“You may not realize it, but the police have not closed the book on Cliff Wright’s death.”
She drummed nicely manicured fingernails on the table. “I didn’t know that,” she said. “Why haven’t they? I thought he had some kind of allergic reaction. I thought they knew that for sure.”
“That’s true. But what they are trying to find out is exactly what caused the allergic reaction.”
“How will they do that? Someone told me he was allergic to a bunch of things.”
“Who told you?”
“I don’t know. Seems like we were going over the jury members once and someone mentioned it.”
So she knew about the allergies. That was key. “I think they are trying to narrow down the possibilities,” he said. “What they think happened is that someone may have put something in his lunch.”
She looked at him with a face that was perfectly incredulous. “Are they crazy? They think someone made him have an allergy attack?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“Why?”
“Well, that’s just it. Cliff Wright was a real leader of the jury. Did you hear the interviews with your jury after they came out? He was really pushing for Mike, and had most of them coaxed around.”
“So?”
“So, the police seem to think there might be a motive in that.”
She shook her head back and forth. “This is unbelievable. Are you saying they think I might have had something to do with harming this man because I knew he was on Mike’s side?”
“Wright had turned almost the entire jury against you. You would have lost everything. So you see, you had good reason to worry about what this man was doing to your jury.”
“But Paul… how could I know what was going on in the jury room?”
“You know what, Lindy? From everything I’ve heard, you’re a smart woman. You hired Nina because you saw she’d kill herself to represent you. You built a huge business out of nothing with Mike. You know you can buy some people. I think, if you wanted to know what was going on in the jury room, you would figure out a way to find out.”
She stood up. “Get out of here.”
“Who told you about Wright, Lindy? Was it Mrs. Lim? She used the telephone frequently. She could have been calling you with updates on the situation. Did she tell you what a threat he was? And then… you passed through that hallway a few times before. Maybe you were passing through that day, worrying about him and then, there it was, his meal, specially marked for a vegetarian. Maybe you never meant to kill him. Maybe you were just angry, and you acted without thinking. Because, Lindy, if you did, it’s only second degree-”
She yanked on his arm. “On your feet. I said go!”
He stood up. She reached past him and threw open the door.
“Or was it Diane?” he went on standing with his two hands wedged firmly on the doorjambs. “She needed big money the most, and she really believed in your cause. I honestly don’t think she would have a problem accepting money in return for helping you out a little. Why she practically admitted she knew you did it-”
She pushed him. He held firm.
“Look, I’ll make a deal with you,” she said angrily. “I’m going to tell you what you want to know, and then you’ll get off of my property. Do we have a deal?”
He nodded.
“I did not bribe a juror.”
“Then how did you know about Wright?”
She struck him on the shoulder. “What kind of a person are you?” she cried as he made no move to leave. “Don’t you know most people don’t have murder on the brain and wouldn’t consider such a thing for any amount of money? Or have you been so jaded by your work you can’t understand that most people don’t kill?”
“I’m a realist, Lindy. Just like you.”
And then, in the swing of her arm, a gun found its way into her hand. It must have come from the cookie jar on the counter. Pointing it at him she said, “If that’s the case, maybe this will help you understand that I mean it when I tell you to get the hell out of here.”
Staggered as always at the inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies of human behavior, Paul stepped outside, backing away from her until she closed the door in his face.
33
Nina allowed herself a long walk with Hitchcock on Friday morning before getting into her work clothes. They found a field of buttercups for him to romp in, and rainbows in the dew on the bright-yellow blossoms of the Sierra Wallflower. She took in the heady smell of them, as rich and thick as something tropical, and went back home feeling forlorn. Today, Winston and Genevieve would be moving out of their offices. They would all three go their separate ways. And like the last day of school when she was very young, the day already had a bittersweet flavor.
By the time she arrived at the office, a yellow truck with a ramp stood parked on the street near the front door of the building. Wish and a friend were tipping Genevieve’s desk onto a dolly.
“Have you got a pad or something to protect that?” asked Nina. “The rental place will charge me for every scratch.”
“Sure, we do, Ms. Reilly,” said Wish. He raised a hand to wave at her, lost his balance, and dropped the handle of the dolly. His friend yelped, but held on to the desk with both arms. Leaping back into his place, Wish bumped him, floundered, and caught himself again. “I’ll just go get it.”
“Never mind,” said Nina hastily, scurrying into the building, unwilling to set off any further chains of events. She didn’t get far. The hallway was in shambles. Boxes of files and trash bags narrowed the aisle to allow only one person to pass at a time.
“Incredible how much accumulates during the course of a trial,” she said to Sandy as she entered the reception area.
“Some of the files we need to keep here, others can be stored in our storage area.”
“What storage area?”
“The one we just rented,” said Sandy. “You’re starting to pile up dead files. Until we rent more space, we need to be able to move around.”
“Sandy…”
“What?”
“Is… I mean. You seem…”
“What.”
“Kind of down.”
Sandy lifted her shoulders and began typing from a yellow legal pad.
Nina found Winston squatting on the floor in his sweats, in front of a tower of files in his office. “I think I’ve got this thing licked,” he said. “This pile here is stuff I take. This one,” he patted a stack, “is to stow somewhere. This is garbage. Where are the trash bags?”
“Sorry, I have no idea,” said Nina.
“Wish!” he hollered.
Genevieve, who had already packed, stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall watching him. “Winston, at this rate you’re never going to finish. Didn’t you have some kind of appointment this afternoon?”
“Trial over. Good-bye and good riddance?” he said.
“Of course not,” Genevieve said. “Just don’t drag it out. Packing’s a real pain, but I know how you feel. It’s like when you’re going to catch a plane. You fear you’re gonna end up at the counter without your passport.”
“There’s nothing really pressing. I just have better things to do than pile old papers,” Winston said.
“Just remember, Sandy will send anything along that you forget,” Genevieve said.
“I don’t like this,” said Nina.
“You don’t like what?” Winston asked.
“Everyone leaving,” Nina said. “This.” She waved her arms at the mess. “I got used to having company for lunch. I got used to you knowing better than me the things I knew perfectly well before you two came.”
“You’re a sociable critter, Nina,” Genevieve said. “You just don’t pander to that side of yourself enough. Now, Winston,” she said. “Move over and let me help you toss files haphazardly into that box. I can do that as well as you can.” Sidling over, she nudged him with her hip, but Nina thought Genevieve looked as upset as Nina felt.
Back in her own office, Nina closed the door and sat with her back to the window, thinking about how quiet it would be and wondering if she liked that. Rather than decide, she picked up her phone messages and began to return calls.
The morning passed quickly. By eleven, the yellow truck was on its way to return the furniture. Winston and Genevieve had relocated to the conference room next to Nina’s office, where there were still chairs. Sandy had ordered sushi and salad for an early lunch.
Winston ate quickly. “You know that island you told me about?” he asked Nina, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
It took her a minute to recall what he must mean. “The tiny one in Emerald Bay? Fannette?”
“That’s the one. Any idea where I could rent a kayak to get there?”
“Well, sure. Richardson’s Resort. Head west on the highway. Turn right at the ’Y.’ It’s just a couple miles up on your right. They have a marina and dock. Call first to make sure you can get one, though. It’s still early in the season.”
He called, and they listened while he arranged to rent one for the afternoon.
“That sounds like fun!” said Genevieve. “I’ve always wanted to learn to kayak.”
“I’m doing this for some upper-body exercise. I need to go fast. Maybe I can take you out another time,” Winston said.
Genevieve’s mouth turned down. “Okay.”
“Are you going to hike to the teahouse?” Nina asked.
“Maybe,” he said. “I’ll check it out and decide when I get there.”
Everyone helped clear away the trash. In deference to Sandy’s forbidding nature, Winston shook her hand. She thanked him again for the rabbit-skin blanket. Nina and Genevieve also came in for a final handshake. There seemed nothing left to say.
“I’ll be in touch, Nina,” Winston said, pulling away.
“You better be,” she said.
