L.A. Dead

'Mrs. Walters,' the judge said, 'I'd like you to put on a bathrobe for the court.'

Walters nodded, and Stone handed Marc a white terry robe. He held it for the woman, and she put it on.

'Please put up the hood, step out of your shoes, and face the rear of the courtroom, Mrs. Walters,' Marc said. She followed his instructions, and he turned to Cordova. 'What about it, Mr. Cordova? Could this be the woman you saw?' He made the woman shape with his hands.

'Yeah, she could be,' Cordova said.

'No further questions,' Marc said.

Ms. Chu was on her feet. 'Your Honor, now I'd like for Mrs. Calder to try on the robe for Mr. Cordova.'

'Any objection, Mr. Blumberg?' the judge asked.

'None whatever, Judge.'

The courtroom watched as Arrington slipped into the white robe and turned her back on Cordova.

'Mr. Cordova,' Chu said, 'could this be the woman you saw?'

Cordova nodded. 'Yeah. I guess it could be either one of them; they look pretty much the same.'

'No further questions, Your Honor. That concludes the District Attorney's presentation.'

'Mr. Blumberg,' the judge said, 'do you have any witnesses?'

'Your Honor, we call Isabel Sanchez.'

Isabel came into the courtroom, was sworn, and took the stand.

'Your Honor, my colleague, Mr. Stone Barrington of the New York Bar, will question this witness.'

The judge nodded assent.

'Mrs. Sanchez,' Stone began, 'are you and your husband employed by Mrs. Arrington Calder?'

'Yes, we are,' Isabel replied.

'How long have you worked for her?'

'Since she married Mr. Calder. We worked for fifteen years for him before they married.'

'Do you, personally, perform the duties of a maid in the household?'

'Yes.'

'Do your duties require you to deal with Mrs. Calder's wardrobe?'

'Yes, I do her laundry-her underthings and washables-and I gather things to be sent to the dry cleaners and an outside laundry.'

'Would you say that you are familiar with Mrs. Calder's wardrobe?'

'Oh, yes, very familiar. I know her clothes as well as I know my own.'

'Tell me, does Mrs. Calder own a terrycloth robe?'

'Yes, she does. She has terrycloth robes for the guest house, four of them, for the two bedrooms.'

'What color are the guest house robes?'

'They are bright yellow.'

Stone held up the white robe. 'Is this Mrs. Calder's robe?'

'No.'

'Of course not, since it was bought yesterday at the gift shop of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Does she own one like it?'

'No, she doesn't.'

Stone went to the shopping bag and pulled out a bright yellow robe. 'Is this the color of the guest house robes?'

'Yes.'

He handed her the robe. 'Take a look at it. Is this one of the guest house robes?'

Isabel examined the robe and its label. 'Yes, it is.'

He held up the two robes together. 'These robes are very different colors, aren't they?'

'Yes, they are.'

'Could you mistake one of these robes for the other?'

'No, they're different colors.'

Stone held up the white robe. 'Does Mrs. Calder own a robe this color?'

'No, she does not. Mrs. Calder never wears terrycloth, even around the pool.'

'Do you know why?'

'She doesn't like it; she likes Sea Island cotton or silk. I've never once seen her wear a terrycloth robe.'

'No further questions, Your Honor,' Stone said. 'And that concludes our presentation of witnesses.

'Ms. Chu, closing?'

Chu stood, looking chastened. 'We have nothing further, Judge.'

'Mr. Blumberg?'

'I believe the evidence speaks for itself, Your Honor. The District Attorneys own witnesses have exonerated my client.'

'Mr. Blumberg, I believe you are correct. Your motion for dismissal of charges is granted, with prejudice.' He turned to the DA.'s table. 'Ms. Chu, I believe you and the police may wish to speak further with Mrs. Walters.' He rapped his gavel. 'Mrs. Calder, you are free to go, with the court's apologies. Court is adjourned.'

Arrington stood and turned to Marc and Stone. 'What does with prejudice' mean?'

'It means the DA. can't bring these charges against you again. You're a free woman.'

'If it's all right,' she said, 'I'd like to leave by the front door.'

'I'll tell Manolo to bring the car around front,' Stone said.

She grabbed Stones hand, and they made their way through the crowd of press. He passed Dino. 'Follow Manolo in your car,' he said. Dino nodded and, with Mary Ann, made his way from the courtroom.

'Mrs. Calder will have a statement on the front steps of the courthouse,' Marc shouted over the din, and the press dutifully followed them outside. Microphones were set up on the steps, and Marc shouted for silence.

He faced the reporters, apparently relishing the moment. 'Justice has been done,' he said. 'Arrington Calder is a free woman, and I only wish the police and the District Attorney's office had done their work earlier, instead of waiting for us to do it for them. Now Mrs. Calder would like to say a few words.'

Arrington stepped up to the microphones. 'I want to thank my attorneys, Marc Blumberg and Stone Barrington,' she said. 'But I have no thanks whatever for the media, who have made my life a living hell these past weeks. These are the last words I will ever speak to a camera or a reporter. Good-bye!' She stepped back.

Suddenly, a reporter in the front of the group held up a tabloid newspaper. 'Mr. Barrington!' he shouted.

Stone, who had been about to lead Arrington away, turned and looked at the paper. What he saw was himself and Betty Southard quite naked, covering half the page. Both were looking at the camera, and black bars covered strategic areas of their bodies.

'Oh, shit,' Stone said, involuntarily.

Chapter 61

Arrington took one look at the paper and stalked off. Stone followed her as quickly as he could, with reporters shouting questions at him from both sides. He got Arrington into the rear seat of the Bendey, but before he could climb in, she slammed the door and hammered down the lock button. Stone was left on the sidewalk, surrounded by cameras and screaming reporters.

Marc Blumberg grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the curb as Dino and Mary Ann drove up in the Mercedes station wagon, and they both got into the rear seat. Dino drove away, while reporters scattered from his path.

'You can drop me at the garage entrance around the corner,' Marc said.

Dino glanced back at him. 'Congratulations; you sure nailed Beverly Walters. How did you know she and Vance had an argument?'

'I figured he dumped her. Everybody dumps Beverly, sooner or later, and I figured she didn't like it. At least, she admitted to an argument.' Marc turned to Stone. 'By the way, I had a call early this