Blood Money

her.”

“Thank you,” said Crawford. She cued her assistant, and the video resumed.

Jack watched, riveted. It was an actual recording of the image that had replayed in his mind many times since that night. Sydney turning away from him. Sydney walking across the runway, slowly at first, gaining speed. Finally, Sydney running into the arms of a man who was waiting for her outside the small aircraft. After three years in prison, Sydney Bennett was in the full embrace of an unidentified man.

“Stop,” said Crawford.

The image froze on the screen-Sydney locked in the man’s arms.

Crawford faced her witness. “Mr. Hewitt, do you recognize the man in this frame?”

Jack froze. It was the question he’d been asking since the night of Sydney’s release.

“Yes, I do,” said Hewitt.

“Who is it?” asked Crawford.

Hewitt said, “That’s the man who I met at the Metromover station at Government Center.”

“The man who offered you the bribe?”

“Yes,” said Hewitt. “That man.”

Crawford paused, allowing the answer to linger. Her assistant turned off the video, and the lights came up. “I have no further questions.”

Jack did a double take. He was expecting to hear a name, but obviously the government didn’t know it. Or they didn’t want Jack to know it.

“Mr. Swyteck, you may cross-examine, if you wish.”

Jack rose slowly. That second possibility-that the government knew the man’s name but simply didn’t want Jack to know it-was burning in his mind. Instinct told him that he would be playing into Crawford’s hands if he rushed through this witness, no preparation.

“Judge, the defense would like a recess before cross-examining this witness. In my mind, this case has been over since the not-guilty verdict, Mr. Hewitt was just arrested last night, until ten minutes ago I had no idea no idea this video existed, and I-”

“You can stop there, counselor,” the judge said. “I have another jury trial that I’m trying to finish today anyway. I’ll give you the weekend to prepare. Let’s reconvene here at nine A.M. Monday morning.”

“Thank you,” said Jack.

“Don’t thank me, counselor. Based on what I’ve seen, the government has done a convincing job of linking your client to the man who bribed Mr. Hewitt. I’m not going to tell you how to do your job, but it may require nothing short of Sydney Bennett herself coming into this courtroom to rebut this showing. Now, she may want to invoke the Fifth Amendment, and that’s her decision. But without her testimony, I don’t see how you can even begin to explain the fact that on the night of her release from jail, she was throwing herself at the man who bribed a juror.”

“I understand,” said Jack.

“Make sure you do. I’ll see you all Monday morning.”

The judge stepped down from the bench, and the packed courtroom rose on the bailiff’s command. Jack had one eye on the judge as he headed to his chambers, but his gaze slowly shifted to the other side of the courtroom. Finally, when the judge was gone and people started talking and heading to the exit, Jack caught sight of Ted Gaines in the crowd. He was behind the prosecutor’s table, standing at the rail with his client, when he glanced in Jack’s direction. Gaines mouthed the words, and Jack could plainly read his lips.

Call me.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Jack’s car was waiting at the curb with the motor running. The group of demonstrators outside the courthouse was mostly people who wanted to get on television, and the BNN cameraman was happy to oblige. The gathering would look much larger and much more passionate on the evening edition of the Faith Corso Show; there was nothing like well-edited crowd-scene video to obscure the fact that no one inside the courtroom had actually presented any evidence to link Jack “Sly-teck” to jury tampering. One protester managed to thrust a sign in Jack’s face as he raced down the granite steps, but before the reporter could catch him and demand a comment, Jack jumped into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. Theo hit the gas, and the car pulled away.

“Thanks, man,” said Jack.

Judge Matthews had deferred ruling until at least Monday, but Jack could count on one hand the people on the planet who believed that someone other than Jack and his client were behind the jury tampering. Two of them were in the car-Theo and Abuela.

Theo glanced in the rearview mirror and said, “She ain’t happy.”

Abuela was in the backseat behind Theo, with her packed suitcase on the seat beside her. If Rene’s murder had proved anything, the threat against “someone you love” was pretty broad. It was time to follow through on getting Abuela out of town.

“Jack, el ticket,” said Abuela. “Is one way.”

Jack glanced over the passenger’s-side headrest. His grandmother was studying her itinerary.

“We’ll buy a return when it’s time to come home,” he said.

“How long I go?”

“I don’t know,” said Jack.

“You send me away for you don’t know how long?”

“It’s all about keeping you safe,” said Jack.

“An old woman alone in a strange land-this is safe?”

Jack tried not to roll his eyes. “You’re going to Tampa to stay with your brother.”

“Forty years I fight to get out of Cuba to see my grandson. He sends me away on one-way ticket. Ay, Dios mio.”

“Abuela, please-”

Theo reached across the console, stopping him. “Dude, you’re not gonna win this one.”

Jack’s phone rang. It was Ted Gaines.

“Swyteck, I asked you to call me.”

Jack recalled the gesture at the end of the hearing. “I was getting around to it.”

“We have a hearing at two P.M.,” said Gaines.

“No, Judge Matthews said Monday morning.”

“I’m talking about Laramore versus BNN. You know, the frivolous lawsuit you filed against my client?”

Jack ignored the swipe. “I didn’t get notice of any hearing.”

“I’m sure his assistant will be calling you any minute now. It was just scheduled at BNN’s request.”

“I’m getting tired of the sniper tactics, Ted. What’s this about?”

“More postings on Celeste Laramore’s Facebook page. Everything you took down is back up. Plus more.”

Jack caught his breath, not sure he had enough fingers to plug another hole in the dam. “When did this happen?”

“While we were in court at this morning’s hearing.”

“That can’t be. We reset the username and password to freeze Celeste’s Facebook account.”

“I assure you, the account is up and running, telling the world all about your lawsuit against BNN in flagrant violation of Judge Burrows’ order.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“At this point, Swyteck, I don’t care if you do or you don’t. BNN’s position is that this is the second willful violation of a court order, and I’m going to ask the court to dismiss your case.”

“Fine,” said Jack. “Do what you gotta do.”

Gaines ended the call. Jack immediately accessed Facebook on his iPhone. Sure enough, Celeste’s page had