Page 92 of One of Us Is Guilty

I didn’t ask him for them.

There was no need. Harry had seen the same line of attack that was building in my mind.

Before I could ask a question, I noticed Judge Tanner peering over her eyeglasses at me. The look wasn’t exactly curiosity. There was a warning in that expression, and some trepidation at what I was about to do. Her gaze left me for a second, her attention drifting behind me, to someone in the crowd.

I turned quickly, saw Voss sitting upright, beaming a smile as she casually folded her arms. When I turned back to the judge, it was clear to me she had been eyeballing Voss.

Occasionally, when my cash flow drops, I spend a weekend in Reno, or Atlantic City. I can’t go back to Vegas. I’ve too much heat on me in that city, and not just from the desert. There’s a lot of ways to cheat at poker. The easiest way to clean up at the Texas Hold’em table is not to double up with a ringer at the table, contrary to some opinions. The smartest way to wipe out even world champion poker players is to have a secret agreement with the dealer, who can make sure your opponent has a good hand, and that you are dealt a better one.

I’d done it myself, and seen it done to me a couple of times at least.

Just now, looking at Voss and Tanner, I knew the judge had loaded the deck against Vanessa.

Well, I didn’t know for sure, but I had a strong suspicion.

I needed to ask the witness one question.

And see if the judge answered it.

35

Eddie

‘Miss Karim,’ I said, ‘are you lying to this jury because someone paid you, or are you lying because the district attorney’s office forced you?’

‘Mr. Flynn!’

The judge answered my question.

Riley had sprung out of his chair to object, but he wasn’t as fast as Judge Tanner. He stood there now, mute, as if he was surprised by the judge’s outburst.

‘Before you accuse this independent witness of lying under oath, I presume you have strong evidence to put before this court to back up such a serious allegation,’ said the judge, sending tiny cannonballs of spit from her mouth that sailed over the bench and then were lost from sight before they hit the polished wooden floor.

I looked at Harry.

His expression changed, his eyebrows crowded in a frown and as he lowered his head he shook it from side to side, almost in disbelief.

The judge had either been leaned on or was bought and paid for by Julian Vanderpool. Didn’t matter which, we were now in serious trouble. It’s hard to build a defense for your client when the judge refuses to let you pick up a single brick.

With Judge Tanner staring at me, and getting angrier by the second while she waited for an answer, I thought about how I should play this. Having to make massive tactical adjustments in seconds in a murder trial during cross-examination is sometimes called thinking on your feet. But it’s much more than that. It’s like trying to adjust an invasion plan in the middle of a battle.

The judge’s eyebrows sat almost at the top of her head while she waited for an answer.

She was expecting me to say no, not yet. Not at this time. Some delaying tactic.

‘Of course I have evidence, Your Honor,’ I said.

Her eyebrows stayed put in a look of incredulity.

‘Have you shared this so-called evidence with Mr. Riley?’ she asked.

‘He shared it with me,’ I said. Then, before she could say anything else, I shot the next question at the witness.

‘Miss Karim, let’s start again. You made a call to 911 on the night of the murder, correct?’ I asked.

‘Yes,’ she said.

I held up the document Harry had given me, so the jury could see it in my hand.