Daniel knew that he probably shouldn't talk about his case with Molinari, but Joe was one of the few people at the firm who'd stood by him. And he was smart. Maybe Joe would see something that he had missed. It would also be a relief to be able to talk about everything he'd kept bottled inside.
Daniel started with the night that Susan conned him into reviewing the discovery and ended with his arrest. The only part of the story he omitted was the call from Arthur Briggs and his presence at the cottage. The prosecutor couldn't prove he'd been at the scene of Briggs's murder and Daniel didn't want to make Joe Molinari a state's witness.
'Any brilliant insights you'd care to share?' Daniel asked when he was through.
'Not really, but it's sure a funny coincidence that Flynn got lucky again so soon after finding the Kaidanov letter.'
'What do you mean?'
'Jaffe demolished Fairweather under oath. After Oregon Mutual sees a transcript of her testimony they'll be begging Reed, Briggs to settle and Flynn will collect a nice fat attorney's fee.'
As they ran up a small rise Daniel suddenly remembered that Flynn had sent one of his associates to sit in on his hearing. An odd thought occurred to him. Did Flynn know what was going to happen when Fairweather took the stand? Was Flynn the guardian angel who sent Amanda the videotape of Fairweather's speech?
'You know, I just got a crazy idea,' Molinari said as they started downhill. 'Do you think it's possible that Aaron Flynn has a mole at Reed, Briggs?'
'Like in the spy novels?'
'Seriously, think about it. How did Kaidanov's letter get into the box of discovery? How did a tape from Arthur Briggs's office find its way to Amanda Jaffe?'
The trail narrowed and the men ran single file in silence until it widened giving Daniel time to think. He liked Flynn. He remembered how natural he'd been with Patrick Cummings. Daniel knew that Flynn was flamboyant and aggressive. He didn't want to think that he was dishonest.
'Someone at Geller could have included Kaidanov's letter by mistake when they compiled the discovery,' Daniel said.
'You told me that everyone at Geller swears that they've never seen that letter or the Kaidanov report,' Molinari countered.
'They would if they're lying.'
'But how would someone at Geller know about Fairweather's case?' Joe insisted. 'It has nothing to do with Geller Pharmaceuticals. If someone at Reed, Briggs sent Amanda that tape to help Flynn they could also have slipped the Kaidanov letter into the discovery.'
'Okay, suppose you're right. Who's the mole?'
'Oregon Mutual was Briggs's client, so, technically, the suit against Fairweather was Briggs's case, but Brock Newbauer and Susan Webster were doing most of the work on it. They'd know about the videotape.'
'Brock and Susan are also on the Insufort team,' Daniel said.
'Something happened after you left that fits into my theory,' Joe told Daniel. 'Briggs called a meeting on the day he was killed to discuss what to do in the Insufort litigation. Brock Newbauer was complaining that he wanted Geller to settle, but Briggs wouldn't listen to him.'
'Is Brock running the Geller defense now?'
'Technically, but I'm guessing that Susan is calling the shots.'
'Why do you say that?'
'Brock only made partner because his family owns Newbauer Construction, one of our biggest clients. He's a joke around the firm. Haven't you noticed how long he takes for lunch, and have you ever smelled his breath when he gets back? He could never get a handle on a case as complex as the Insufort litigation. The science would be beyond him. Briggs represented the Newbauer account, which brings in mucho dinero. He had to baby-sit Brock to keep the client happy.'
'And you said that Brock wanted Geller to settle?'
Molinari nodded.
'If Flynn does have a mole at Reed, Briggs that's exactly what he would want.'
Chapter Thirty-Two.
The next morning, the sun was hiding behind a lead sky and there was a threat of rain in the chill air. Daniel was sore from his run and he limped out of bed. After breakfast, he watched the first half of a Seattle Seahawks' game on TV, but Kate's house was beginning to feel claustrophobic. He remembered the mess in his apartment and drove over at halftime.
The apartment didn't look any better than it had the day before. Daniel turned on the football game and watched while he straightened up. Everything was in decent shape by the time the game ended. Daniel was wondering when his life would be put back together when the phone rang. His hand hovered over the receiver as he debated whether to take the call. He had no desire to talk to a reporter, but it could be a friend and it would be nice to talk to someone who cared enough to call.
'Hello?'
'Daniel Ames?' a man asked. He had an accent-Slavic, Russian perhaps.
'Who is this?'
'We have to meet.'
The man sounded desperate.
'About what?' Daniel asked cautiously.
'I witnessed Arthur Briggs's murder.' The answer was rushed. 'I know you didn't kill him. That's why you're the only one I can trust.'
The hair stood up on the back of Daniel's neck. 'Dr. Kaidanov?'
'Will you meet with me?'
'Will you go to the police and tell them I'm innocent?' Daniel asked excitedly.
'We must talk first.'
'Fine, where are you? I'll come right away.'
'No, not in daylight. You might be followed. Tonight at ten come alone to Rest of Angels Cemetery. I'll meet you near Simon Prescott's mausoleum.'
'You're joking?'
'I lost my sense of humor when those bastards tried to kill me at the lab.'
'But a cemetery, after dark?'
'Rest of Angels is where my mother is buried. Are you going to be there?'
'Yeah, don't get excited.'
'I've earned the right to be excited. I've been running for my life for almost a month. You should be able to relate to that.'
As soon as Kaidanov told Daniel how to find the mausoleum, he hung up and Daniel dialed Kate's house, hoping that she was back from Arizona, but all he got was her answering machine.
Chapter Thirty-Three.
Daniel left for Rest of Angels at 9:30 without having heard from Kate. The main gate closed at sundown. Kaidanov had instructed him to park in a housing development that was separated from the cemetery by a shallow ravine and a quarter acre of forest. Daniel put up the hood from his windbreaker. Heavy rain had turned the walls of the ravine to mire. He slid down one side then scrambled up the other. By the time he was out of the depression, he was shivering and covered with mud.
Rest of Angels sprawled across a hundred and twenty-five hilly and wooded acres overlooking the Columbia River and was surrounded by another hundred and seventy-five acres of forest. On summer days the cemetery was a serene and picturesque shelter for the dead. When Daniel broke out of the forest, the rain-slashed graveyard looked like a set from Dracula .
A cemetery after dark would never have been his first choice of a place to meet, especially with a murderer running loose. The mausoleums and monuments provided excellent cover for a killer. Daniel ran between the graves to the Prescott mausoleum, then ducked behind the crypt. The rain and the biting wind were making him miserable and he pulled the strings of his hood tighter to protect his face, all the while looking around for Kaidanov. His senses were strained to the limit, but the downpour made it hard to hear and his hood limited his peripheral vision.
