'He's not sure. Lori's kid was staying with a neighbor . . . .'
'Lori?'
'Lori Andrews. She's the witness.'
'Go ahead,' Kerrigan said, sneaking another look at his watch.
'Andrews and the neighbor have an arrangement. The kid stays with her when Lori's working. The problem is, Lori never picked up Stacey.'
'Is Andrews the type to run and leave her kid?'
Lopez shook her head. 'The kid's the reason she agreed to testify. We had her on possession and sale, and she knew Children's Services would take her daughter away from her if she went to prison.'
'Do you think Dupre did something to her?'
'I don't know. He could've. He's brutal if his girls get out of line.'
'What happens if Stan doesn't find her?'
Lopez fidgeted and looked down. 'When we indicted, we convinced Judge Robard to treat our witness as a confidential reliable informant so we wouldn't have to give Dupre her name.'
'Why didn't you just put her somewhere he couldn't find her?'
Lopez reddened.
Kerrigan sat up straight. 'Tell me she's not still turning tricks.'
'The feds are involved. They wanted her inside to find out where Dupre kept his records.'
Kerrigan calmed himself. It wasn't Maria's fault. Federal agents could be intimidating, and she was new in felonies and would want to play ball. Kerrigan remembered how important he'd felt the first time one of his cases had been big enough to involve the FBI.
'The trial starts this afternoon,' Lopez continued uncomfortably. 'I don't have a case without the CRI.'
'Ask for a setover.'
'We've asked for two already so the FBI could milk the witness. Dupre's attorney went ballistic the second time, and Judge Robard said there wouldn't be a third.'
'This woman is essential?' Kerrigan asked.
Lopez nodded.
'If you pick a jury and she doesn't show, will Dupre get a Judgment of Acquittal?'
'Robard wouldn't have a choice.'
'Then you have to dismiss, because Double Jeopardy attaches as soon as the jury is sworn.'
'Dupre's lawyer will move for a dismissal with prejudice.'
Kerrigan thought for a moment. 'Robard is a hard-ass,' he said. 'He won't grant one. And, even if he does, the odds are that it wouldn't stand up on appeal.'
Lopez balled her fists. 'I really want this guy.'
'You'll get him, Maria. Guys like Dupre always trip over their egos. Trust me. It's just a matter of time.'
Heads turned when Tim Kerrigan pushed through the courtroom doors and took a seat on the backbench of Judge Ivan Robard's courtroom--fewer than would have turned when he first joined the office four years ago, but enough to still make him feel uncomfortable. The bailiff, the court guards, and the other regulars were used to seeing Kerrigan, but some of the casual spectators cast excited glances his way and whispered to each other.
Tim saw his celebrity as a curse. It meant being constantly on display. He also thought of his looks as a curse. He was six two, tall enough to always be in plain sight, and he had wavy blond hair and green eyes that made him stand out in a crowd. More than once, he had daydreamed about walking into a courtroom unrecognized. He envied Maria Lopez. No one looked twice at her; strangers didn't stop her on the street or interrupt her meals to ask for autographs. Tim was certain that given the chance to be a celebrity, Maria would trade places with him eagerly. He would have swapped in an instant, without warning her to be careful about what she wished for.
Kerrigan had just gotten settled when Jon Dupre strutted into the courtroom in a dark, tailor-made suit, basking in the same stares that Kerrigan dreaded. He was tall, tanned, handsome, and muscular, and he walked with an easy confidence that came from growing up wealthy and pampered. A gold earring in the shape of a cross dangled from an earlobe--just one of many pieces of flashy jewelry that the light danced off as he walked.
Trailing behind Dupre was his lawyer, Oscar Baron, a short, nervous man who, rumor had it, took part of his attorney fee in the women and drugs that Dupre sold.
Lopez looked up from her case file when Dupre entered the bar of the court. The defendant ignored the deputy DA and took his seat at the defense table, but Baron paused to speak to his opponent in low tones. When the bailiff rapped his gavel, there was a broad smile on Baron's face and a grim look of defeat on Maria's.
Judge Robard entered the courtroom through a door behind the dais, and everyone stood. Most eyes turned toward the judge, but Kerrigan's stayed focused on Dupre who had been talking to a woman seated behind him in the spectators' section. Another spectator blocked Tim's view of the woman, but the man shifted slightly when he stood for the judge. Kerrigan's breath caught in his chest.
Every once in a while a man will see a woman whose beauty short-circuits his senses. This woman's raw sensuality stunned Kerrigan. Lustrous, jet-black hair framed her heart-shaped face. She had olive skin, full lips, wide brown eyes, and high cheekbones. The bailiff rapped his gavel a second time, and Kerrigan lost sight of her again when everyone sat, but he could not tear his eyes away from the spot where she'd stood.
'Nice ass, huh?' whispered Stanley Gregaros, a detective with vice who was working Dupre's case.
