Blood Defense

FOURTEEN

I gave Alex a copy of the discovery so he could get up to speed on the witnesses, because I’d be taking him with me to do the interviews. I never talk to witnesses alone. If they decide to “forget” something on the witness stand, I need someone who can testify to what they told me-and that can’t be me.

Michelle went back to man the phones, which had slowed down some. Alex went to his office, and I went back to work. An hour later, I heard Michelle tell someone in the anteroom to take a seat. A few seconds later, there was a sharp rap on my door, and Michy stepped in. “You’ve got a visitor-”

“No press. I don’t have time right-”

“It’s Dale’s daughter. Lisa Milstrom.”

I glanced at the paperwork on my desk to make sure there were no grisly crime-scene photos. “Send her in.” I hadn’t intended to talk to her until we got closer to trial, but since she was here, I might as well see if there was a chance she might be a good character witness-or maybe good camera fodder on the cable news circuit. Dale wouldn’t like it, but I couldn’t afford to worry about that. He needed all the help he could get.

Michelle waved her over, and a slender girl in a blue-and-black maxi dress and boots walked in. I introduced myself and reached out to shake her hand, expecting to wind up holding the dead fish I usually got from kids. But Lisa’s shake was surprisingly firm. A little cold and clammy, but firm. I studied her face as she settled into one of the chairs in front of my desk. Her long, light-brown hair and delicate features showed she took after her mother. But I saw a little of Dale in her high cheekbones and slightly bent nose.

I sat down and folded my hands on the desk. “Nice to meet you, Lisa. What brings you here?”

Her tongue darted over her lips as she glanced around the office. When her eyes finally settled on me, she took a deep breath. “I-uh, I just wanted to tell you that my dad didn’t… I don’t think he did this.” Lisa cleared her throat and sat up straighter. “I mean, I know he couldn’t have done it.”

She’d tried to deliver the message with solid conviction. But it was laced with fear and wobbly hope. I could tell she thought I knew the truth, but she was too scared to ask. It impressed me that she had the courage to come here on her own-and that she cared enough to do it for a dad she hadn’t really known for most of her life.

There was no way I was going to tell her how bad it looked for him, but I didn’t want to lie to her, either. “I promise you, we’ll do all we can to prove he’s innocent.” I didn’t want to let her start asking questions, so I steered the conversation away from the case. “Your dad told me you just moved here a couple of years ago. How do you like LA?”

Lisa shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess. It was a drag at first, when I didn’t know anyone.”

“When was that?”

“Freshman year.”

“That must’ve been rough.” I felt for her. Being a freshman was bad enough. But being a new girl on top of that was a real bitch. A real lonely bitch. Still, she seemed pretty together. Nothing like the hot mess I’d been when I was in high school.

She dipped her head and sighed. “It totally sucked. But it’s a lot better now. And Dad really helped. He took me out to dinner, took me to the station.” Lisa spoke with a look of pride. “He even took me on a ride-along.”

I smiled. “I did a couple when I first joined the public defender’s office. Kind of crazy, isn’t it?”

She returned my smile, and her face finally relaxed. “Yeah. I really loved it.” She tilted her head and gazed over my shoulder. “It kind of made me think… it might be kind of cool to be a detective.”

“Absolutely.” But I doubted she’d follow in Daddy’s footsteps. She didn’t seem the type-too soft, too nice. I guess that might’ve been my bias showing. In any case, it looked like Dale had been a positive force in her life. But in the next moment, the memory of those gruesome crime-scene photos flashed through my mind. It was hard to reconcile them with the man who’d shown up for Lisa. Hard-but not impossible. It’s a truth you learn early when you’re on the defense side of things: very few people are all bad. I once defended a serial killer who cared for a whole family of rescue dogs. “Sounds like it’s been good getting to know him.”

Lisa nodded. “It has-not that I don’t like my stepdad.”

“When did your mom remarry?”

“Three years ago. That’s why we moved back here. Lonnie’s a sound editor. He works at Paramount.” She paused and dropped her eyes, a guilty look on her face. “He’s a nice guy, but…”

“He’s a stepdad.”

She looked at me with relief. “Exactly.”

I could relate. I hadn’t met my stepdad, Jack, until I was a junior in high school. He was a great guy, but I’d had a hard time warming up to him-even without the competition of a real father coming into the mix.

We chatted for a little while longer about school and her plans for college. I let her do most of the talking so I could get a bead on her, see how she’d play in court or on camera. But there was one question I’d had on my mind since Lisa had walked into my office. I held off until she was about to leave. “What does your mom think about all this?”

Lisa pressed her lips tightly for a second. “She doesn’t believe he did it, either. But…” Lisa trailed off. “She said he did have a temper.” She added quickly, “Not that he ever hurt her or anything. She just said she didn’t want to believe it but that anything’s possible.” Lisa tilted her chin up, her expression defiant. “But I told her she’s wrong. I know he didn’t do it. Just because I haven’t known Dale all my life, that doesn’t mean I can’t tell.”

Her loyalty was as touching as it was painful. I did my best to give her an encouraging smile, and as I walked her to the door, I told her again that we’d be fighting for him. “It was great to meet you, Lisa.”

She stepped back and gave me a swift hug. “I’m so glad he has you. I know you’ll win.” She headed out through the anteroom and stopped with one hand on the door. She looked from me to Michelle. “Thanks for-for everything.”

I waved, and as the door closed behind her, Michelle said, “Nice kid.”

“She really is.”

Michelle and I exchanged a look: if we lost this case, it’d crush her.