AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Damn, Jeffrey Cedar thought, this bluff is almost too easy.
Chapter 69
Once again, I was back in my car, returning to Manhattan. Between using my phone, speeding, and no doubt driving recklessly, I was violating a few traffic laws.
I wanted to wait to call in backup until I verified a little more information. I contacted the analyst in our squad and had her run the name Jeffrey Cedar in every database she could access. I had to learn everything I could about this guy before I pulled up to his office.
What I got back was the information that Cedar was thirty-seven years old, had worked as a prosecutor for one year, and then had moved to private practice in the same office for almost nine years. He had been disciplined twice by the state bar, once for misrepresenting his relationship with a witness and once for trying to keep money the government had seized when they agreed to return it to his client. But as was the case with most bar complaints, not much had been done about either ethical lapse. Both times he’d just been put on probation for three months.
He’d also received a number of traffic violations and a bushel of parking tickets, but nothing outstanding.
None of this painted a picture of a homicidal maniac to me. But I did recall the fear in Lauren Cedar’s eyes when she talked about her husband. To me, any kind of domestic violence is an indicator of a much more serious problem.
Cedar’s office was a few blocks west of the criminal courthouse. Although the twelve-story building looked well-maintained, it had an older fire escape that wrapped around the sides of it like an awkward, rusty snake. To update it would cost a fortune, but it might be worth it. I wouldn’t have called it a luxury or high-end building, but it was clearly occupied by professionals.
I lingered in the lobby for a mome
nt and looked at the tenant listing, which was displayed in a glass-paneled case by the elevator. There were at least a dozen attorneys, a couple of architects, an accounting firm that looked like it took up an entire floor, and a couple of administrative offices. I found a listing that had several names on it, including Cedar’s. He was on the fifth floor, so I took the elevator up there and found another door with the same names on it when I exited the elevator. As soon as I opened the door, however, I figured out it wasn’t a firm—it was just three attorneys sharing a receptionist.
The receptionist looked up and smiled, giving me a very professional “May I help you?”
I smiled back. I wanted to keep this friendly—at least for now. “I need to speak with Jeffrey Cedar.”
Her eyes darted to her appointment book, then to the closed door on my left. “Do you have an appointment?”
“I do not.” I pulled out my badge. “I just need to ask him a couple of quick questions.”
She made no pretense of hiding her phone as she texted someone and received a message in return. She then smoothly informed me, “Mr. Cedar is with a client at the moment.”
“I’ll wait.” I suppressed a smile at the receptionist’s uncomfortable squirm in her desk chair.
The receptionist texted some more. I was only mildly worried about Cedar trying to avoid me. My bet was that he would definitely consider himself more than capable of talking his way out of the domestic dispute he probably assumed I was here regarding.
A few minutes later, the door opened and I saw a middle-aged man with long brown hair walk out. He turned in the doorway and said, “Thanks, Jeff. I feel a lot better now.”
I popped up before the lawyer could close his door. I could hear the receptionist calling out to me as I pushed Cedar’s door open.
I found myself inside a large, comfortable office, staring right at the man I’d seen on the video from the sports bar, in photographs at Lila Stein’s and Marilyn Shaw’s apartments, as well as at the home he shared with his wife and son.
I still had my badge in my hand. I held it up and said, “Are you Jeffrey Cedar?”
He tried to smile as he stood up. “Officer, is this about my argument this morning?”
“With your wife?”
I could see the relief in his face. What criminal defense attorney couldn’t talk his way out of a domestic dispute? I let him relax. His confidence would be his undoing.
I waited a moment before I burst his bubble, then said, “No, this is not about your wife. It’s about Marilyn Shaw.”
For starters, I thought. This man had a lot to explain, or he’d be pinned for multiple homicides. He was an attorney who’d thought he could walk a tightrope. He had just fallen off, and there was no safety net.
Cedar said, “Who?”
I held up one of the still photos I’d gotten from the sports bar security system. It clearly showed Cedar and Marilyn holding hands.
He tried to act casual. “Oh, you mean Mary. I’d be happy to talk about anything you want. I’m just a little busy right now.” He casually picked up his mug of coffee from his desk. “Maybe we can schedule a meeting later.”
“Nope.”
