Acquittal = Murder

By GiAnna Moratelli

Katherine's acquitted for the murder of her and ex-husband, police officer Ray Collins, daughter Catlin. The next morning she's shot in the parking lot of the Springfield Inn in front of two police officers, but no one sees the shooter and a search of the area comes up empty, Lt. Joe Novelli investigates the murder of a woman who is despised in the town, blamed for a murder she was acquitted of. How many suspects can there be? But murder isn't the only crime that's been committed and the murder of one child becomes that of possibly three.

• Language: English
• Publisher: GiAnna Moratelli
• Release date: Mar 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310629839

GiAnna Moratelli

Born in El Paso, Texas, I grew up in Iowa and was lucky enough to have parents that that had money to travel, a truck and 45' fifth wheel, and liked to travel. I've been in almost all of the fifty states, from the east coast to the west and have visited small bits of Canada and Mexico. As a major in history, I've visited the battlefield of the Little Big Horn; on three different occasions, Gettysburg Battlefield, and the Battle of Athens (which most have never visited, it sits on the border of Iowa and Missouri). I've been to as big a places as the Smithsonian Institute and small places as the grave of Chief Wapello located in Agency, Iowa and The Grotto of the Redemption in northern Iowa, which is well worth anyone's time, especially if you like rocks and history. I grew up, as ole horsemen say, on the back of a horse. I started riding by myself when I was three and when I was sixteen I started working at the tracks of Standardbred racing barns during the summers when we weren't travelling. After graduating high school I bought a couple of race horse; a six month old dark bay filly named J.C's "Blitz" DeVane and a little later a yearling sorrel colt named "Breezy" Judge, which I trained and raced myself, only needing to acquire a fair license to do so, compared to those who had pari-mutual license. My horse racing came to an abrupt end a few years later with a barn fire, in which none of the 12 head of horses died, The horse I'm pictured with is Breezy, the best horse I ever owned (and I've owned a lot of horses of different breeds) and passed from this earth when he was 25 years old. I went to college, attended R.O.T.C.; went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training and earned a B.A. in history. My interest lying mostly in American history. Other than the above, many other experiences in life, and living in different places, have given me good resources for my writing: 1. Staying with my grandparents on their farm when I was very young is where I learned to ride and gave me knowledge of farming, which I later helped a farmer near where I grew up. 2. I work for my father; who is a Certified Public Accountant, doing taxes and bookkeeping. I started working for him when I was in middle school, and after health problems in our family, have come back to help him as of 2019. 3. I managed my dad's used car lot in Fairfield, Iowa. 4. I drove a semi with a 52' trailer over the road for 13 years. 5. I worked real estate and did real estate appraisal as a second job to OTR. 6. I've done construction work (helping my dad and brother put up my dad's office building from the ground up, plus many other projects for my dad, many which included pouring concrete every Fourth of July for more years than I care to think about. 7. I worked for a local manufacture making cabinets 8. While in college I cleaned at a hotel to pay my way through the first two years. 9. After college, while driving OTR (after the RE job) I sub-taught for two years. 10. I worked security for four years. 11. I do know how to cook, make garden and can food. That's my life wrapped up in a peanut shell. I decided to write fiction under my pen name and non-fiction under my real name Linda Scott. Just a good idea I thought to keep the two of them seperate.

Book preview

Aquittal = Murder

Lt. Joe Novelli, Homicide 13

By

GiAnna Moratelli

COPYRIGHT 2015

GiAnna Moratelli

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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Chapter One

Officer Richard Mason walked out of the court room. He ran his hand over the top of his black head of hair, as he looked down the hallway where his colleagues from the Springfield P.D; Detectives Shay McBride, Gregg Sweet and Lieutenant Joe Novelli of the homicide unit and his wife, Constance stood beside, State Police Officers Bill Kaiser and Jeff Marks. He walked down the hall and pointed back over his shoulder with his thumb. Judge wants everyone in the court room. The jury’s reached a verdict.

That didn’t take very long, Gregg stated.

Joe looked past Richard to the courtroom beyond the two open Maple wood doors. It had been a high profile case. Detectives, state police investigators had worked hardily on and off the case for a year, collecting evidence to put Officer Ray Collins’s wife, Katherine away for the drowning of their three year old daughter, Catlin.

The trial had lasted four weeks with expert witnesses. Normally everyone would be back to work instead of waiting for a verdict, but the Judge had requested their presence in anticipation of a verdict that left a lot of angry people.

Joe looked at his wife standing beside him. Well let’s go see what they think. He straightened his dark blue silk tie and buttoned his black sport jacket as they started down the hall.

They can’t hardly do anything but find her guilty, don’t you think? Shay said.

I guess we’re going to find out. Joe took the hand of his wife as they walked down the hall to the courtroom. He saw, Officer Ray Collins enter the courtroom. For Collins sake, he hoped the jury had found her guilty. He’d taken his daughter’s death hard; threatening to kill his wife, filing for divorce the day she was arrested.

Constance was the only spouse there, but it wasn’t unlike her not to come to support her husband, knowing the long hours he’d put into the case. As she sat on the hard wood bench seat, she pulled her long, dark blonde hair out from behind her. She looked at Joe as he sat beside her. She could see the worried look in his dark brown eyes. Reaching over, she put her hand on his. He’d been passionate about the case, sometimes not sleeping but a few hours a night, helping McBride work on it when he had another cases pending.

Joe ran his fingers down his dark brown mustache to his goatee. He was a little nervous about the verdict that was about to come down. The jury had been quick to come to a conclusion. A little too quick, to his way of thinking and he hoped they had examined all the evidence before reaching their verdict.

How do you think it’s going to come down? Gregg asked, sitting beside him.

I don’t know. I try not to second guess a jury.

Gregg nodded and straightened his tie. He looked at, Shay. I guess you don’t either? he said, as she sat beside him.

Don’t what? Shay asked.

Second guess juries?

Shay shook her head. It’s hopeless. You think you have a good case and they blow you out of the water.

Novelli’s wife’s here, why isn’t your hubby?

Ron had to work, Shay replied. She nervously ran her fingers through her shoulder length, reddish brown hair. She breathed lowly as she looked toward the door where the jury would be entering. So where’s the captain? I haven’t seen her all morning.

Probably had better things to do with her time then sit around here all day, Gregg said. He shook his head. I don’t know about the two of you, but I don’t have a good feeling about this.

Don’t say that, Shay said. She looked at Richard as he sat in front of them beside State Police investigator, Bill Kaiser. She tapped him on the shoulder. Your wife isn’t here?

She had to take our son to the doctor, Richard replied. Where’s, Wes?

He got a call about an hour ago. Shay looked across Joe at Constance. Glad to see you could be here.

Constance nodded. She looked at Joe and her hazel eyes sparkled. She was always there for her husband, supporting him and his work anyway she could.

All rise! the bailiff stated loudly.

They stood and the judge entered the courtroom. Seating himself behind the bench, he shuffled some papers. You want to bring in the jury, he said to the bailiff.

The bailiff opened the door and directed the jury members into the room as everyone watched.

The judge watched the jury members, waiting for them to sit down. After they were all seated he looked at the crowd waiting. If you’ll please be seated.

The bailiff walked over and took some papers from the jury foreperson, then handed them to the