Page 46 of Fifty-Fifty

‘I guess it’s really raining out there now. Would you like a towel?’ Alexandra asked.

‘No, it’s fine,’ said Kate as a drop of rainwater spattered the collar of her blouse.

‘I’ll get you a towel,’ Alexandra said. She left the kitchen and went into the bathroom. Kate looked around the kitchen and what she could see of the living

space. It was a beautiful place, with a great view of the city. Alexandra’s taste was gorgeous – with carefully chosen color schemes throughout the apartment matching the couch and the chairs. The place was immaculate apart from a pair

of black Lycra running bottoms draped over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. A black ballcap sat on the seat beneath the bottoms, a black top folded beneath the cap. There were some packages to the side of the front door. Some

had been opened and the cardboard boxes left there, packing material nosing out of the box.

A chessboard sat on a coffee table. From the arrangement of the pieces on the board, it looked like Alexandra was playing a game.

‘Sorry, I’m not disturbing your chess game, am I? I didn’t know you had company,’ said Kate.

Alexandra returned to the kitchen with a soft white towel, which she handed to Kate.

‘No, it’s okay. I’m the only person here. I wasn’t playing right now. That’s an old game,’ she said, nodding toward the chessboard. ‘You said something about

this being urgent?’

‘Yes, I think it would be better if we sat down.’

Alexandra poured the water into two mugs and handed one to Kate who was dabbing at her hair with the towel. The smell of chamomile warmed her through

before she’d even taken a sip. Alexandra sat at the dining table, and Kate took a seat opposite her.

‘What’s wrong? Has the DA made another offer? I still don’t know about taking the lie detector test. Mr. Levy said it was my the decision.’

‘That’s why I’m here,’ said Kate. ‘Is it okay if I call you Alexandra?’

She nodded in agreement.

‘I haven’t worked for Levy, Bernard and Groff for very long. Even in that short amount of time, I’ve had to turn a blind eye to a lot of stuff, but I can’t do that anymore. Mr. Levy will leave the decision on the lie detector to you. He doesn’t care about the polygraph. What he really wants is for you to take the deal.’

‘What?’

‘He wants you to tell the DA you and your sister murdered Frank Avellino – that you played a lesser role and it was really all down to Sofia. That way you will still be able to have a life after you get out of jail.’

‘But he knows I didn’t kill my father. I told him face to face – you were there.’

‘I know. He’ll stretch the pre-trial process as much as possible – hammer the prosecution with paperwork as a negotiating strategy and then get you the best deal he can. The only thing wrong with that is you have to admit to playing a part in the murder.’

‘No, I can’t do that.’

‘What if he could get you to walk? No jail time. That was his last offer to the DA.’

Kate took out a piece of correspondence and handed it to Alexandra.

Kate followed her eyes as she scanned the page. Levy was a good lawyer, and he would go to trial if he had to, but if there was a deal to be made, he would break the client’s arm to get her to take it.

‘This letter says I would plead guilty to manslaughter, but I didn’t do it. He was murdered. Sofia murdered him,’ said Alexandra. ‘Who gave him the right to

make this offer?’

‘You did,’ said Kate.

‘What? When?’