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“I only have Claire’s number. Lisa and Ryan don’t want to have anything to do with me.”
“Jake’s the guy who pulled a gun, and they’re upset at you?”
“They don’t get paid unless they fulfill the terms of the contract in its entirety. I’m the reason their week got cut short.”
Sam shook his head. “I don’t understand women. Remember Martha in human resources? She caught her husband cheating with a friend of hers, and the only person she blamed was the other woman. Thank God I knew I was gay early in life.”
Kimani chuckled despite the unease she had felt ever since receiving the letter. Not wanting to alarm Marissa, she hadn’t shared the letter, but she’d had trouble sleeping last night.
“You should show the letter to the police,” Sam said.
“And what would they do with it?” Kimani asked. “I’m sure they’ve got more important matters to handle than figuring out who sent a nasty letter. And all they can do at this point is tell the sender to stop being a bully and writing letters.”
“It’s too bad Jake posted bail. The guy sounds like he belongs behind bars.”
At that moment, the phone on her desk rang. Seeing the number was from the Trinity County District Attorney’s Office, she quickly picked up.
“Kimani,” said the female assistant district attorney, “how are you holding up?”
“Aside from getting a nasty letter at my house yesterday, I’m okay.”
“Oh. Was it from Jake?”
“I’m guessing. Are you calling about him?”
“Yes, and there’s no easy way to say this, but the D.A. has reached a plea deal with Jake.”
Kimani frowned. “A plea deal?”
“After talking with you and all the other witnesses, there just isn’t enough evidence to prove malicious intent.”
“Seriously?”
“He claims he was protecting himself and his home from Mr. Lee and Mr. Lee’s bodyguard, whom he called a thug. And given that Mr. Benjamin Lee broke Mr. Vince Donato’s arm, it would seem he had cause for fear. The gun was intended for self-defense.”
Kimani’s mind reeled. “But he punched me in the face!”
“And that qualifies as a simple assault, which is a misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to one thousand dollars or up to six months in prison. If the judge accepts the plea deal, Jake will pay a thousand dollars.”
“What about jail time?”
“He won’t serve any.”
“A thousand dollars is nothing for a guy like him.”
“I’m sorry. The D.A. felt like this was the best way to go. Otherwise, we’re looking at having to explain the aspects of, you know, BDSM and when the application of pain qualifies as desired versus unwanted, what you and everyone consented to. It just gets really muddy.”
“So that’s it?”
“I’m sorry, Kimani. Not to diminish what you suffered, but our jails would be bursting at the seams if we locked up every idiot who threw a punch. Last year, my seven-year-old gave another kid a bloody nose on the school playground. My son won’t ever be doing that again, and I’m sure Jake has learned his lesson.”
Has he? Kimani questioned internally.
“Bad news?” Sam asked after Kimani had hung up.
“Jake and the
D.A.’s office reached a plea deal. He’s going to pay a fine but serve no time.”
