Page 11 of The Best Lawyer
“Then I’ll take the stand and say exactly what I said to you just now and what I told Sharon DePaul. I haven’t talked to Katy. She hasn’t called me or texted me. We’ve had no contact. And I wasn’t here. This isn’t about me. At all. Can you get me in to see Katy?”
“Absolutely not,” I said. “You need to stay as far away from this as you can. You shouldn’t be volunteering any information at all. Never mind admitting to committing adultery with the prime suspect.”
“Get off it, Cass. What about Katy? If I can’t see her, can you at least get a message to her from me? Tell her it’s all going to be okay. That you’ll help her.”
“I will?”
“You know she’s innocent, just as much as I do. Come on. She’sKaty.”
“Do you still love her?” Though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Joe screwed his eyes shut for a moment as he inhaled. Then he stared at me. “Of course I do. I’ll always love her. I’m not the one who wanted the divorce.”
“Until you found out she was cheating onyouwith Tom Loomis. Which gives you a motive for killing him, too. Do you see why I want you far away from this? Why going to the cops without me could have put you in serious jeopardy?”
“Except I didn’t kill him. Now Sharon DePaul knows that, too. She said this is all a formality where I’m concerned as long as there’s no physical evidence of me being there. Which there isn’t. I’ve never set foot inside Tom Loomis’s house. I’m not a suspect. Because it’s the truth. I’m not afraid of Sharon DePaul. I’m afraid for Katy.”
We were arguing in circles. He would never admit that he’d been a bonehead.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But Katy is absolutely in over her head. That’s the only thing I know.”
“What did she say?” Joe asked. “About what happened?”
I stared at him. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t ask me to help her, then ask me to turn around and break confidentiality if I get involved.”
“So youwillhelp her?” His face lit up.
“I didn’t say that.”
“She’s still family,” he said. “Whether Emma wants to admit it or not, Katy’s her mother. I can’t stand by and watch her go down for a murder she didn’t commit.”
I wanted to ask him if he was sure about that. But I was on shaky enough ground as it was. Which was exactly why I should take the advice I’d just given him. I should stay as far away from this whole thing as possible. After all, I was a potential witness too. I had first-hand knowledge of Joe’s recent affair with Katy. I’d walked in on them together in the act.
“Please,” he said. “For me. For Emma. At least get Katy through this hearing on Monday. Get her out of that place.”
“I’m not even sure Emma knows what’s going on,” I said. “She’s been tied up at school all day. And Katy is her least favorite person these days.”
“She’s just hurt,” Joe said. “She hasn’t been able to forgive Katy. Believe me, I understand that. Better than anyone. But this will devastate Emma. She’s so angry with Katy because she loves her. Sheisher mom. And that’s why I need you to do this. Not for me. For Emma. Just go with Katy to that hearing. That’s all I’m asking for now. You know she won’t have time to find anybody else.”
“She’s entitled to a court-appointed lawyer,” I said.
Joe cocked his head to the side and glowered at me. “Really?”
“It’s an arraignment,” I said. “It’s not brain surgery.”
“I want the best lawyer in town for her, Cass. Everyone knows that’s you.”
I still had no idea whether Katy had murdered Tom Loomis. But right now, I had the strongest urge to murder Joe.
Chapter 5
By Monday morning,news of Tom Loomis’s grisly demise had hit the global tabloid web. It made for a clickable story. Handsome news anchor at the prime of his career brutally slain by his wife while he slept. It was driven in part by Tom’s modest fan club. His perfect veneers and surfer blond hair smiled at me the moment I fired up my laptop.
I had three messages from Joe, wanting my answer about whether I’d take the case. But in the end, he wasn’t the one who swayed me.
“She’s just come in,” Miranda whispered. She stood outside my office door, holding her mug of coffee.
“Did she say anything?”
