Page 74 of The Best Lawyer
I understood the path his mind took. “Jeanie,” I repeated.
“Yeah. She takes over the defense fully. You step back. Quick might raise an eyebrow. Castor too. But Jeanie’s of record too, isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“And she’s been sitting at the table for the whole trial. The jury just saw her cross-examine Joe, right?”
“Right,” I said. “Only …”
“Only what?”
“It’s my only option. I step back. Jeanie’s absolutely capable of running the anchor leg on this. She’ll hate me for it. She’ll want to know why.”
“Do you have a legal obligation to tell her?” he asked.
“Maybe. I’m in the position of withholding exculpatory evidence that could help my own client. I’m in deep trouble either way.”
“It’s not a perfect solution.”
“I can’t tell her anything,” I said. “I can’t tell her. I can’t tell anyone that Joe lied. He’s not my client. But he’s my brother.”
“Right.”
“I could lose my license over this,” I said. It was more than that. I could lose my family over this.
“How about you not try to solve every problem right now? Just work on the one right in front of you. You’re in the middle of a murder trial. Katy needs defense counsel. She has it. She has Jeanie. Nothing’s changed regarding your original strategy. Jeanie’s been right with you every step of this. She’s up for it. We know that. Sure, Castor and Quick might be a little shocked. Who cares? I doubt the jury will bat an eye.”
“I have to tell Jeanie something,” I said.
Eric rose and came to me. “It’s Jeanie. All you have to tell her is that you need her to do this. She’s smart enough not to ask you too many questions. And she loves Joe like a son. She’d want you to do exactly this.”
He was right. I could see no possible way this could come back on Jeanie. None. Though I hated myself for having to do it. No … that wasn’t it. At that very moment, I hated Joe for putting me in the position.
“Call her now,” Eric said. “She’s got the rest of the weekend to get into the right headspace.”
I went inside to find my phone. I didn’t have to look hard as it started to ring. The caller ID came up as Miranda. Eric saw it too and squinted in confusion. It was almost nine a.m. on Saturday. Miranda rarely called me during off hours.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey, yourself. Look, I’m sorry to bother you, but something’s come up I think you need to hear.”
My stomach dropped. What now? I didn’t think I could handle any more bad news. I put her on speaker.
“Eric’s here with me,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“That Tallon Shipley,” she said. “I know I shouldn’t, but I subscribe to her podcast. Cass, she just dropped this week’s episode. I think you need to listen to it.”
“Just tell me,” I said.
Miranda sucked in a breath. “Hang up with me and pull it up on your phone, honey. The part you want to hear starts at the ten minutes and fifty-two second mark. If you need me afterward, just call me back.”
She clicked off. Eric had his own phone in his hand. He pulled up his podcast app and quickly found theTallon of Justicepod. He fiddled for a few seconds, then put his phone on speaker, turned up the volume, and laid his phone on the kitchen counter between us. Tallon’s clear voice echoed off my tile floors.
“My source agreed to an interview on the condition that I shield this person’s identity. I’m using vocal distortion software, so bear with me.”
Eric picked up his phone and increased the volume even more. A moment later, a mechanical voice began to speak.
“She told me everything.”
