this off his hands so that we could continue dating. But no! He just had to be involved in this, and now we’re over! Vic said that I allowed Michael to cost me the one good thing in my life that was just for me, but Carl made his choice.

Sadly, it wasn’t me.

“Mrs. Novotny, what can I do for you?” Carl’s voice comes from behind me.

I clear my throat as I look upon him for the first time in weeks. He looks well, although I can tell that he hasn’t been sleeping regularly. “I was hoping that we could talk.”

“Actually, I was just about to drop by… with a search warrant.” He pulls me over to the side. “Look Red, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but you need to know since I know Justin gave you back the house...”

“How did…”

“There are a lot of facets to this case that I’m privy to since I was the lead cop on Justin’s bashing case. It’s why they asked me to head up this investigation... and why I wouldn’t say no.”

I know what he’s telling me, but still it hurts. To think that my son and my lover- ex lover- are on opposite sides mainly because of the twink I took in, well it fucking hurts. “I would love to say that I understand, Carl, but…”

“You can’t,” he sighed. “Debbie, you weren’t there the night Justin was brought into the hospital. You only arrived later when he was in surgery. But I saw the damage firsthand, and Brian’s reaction to it. It’s an image that is burned into my memory. So even if Michael had nothing to do with it, I would still be investigating this case. The fact that he does… well, that’s a whole other issue. I can’t effectively do my job and date you. I would love to, if you were a different kind of mother, but…”

“What do you mean by that?!” I shriek, only to take a deep breath to calm myself down before we attract unwanted attention. “What do you mean by that, Carl?”

“It means that even faced with all the evidence of his wrongdoing, you are unwilling, or unable, to let him reap what he’s sows. Unfortunately, that also means that I have to do my job without your support, because you’ll never give it if it means your baby is in the wrong. And he is, Deb, he most certainly is. That said, I have to execute this search warrant.”

“What search warrant?”

“I can’t give you all the particulars, only tell you that Michael’s list of charges just grew to include identity theft and fraud.”

I can feel my heart drop as he uttered those words, confirming my own suspicions about what Carl knew. Oh Michael, my stupid son, what the fuck have you done?! “Is there anything else that I should know about? I need to be able to contact his attorney, Carl.”

“That’s all I know. But Red, if you talk to Michael, tell him to plead guilty.”

“Plead guilty? Why?”

“Because with all of the evidence against him, it’s the only way he’ll see the light of day again before he leaves this earth. The D.A. is not playing around with him on this one. Due to Russo’s ignorance, anything and anyone linked to that botched case is under scrutiny, and the punishments meted out are going to be even more severe this time around. You’d do well to warn Michael of that.”

We’re interrupted by the screeching WASPy voice of a woman I have come to hate with every fiber of my being.

“You will uncuff me this instant! I’ll be adding police brutality to the lawsuit I plan to have drawn up against this department! I demand to speak with my attorney right now!” Lindsay screams as the officers silently usher her to the back of the building.

“They are going to put her in a holding cell until she’s arraigned,” Carl tells me as he shakes his head. “I don’t envy the night staff having to deal with her.”

“Yeah, well I would like a few words with her myself. This is all her fault!”

Carl shakes his head at me. “Deb, Michael isn’t as innocent as you would like to believe. He knew what he was doing. And Lindsay, for all her looks, isn’t the fucking Madonna either. They knowingly went after Justin!” He takes another calming breath. “Look, go home and wait for us to arrive there. Or, if you want, go to the Diner and sit there and wait for the search to be over. If you try to interfere in any way, we will have to arrest you for obstruction. So maybe the latter option would be the best for you.”

“But Carl…”

“No, Red. You’re not going to want to see us building more of a case against your prized possession. But please understand that he brought this upon himself. No, you didn’t help, and you still aren’t, but I also know that you at least taught Michael right from wrong. Give yourself at least that much credit, and let him deal with the fact that he disregarded your lessons on his own. You can’t coddle him anymore!”

“I didn’t…”

“Don’t lie to yourself. That’s not the woman I know and was really beginning to care for. Be there for him, if you must, but stop trying to save Michael. You can’t save someone who didn’t and doesn’t want to be saved, Red. It’s just a fact of life. Lindsay may have made some suggestions, as she is wont to do, but Michael knowingly acted upon them. He’s not a co-Defendant for no reason.”

He left me standing there as he went to check in with Officer Goddard again, before leaving the precinct in the company of five other officers. I debated the wisdom of what he was telling me in regards to Michael. It was the same advice in so many words that Vic was trying to get through to me. But how can I just leave Michael hanging like they’re telling me to do? He’s my son and I’m all he has left.

How can I be there for him, without sacrificing myself in the process, when it’s all I’ve ever done? Meanwhile, who will I have once he’s gone off to jail? Because whether I like it or not, I have to accept that he is going. The evidence within my reclaimed house alone will see him doing hard time. Oh God, what am I going to do?

1223 Sycamore Lane: Residence of Debra Jane Grassi-Novotny

Carl:

After having one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had in my life, we arrive at the home of my former girlfriend. It was only a ten to fifteen minute ride from the 57th precinct to here, but I’ve had a lot to think about about during the short distance. Part of me really hopes that she takes what I’ve said on board and leaves Michael to deal with the consequences of his own actions. But the more realistic half of my mind knows that Deb won’t. It breaks my heart to see that while Michael has been unbelievably arrogant and selfish, it’s Deb that’s going to suffer the most throughout all of this.

Not only is she going to lose her son to the prison system, but also the family network that she’s built up over the years because she sided with Michael even knowing he was wrong. As a parent, I can understand why she’s doing it, but as a cop I just can’t. Especially when, to the outside world, she’s so morally upstanding. The sad thing is that I remember Vic telling me that the rulebook changed whenever it involved her son, but seeing it firsthand is another matter altogether. So, whereas it hurts me to let her go, Debbie and I are history.

Entering the house, the first thing that hits me is the smell. I know instantly that this is not the work of Deb, but that of her slothful son. If the way Michael dressed was anything to go by, one might could say that he just had a simple problem with housekeeping. But I’ve seen him eat, and a more unkempt grown man, in any capacity, I’ve never met! So this place is definitely a reflection of him, both inside and out.

I hate to think that I’m like everyone else, when I wonder how Michael landed the chiropractor and a college professor, since he seems to have barely matured past grade school. Maybe there is just some unknown quality he has, that keeps people wanting to protect him. And that makes him either very smart when using it, or it makes the smartest people extremely naive and trusting. I’m of the former opinion, since everything is pointing to Michael being cunning and conniving, even without Lindsay’s brand of help. Regardless of his appearance, the one thing I’m learning is that Michael Charles Novotny was never a helpless, hapless victim in all of this. I’m even beginning to suspect that he was the instigator; intentionally dropping little hints that Lindsay picked up on when she made her ‘suggestions’.

The pair of them are definitely a match made in hell!

I stand by the door, watching as the officers do their jobs, opening boxes and collecting the evidence supporting the new claims of identity theft. Each box was labeled ‘Justin Taylor - care of Michael Novotny-Kinney’. It’s funny that Debbie never noticed Michael’s depth of obsession… Or perhaps she did, and decided to do what she does whenever she’s faced with something she doesn’t want to acknowledge, and just ignored it. From what I’ve heard, she’d been ignoring the obvious derangement of Michael and Lindsay for years prior to the advent of Justin Taylor on the Avenue.

Once he arrived and Brian took notice, she wasn’t able to any longer, but does that make her guilty of willful blindness?

I mean, if she noticed how Michael treated Justin, and actually ignored all of the warning signs showing that he would do anything to get rid of the young blond, does that in fact make her an accessory to all of this? I wouldn’t like to think so. But how could I not ask that question with all of the evidence mounting against Michael? The bottom line though is that Deb obviously isn’t the woman I thought she was. And that's the revelation that hurts, most of all.

“Detective, we found the credit card,” Officer Ramirez calls out to me, bringing me back to the task at hand.

“Are we sure it’s the one?”

“Yes, Sir. Outside of the each of the boxes stating Justin’s name as well as Novotny’s, contained an accompanying invoice. We already checked the last four digits against the card for proof. But there is a document next to the card that isn’t quite clear.”

“What do you mean?”

“It looks like a transfer of ownership, yet not.”

I cross over to the room to examine the sheaf of papers Michael had left lying about. And when I work out exactly what Michael was up to, I call Melanie immediately. “Hello Mel, I need you to come down to the precinct as soon as you can. I think we have another problem on our hands…”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ADLS

Shadyside

Early Sunday Morning

Taryn:

Oh fucking hell, I am NEVER doing this again! Rolling out of my bed is already a trial, but now it appears that it’s wet… Holy sheets! My bed is wet?! The first thing I do is grab my cellphone to send Ron Peterson a text message, just as the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my life kicks in. Timing the contraction, I resume my text only to find that I need to call 911 instead.

It’s too fucking soon! It’s just… something has to be wrong! It’s the last coherent thought I have before everything goes dark.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ADLS

OFFICE OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY ANNETTE PETERS

MONDAY MORNING

GALVISTON:

“Are you sure, Annette? I mean, absolutely positively sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure, Gal," she answers me, without her usual smugness. In fact, her voice sounds a bit sympathetic to my ears. It's not hard to understand why, when she continues. "I just spoke with him, and even with Novotny making restitution, they are seeking the maximum sentence. Judge Jones is adamant. He can make a deal about everything else, except the embezzlement charge. We’re going for the full penalty on that one, because of the intent behind the acts."

"But can the intent really be proven? Or is it just based on my client's less than desirable personality?" I ask her, just for the sake of argument. In all honesty, Michael Novotny certainly belongs where he is at the moment.

"Judge Jones’ reasoning is that any idiot can write a check, but with all the other evidence, it was more than clear through Michael Novotny’s malicious motives, that he wouldn’t have stopped if he hadn’t been caught. So he wants to show him what it’s like to actually be held responsible for his own actions.”

“He owned up to his part, but not without me having to pry out all the details I received during my meeting with him. However, he certainly did shift blame entirely onto Lindsay. It’s as if he thinks he was justified in all of his wrongdoings; was even almost boastful about it, even. But in some instances, I wasn’t sure if he deserved jail, or a one-way admission to Shady Pines on a locked unit for the rest of his life.”

“Well, I can assure you that he isn’t as delusional, or naive as he seems. This was a well thought out, well-executed plan from beginning to end, by both Novotny and Peterson. With Hobbs agreeing to the ten-year sentence for his part in all of this, there really isn’t a way he can talk around or explain away the facts.”

“But with the deal, will Hobbs still be seen as a credible witness?”

“Absolutely. A man with nothing else to lose is a very dangerous thing, especially when there are co-conspirators involved. Or he may be in a vengeful mood, wanting to take them down because he’s doing hard time. But ultimately, it also works in our favor. He’s not going to hold anything back, including how Lindsay Peterson got him to agree to his part in this.”

“And Novotny’s part in this? As far as we know, he just arranged and paid for everything. Where did the money go?”

“Beyond going to the rest of Chris’ comrades-in-mischief? Well, that’s the ultimate question that needs answering.”

The knock at the door interrupted their meeting, with Garrett peeking his head in. “Hobbs is requesting to see you. He has his attorney with him. He says he has other information that maybe you may want to consider another deal for.”

“Well this ought to be good,” Annette murmured. “Tell him to be prepared to tell us what the rest of the money he got was spent on, and perhaps we’ll consider it.”

“Also, Detective Horvath and Ms. Marcus are requesting to sit in on the interview with Lindsay Peterson. Apparently, they have some questions of their own,” Garrett tells her.

“What questions?” I ask, because suddenly I have a bad feeling that it’s linked to my client.

“There is a receipt made out to Craig Taylor on Lindsay’s behalf, but it was in Michael’s possession.”

Both of our eyes widen at that revelation, but Annette answers. “Tell them it’s no problem. Knowing Melanie as I do, she knows something, and will be looking for the Lindsay-lie in the explanation. It always amazes me how she sounds so reasonable, even when what she says is total bullshit. It’s a gift and a curse, I suppose.”

As he exits the room with a brief smile on his face, I turn back to Annette. “So what are we talking about regarding Novotny’s sentence?”

“Fifteen years, eligible for parole review after eight, and not to be served concurrently with any other sentence he makes a deal for. This is solely for the embezzlement charge and is the best deal I’m prepared to offer. If he doesn’t take it, I’m going for the maximum, which in his case would be twenty years, without any possibility of parole. It also won’t be able to run concurrently with any of the other sentences. The nature of his crimes, and the intent behind it will feature heavily if this gets to a judge and jury. If he takes the deal, all we’ll ask him to provide is testimony against Lindsay in exchange for a semi-lighter sentence.”

“What would be the lighter sentence?”

“Well based on his history, right now he’s heading for a medium-risk security prison. If he takes the deal, he’ll still do the time, but the exchange would be that he’s in a minimum security facility instead.”

“Why medium-risk at all?”

“Because he’s proven that he’s willing to pay people to do his dirty work for him. There’s no telling what he’ll do when denied. This way, if he turns violent, he’ll already be in a place where they will handle him with brute force, if necessary. Plus, they also have solitary confinement there, which I suspect he’ll need more often than not, for his own protection. The people on minimum security are those jailed for lighter violent crimes up to a year, or other offenses where no violence occurred, such as thievery, or being an accessory to a crime where no one was hurt. Novotny’s very spiteful nature doesn’t leave much wiggle room to offer him minimum security, but it’s worth a shot.”

“I can tell you right now, he’s not going to go for it.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Along with believing that he was justified, he also believes that he shouldn’t be punished for doing what he wholeheartedly believes was the right thing,” I inform her.

Annette shook her head. “That man’s moral reasoning would even baffle Gandhi, and he’s considered an expert on the subject. I really wonder who taught him to think that way. They should be in a cell right next to him… or better yet, inside the cell with him so he could whine them to death!”

I snicker. “Well who is the first person, who teaches us anything? According to the word on the street, Debbie Novotny is just as warped as her son when it comes to making him face the consequences of his actions.”

“But I’ll bet she has no problem telling other people that their assholish behavior needs correcting?”

“Bingo! It’s really sad when you think about it. She’s the one who taught him to lie convincingly, and at such a young age. I would imagine she was trying to overcompensate for being a single mom in a time when it was frowned upon.”

“What are you talking about? Most of the Avenue thinks she’s in line for sainthood, even though they can’t stand her bratty son.”

I pulled out a folder from my briefcase. “You know how thorough I am when it comes to my clients. The background check on Michael Charles Novotny turned up some interesting info on his mother. Although she is quite the upstanding citizen, with the exception of raising the human cancer that is Michael, she is also the most magnificent liar on the face of the planet. Not only has she managed to keep the fact that Michael’s bio dad isn’t a war hero, under wraps, but that his actual father is the famous drag queen, Divina Devore. Talk about a sordid family secret!

"She and her brother, Victor, came to Pittsburgh from a small town outside of Peoria, Illinois after being kicked out of the house; her for being pregnant, him for being gay. Although the Grassi family wasn’t exactly rich, they were quite well off. They kicked the two of them out with enough money to live on until they each found jobs. They have a younger sister who also moved here, but then returned to Peoria after finding out the real reason why Debbie and Vic were dismissed from the family. Prior to her arrival, Debbie manufactured an entire history, including changing her last name to that of a local war hero, who had recently expired in Vietnam. The paperwork went through just days before she gave birth to her only child. So you see, nothing is really as it seems with the Novotnys.”

“And the brother? What happened to him?” Annette asks me, fascinated.

“Oh, Victor Grassi is still around. He moved to New York for a time, but got sick with the virus and moved back here. Currently, he is doing well, dating a former doctor who also has the virus, and is trying to get his sister to let Michael grow up the hard way. A more fruitless endeavor there never was!”

“Seems like there is one set of rules for her and her son, and another set for the rest of those inhabiting her little world.”

“That’s accurate. So now you understand why he will not go for the deal.”

“Sadly, I do. Well, I guess I’ll have to start to prepare my case against him, even while you’re asking.” She rolled her eyes and wiped her hands down her face. “Right. So I would imagine that you will want to sit in on the meeting with Chris Hobbs? It might, at least, give you a better understanding of the players in this, and help you to prepare your defense of the idiot. This shit reads like a bad novel.”

“Actually, it would make a very good novel, but that’s beside the point. Yeah, I’ll want to sit in on that meeting. It might be the only way I get the information I need. Remind me why I agreed to be his defense attorney again?”

“Because even idiots have a constitutional right to a defense.”

“Ah, if ever there was a time to rewrite the Constitution, now would be it.”