Page 76 of The Best Lawyer
“I didn’t kill Tom. They’re making it sound like I was only interested in his money. That’s not true. She’s twisting my words.”
“Did you know Joe was having financial difficulties? If this witness talked to Addison Quick too …”
Jeanieturned to me. “You know. Cass, I think you better step outside. Let me talk to Katy alone from now on.”
“But I …”
“I’ll meet you back at the office,” Jeanie said. Katy looked shocked. I wasn’t. Jeanie was right. I couldn’t have this both ways. I couldn’t take point on interviews with Katy. I was sitting there asking her questions about Joe, both direct and indirect. I hadn’t even learned my own lesson yet.
“I’ll be waiting,” I said.
“Cass …” Katy started.
“You’re in good hands,” I said. Then I turned my back on her and knocked on the door, alerting the deputies that I was ready to leave.
Jeanie spent another half hour with Katy. I waited in my office. Back home, Eric was busy packing up the files and whiteboards I’d kept in my make-shift war room. Later, he’d bring everything into Jeanie’s office and set it up for her. Mercifully, Emma was off the whole week doing final prep for the bar exam. It was a good excuse, but also good timing. None of us needed her here while Katy’s trial was ongoing.
“You okay?” Miranda asked as I passed her desk.
“I honestly don’t know how to answer that,” I said.
“Is there anything you can talk about, honey?”
Miranda already knew I’d benched myself from court this week. Both she and Jeanie were smart enough to know the one reason I would choose to do something so drastic. They would never ask me a direct question about it, but had to know it involved Joe.
For his part, I had three missed calls from him. I had half a mind to block his calls. I had a voicemail from Vangie. Her sisterly spidey senses must have tingled. She left a message wanting to know what was going on with me and Joe. She threw in a few colorful words about Katy as well. I deleted the message. Some days, I knew how much easier life might be if I were an only child.
“Not really,” I answered Miranda. “But thanks for asking.”
“You know,” she said. “You should think about taking the rest of the week off too. You look like you could use it.”
“I still have to run this practice,” I said. “Why don’t you give me the rest of Jeanie’s docket? I can pinch-hit for her.”
“There’s no need,” she said. “I pushed everything off until next week or longer.”
“I don’t know what we’d do without you, Miranda. You’re not allowed to ever let us try.”
She rolled her eyes at me and pointed to a plate of pastries she’d brought back from Sweet Delights.
I took a strawberry Danish and disappeared into the bowels of my office. Twenty minutes later, Jeanie walked in.
“I have terms,” she said.
I folded my hands on my desk and gestured for her to have a seat. “Okay.”
“There can’t be a halfway on this. Either you’re in or you’re out. I don’t want to send mixed messages to Katy, Addison Quick, or most especially, the jury.”
“Agreed.”
“But I have to ask you something. I probably shouldn’t. But here I go.”
“If you probably shouldn’t,” I said. “Then don’t. That will have to bemyterm.”
I could guess her question. Had my opinion on Katy’s guilt or innocence changed? Truthfully, I wasn’t sure anymore. I had my doubts from the beginning. And yet, everything Eric and I discussed still resonated. I could think of no good reason my brother would lie about where he was the morning of Tom Loomis’s murder. Not unless Katy were actually the one protectinghim.
Except, the Joe I knew would have never allowed that. He would never have let someone he cared about … the de facto mother of his only child, no less … take the fall for something he did. Certainly nothing of this magnitude. Katy was facing life in prison.
I knew Jeanie could see my thoughts swimming across my face. It made her go still.
