J.D. Trafford - Michael Collins 03 - No Time To Hide Read Online Free Page A

cover it up. They didn’t tell their client. They faked a settlement agreement, and then paid for the Maltow settlement from the escrow accounts of other clients of the law firm, and this started a domino effect.”
    “What does that mean?” Gadd interrupted, sensing that the jurors were getting confused.
    “ Maltow was a huge case,” Vatch said. “To avoid a malpractice claim and tarnish the law firm’s reputation, they faked the settlement and the law firm issued a large settlement check to their client. Although the settlement was fake, the check was real and so Lowell Moore and Patty Bernice started constantly shifting money among the law firm’s various client escrow accounts. Like a pyramid scheme or a Ponzi scheme. The law firm’s books were never in balance, because they were always short the amount the firm paid out in Maltow. Ultimately, by stealing Joshua Krane’s money, Lowell Moore and Patty Bernice believed that they would be able to cover up the faked settlement. The money would replenish the escrow accounts and bring the law firm’s books into balance and nobody would be the wiser.”
    Vatch stopped himself, knowing that his testimony was getting too detailed.
    “And why does all that matter in this case against Mr. Collins?” asked Gadd, giving Vatch an opportunity to get back on track. Vatch took a breath, and then refocused.
    “In short,” Vatch said, “I believe Lowell Moore and Patty Bernice were likely involved in Joshua Krane’s murder. When this i nformation came to light, it became unclear whether Lowell Moore and Patty Bernice had taken Joshua Krane’s money, whether Michael Collins was working with them, or whether Lowell Moore and Patty Bernice intended to take Joshua Krane’s money but Michael Collins snatched it first.”
    “So then what happened?” Gadd asked.
    “I had to back off.” Vatch turned to the jurors and puffed up his chest. “My job is to get the right perpetrator and build a rock solid case.”
    A few of the female jurors rolled their eyes, but Vatch didn’t stop. “As long as there were other people out there who were just as likely to have stolen the money, a prosecution couldn’t move forward. We needed proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”
    “And then what?” Gadd liked how Vatch had handled the question. She scanned the grand jurors, looking for any sign of confusion. She saw none.
    “We had to wait for the banks to provide the information,” Vatch continued. “The only way to get the truth was to follow the money trail to Michael Collins. We needed proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and we couldn’t do that without clear evidence that Michael Collins had Joshua Krane’s money.”
    “So you sent the subpoenas to these banks right away?” Gadd made a checkmark next to another question on her sheet of paper.
    “No.” Vatch shook his head. “First we had to figure out where Joshua Krane had hidden the money. Due to the plea negotiations, we knew there were secret, foreign accounts. But at the time, the government didn’t know where the accounts were located. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of banks where people can hide assets.”
    Vatch took a breath and waited to see if Gadd was going to ask another question or wanted him to proceed. She didn’t say anything, so he continued his story. 
    In an actual criminal trial, a witness was not allowed to talk without a specific question. A good defense attorney would object and a judge would sustain the objection, stopping the narrative. But this was an initial grand jury proceeding. There was nobody to object. There was simply United States Attorney Brenda Gadd, alone in a room with a witness and the grand jurors. The playing field was so tilted in the government’s favor that most attorneys are unable to remember a time when a grand jury had refused to indict the accused. So here, Gadd wanted Agent Vatch to tell this part of the story uninterrupted and that was exactly what happened.
    “It