“Suspicious,” Kiley said.
“There’s a guy who came in as Smith’s partner at the bank not too long before Smith was shot. Guy named Marvin Conroy.”
Kiley frowned a little. As if the name meant something.
“Marvin Conroy is an acquaintance of your daughter’s.”
Kiley glanced neutrally at Ann. “Yeah?”
“And Ann was representing DeRosa when he told us that Mary Smith hired him to kill her husband.”
“This is all very interesting,” Kiley said. “But I was hoping you might sort of get around to why you are here talking to my daughter.”
“This is the preeminent criminal law practice in the city. Maybe on the East Coast. What the hell are you doing with Jack DeRosa?”
“He was Ann’s client,” Kiley said. “Ask her.”
“That’s where we were when you came in,” I said.
Kiley smiled and didn’t say anything.
“So,” I said to Ann, “how’d you come to represent DeRosa?”
“I decline to discuss my clients with you,” she said.
“Tell me,” Kiley said.
“Bobby,” his daughter said, “I am not going to talk about this with these men.”
“I want to know, Ann.”
Father and daughter stared at each other. I stayed quiet. Hawk leaned placidly against the wall, looking at the view. Then Kiley shifted his gaze to me.
“There any connection between this guy Marvin Conroy and DeRosa?”
“Conroy was in the bank with Smith,” I said. “DeRosa was asked to kill Smith.”
“That’s hardly a connection,” Kiley said.
“Yet,” I said.
Kiley shifted his glance to Hawk. “I been in the criminal defense business for a long time,” Kiley said. “I know what he does.”
“And well,” I said.
“He watching your back?”
“Yes.”
“So this is serious business,” Kiley said, probably to himself more than to me. He pointed his chin at Ann Kiley. “You think she’s in danger?”
Ann said, “I’m not a she. My name is Ann.”
I nodded. “I think Ann’s in danger,” I said.
Kiley said, “What do you think, Ann?”
“I think it’s preposterous,” she said.
“No,” Kiley said. “I know this guy. He thinks you’re in danger, we need to take it seriously.”
“For God’s sake, Bobby-”
“And cut the Bobby shit, for the moment. It’s fine while we’re colleagues, but I’m also your father, and I want to know what the fuck is going on. How come we represented Jack DeRosa?”
Ann Kiley’s face got very tight, and colorless. Her jaw clamped, but do what she would, she couldn’t stop it. She began to cry. She stood and walked to the window and stood beside Hawk and looked out. Her shoulders shook, though not very much. In the quiet room we could hear the stifled sound of her fight for control. Bobby Kiley didn’t move. Hawk looked at me. I looked at Hawk. We decided that quiet was the way to go.
After a time Ann turned from the window. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were red and her face was stiff. She leaned her hips against the window ledge and folded her arms and looked straight at her father.
“I’m having an affair with Marvin Conroy,” she said.
Kiley nodded. Ann Kiley took in a long slow breath with a hint of vibrato.
“It’s a serious affair,” she said.
Kiley nodded again. Ann tightened her folded arms as if she were hugging herself in a cold place.
“He asked me to help him,” she said. “He was in trouble.”
Nobody said anything. The phone rang on Ann Kiley’s desk. Bobby Kiley picked it up and said, “No calls,” and hung up.
“He asked me if I could find him someone to pretend something. He said I was a criminal lawyer, and I should be able to find someone.”
“And you found DeRosa,” Bobby Kiley said.
