Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
I just need to find out what the story was. What did he know, or what was he close to discovering that caused someone to react that way? If I can just trace his line of reasoning, follow up with the clues he collected, maybe I could finally bring his killer to justice.
I’m close. I’ve followed up on sources of my own and studied all the files I can find that he was working on. I think it was the Corellos, as the Andrettis have been mostly driven out by them. As far as I can tell, the Corellos have several legitimate businesses and connections with many of the most powerful people in the city.
They aren’t as well known as the Gottis or the Gambinos, but that’s an advantage for them. The fewer people who know about what they’re really up to, the better. But that’s where I come in. If I can expose Francisco Corello and his family, get close to his son Frankie, who’s my age, maybe I can get some closure.
When I started searching for answers, I wasn’t sure the Corellos were responsible. But the more I look into their past dealings, the more confident I become. It has to be them. Danny was working on a story that would have painted them in a negative light, and they killed him over it. Of course, the name “Corello” isn’t anywhere in Danny’s notes. That’s why I have to keep searching. I need to make that connection between a bunch of vague assumptions and actual documents that prove their guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I’m almost there. I’m so close I can taste it. Maybe if I can bring Francisco Corello to justice, I’ll finally be able to sleep again. I can only hope that’s how it will play out because I’m exhausted. The times when I don’t dream are few and far between.
My life has suffered. I don’t see my friends very much anymore. I don’t talk to my parents very often either. There doesn’t seem to be much to talk about with such an enormous elephant in the room. I just hope I can track down enough evidence to prove that the Corellos had my brother killed. After that, when the smoke clears, maybe I can mend some of my broken relationships.
I have a one-track mind nowadays. I continue working on the problem until the sun comes up, then I force myself to take a break. It’s not easy. The Corellos have done a great job covering their tracks. But I don’t care how long it takes me—I will bring them down.
CHAPTER 3
FRANKIE
Iwad up a piece of paper and toss it in the trash. I’m bored. There are a thousand different codes and laws that I’m supposed to know. All the study apps and websites are full of hypothetical situations that make me want to tear my eyeballs out.
It’s tons of screens full of this type of question:
Defendant Max entered a post office. At gunpoint, he robbed the postal clerk of all the money orders, stamps, and cash that were behind the counter. After Max took the property, he got into a rented car and drove away.
Between twenty-five and forty minutes after the robbery, an employee of the car rental agency arrived, took possession of the car, and gave the officer permission to search it. Because of the search, a white envelope containing the stolen money orders was seized. Max was placed under arrest.
Were the police acting within the law when they searched the car? Cite precedents and legal statutes pertaining to this case.
I’ve been working on this stuff for days. By the time I work my way through one question, check all my sources and then check the answer code to make sure I’m on the right track, at least an hour has gone by.
Sometimes Marlena works with me. We sit in the living room in my suite, or in hers, or sometimes downstairs in the den or on the back porch. I’ll read one question aloud and then we’ll start researching.
“You got this,” she’ll say.
“You’ll pass,” my father will echo Marlena’s as he walks by toward his office.
I glance up, not sure if he’s being supportive or if he knows something. It’s entirely possible that he’s thinking about bribing someone to make sure I pass. I know he won’t admit it even if I press the matter, so I just stay quiet. I hope that’s not the case. As difficult as all this is, I want to pass on my own.
I think I can do it. I’m getting better. When I first started, that question would have taken me a full day. Now I can get through five or six questions a day. That’s progress.
I just hope it’s good enough. When I’m not working on hypothetical questions, I’ve got my law books open reviewing past cases. I need to be familiar enough with the totality of case law that when I’m in the exam, I can answer questions much faster.