“You have to leave. Por favor, don’t tell anyone I let you in. I have two children,señora.”
I looked at her through a blur of tears. “I won’t say a word, I promise.” I took a few steps toward the door, then stopped. “Were you the one who found him?”
She nodded, her hand clasped over her mouth. “Yes, it was me.” Tears streamed down her beautiful face.
“Was there anyone else here that day? Did you see anyone?”
“No,señora, I didn’t. Please, go now. I don’t want no trouble.”
“Thank you,” I said, and left the room. The door closed quietly behind me.
I’d almost reached the elevators when Billy Ray’s phone rang loudly in my pocket. I didn’t recognize the number, but it was a Las Vegas area code, so I took the call.
“Hey, it’s Colton.” He sounded rushed, almost frantic. “Can you be back in half an hour? The prosecutor wants to discuss a deal.”
43
The Deal
“We’re offering murder two,” Mitchell said.
Colton and I huddled over his phone on speaker, with Billy Ray leaning grimly against the wall. I didn’t fully grasp what the offer meant, but I knew it wasn’t good. I looked at Colton and shook my head furiously.
“Mr. Mitchell,” Colton said, nodding briefly for my benefit, “my client doesn’t—”
“She should take it, and you know it,” Mitchell said, cutting him off. “We have a pile of evidence against your client, and every day, we discover more. She’s led a shady life, to say the least, and her past is catching up with her. You know what that does to a jury.”
I cringed, fearing what else they might have uncovered.
“Then why offer a deal?” Colton asked, dipping his voice in honey. “Isn’t this an election year? The DA surely must want the win, doesn’t he?”
A brief pause. “Well, he’s concerned about putting someone like your client on death row. She’s no John Gacy. He’s worried he might—”
“Be seen as a murderer himself for putting this sweet girl on death row?” Colton chuckled. “And you know why? Because my client didn’t kill anyone.”
“Right,” Mitchell replied sarcastically.
“Your boss should be more interested in finding out who killed Winston Donovan than approving deals for innocent people.”
“Yeah, whatever. I’ve heard it all before. Your client would be serving fifteen years, out in ten with good behavior. She could still have a life to live.” He paused for a moment. I felt a chill prickling my nape. “But if she’s found guilty for murder one, it’s the needle. This is a capital case, Mr. Blake. You have no friends left to play on your side with this one.”
I frowned, struggling to follow what the ADA was saying. What friends?
“Let me put you on a brief hold and consult with my client,” Colton said, then pressed the mute button without waiting for an answer. “What do you think?” he asked me.
“Absolutely not,” I said, sounding stronger than I was. Braver. “I didn’t kill anyone, and I won’t do any time for it.”
Colton tapped the mute button. “Sorry, Mr. Mitchell, no deal.”
“Voluntary manslaughter, ten years,” he countered, and Colton grinned widely.
He looked at me, and I shook my head vigorously.
No,I mouthed. He raised his thumb.
“No dice, Mr. Mitchell. See you in court.” He ended the call and exhaled loudly, smiling.
“Son of a bitch,” Billy Ray muttered under his breath. “I’d like his momma to do time for shit she didn’t do.”
