'I need to know where the love affair with Beth Ann fits in to what he did.'
'And I should help you with this?'
'In the interest of justice?' I said.
'Justice?' Cleary said. 'This office wants convictions, not justice.'
'You'll convict him,' I said. 'But maybe the circumstances would mitigate the sentence.'
'His sentence gets mitigated and the fucking community will be in open rebellion,' Cleary said.
'Lot of heavy stuff happened to that kid,' I said.
'A lot of heavy stuff happened to other kids, in the school, when he killed them,' Cleary said.
'I need to know what happened,' I said.
'Spenser, get away from me,' Cleary said. 'His lawyer's already conceded. Nobody wants the sentence mitigated. His parents even want him long gone.'
'I might be able to do something about the lawyer,' I said.
'Well, wouldn't that work out good for me?' Cleary said. 'If I am really cooperative, I can turn this case into a major headache for myself.'
'The woman may have caused this,' I said.
'Even if she did,' Cleary said, 'even if he had a better lawyer, he's going away.'
'We need to know,' I said.
'They don't want a better lawyer. They want him gone.'
'Maybe I could persuade them,' I said.
'You got another lawyer in mind?'
'Rita Fiore,' I said.
'The best defense attorney in the fucking state,' Cleary said. 'And you want me to help you bring her on board?'
'Exactly,' I said.
Cleary looked at me. I looked back.
'You're going to get your conviction,' I said. 'Might as well have some justice on the side.'
Cleary kept looking at me. I smiled at him warmly.
Finally, he said, 'Jesus Christ!' and leaned forward and picked up the phone.
Chapter 61
'I DON'T WANT to talk to you,' Jared Clark said when they brought him in and sat him down.
'I know,' I said. 'Nobody does.'
'Well,' he said. 'I won't.'
'Beth Ann Blair says that she was in love with you,' I said.
His eyes widened.
'What?' he said.
'Beth Ann Blair says she is in love with you and that you are in love with her.'
He laughed. I didn't know why, and I suspect he didn't know why. But there it was: ha, ha.
'We're not supposed to tell anybody,' he said.
'She told,' I said.
'She told you she loves me.'
'Yes,' I said.
He laughed the same odd and inappropriate laugh.
'You want to tell me about that?' I said.
'She already told you.'
'She told me how she feels,' I said. 'I was wondering how you feel.'
'She really told you,' he said.
'Yes.'
'Honest to God?'
'Honest to God,' I said. 'You love her?'
He laughed. It wasn't a laugh about funny. I winked at him.
'Even if you didn't,' I said, 'Pretty good in bed, huh?'
