“Listen, Dorothy is gonna need to talk to you here shortly with a detective present. That has to happen before they can let you see Tommi. I have an errand to run. It’s important. But when I’m done, I’ll come back, take you to see Tommi and then I’ll take you home, okay? We’ll get your mom taken care of and then maybe do some gaming. Sound like a plan? I think blowing shit up on TV might do both of us some good tonight.”
I see one corner of his mouth curve a little. I take that as a good sign and decide that it’s better not to push my luck any more at the moment. I go back out and get Dorothy.
“He’s all yours. I’ll be back in an hour or so to take him to see his sister and then get him back home.”
She nods. “I think we can manage to have him ready for you by then.”
As I’m walking out of the building, the first person I call is my dad.
********
Less than an hour later, I’m walking up the curved front porch steps to Bill Lemmon’s house. He’s the DA. He’s worked with my father for years and I’ve met him several times. I would never have called Dad and asked him for a favor if this weren’t so important. But here I am, on a Sunday night, paying a visit to maybe the only other person who needs to believe Tommi as much as I do.
He meets me at the door, opening it before I can even raise my hand toward the bell. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Locke,” he says stiffly, offering his hand before stepping aside to let me enter.
“Thanks for agreeing to talk to me. I know it’s late, but…”
He pins me with his shrewd blue eyes and nods, saying nothing before he turns and leads me to his study. It’s done in browns and reds, much like his office downtown, if I remember correctly. That strikes me as a little odd, but whatever. If that’s what gets him off…
He takes a seat behind the wide desk and I ease down into one of the chairs in front of it. Even though we’re in this guy’s home, it’s all business. Yeah, it definitely has the feel like we’re downtown.
“So, what can I do for you?”
“You got the file?”
“Yes. I’ve been looking at the reports. Talked to your captain, too.”
“Then you know the basics. I’m here to talk to you about her options,” I begin, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “She was thirteen years old when her older brother attacked her younger brother and their mother. He was jacked up on bath salts. Knocked the younger kid around a little. Beat the shit out of the mother. She never has recovered completely. The girl, Tia, she swung the bat once to get him to stop hitting the mother. Killed him with one strike. No intent to kill. She was afraid for her life, and that of her family. It was just her and her brother after that. She took care of him and the mother. Both of them…challenged. The youngest, he has Asperger’s. Needs some special care. Good kid, though. High functioning. But I can see where she’d feel the need to look out for him. He needs security, routine, which I learned in my research is pretty typical. Then, to make matters worse, Lance Tonin got a hold of her. Shit went downhill after that. Kid started muling for him, afraid to say no, afraid of what would happen to his sister. The whole thing’s messed up as hell. But, what I’m getting at…in a nutshell…is that at the time of commission, these crimes are all juvenile offenses.”
I stop there, letting those words sink in. They’re the lynchpin of my whole case. And what I hope will be his whole case.
“So what are you asking?”
“I know in certain cases, Georgia law allows for involuntary manslaughter to be charged as a misdemeanor. This girl, Tia, she has gotten her GED, completed college courses, all so that she can provide for her and her brother by legal means. Legitimately. She was just waiting for him to turn eighteen so that the state couldn’t take him out of the home and stick him in the foster system or institutionalize him. Neither of them has been dinged for a damn thing in years. All juvenile offenses are measured against the likelihood of rehabilitation. They can be rehabilitated. Hell, they have been rehabilitated. They could have a good life if all this could be put behind them so they could have a fresh start. But you know as well as I do that Tia won’t get more than a shit job if she gets charged with a felony. Her life will be pretty much over.”
Lemmon leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers and looking at me over the tops. “Misdemeanor, huh?”
“Yes, sir. She was thirteen at the time. The unintentional death of her brother after what he’d done to their mother left her completely alone with a younger brother to raise. Since the commission of the crime, she’s made mostly good choices.”
“You’re considering Lance Tonin a good choice?”
“She didn’t have a choice there, sir. A guy like took advantage of a child. Has been ever since. Had her scared. Blackmailing her to keep her quiet, to keep her in line. But being afraid isn’t a crime. She’s committed no crimes for him, she’s covered up no crimes for him. She has simply played the obedient boy toy. Because she felt like she had no other choice.”
He nods, eyes narrowing on me. “And the boy? Travis, you said?”
I nod. “Courier. Never really knew what the hell he was doing. Just let his teacher, a trusted, adult role model, use him. Scare him into doing something that was supposedly for the good of his sister. If anything, though, I think his record should be scrubbed just because of the value of his testimony. If he turns on Chaps, the teacher, the teacher will turn on Tonin just to save his own ass. His testimony could be what puts Lance Tonin behind bars for a very long time. But it starts with the kid. We need him.”
“So, basically, they both get off with a slap on the wrist rather than multiple felony charges.”
My stomach sinks like a stone. The fact that he views it in such a way can’t be good. “No, sir. They haven’t gotten off. They’ve paid a hefty price. Several times over. They’ve been forced to live in a prison for years now. Neither of them has been free since their older brother died eight years ago. And, to be honest, I think they’ve suffered enough. They’ve been punished. Probably even past the extent of the law, just in a different way. Life took care of that. But they’ve learned from it. Have no desire to be criminals. They are both ready to let the past go and move on to better lives.”