Page 83 of The Best Lawyer
Chapter 28
It wasearly evening by the time we got back to my office. On the car ride back, I’d left three voicemails for Tallon Shipley that went unanswered. The fourth time I tried, her mailbox was full.
I was spent. Whipped. A thousand scenarios ran through my mind. Tallon Shipley had withheld the truth. I had the proof in my hands.
We walked in the back door, expecting the building to be empty. Instead, Miranda walked out to the lobby, her expression grim.
“Jeanie’s not back from court yet,” she said.
“You didn’t have to wait for us,” I said. “Go home. It’s almost six.”
“Jeanie texted me during a recess. She asked me to have you wait for her. She should be here in about five minutes. Have you caught up on all the episodes ofTallon of Justice?” she asked.
I nodded.
“I’ve been making calls all day,” Miranda said. “I think I know who Tallon’s source might have been for what Katy may or may not have said at the hospital.”
I braced myself. If it was another instance of Katy herself being loose-lipped, I wasn’t sure I could hold my temper.
“What did you find out?” Eric asked.
“My friend Darla’s daughter Justine, her boyfriend’s brother, is a custodian who works in the ER. As you can imagine, he sees and hears everything.” Miranda’s gossip chain made me dizzy.
“The custodian talked to Tallon?” I asked.
“Oh no,” Miranda said. “But he was there the morning they brought Katy in. There was a big hullabaloo because she had so many cops with her. Not that they’re not used to cops being around the ER. You know, I’ve heard there is a thing between ER nurses and cops. Is that true, Eric?”
“Well,” he said. “I suppose …”
“Miranda,” I said. “What did your, um, friend’s daughter’s boyfriend hear?”
“Brother,” she said. “My friend Darla’s daughter’s boyfriend’s brother. His name is Nathan, I think. The boyfriend. Not the brother. I’m not sure what his name is.”
I rubbed my forehead.
“Anyway,” Miranda said. “The phlebotomist.” She nodded triumphantly and put her hands on her hips.
“The what now?” Eric asked.
“The phlebotomist,” Miranda repeated, sounding exasperated. “The custodian I know through channels saidthe young girl who took Katy’s blood was with her for a very long time. Skinny veins or something. Well, Katy was talking a mile a minute and the phlebotomist … or maybe it was another nurse … I wasn’t too clear on that. But the gal was in there for a long time and at the same time as all the cops.”
“So there’s another potential witness Quick might call on rebuttal,” Eric said.
“It’s a theory,” Miranda said. “Nobody knows for sure if that’s who gave that story to Tallon. I’m just saying that seems to be who was in a position to know what Katy said.”
“Thank you. I don’t know if Jeanie can use it. But it’ll give her a heads-up as to what to expect should Quick call any hospital personnel.”
Sliding my heavy messenger bag off my shoulder, I headed for Jeanie’s large office across the hall. I heaved my battered bag onto her leather couch and helped myself to her stash. She kept a bottle of rum in her bottom desk drawer. I grabbed a small can of pop from the cube fridge she had in the corner and poured a shot into it.
Eric took the rum from me and poured himself a shot in one of the glasses on the shelf.
“That bad?” Miranda asked.
“I don’t even know where to start.” I went over to the couch and plopped down next to my bag. I pulled out Maisy’s accordion file, flipping through until I found the half-a-dozen photos she’d taken of Tallon and Tom. I handed them to Miranda. Her eyes went wide as she looked at them.
“Is that …”
“Good!” Jeanie’s voice called out from the lobby. Her face was flushed as she walked into her office. She tossed her own bag onto a desk chair, took the rum bottle from Eric and drank straight from it.
