Matthew said. Then he asked Abbie, 'Can you think of a way we can show Deems is lying?'
'No. It's just his word against mine, but his word shouldn't carry much weight. My God, he's the worst scum. I can't imagine why even someone like Geddes would give credit to anything he said.'
'But he did,' Matthew said. 'And Jack Stature thought there was enough to it to call in the AG's office. Why, Abbie? What evidence do they have that corroborates Deems's story?'
Abbie shook her head. 'I've been over and over the reports. I don't get it.'
Tracy felt nervous about interrupting, but an idea occurred to her.
'Excuse me, Mr. Reynolds,' She said, 'but I know where we might be able to get evidence to show that Charlie Deems is a liar. Deems received a death sentence when Mrs. Griffen prosecuted him. To get a death sentence from the jury, she had to prove he would be dangerous in the future . . .'
'Of course,' Abbie said to Reynolds. 'How stupid of me.'
Matthew beamed. 'Good thinking, Tracy.'
Abbie studied Tracy, as if noticing her for the first time.
'Who handled Deems's appeal?' Reynolds asked Abbie.
'Bob Packard.'
'Tracy,' Reynolds said, 'call Packard. He may have the transcripts of Deems's trial. It could be a gold mine of information about Deems's background.'
It was warm on the patio. While Tracy made a note to contact Packard, Matthew took a sip of iced tea. When Tracy looked up, she noticed the interplay between her boss and his client. From the moment he entered the house, Matthew rarely took his eyes off Griffen, and Abbie's attention was totally focused on him.
Even when Tracy or Barry was asking a question, Abbie directed her answers to Matthew.
'How did you meet Justice Griffen?' Reynolds asked.
'I was prosecuting a sex-abuse case involving a minor victim.
The defendant was from a wealthy family and they talked the victim's family into settling the case out of court for a lot of money. Robert represented the victim in the Civil matter. We consulted about the case. He asked me out. The relationship became serious about the time the governor appointed Robert to the Supreme Court.'
'That's about five years ago?'
'Yes.'
'Was it a bad marriage from the start?'
'No,' she answered quietly, shifting uneasily in her chair and casting a brief look at Tracy. Tracy could see that the question made Abbie uncomfortable and she wondered if their client would have felt less self-conscious if there were no other women present.
'At first the marriage was good,' Abbie continued. 'At least I thought it was. With hindsight, I can't really be sure.'
'What went wrong?'
'I guess you could say that our relationship was like the relationship Robert had with his clients,' Abbie said bitterly. 'He romanced me.
Robert knew the right things to say, he could choose wines and discuss Monet and Mozart. He was also a wonderful lover.' Matthew colored. 'By the time I realized it was all bullshit, it was too late. I'm certain he talked about me to his other women, the way he talked about his clients to me.'
'Justice Griffen was cheating on you?' Barry asked.
Abbie laughed harshly. 'You could say that. I don't know their names, but I'm pretty sure there were more than one.'
'How do you know he was cheating?'
'He slipped up. One time I overheard the end of a conversation on an extension and confronted him. He denied everything, of course, but I knew he was lying. Another time, a friend said she'd seen Robert with a woman at a hotel in Portland on a day he was supposed to be in Salem.
That time, he admitted he'd been with someone, but he wouldn't tell me who. He promised he would stop. I told him I would leave him if it ever happened again.'
'And it did?'
'Yes. On May third. A woman called me at work and told me Robert was meeting someone at the Overlook Motel. It's a dive about twenty-three miles south on I-5, roughly halfway between Salem and Portland. The caller didn't identify herself and I never learned who she was. I drove down immediately hoping to catch Robert in the act, but the woman was gone by the time I got there. Robert was getting dressed. It wasn't a pleasant scene. I moved out the next day.'
'Check out the Overlook,' Matthew told Barry. 'Get their register and see if you can find out the identity of the woman.'
Frame made a note on his pad.
'Abbie,' Matthew asked, 'who do you think killed Justice Griffen?'
'Charlie Deems. It has to be. This is his revenge on me for sending him to prison. I'm more certain than ever that he's the man who tried to kill me at the cabin. And he may have tried to break into my house in Portland.'
'Tell us about that,' Barry said.
Abbie told them about the man she had frightened away on the evening Tony Rose accosted her.
'Did you report the burglary attempt?' Frame asked.
'No. I thought it would be a waste of time. He didn't take anything and I couldn't identify the man.'
'Barry,' Reynolds said, 'we have to find Deems.'
'There's no address for him in the discovery, Matt.'
Reynolds's brow furrowed. 'The discovery statutes require the state to give us the address of all witnesses they're going to call.'
'I know, but it's not there.'
Reynolds thought for a moment. Then he said, 'Don't ask Geddes for it.
Get it from Neil Christenson. He's working out of the Multnomah County DA's office.'
'Gotcha,' Barry said, writing himself another note.
Matthew turned his attention back to Abbie.
'If Deems didn't kill Justice Griffen, who did? Do you have any other ideas?'
'No. Unless it was a woman. Someone he seduced then threw over. But I'm just guessing. If it's not Deems, I don't know who it could be.'
Matthew reviewed his notes, then said, 'There doesn't seem much more to discuss about the discovery material. Do you have any more questions, Barry? Tracy?' They shook their heads.
'Why don't you take Tracy back to the office,' Matthew told Barry. 'Set up an appointment to view the physical evidence and get Deems's address.
I have a few more things I want to discuss with Mrs. Griffen.' okay, Barry said. 'We'll find our way out.
'Thanks for the iced tea,' Tracy said. Abbie flashed her a perfunctory smile.
'What did you want to ask me?' Abbie said when Barry and Tracy were out of earshot.
'Nothing about the case. Are the security guards working out?'
'I guess so. One reporter made it through the woods, but they got him before he could get to me.'
'Good. How are you holding up?'
'I'm doing okay, but I get depressed if I drop my guard. When I get blue, I remind myself how much nicer this place is than my cell at the Justice Center.' Abbie held up her wrist, so Matthew could see the bracelet. 'I'm even getting used to this.'
'Do you have friends who can visit?'
'I'm not the kind of woman who makes friends, Matt. I've always been a loner. I guess the closest I've come to a friendship is with some of the other prosecutors, like Jack or Dennis Haggard, but they can't visit me now that I'm under indictment.'
'But you must have friends outside of work?'
'I met a lot of people when I was married, but they were Robert's friends.'
Abbie made a halfhearted attempt to smile and shrugged.
'My work was my life until I met Robert. Now I'm pretty much on my own.'
'Abbie, I understand how it is to be alone. All of my clients know they can call me at any time. I'm here for
