Ginger took the lead. “We came up dry. Not one person-and we spoke to thousands of people-would admit to seeing Sophie Lee. We covered the island from one end to the other. We didn’t leave one stone unturned.”
“And yet you both somehow managed to get a nice suntan,” Spenser snarled.
“We were on foot most of the time and in the sun,
Ginger picked up the ball, and said, “Is there anything else you want us to do, sir?”
Spenser looked at the mess on his desk, wishing he knew what the hell it all was. “I want you to go to the evidence locker and bring me everything in it. If they give you a problem, have them call me. And Sophie Lee’s personal possessions, if there are any.”
“Yes, sir,” the ADAs said as they turned and left the room.
Outside in the hallway, Ginger grimaced. “Ten years later he wants the evidence that he used to convict Sophie Lee? My bet is Sophie Lee’s personal possessions were picked up by her lawyer or her friend the reporter. What do you think, Don?”
Don shrugged. “Who the hell knows? I wasn’t even in Georgia when that case went down. It’s customary for the next of kin to take possession of the defendant’s property once the police release it. Since Sophie Lee was an orphan with no next of kin, then either the reporter friend or her lawyer probably has it, and lots of luck trying to retrieve it. That son of a bitch is just grasping at straws now. He’s going down, and he knows it, and even his Speaker of the House daddy isn’t going to be able to help him. In case you haven’t figured it out, Ginger, I got a hard-on hate for Spenser.”
Ginger laughed. “Join the club. Listen, just because no one likes that cocky bastard doesn’t mean he did something wrong. He went to court with what he had, and a jury agreed with him. He could still come out of this okay, and everyone out there might be spinning their wheels for nothing. Come on, let’s get on this so we can go home and get some sleep. I do like your tan, though, ADA Clark,” she added with a smirk.
Twenty minutes later, covered with grime and dust, the two attorneys looked at the empty box labeled SOPHIE LEE and the date, which was ten years earlier. They smiled in the dim light.
“No way in hell is Spenser going to believe this! Someone’s head is going to roll.” Ginger shoved the empty box back into its niche. “Let’s see where Lee’s personal possessions are and who signed for the evidence to be taken out.”
Another thirty minutes went by before the two detectives had a name; Kala Aulani had signed out Sophie Lee’s personal possessions. Don read from the list. Watch, purse, keys, billfold, assorted purse junk, laptop, clothing, and shoes. There were no signatures for the contents of the evidence locker.
“Looks like Aulani didn’t even ask to see what was in the evidence locker. The cops are pretty uptight about that end of it. They keep pretty meticulous records from what I’ve seen over the years. We can’t hang that on her, but Spenser sure as hell will try,” Ginger said.
Ginger flipped through the pages of the logbook, but there was nothing to find other than Kala Aulani’s signature for the release of Sophie Lee’s personal possessions.
“Well, someone took it all out,” Ginger said. “Spenser is never going to believe this. Who was on duty when Kala signed out Lee’s personal effects?”
“Donna Holmes. Never heard of her,” Don said. He looked over at the grizzled older officer who was reading the sports page under a dim yellow reading lamp. “Hey, Drucker, do you know who Donna Holmes is?” The officer shook his head.
Back upstairs, Ginger logged on to the first computer she came to and ran a check on Donna Holmes. Fifteen minutes later Ginger said, “She’s a detective at this precinct. According to this,” she added, pointing to the computer screen, “she was a rookie, fresh out of the academy and assigned to the evidence locker because that guy we just saw back there was in the hospital with a ruptured appendix. It was her first assignment on the force. Guess we have to talk to her.”
“Can’t we just call her? I need some sleep. This jet lag is killing me. Weren’t we supposed to eat almonds or something?”
“Huh?” Ginger said, a stupid look on her face.
“I think I heard somewhere that if you eat almonds, you won’t have jet lag,” Don said lamely.
Ginger rolled her eyes. She’d never heard such a thing. Cell phone in hand, she was already dialing Donna Holmes’s work cell. The voice that came through was brisk and cool. “Holmes, what can I do for you, Ms. Albright?”
“A lot. Can you meet us somewhere in the next ten minutes? We need to talk with you about something important.”
“How about right out front? I’m parking in the lot as we speak.”
“Ten minutes tops, and you can head for home, Don. Try to look alert. You look like you’re in a trance of some kind,” Ginger said.
Donna Holmes looked like the girl next door who had grown up into an adult and hadn’t changed a bit. She was neat and tidy, just a touch of makeup. Her eyes were clear and steady, her handshake firm.
Ginger took the lead and explained what they wanted to know. Donna responded:
“That was ten years ago. My first assignment when I got to the force. I hated every minute of being stuck down there. I did read a lot of books and magazines, I can tell you that. I couldn’t wait for Drucker to get out of the hospital. I just don’t remember anything about what you’re asking. If Miss Aulani signed out her client’s stuff, what’s the problem? Shouldn’t you be talking to her?”
“She signed out Sophie Lee’s personal stuff, you know, watch, purse, clothes, that kind of thing. The evidence box was
Any other time and under other circumstances, the look of blind panic on Donna Holmes’s face might have been funny. Right then, that minute, it was not funny.
“This is about Ryan Spenser, right?” Holmes didn’t wait for a response. “I don’t remember doing that, but I’m not saying I didn’t. I was overwhelmed, and I hated being cooped up in that dungeon. I don’t know how Drucker does it. I felt like a vampire down there. I don’t know what to say other than I might have given her everything. What’s going to happen now?”
Ginger and Don both shrugged.
“Do you remember what was in the evidence bin?”
Holmes’s face puckered up. “I want to help, and if I screwed up, I’ll take responsibility. I can’t be sure, and I’m guessing. Laptops, I think, and I don’t even know why I’m saying that as in plural. I don’t have any recollection of even looking in that box, but if I’m saying laptops, where did I get that from?” The detective shrugged her slim shoulders and frowned. “How much trouble is this going to cause?”
Ginger’s eyes sparked. “Could be a lot, could be none, depends on Spenser and how mad he is. Is it possible you’re thinking of the laptop in Sophie Lee’s personal effects.”
Holmes shook her head. “No. I seem to remember multiple laptops and thinking who needs all these laptops? It’s vague in my mind. Like I said, I’m guessing here. Did you talk to the person who signed out the stuff?”
“Not yet. Okay, listen, keep thinking about this and call me if you remember anything, anything at all.” Ginger scribbled both hers and Don’s work cell numbers along with their personal numbers on a sheet of paper she ripped out of a notebook she always carried with her. She handed it over.
Both lawyers watched Donna Holmes walk away. “I think she gave Aulani the whole ball of wax. Think about it. Why would Aulani even mention it to anyone? None of it would ever have come to light if Spenser hadn’t asked for it. She probably used all that stuff from evidence when she filed all of her appeals. I’m not sure what that makes her guilty of, if anything. Sophie Lee was found guilty by a jury of her peers. The appeals didn’t work. Why open up that can of worms?”
Ginger Albright looked uneasy as she stared at her fellow ADA. “We’re not going to get to first base with Kala Aulani.”
“Well, I’m not going to worry about it. I’m going home to eat some almonds. And then I’m hitting the sack. Don’t call me unless they find Spenser’s dead body somewhere.”
“What? You’re leaving me to go back and… and…”
“Yeah. Maybe you can sweet-talk him,” Don said, trotting around the building to where his car was
