I glanced through them. If you want to be a media celebrity, 20/20, 60 Minutes, Larry King and Geraldo are all standing by.
You're kidding.
Amanda set her attachT case, the latte and the bag with the coffee cake on the edge of her desk and sat in one of her client chairs.
Isn't Elsie pissed that you've ruined her vacation?
Elsie is a wonderful woman. She ordered me to come back and help you.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Amanda answered sarcastically. I was perfectly able to save Dooling's ass all by myself. What makes you think I' m not competent to represent Justine Castle?
Hold on, Frank said, raising a hand defensively. No one's saying you're incompetent, and don't get huffy on me. You know damn well that it takes two lawyers to handle something this complex.
Are you going to be lead counsel? Amanda asked, bracing for the worst.
I wouldn't think of it.
Amanda tried to hide her surprise, but she must have failed, because Frank's lips twitched as if he was suppressing a grin.
Justine might want you to be, Amanda said warily. She asked for you when she was arrested.
Is she satisfied with you calling the shots?
I think so.
Then let's see how things go. Right now it's your case. Why don't you bring me up to speed?
Between sips of her latte and bites of her coffee cake, Amanda laid out the details, starting with Justine's late-night phone call. When she told Frank about her visit to the farmhouse she didn't mention her encounter with Vasquez.
I wish you hadn't gone inside, Amanda, Frank said when she was finished. It was a sealed crime scene.
I know, but the forensic experts had gone through it already, and I had to see the place before it changed too much.
Frank leaned back. What was your impression?
It's either the same killer or someone who knows an awful lot about the Cardoni case. I' m sure of it.
Amanda paused a moment to think of how to broach the subject of Vasquez. She decided to plunge in.
When I was looking over the basement at the farmhouse, Bobby Vasquez showed up.
The cop who lied at Cardoni's motion?
Amanda nodded. He wants to work with us on the case. He's convinced that Cardoni faked his death four years ago and is responsible for the new murders.
Did you know that Vasquez was one of the leading suspects in Cardoni's disappearance? He was obsessed with Cardoni. The theory is that he went vigilante when the court set him free.
Amanda tried to picture Vasquez as Cardoni's killer.
It makes no sense for Vasquez to tell me that Cardoni killed the people at the farm if he knows that Cardoni is dead. Why would he follow me to the farmhouse? Why would he offer to work on the case?
I don't know and I don't care, Frank snapped.
You have every right to be angry about what Vasquez did in Cardoni's case. But you shouldn't let that stop you from thinking about what he can do in this one.
He's dishonest, Amanda. He's a drunk.
He says that he's not drinking anymore, and he looked sober. I think you should remember why Vasquez lied under oath. He did it because he thought it was the only way to put a very bad person in prison.
That doesn't excuse what he did.
I' m not saying it does. I just think you should look at this with an open mind. Vasquez knows everything the police knew about Cardoni, and he's already uncovered some useful information.
Such as?
Amanda told Frank about Vasquez's investigation into the ownership of the farm.
That's nothing Herb or the cops wouldn't have discovered, Frank said dismissively. I don't know why Vasquez wants to work this case, but I' m not going to associate with a perjurer and a drunk.
Amanda gathered herself. Then she looked directly at her father.
Either I' m lead counsel or I' m not. If I am, then I choose my team.
Frank wasn't used to being told what to do, and Amanda could see that he didn't like it.
I' m not sure about Vasquez myself, Amanda added quickly while she had the edge, but I want the right to decide if he's in or out.
Frank let out the breath he' d been holding.
Let's talk about this later.
I want it decided now. Do you think I' m competent to run this defense?
Frank hesitated.
Do you, Dad? We've worked together for five years. You've had a lifetime to evaluate my abilities. If you don't think I can hack it, I'll resign from the firm today.
Frank put his head back and roared with laughter.
You make me long for the good old days when little girls were courteous to their fathers and studied home economics.
Screw you, Amanda said, fighting hard but failing to suppress a triumphant grin.
Where did you learn such language?
From you, you old bastard. Now let's get back to Justine's case.
I' d better before you try to get a raise, too.
Amanda lifted an eyebrow. Not a bad idea.
Quit while you're ahead, you ingrate.
Amanda laughed. Then she grew serious. Were there other suspects in Cardoni's disappearance?
Frank nodded. Martin Breach's enforcer, Art Prochaska, the guy you thought you saw driving away from the cabin.
Of course.
Breach had a reputation for dismembering people he didn't like, and he had a contract out on Cardoni because he thought Vincent had double-crossed him in a deal involving the black-market sale of organs. The rest of Cardoni may have been in the trunk of Prochaska's car when he passed you.
That's a pleasant thought.
You asked.
Do you know Prochaska well enough so he would talk to you?
Why?
I' d like to know what he was doing at the cabin on the night I found the hand. If he didn't kill Cardoni, he might tell us.
Prochaska claimed that he wasn't at the cabin. He had an alibi.
He's lying, Dad. I couldn't swear in court that it was Prochaska I saw, but he was in that car.
Frank thought for a moment. Martin always trusted me. I' m certain he told Art to be a witness for Cardoni. Let me see what I can do. I'll let you know what Martin says as soon as I talk to him.
Frank left to work his way through the mail that had piled up while he was away. Amanda wandered out to the front desk, picked up a thick stack of phone messages and returned to her office. Frank hadn't lied about the calls from Geraldo and company, but the message that made her pause wasn't from New York or LA. Amanda tapped the slip against her palm, uncertain whether to call the number or not. She swiveled her chair and stared out the window. The name on the slip aroused mixed emotions. Suddenly Amanda said, Why not? and dialed St. Francis Medical Center. She told the operator her caller's name and was put on hold. After a moment the voice of Tony Fiori came on the line.
Amanda? he asked hesitantly.
Long time, Tony, Amanda said evenly. I didn't know you were in town.
Yeah. I' m back at St. Francis.
How was New York?
Good. Actually, I was so busy most of the time that I didn't take as much advantage of being there as I
