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CHAPTER 56

WHEN YUKI GOT to her desk the next morning, she had an email from Len “Red Dog” Parisi in her inbox, with the subject line: “Esteban Dario Garza Trial, Next Steps.”

The message was brief. Her presence was requested at ten o’clock today in the DA’s conference room on the second floor.

Yuki, as prosecutor, was on the short list, as was Nick Gaines, and the other invitees were Dario’s defense team. Gaines met Yuki in her office, and they walked to the conference room together. It was an imposing space, with windows on the east side and sunlight glinting on the burnished oak table. There was a pad of paper in front of each chair, pens lined up parallel to the pads, as well as a carafe of water, water glasses, and charging stations at intervals along the center of the table.

Yuki and Gaines took seats flanking the chair at the head of the table, and about two minutes later, Red Dog came through the doorway. He was wearing one of his mahogany-colored tweed jackets that brought out the red of his hair. It wasn’t just his hair and the jut of his jaw that had given Parisi his nickname. It was because of his reputation as a hardball prosecutor and, later, San Francisco’s district attorney. He was fierce, tenacious, and indomitable.

He sat down and gave cursory nods to the others. A few minutes later, Dario’s defense lawyers joined them at the table: Jon Credendino plus his second chair, Donna Villanova.

The atmosphere in the room was strained. Those present plugged in their devices, filled their glasses, passed notes, and finally Red Dog tapped the table with the butt of a pencil, which sounded like a gavel.

His opening remarks were stark and, Yuki thought, rightly so.

“You all know that Judge Martin Orlofsky, a fine judge with a great future, was brutally murdered yesterday, along with his wife, Sandra Flynn Orlofsky, a linguist who taught at Berkeley. Their killer decapitated their bodies with a machete to make the point that he had the time and the balls to commit this atrocity.”

Parisi swept his gaze across the faces of the rest of the table, then went on. “No doubt that decapitations bring young Dario Garza to mind. We’re not stopping until we arrest the killer or killers responsible for this tragedy.”

Parisi paused for breath, then: “The Crime Scene Unit has been on the scene nonstop, and although teams of homicide inspectors have been meeting with Judge Orlofsky’s friends and associates, no firm leads have come to light.”

Parisi asked, “Any questions so far?”

There were none.

“All right, then,” he said. “In consultation with the mayor and San Francisco’s presiding judge, a new trial judge has been chosen to preside over Dario’s trial.”

Credendino said, “Mr. Parisi, you’ll be relocating the trial to another location, we’ll select a new jury, and so on, correct?”

“That’s correct, Counselor. The details are to be determined, but maximum security will be required. That’s mandatory for everyone here and the defendant and the new jury. Obviously, all involved will be sequestered for the duration, and the jurors’ names will not be revealed.”

Questions followed. How long would it take to gather enough people for jury selection? Was there a space large enough for a trial and with enough room to separate the jurors from the attorneys and one another?

Parisi said, “Until the trial is relocated, my office is responsible for the defendant’s safety, and police security is available to those who want it. That’s round the clock.”

“I’d like twenty-four hours to consider your suggestion,” Credendino said.

“It’s not a suggestion,” said Parisi. “The new judge, along with the input of the San Francisco presiding judge, will determine the location and the date. They will discuss moving arrangements with me or Ms. Castellano and confer with defense counsel, but it is their joint decision alone.

“However, Mr. Credendino, you can always resign from representing your client. That’s your decision.”

Parisi stood. The rest followed, all leaving the room without speaking.

Yuki had many concerns.

Mainly for everyone’s safety.