The Victim's Wife Page 17

  Officer Johnston mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

  I nodded, glad that I’d been able to help out and even more pleased that he recognized I had done him a favor.

  A favor for a favor, things rarely work out so well.

  If I ever did need something again from the man, he would hopefully be more amenable to working with me next time.

  I thought of asking him about the night Max died, but it didn’t seem like a wise thing to do with Vivian, my prime suspect, nearby.

  I glanced back at Vivian and Ronald. The two still huddled on the curb.

  It was not my imagination. There had been a change in Vivian’s tone and manner when Ronald had appeared.

  What does it mean? I wondered.

  I would have Winston dig into this little love triangle further.

  It was not until almost thirty minutes later that a detective and several firefighters emerged from the building.

  When Ronald saw them, he gave Vivian a reassuring pat before standing and heading towards them, walking right past officer Johnston who made no move to stop him.

  Vivian sat on the curb, but only for a moment before she forced herself up and followed after Ronald, giving Johnston a dirty look as she passed while wiping away her tears.

  I got a glimpse of her face and could see that she was steeling herself to deal with what lay ahead.

  Officer Johnston paled. I clapped him on the shoulder on my way past. “Things are going to be okay,” I said, hoping that he wouldn’t get in trouble because of anything I had done. I was trying to make it look like I was with Vivian and Ronald by simply following after as if I had every right to be here.

  He didn’t challenge me as he stared at Vivian.

  “Thanks for the help,” he said, “I never thought I’d need something from you.”

  “What goes around comes around,” I said, giving him a friendly smile, “something you learn in this business.”

  I wanted to close the distance by quickening my pace, but I walked forward confidently, forcing myself to focus on taking each step as resolutely as I could.

  I belong here.

  “We have cleared the building,” the nearest firefighter said to Ronald, “it appears that it was a hoax. The bomb-sniffing dogs found nothing. The crime scene techs are now going over the victim’s office with a fine-tooth comb.”

  “Who would do this?” Ronald asked, running his hands through his hair. His eyes were red, something I had not noticed before.

  “At this point, we don’t have any leads,” the detective said, stepping up beside the firefighter. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions.” The detective glanced at me, his mouth forming a thin line. He looked ready to ask me to leave but shook his head and looked away. He motioned to Ronald and walked away with him.

  “Can we go back into the building yet?” Vivian asked the firefighter in a stern tone.

  The firefighter almost took a step back. “No. I recommend you send your people home for the day. After something like this, they’re all going to need time to process—”

  “I can’t do that! We have mission-critical business services that must be performed. We are open twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. We cannot just send our staff home.” Vivian stepped right up to him, getting into his face. “What floor was Frank found on?”

  “The fourth floor, ma’am.”

  “I will have my people stay away from the fourth floor.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea—”

  “Arrest me or get out of my way.”

  The firefighter hesitated and glanced back at the other firefighter who just stepped out of her way.

  “Make yourself at home, ma’am,” he muttered, extending his arms toward the building.

  “I intend to do just that.”

  Isn’t this quite the transformation?

  When it had just been me, it had been one way. When Ronald had approached, it had been something else. When she thought neither one of us was around, she’d taken a different approach altogether.

  Which was the real woman?

  Vivian is cold and calculating if nothing else.

  I shook my head as I watched her go, wishing I could figure out how to pin Max’s murder on her.

  31

  I was sitting in my office, checking the news while trying to let my subconscious mind work on some of the problems I was trying to solve when Ellie knocked on my door. “You have a call, Mitch,” she said, peeking in. “It’s Penny on line one.”

  “Penny? Did she say what she wanted?”

  “No, just that it was urgent. Just so you know, I’m heading out to lunch, probably going to be a long one, don’t expect me back for a couple of hours.

  “Have a good time,” I said while picking up my phone and hitting line one. “This is Mitch Turner.”

  “Mitch,” Penny said, from the other side of the line. By that one word alone, I could tell that something was very wrong. “I’m so glad I got through to you.” Her tone was rough like she’d been crying. “I need help.”

  Her words stopped my heart cold.

  “What’s going on?”

  “You’re my one call. They’ve arrested me. They’re saying I killed Frank.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  32

  I passed a couple of police officers as I walked into the police station. One gave me a small but curt nod, the other a glower. The thing about it was I couldn’t remember either one offhand, though I was certain I had worked with both in past cases.

  This bothered me because I usually made a point of remembering people’s names. I glanced at their name badges but only had time to read one before they passed.

  Officer Carl Sadowski, I thought, wishing I could remember when I had worked with him and on what case. I had a vague feeling that I had cross-examined him on the stand and that he had not looked good by the time I finished with him. Which was unfortunate, but he had messed up, and I had to call him on it.

  What case was that?

  Sometimes they all seemed to run together.

  The truth was that there were so many different matters that I worked on in any given year that it was almost impossible to keep track of them all. It was Sadowski who had glowered at me; perhaps I should’ve looked for the name tag of the other who had given me a nod.

  I figured that I had a decent reputation with some of the police department. I guessed that fifty percent of them tolerated me; the other fifty percent didn’t like me. Not because I’d ever done anything to them to warrant it—Officer Sadowski’s glower notwithstanding—it was just the natural result of us being opposed to each other in our professions.

  Their job was to put people behind bars; my job was to keep people out.

  Assuming they’re innocent, I thought. It was a rare case when I had somebody who wasn’t innocent that I took to trial. Not because I didn’t perform a zealous representation, but usually because the evidence was strong enough that we struck a bargain.

  A few minutes later, I was shown into a room with Penny. She sat at an interrogation table with two detectives.

  Detectives David Thompson and Jennifer Marburg. I had worked opposite each in the past on various matters. Thompson and I went back to when I was a prosecutor. He and I had a better rapport than I had with most, but it wasn’t saying much because we didn’t usually get along.

  I smiled at both. “Seems that I’m late to the party. My apologies, I just got my invitation. I trust you have not been trying to interview my client without me?”

  “We just got here ourselves,” Jennifer said acidly, “your client refused to say anything after she was read her rights.”

  Not for lack of you trying.

  “Atta girl.” I smiled at Penny and returned my attention to the detectives. “My client has nothing to say, but I would like a few minutes with her.”

  Thompson and Marburg were already standing. “If I might have a word
with you,” Detective Thompson said to me, motioning towards the hall. I walked out with them, Jennifer following right on my heels. She frowned at Thompson and then scowled at me. Whatever it was Thompson wanted to chat about, he had not made her aware of it beforehand.

  “We understand you are an alibi witness for Penny,” Detective Thompson said once the door was shut. Marburg frowned, clearly not happy that Thompson had shared this information with me. She would have preferred to ask me about it first to trap one or the other of us.

  Detective Thompson had done me a solid favor at the risk of enraging his partner.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Really?”

  I regretted my response immediately after I spoke, primarily because they would read into it. I was just so surprised that it did not even cross my mind until afterward.

  “Penny told us that she was with you at the time of the murder.”

  I hesitated, wondering what was going on here. I could not remember Frank’s exact time of death other than that it had been some time in the morning. I had not sat down in Penny’s front room until the afternoon.

  I had to be careful because Penny had called on me as an attorney. We had not talked about anything confidential related to this matter when she had spoken to me at her home because neither of us had known about the murder at the time.

  At least I didn’t.

  If she was trying to use me as an alibi witness, I wouldn’t say anything more until after I had spoken with her.

  “Thank you for informing me.” Which is what I should’ve said originally instead of showing surprise.

  “We feel like you shouldn’t be her attorney,” Marburg said.

  “I suppose that’s for the court to decide, isn’t it?”

  “We just wanted to give you a heads up on this before you got too far down the road.” Thompson gave me a mirthless smile. “Just consider it a professional courtesy.”

  I nodded. “I appreciate the information.”

  Once I was shown inside, and the door was locked behind me, I looked at Penny and evaluated her appearance. There were tear stains in her makeup. Her hair was tousled as if she had just gotten out of bed. She was not wearing designer clothing for the first time since knowing her. It somehow seemed odd that she did not have an expensive fashion-forward purse with her.

  As I sat down across from Penny, I looked warily at the one-way mirror. In theory, nobody was supposed to pay attention to our little conversation, but I had it on good authority that an officer might slip in to listen from time to time. Nothing would be admissible, of course, but it might give them an avenue they could investigate that they might otherwise not have known about.

  “How are you doing?” I asked Penny as I sat, clasping my hands together and putting them down on the table.

  “Thank you for coming, Mitch.” It was clear Penny was trying to stifle a sob. “I just didn’t know who else to call. I recognize you probably have a conflict of interest in this.”

  I hesitated. Was she referring to the alibi? “Conflict?”

  “They’re gonna charge me with Max’s murder too.”

  33

  I stared at her, wondering if I had misheard her. Surely they were not going to charge her with Max’s murder? I reviewed everything I knew about the case and could not see a connection between her and Max’s death, other than the past relationship she and Mason had shared. Sure, I suspected her, but I suspected everyone.

  “Why are they gonna do that?” I asked.

  “They are charging me with conspiracy to commit murder. They think I agreed with him to murder Max.”

  Uh oh. I could sense some amended charges for Mason coming my way.

  “Why do they think that?” I asked, unable to keep the chagrin from my voice.

  Penny looked like I had just yelled.

  “I don’t know. They didn’t say. That’s when I shut up. That’s when I knew I needed an attorney, that I shouldn’t be talking to them alone.”

  I nodded. “A wise call.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “Well, for starters, you are correct. It is a clear conflict of interest for me to represent you while I also represent Mason. We’re gonna have to figure out that issue pretty quick.” I glanced over at the mirror and then looked back at Penny. I had other questions, but I didn’t want to ask them here. I would wait until Penny was out on bail. “There’s another issue I need to deal with as well. We’re gonna have to get it squared away as quick as possible. Did you tell the police you were with me at the time of Frank’s murder?”

  Penny nodded, a look of confusion crossing her face. “I was, wasn’t I? You were there when I got the text.”

  “The news reported that the time of death was at approximately 10:30 AM. I didn’t come over your house until almost 2:00 PM.”

  “Oh my,” she said, comprehension donning on what I was trying to communicate, “they are going to think I lied, aren’t they?” She shook her head and muttered a curse. “This is not good. This is not good at all.” She leaned forward. “I was at Meridian Solutions that morning.”

  “Oh?”

  “Don’t give me that look! I had some paperwork to fill out on behalf of the estate. Meridian Solutions is buying Max’s ownership.” She didn’t look happy about it, but I didn’t have time to delve into it.

  I held up a hand. “Back to the misstatement. I don’t know that your case is sunk by this moment, we can explain it as a misunderstanding, but we have to get out in front of this as quick as possible.” I hesitated. “Or, more likely, we’re going to get your new attorney out in front of this.”

  “You can’t represent us both?”

  “I would advise against it. I don’t know that Mason would be interested—”

  “Mason will definitely want you to represent both of us.”

  Penny said this with a certainty that piqued my curiosity. What made her so certain that her ex-boyfriend would agree?

  The first answer that sprang to mind was one that would cause considerable complications in both their cases if it were true.

  “What makes you say that?” I asked, studying her face, not daring to look away, so I didn’t miss a thing.

  “He recommended I call you.” Penny nodded. “Why would he suggest I call you if he didn’t want you to represent us both?”

  “When did he do that?”

  “I was on the phone with him when the police came. They didn’t even give me a chance to hang up before they arrested me. He was on speakerphone and overheard the whole thing. He told me to call you right before a police officer disconnected the call.”

  I frowned.

  This keeps getting stranger.

  “Did they tell you at the time they were gonna charge you with Max’s murder? Did Mason overhear that?”

  “Yes, he heard about that, and the conspiracy charge as well. He knows exactly what’s going on, and he wanted you to represent us both. It’s not gonna be a problem. We will sign whatever paperwork we need, but trust me, we both need you.”

  I nodded, deciding not to push the issue further. “Let’s put the representation issue on hold for now. Are you okay if I amend your statement to the detectives, telling them that you were mistaken as to the time?”

  Penny didn’t even hesitate. “I think that’s for the best. Let’s get out in front of it right now.”

  “There’s one other thing you need to remember, and this can be difficult for you because you like to talk.”

  “I already know. I shouldn’t talk to the police.”

  “Exactly. If you had clammed up the moment you saw them, we wouldn’t be doing this cleanup right now. Don’t talk to anybody.”

  “This is exactly why I need you on my side.”

  I gave her a level look. “Any attorney worth their salt would tell you that.”

  “I know, but I want you.”

  Penny and I talked some more, but not about anything substantial. This was on purpose. I would get details out of her when we were
alone in my office. It also had the added benefit of annoying anybody who might be eavesdropping.

  After about ten minutes, I knocked on the door and was surprised to find Detective Thompson waiting when it opened.

  Detective Marburg had gone.

  “Have a moment?” I asked Thompson, looking around, “can we talk somewhere in private?”

  Thompson nodded and led me down the hall into an empty interrogation room where he pulled the door shut behind us. My paranoia and instincts were in overdrive, making me nervous that anybody could be listening to our conversation on the other side of that one-way mirror, but I was planning to send him an email afterward confirming this conversation anyway, so it wasn’t like it was a secret.

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  There wasn’t any confidential information that I needed to protect. It would be relatively straightforward.

  I can’t forget to send an email to Penny, confirming she agreed to this plan.

  “Your client ready to confess?” Detective Thompson asked with a smile, showing me that he was joking.

  I snorted. “Hardly.” I shook my head. “I’m here to talk to you about something else. My client was mistaken about the time of death.”

  Thompson’s eyebrows rose. “How so?”

  “She received a text at approximately 2:30 PM, I am not sure from who, informing her that Frank had been found dead. I was with her at the time.”

  “What were you doing?”

  “I was interviewing her about another case, and before you ask me,” I shrugged, “all that is confidential.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “She did not know until I informed her just now that the estimated time of death was earlier in the morning, at about 10:30 AM, if the news reports are correct.”

  “We asked her where she was at that time. She said she was with you.” Detective Thompson studied me.

  I thought back to that day and realized that I could easily prove I was somewhere else, but I needed to be careful about how I handled this. Detective Thompson wasn’t accusing me of lying, but he was implying that Penny had.