All Dressed in White

22

When they left Jeff’s apartment, they went directly to the Gotham Bar and Grill. The host greeted Alex with an enthusiastic handshake. “Good evening, Mr. Buckley.”

Alex introduced the man to Laurie as Joseph. She had been to the restaurant several times, but was not on a first-name basis with the staff and surely would not have been able to get a reservation on ten minutes’ notice with a phone call from the car.

Once they were seated, a sommelier arrived with three Cabernet selections for Alex to consider. He certainly was a regular. But she already knew that.

As Alex’s chosen wine was being poured, Laurie checked her cell phone. There was a text message from her father, responding to the one she had sent from the car. Timmy’s thrilled with the pizza we ordered. Stop worrying, and have a good time at dinner.

She knew that her father was more than happy to spend time with his grandson, but she still felt a pang of guilt. There was no way she’d be home in time to say good night to Timmy.

“Is everything okay at home?” Alex asked. Of course he would know that’s where her thoughts had drifted.

“All good. It’s amazing what a pepperoni pizza can do for a nine-year-old boy’s happiness.” Determined not to spend the entire night talking about Timmy, Laurie asked Alex what he thought about Jeff. “Did you notice that he was the one who brought up Amanda’s will?”

“He struck me as a smart guy, so he knows why people are suspicious.”

“Tell the truth, you just think he’s smart because Alex Buckley is his idol.”

“You love to get a rise out of me,” Alex commented with a smirk. “So did you believe him when he said he never wanted Amanda’s money?”

“I think so, actually. You saw that apartment. It was modest but comfortable. If he wanted more, presumably he could earn it by leaving his public defender job. Or he could have Amanda declared legally dead so he could inherit.” Since speaking with Sandra, Laurie had learned that New York law gave Jeff the option of filing in court to have her declared dead without waiting a full seven years. A judge could evaluate all of the circumstances of the disappearance and conclude that the person is almost certainly dead.

“He may not know that, Laurie. Criminal defense lawyers don’t know all the ins and outs of wills.”

Whether Jeff was aware of his ability to seek to inherit Amanda’s trust fund with no body having been found was the kind of detail they’d need to explore before production. Their usual approach was to use a soft touch with the show’s participants at first, as they had in the apartment. Once they finished their research, Alex asked the tough questions on camera.

“Alex, thank you again for going to Brooklyn with me.”

“You didn’t even need my help. If anything, Jeff seemed eager to sign on. He sounded confident that he’d be able to persuade his wife, too.”

“He certainly was right when he said I was surprised. I nearly fell out of my chair.”

“Was it only because he’s a lawyer that you were expecting him to be so uncooperative? Not all of us are so difficult.” He smiled wryly.

“Amanda’s mother, Sandra, made him sound like a money-grubbing ladies’ man. Apparently his two best friends are flashy bachelors. Jeff, in contrast, seemed quite sweet and earnest.”

“I hate to tell you how many guilty clients I’ve had who can put on an act when necessary. I should start handing out Oscars in my office.”

“I’m sure you’re right. But I have to wonder if Sandra may have jumped to conclusions. This is why I’m very careful about taking cases submitted by the families. It’s too easy to get steered into one person’s opinion.”

“I know you, Laurie. You always keep an open mind.”

A waiter appeared and began describing the new additions to the menu. Laurie nodded along, even though she already knew what she wanted. She hoped that Alex was right about her ability to remain neutral. What she hadn’t told him was that something about Jeff reminded her of Greg. She realized the similarity when Jeff mentioned that he’d walked into a press conference wearing two different shoes. Greg had once come home from the hospital sporting mismatched loafers after too many hours on call. But it wasn’t just that one anecdote. From the second he’d tossed his keys out the window, Jeff had struck her as easygoing and warm.

Could that really be so easily faked? Laurie doubted it.

But how was he going to react when Alex started pinning him down?