Reilly 04 - Breach of Promise (47 page)

“Didn’t someone write that in a story once?” asked Wish. “Neat idea.”

“But there isn’t enough passion here for a conspiracy. He didn’t kill someone’s friend or murder anyone’s father. He just played with their heads,” Paul said, dismantling his own suggestion.

Wish winced as the slender man scraped his cue on the felt of the pool table. Three balls dropped into sockets. “Yeah, people don’t kill people over being on a jury together. They just want to.”

“People kill people over a pair of shoes these days, Wish!”

“Not with peanuts they don’t.”

“You have to admit, with this much dough floating around, someone’s easily going to want some enough to harm Cliff Wright, if it would do any good. Lindy Markov had the biggest motive. But that theory has a major flaw because how could she know what went on in that jury room? How could she know Wright was turning everyone against her? We didn’t know until those jurors came out and gave all those interviews.”

“A friend on the inside?” Wish said.

“That’s what I finally decided. Maybe she bribed someone. Promised one of the jurors a lot of money to do their damnedest to make sure that jury went her way. What if that person saw Cliff turning everyone against Lindy and had this ingenious idea on how to stop him?”

“Which juror?”

“I don’t know. Diane Miklos is the most likely candidate in that case. Mrs. Lim even saw her lifting the lids off of the lunch that day. Her lifestyle requires major injections of moolah. But she’s off on a climb. That means she’s already got her money in the bag, when Lindy doesn’t yet. And then there is the fact that Lindy swears she didn’t bribe anyone and seemed awfully credible to me.”

“What about her friend Alice?” Wish asked.

“Oh, I looked into that. Lindy helped her buy a house after her divorce. She had a breakdown, and that’s where most of Lindy’s salary went over the past few years, to supporting her old friend.”

“Lindy sounds nice,” Wish said.

“Or you could see her as the type of person who needs that money so that she can keep playing the big shot with her friends and favorite charities.” Feeling frustrated, Paul pounded a fist on the table, accidentally knocking his Coke to the floor. The brawny woman at the pool table missed her shot and turned eyes filled with hatred on him. She whispered to a few menacing-looking friends.

“You know I’ve got fifty bucks riding on this,” said the nearest one, the venality in his tone a warning. He puffed out his chest and stood close enough to violate Paul’s personal space.

“No, I sure didn’t,” said Paul. Swooping down, he picked up his cup and headed for the nearest exit, followed quickly by Wish.

“Maybe it was an accident after all,” Wish said.

Paul walked more slowly. He had decided not to push back in there because after all, fifty bucks was fifty bucks. Paul could see the guy’s point. “But did you see what just happened? That guy looked mad enough to deck me, maybe kill me over fifty bucks, and there was a lot more money involved in the Markov trial.” Paul stopped beside the van and took a good look at his raw recruit. “I don’t know where all this discussion leaves us. I’m afraid we’ve hit the end of the line.”

“This is such a bizarre job,” said Wish. “I don’t know another single soul who gets to have so much fun around people dying.”

After Winston left, the law offices of Nina Reilly had fallen into quiet. Because of the furniture removal, Sandy had not scheduled any clients. In the reception room, Sandy’s fingers clicked across her keyboard. In the conference room, having made several passes through the place to collect her things, Genevieve scratched out a list of expenses for Sandy. In her office, Nina sat, unable to work.

Bob would be flying in from his school trip back East late tonight into San Francisco. Nina’s father had offered to pick him up at the airport. They would drive up Saturday morning. She couldn’t wait. She missed him, particularly today, with everyone leaving.

The phone rang to interrupt these dark thoughts. The caller was Jeffrey Riesner, who if the legal grapevine could be believed, had just lost Rebecca Casey to a big firm in Reno. Nina assumed he couldn’t afford to keep her on after the Markov loss.

“You know why I’m calling, don’t you?” he said, without introducing himself.

“Who’s calling?” asked Nina perversely.

“Don’t start,” he said. “Let’s attempt to talk.”

“I assume this is about Markov’s appeal.”

“Well, not exactly,” he said, hedging. “Didn’t you get a copy of the final receiver’s report?”

“It’s here somewhere,” Nina said. “I haven’t really studied it.” She patted around on her desk, picking up papers, looking for it.

“Find it and call me right back,” he said. And bang, down went his phone.

Wondering what in the world had put him into such a snit, Nina groped around, finally locating it in a pile on the floor beside her. She read it and called Riesner back.

“This is an amazing document,” she said, “if I read it right.”

“You do,” he said shortly. “And now I’m going to level with you, Nina.”

“I’m astonished and delighted to hear that . . . Jeff.”

“You can see the immediate problem. If we pay the claim, Mike’s flat broke. Plus, I’m in a bind. Mike . . . has decided not to appeal the award. Naturally, he made his decision against my advice. I can cite a million errors that make this eminently suitable for an appeal, even a reversal. But he’s made up his mind.”

Nina almost fell off her chair. This she had never foreseen.

“I wondered if you would talk to your client about this.”

“What would I say?”

“I think I saw a little sympathy up there on the stand from her. She’ll realize he’s gone completely off his rocker. Maybe she’ll give him a break and open up negotiations for a reasonable compromise.”

“We’ve always been open to negotiating, Jeff. I’ve said so many times. But we no longer have to do that. We’ve won our case.”

“Would you just check with her? See if she’s seen the report. See what she thinks. Maybe she’ll want to do something for him,” he said.

It was incredible. He was groveling.

“I’ll do that,” she said. “But don’t expect anything.” She tried to sound courteous and keep the triumph out of her voice. Riesner’s plum of a case had turned rotten on him. His client had quit cooperating. There was no more money to be squeezed out. And she knew the worst of it for Riesner.

Losing. This public brawl had been won by a woman, by her, Nina Reilly. Not by Riesner, the good old boy.

And Mike Markov would be broke. She had better get Lindy on the phone soon to stanch any outbreak of pity.

Paul appeared in her doorway. “Looking for me?” he asked.

“Always. What’s up?” she said.

“Not much.” He took her up for a long kiss. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

With a word to Sandy, they moved outside, walking along a road that led to the lake. “I’ve got a business hanging on by a thread back home,” Paul said. “Just gave Wright’s family the news that I haven’t come up with diddly to prove his death was anything but natural. Talked with Cheney, too. The local police haven’t got anything either. They’re closing the file on his death.”

“No juror involvement?” asked Nina hopefully.

“Nothing I found.”

“That’s great!”

“Yeah.”

“There’s a ’but’ in your voice.”

“I hate the feeling there’s something I’ve missed. Nina . . .”

“Yes?”

“You don’t know anything you aren’t telling me, do you?”

“No.”

“I know this case is important to you, and I know my talking with the jurors really made you nervous. But I never meant to bring you down. I just couldn’t let this pass by me without a second look.”

“I’m glad it’s over,” said Nina.

They reached the lake and watched kids nearby throwing a ball back and forth, and a dog running through the water after a stick.

“I assume you talked with the jurors about Wright’s position on our case,” said Nina.

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

“It was eight to five in favor of Mike at lunchtime. You were about to lose.”

“Remarkable timing, then,” she said. “Apparently, the replacement juror favored Lindy and they all swung back around.”

“Remarkable, yes.”

“Well, don’t look at me. I didn’t do it.”

“I know. Maybe Lindy Markov did, but if she did, I can’t find any proof.”

“So that’s it?”

“Met by a rock wall, most people stop.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Back to Carmel. Then D.C.”

“You’re going back?” she asked, and something about his demeanor suddenly made her very apprehensive. “I thought that job would be over by now.”

“Nina, I have something to tell you and it’s not going to be easy. Now my pattern in the past under similar circumstances has always been to be noble and blame myself for everything. That way, I get what I want and we both go away feeling good, but rather than lie to you and make it easy, I’ve decided to tell you the truth. You deserve that much from me. And I know you can take it.”

“Fire away,” she said gamely. She did not wish to hear whatever he wanted to say to her at that moment but short of running away, she knew she could not escape.

“You are a selfish woman. You want what you want when you want it. Okay, fine. That’s modern, even cool. Sometimes it’s even attractive. Except when it comes to me.”

She absorbed the blow. “It’s possible you have a point . . . .”

“And this case has changed you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve done things that surprised me.”

“Such as?”

“You choose your work over your friends. Your moral gray area expands directly in proportion to the size of the pot.”

“I can’t believe you of all people are criticizing the way I do my job! You never followed a rule in your life!”

“That’s me,” said Paul. “We’re talking about you.”

“Let’s leave my work out of this discussion.”

“But we can’t. You’re such a lawyer, always organizing and pigeonholing like mad. Here’s Paul over here, in love with me, wishing he could marry me. I’m a busy woman. I’ll give him forty-nine percent. Well, I don’t give fifty-one percent to your forty-nine. We both give one hundred percent, otherwise it’s a waste of time.”

“Paul—”

“Now hang on, let me finish. I’m taking the security job in Washington, D.C.”

“What? No!” Now this she had never expected! She felt like he’d taken her by the ankles and flipped her overboard as Lindy had done with Mike on the boat. “Have you lost your mind? You don’t want that job!”

“I do want that job.”

“I don’t understand. Things have been going so well. I thought we were happy together.”

“We are, Nina, on the rare occasion we’re together,” Paul said. “But it’s not enough for me to flit in and out of your life like I do.”

“But that suits us!”

“It suits you. You need someone who wants you less than I do. You need someone available only when you’re hungry, who just simmers patiently the rest of the time. I am not a back burner type of guy.”

“I don’t want you to go,” she said.

“No, you don’t,” Paul said, “because I’m handy. But I’m going.”

“You can’t,” she said, casting about in her mind for the right thing to say and coming up blank. What right did she have to keep him here? He was a passionate man, and he deserved his match in a woman. “I have lots of work for you here!” she said, knowing how weak it sounded.

“Nina. Don’t pretend you miss the point.”

“I need you.”

“Yes, you do, much more than you realize. But remember, we’re friends for life. Anybody’s legs need breaking, you know who to call.”

“You’ll be three thousand miles away.”

“A hop, skip, and a jump,” he said.

He might as well be in Antarctica. The cold Atlantic was a long, long way from these western mountains. “You’re leaving for good?”

“For a year, Nina.”

“How can you leave California? What about your business in Carmel? You can’t go.”

“Yeah, I knew it would surprise you.”

“Look, I am selfish. And I know I’m high-maintenance. But—maybe I’m worth it!”

“You are, sweetheart. And I know there are plenty of guys who’ll be happy to pick up the slack when I let go.” He looked at his watch. “Phew. It’s already two o’clock. Now that’s off my chest, I’ve got to hit the road. But you know what would be good?”

She had no idea what would ever be good again.

“A last little taste of that tempura at Sato’s would really hit the spot on the way out of town. . . .”

“Wait a minute. I have more to say,” Nina said.

“You can’t change my mind, so don’t waste your breath. Want to go get a bite with me?”

“No. I don’t have time,” Nina said.

Paul put his head back and laughed.

“How can you be so casual about this!” she cried. “We’re breaking up!”

“And I feel like shit about it, too. Now, c’mon. Give me another half an hour of your precious time so that we can do this thing properly. You can get on my case all you want. My treat.”

“I really can’t. Genevieve hasn’t left yet. I have to say good-bye to her.”

They walked back to her office in silence, holding hands. Nina could not speak, and Paul seemed as usual. An earthquake had shaken the world, but everything looked the same, and even sounded the same. He whistled through most of the walk back.

When they got there, Paul said, “ ’Bye, then.” He kissed her gently, walked over to his van, waved, and drove away.

As she walked down the hall to her office, she didn’t think about him leaving, but flashed back instead on the rough texture of the hair on his arms, and how poorly matched the two of them were physically, with him so large and her so small—how was it they had ever fit so well? She thought about his long thighs rubbing against her and the curve of his arm, enveloping her in his scent.

Damn him for those things he said! Damn him for giving up on her!

Sandy had deserted her desk. Nina found her with Wish, who had returned from his lunch. Holding a big green trash bag, he picked up loose bits of paper, rubber bands, and paper clips from the hallway.

“I’m going to miss them,” said Nina, crossing her arms and watching. After a minute contemplating the wreckage, she pitched in. They wandered into the empty rooms, picking things up in preparation for vacuuming. Where Genevieve’s desk had been, a silver chain twinkled on the floor beside a forgotten earring. In Winston’s office, wadded up candy wrappers revealed a secret love of licorice, and empty cola cans had been neatly stacked for recycling in one corner.