Reynolds turned to leave.
'Mr. Reynolds.'
Matthew paused.
'These are the transcripts from Deems's trial.'
'Ah. Good. I want a synopsis of everything you think will be of use.
Make certain you give me cites to the pages in the transcript, so I can find the information quickly.'
'I'm working on it now,' Tracy said, holding up a yellow pad to show Reynolds her notes. 'Oh, and there's something Bob Packard thought you should know.'
Tracy told Reynolds about Charlie Deems's dark angel. As she talked, she watched Reynolds's face show surprise, disbelief and, finally, a look of amused satisfaction. She expected him to ask her questions about Packard or Deems when she was done, but all he said was 'That's very interesting, Tracy. Excellent work.'
When Reynolds was gone, Tracy shook her head. She could never tell what her boss was thinking and he rarely expressed his thoughts. He acted like an all-wise and all-knowing Buddha who silently weighed the worth of what he heard but never let on what he was thinking until it was absolutely necessary.
During the pretrial motion to suppress evidence in the Livingstone case in Atlanta, Tracy was unaware of the direction his cross-examination was taking until the moment before Reynolds sprang his trap. Tracy had been very impressed by Reynolds's technique, but she had also been a little upset that he had not confided to her what he was planning.
When Tracy clerked for Justice Sherzer there were never any secrets between them and she felt as if she was part of a team.
Reynolds worked alone and at times made her feel like a piece of office equipment. Still, the opportunity to work with a genius like Reynolds was adequate compensation for her bruised feelings.
As she drove along the dark highway toward the Griffen place, Tracy realized that her feelings about Abigail and Robert Griffen had changed since her talk with Justice Kelly. The judge had cheated on his wife and to Tracy that was indefensible. She was also upset with herself for being so quick to conclude that Abigail was lying about her husband simply because she liked the judge.
On the other hand, Tracy had been around Mrs. Griffen enough to concur in Mary Kelly's opinion that Griffen was a cold, calculating woman who could easily have been frigid enough to drive Justice Griffen into the arms of other women. And the fact that the judge had been cheating gave Abigail Griffen a powerful motive for murder.
The Griffens' driveway had been resurfaced as soon as the police removed the crime-scene tapes, but here and there, on the edges, Tracy's headlight beams picked out burn marks and scarred asphalt. When she parked, Tracy saw Abigail Griffen standing in the doorway. Abbie was smiling, but the smile looked forced. Tracy wondered how long Mrs.
Griffen had been waiting for her near the front door. 'It's Tracy, right?'
Tracy nodded. 'Mr. Reynolds sent me for the film and the camera.'
Tracy expected Abbie to be holding them, but her hands were empty. She did not see the camera on the hall table.
'Come in,' Abbie said. 'They're upstairs. Would you like a cup of coffee?'
'No, thanks. It's a little late.'
The smile left Abbie's lips for a moment. 'Oh, come on. I was going to pour myself a cup when you drove up.'
Tracy was going to decline again, but Mrs. Griffen sounded a little desperate.
'Okay. Sure.'
There were two settings on the kitchen table. Tracy realized that Abbie had been counting on her to stay. Tracy sat down. She felt uncomfortable. Abbie carried over the coffeepot.
'Do you take milk or sugar?'
'Black is fine.'
Abbie filled Tracy's cup. 'How long have you worked for Matt?' she asked nervously, like a blind date fishing for a way to start a conversation. Tracy got the feeling that making small talk was not one of Abbie's strengths.
'Not long,' Tracy answered tersely, unwilling to have their relationship be anything more than a professional one while she still harbored doubts about Abbie.
'You clerked for Alice Sherzer, didn't you?'
'Yes. How did you know?'
Abbie smiled. 'You looked familiar. I visited Robert at the court occasionally. He may have pointed you out. Did you enjoy your clerkship?'
'Yes. Justice Sherzer is a remarkable woman.'
Abbie sipped at her coffee. Tracy sipped at hers. The silence grew.
Tracy shifted in her seat.
'Are you working with Matt on my case?'
'I'm reviewing the evidence to see if we've got any good legal motions.'
'And what have you concluded?'
Tracy hesitated. She wasn't sure that Reynolds would want her to answer the question, but Abigail Griffen was no ordinary client. She was also a brilliant attorney. And Tracy was relieved to be freed from making small talk.
'I haven't reached a final decision, but I don't think we're going to win this case on a legal technicality. Do you have any ideas for a pretrial motion?'
Abbie shook her head. 'I've thought about it, but I don't see anything either. What's it like working for Matt?'
'I like it,' Tracy answered guardedly, not willing to discuss her boss with Griffen.
'He seems like such a strange man,' Abbie said. When Tracy didn't respond, she asked, 'Is he as passionate about all his cases as he is about mine?'
'He's very dedicated to his clients,' Tracy answered in a neutral tone.
Abbie's eyes lost focus for a moment. Tracy waited uncomfortably for the conversation to resume.
'He used to watch my trials. Did you know that?'
There was no rhythm to their discussion and the statement fell into the conversation like a heavy object. Tracy remembered seeing Reynolds at the Marie Harwood trial, but she wasn't certain where Mrs. Griffen was going, so she didn't respond. Abbie went on as if she had not expected a response.
'I saw him more than once in the back of the courtroom, watching me. He would sit for a while, then leave. I don't think he realized that I'd seen him.'
Abbie looked directly at Tracy when she said this. Tracy felt compelled to say something.
'What do you think he was doing there?'
Abbie warmed her hands on her cup. Instead of answering Tracy's question, she changed the subject.
'Does Matt like me?'
'What?' , The question made Tracy very uncomfortable.
'Has he said anything . . . ?' She paused and looked across the table at Tracy. 'Do you think he likes me?'
All of a sudden, Abigail Griffen seemed terribly vulnerable to Tracy.
'I think he believes you,' she replied, warming to Abbie a little.
'Yes. He does,' Abbie said, more to herself than to Tracy.
Tracy was surprised to find herself feeling sorry for Abbie. She had thought a lot about her as a defendant, but she suddenly saw her as a person and she wondered what it must be like to be confined, even if the prison was as luxurious as the Griffen house. Mary Kelly had portrayed Abbie as an ice princess, but she did not seem very tough now.
Tracy suddenly realized how sad it was that Mrs. Griffen had looked forward to her visit and she reevaluated her earlier opinion that Abbie was coming on to Reynolds to blind him to her possible guilt. Abbie was totally alone and Matthew was one of her few links to the outside world.
Tracy had read about hostages in the Middle East and kidnap victims, like Patty Hearst, who became
