Page 16 of One of Us Is Guilty

Clarence nudged his leg. He put the whole plate of ham on the floor and stroked Clarence’s back as he ate. I remember when Harry took Clarence in. I can’t say that Harry found him on the street,because it was just as true to say that Clarence found Harry on the street.

‘She’s a Vanderpool, Eddie. Nobody in that family is innocent,’ he said.

‘She married into them. She’s not a real Vanderpool.’

‘That’s even worse. Imagine joining that family voluntarily.’

‘You don’t need to agree with her politics, or her husband’s, to help her. I don’t think she did this. It’s just a feeling I have, but I want to meet her and make sure. Then I’ll fight for her. What I don’t know for sure is why the firm is farming her out to us?’ I asked.

‘Sounds like they know Patrick was having an affair with the victim. But, right now, Patrick is denying there was an affair to the police. That’s risky if it ever comes out that he lied. There’s your conflict. You have a married couple at war. No lawyer could represent them both.’

‘If rumors of an affair between Patrick and Molly are true, and can be proven, then Patrick is in a lot of trouble.’

‘If the affair is real, it makes Vanessa a suspect, too,’ said Harry. ‘Hell, even if the affair didn’t happen, and it was only rumor, it wouldn’t be the first time a jealous spouse took out their anger on a love rival by mistake. It’s equally plausible that Patrick killed the victim to hide the affair. He’s gearing up his campaign to run for governor. This couple sit on top of a tall mountain of wealth, privilege and power. They’ve both got a long way to fall. In my experience, those who have the most to lose are willing to go the furthest to save themselves.’

‘This is messy. But it might all be smoke and mirrors. If Vanessa is innocent, I want to help her, regardless. Are you in?’

‘Kid, if you want this case, then I’m with you. Always.’

‘What kind of a mutt is that?’

Rex Buchanan was a corporate lawyer with north of a hundred million dollars in his bank account, he owned prime real estate inseveral countries, commanded an army of vicious litigators and was in every conceivable way an extremely powerful man.

But he’d just insulted Clarence. And Harry. And right then, standing in Rex’s office, I felt sorry for him.

‘This is Clarence,’ said Harry. ‘Where I go, he goes.’

‘He’s not exactly a pedigree,’ said Buchanan.

Harry bent down toward Clarence, who gazed up lovingly at his owner.

‘Clarence,’ said Harry, ‘meet Rex. He’s not a dog, despite his name. But if he keeps insulting you, he’ll be dragging his sore ass all over this nice carpet.’

‘No offense intended,’ said Buchanan. ‘I just never saw a dog like that before. What breed is he?’

‘He’s a Heinz 57. All kinds, like the ketchup. Clarence has about fifty-seven varieties.’

‘We don’t normally let dogs into our offices.’

‘You don’t normally let people likeusinto your offices,’ I said.

‘Take a seat, gentlemen. I’ll bring in Vanessa. I left the file over there on the coffee table.’

He left, and Harry and I took a seat on his couch. Buchanan’s personal office was about the size of our entire firm. I lifted the file from the glass coffee table. Opened it.

It was a thin file – some bio information about the client at the beginning.

Vanessa Vanderpool was thirty years old, two years married to the older Patrick Vanderpool who was now in his mid-thirties. She currently resided on the Upper East Side, although a number of other properties were listed, including a Hamptons residence, a house in Malibu and apartments in Paris, London and Zurich.

The bio described the marriage ascommitted. A strange word to use. It didn’t say loving, or devoted, more like two people who had made a decision some years ago and had decided they had to stick to it.

Molly Green started working for Patrick’s political campaign as a PA three months ago.

There was nothing in the file about Patrick or Vanessa’s relationship with Molly.

I turned to the medical examiner’s report.

Short and ugly.