Page 97 of One of Us Is Guilty

‘There’s something we just need to let you know,’ I said. ‘Bloch and a colleague are on their way to Patrick’s house in the Hamptons. They’re looking for something which might help us in this case.’

‘What has the Hamptons house got to do with anything?’ she asked.

‘Maybe nothing, maybe everything,’ said Harry. ‘We just have a duty to tell you we’re carrying out investigations. Just in case you have any objection.’

‘No, not at all. I’m just amazed Patrick let you into the house.’

I fell silent. Harry nudged me under the desk.

‘Well, he knows we’re there, but I may not have explained the real intent behind the visit to his lawyers, Buchanan and Duff.’

‘I thought so. Look, you do whatever you think is best. I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me.’

Harry smiled, and told her we were due back in court in a few minutes.

‘I just need to use the bathroom,’ she said, and we left the consultation room. Vanessa walked down the hallway and into the ladies’ room.

‘Have you heard from Lake or Bloch?’ I asked.

‘Lake checked in. Patrick is hunkered down in his father’s house. Dekker and a full protection team too. They haven’t moved for two weeks,’ said Harry.

‘Still keeping a low profile, as we expected,’ I said. ‘And what about Bloch?’

Harry checked his watch, said, ‘She’s managed to wrestle our forensic expert into a new suit, so she should be starting work any minute.’

‘She needs to hurry. We’re running out of time.’

38

Vanessa

Vanessa’s hands rested on her lap beneath the table in the cramped, dirty client consultation room in Center Street courthouse.

‘There’s something we just need to let you know,’ said Eddie. ‘Bloch and a colleague are on their way to Patrick’s house in the Hamptons. They’re looking for something which might help us in this case.’

Underneath the table, Vanessa’s fingernails bit into her thighs. She squeezed and felt the sharp points of her manicured nails in her flesh.

What she had learned about lying was that sometimes, to keep the reaction from your eyes, from your face, you have to let that expression come out somewhere else. Lies build pressure. The façade that she wore could crack if someone hammered on it hard enough. That pressure had to be released.

‘What has the Hamptons house got to do with anything?’ Vanessa asked.

‘Maybe nothing, maybe everything,’ said Harry. ‘We just have a duty to tell you we’re carrying out investigations. Just in case you have any objection.’

She tensed her core, used her diaphragm to help keep the tremorsfrom her voice. ‘No, not at all. I’m just amazed Patrick let you into the house,’ she said.

Flynn said nothing. But in that silence he told her everything. He had lied about this to someone, but he wasn’t prepared to lie to Vanessa.

‘Well, he knows we’re there, but I may not have explained the real intent behind the visit to his lawyers.’

‘I thought so. Look, you do whatever you think is best. I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me.’

Harry smiled and said, ‘No need to thank us. Better get ready to go back inside in a few minutes.’

‘I just need to use the bathroom,’ said Vanessa, and it had taken every part of her will not to wince at the urgency of how she had delivered that line.

But from their reaction, they had probably thought it was just the anxiety at having to go back into that courtroom.

Relaxing her hands, she smoothed down her pants, stood and then followed the two men into the hallway, turned and headed toward the ladies’ room, went inside and checked the four stalls.