Page 50 of One of Us Is Guilty

She looked out the window at the city.

I said nothing. She said nothing.

We drove on in silence for a time. I realized that tonight was not the time to ask her hard questions. I needed to know more about the prosecution’s case. Then we could all lay our cards on the table.

Harry asked her what hotel she wanted to stay in, and that it should be somewhere out of the way. Somewhere she had never been to before. We settled on a Hilton Garden, and Harry made a left and headed downtown.

‘You need to lie low until this case is over. Don’t call anyone else apart from me.’

‘What about the other lawyer, the woman, Voss.’

‘I need you to fire her, but not yet. For now let’s ghost her. I need time to think.’

‘So what happens now?’ she asked.

‘Now we wait for the prosecution evidence. Your father-in-law has all kinds of powerful friends. This trial will come on fast. Voss will help move that along. Once we know exactly what kind of case the DA has, we can fire Voss, start investigating and get ready for the fight. I don’t want to ask you a lot of questions right now. Let’s do it later, when we know more. But there is one thing. Have you ever heard the name Teresa Chase?’

‘No, should I have?’

‘One of your husband’s political opponents mentioned the name. Said they knew about her. My investigators have come up a blank, so I thought you might know.’

‘Sorry, I never heard the name before,’ she said.

‘What was Patrick whispering to you before we left?’ I asked.

She turned to look at me, and I saw again the fear in her eyes.

‘I can’t say it.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I can’t tell you.’

‘You’re safe with me, you know? It may take some time for you to properly feel it, but I actually do want to help you, Vanessa. I’m not doing this for money, or my reputation, or for some kind of bullshit publicity. I only take cases on when I want to help someone. I think you need help. I think you’re holding a lot back. I can’t help you if you won’t tell me the truth.’

She glanced away, through the raindrop-speckled windows, lit with the lights from the hotel.

When she turned back, the fear had dissipated. She had made a decision.

‘It’s been a difficult day. Give me some time. Let me get my head clear. And then I’ll tell you everything.’

20

Eddie

A week passed with Vanessa hiding out in the Hilton Garden downtown.

I’d gotten the call from Voss the morning after Vanessa checked in, asking where our client might be. I told Voss I didn’t know. She said I was lying to her, and I told her she was correct. I said Vanessa needed some processing time. And that I would be in touch when we got discovery in the case.

The prosecution discovery arrived in my office on a wet Thursday morning. Denise signed for the package from the police officer, and brought it straight to me and Harry.

Hard-copy pages, a booklet of photographs and everything duplicated on a pen-drive. Harry inserted the pen-drive into his computer. I sat at the edge of his desk with the paper and photograph book.

It’s always my way to look at the pictures first. I want to see what story the crime scene tells on its own, without having first read the other evidence. It’s a way of keeping the mind open. If I knew the prosecution narrative already, it might taint my view of the photos.

The DA doesn’t send the defense all of the evidence. The rule is they disclose the evidence they want to rely on in court, plus any evidence they uncover that might be helpful to the defense.

There were only five photographs.