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Back The House Party
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. April 2008
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. Author’s Note
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. About the Author
  57. About the Publisher

“I’d also like to thank Assistant DA Jake Tillman for his hard work on the case.” Hal nodded in Jake’s direction without looking at him. “No one can fault Jake here for taking the young ages of these kids into account in his charges. I think we’re all sensitive to the fact that kids make mistakes. But from now on I will be handling the matter personally, and any questions can be directed to me. We may be dealing with young people here, but we can’t let our concern for the futures of these kids cloud our judgment or prevent us from addressing the culture of wealth and entitlement that can lead to these shocking outcomes.”

Jake couldn’t believe his ears. Hal was laying this at his feet? Jake was the one who had argued for accountability, and Hal had sat in this very building and warned him to tread lightly and to wrap everything up as quickly as possible. Now that it looked like the case might be too big to dispose of neatly, with the assault accusation upping the stakes, Hal was shifting all the blame to him. Jake stood there, livid, as Hal finished up his statement. He couldn’t concentrate on the words.

Hal’s shortsighted handling of the case had only confirmed to Jake that Hal was halfway out the door already. A case like this could make your career, and Jake had seen it as his ticket to the corner office—as soon as Hal finally took the leap to full-time golf and tennis, of course. But now Jake saw that chance slipping away. He realized that he’d been wrong. Hal still relished the game. And worse, he was making Jake look incompetent at his job.

Jake hardly noticed when Hal concluded the conference, and he followed Hal back down the hallway numbly. He hadn’t said a single word the entire time. At the door to his office, Hal clapped a hand on his back. “Professional hazard,” he said, by way of explanation. “Got to let them know that we’re all over it before news about the assault breaks. Thanks for being a good soldier.”

“We’re all on the same team,” Jake said drily. “Right?”

35

Jake sat very still in his chair. Hal had thrown him under the bus. This was his case, and he’d handled it well. Or at least as well as possible, under the restrictions that Hal put on him. While it hadn’t shaped up to be a spectacular, headline-generating case that would make his career in New Falls, he had hoped that it would give him a little name recognition in town.