Blood Defense

FORTY-SEVEN

We recessed for the day, and I stood as the jurors left the courtroom. It’s meant to look like a sign of respect, but it’s mainly an excuse to watch them. When they were gone, I huddled with my team at counsel table.

Dale had a proud smile on his face. “After that prosecutor’s opening, I didn’t know what you were going to say. But you really brought it back.” He glanced around the courtroom, then whispered, “But how are you going to prove Paige was the target?”

An excellent question. Alex and Michelle looked at me expectantly. “I don’t have all the answers yet.” Or any, actually. “But I will. Right now, I need to get going.”

I had to get out and talk to the press, give them a quietly-confident-but-not-arrogant statement. I patted him on the arm. “I’ll get in earlier tomorrow so we can talk. Try to get some rest.”

He nodded. “You, too.”

I stood up. “Guys, want a ride to your cars?”

Michelle made a face. “And climb through that mob out there with you? No, thanks.”

“That’s no mob-those are my peeps, my adoring public-”

“Many of whom, according to Twitter, think you’re a sleaz-”

“I’ll win them over.”

Michelle rolled her eyes.

The bailiff took Dale back into lockup, and I herded Alex and Michelle away from the spectators still lingering in the gallery. “Any word on our burglar boy and the phone?”

Michelle shook her head. “I left him a message telling him to call and tell me when he planned to come by. Nothing.”

I looked at Alex, but he shook his head, too. “How about if I go to his house? If he doesn’t pony up with the phone, I’ll just take it.”

And he could. Alex was slim, but he was almost six feet of lean muscle. Still, I didn’t like the idea of him getting into it with Scott. “The jerk might not be alone, and what if he has a gun? Just tell him I’ll walk away from his case.”

Alex nodded.

I packed up and we walked out to the hallway. A small knot of reporters was near the elevators. I spotted Trevor, Edie, Brittany, and Kendall in the crowd. Zack had probably just finished giving his quietly-confident-but-not-arrogant statement.

I smiled at the crowd as I walked Michelle and Alex to the elevators. I turned to Alex. “I’ll be going straight back to the office, so if anything breaks, you can reach me there.”

Their elevator arrived. As they stepped inside, a voice behind me said, “Keeping long hours now, huh?”

I turned and saw it was Trevor. I sighed. “I’ll probably be pulling all-nighters for the duration now.”

When I got outside, there was a batch of reporters with cameras, so I made sure to keep a pleasant smile on my face that I hoped exuded confidence. Edie was setting up on the front steps. My town car was at the curb right behind her. If I was going to squeeze her for a photo op with her husband, now was the time. And with a jury pool barely old enough to vote, I needed the help more than ever. I walked over and she looked up and smiled. “Hey, Sam. Got a statement for me? Or better yet, a new lead?”

“I might in the next day or so.” If not, I’d make something up. “Does your husband want to sit in on the trial?”

She paused, then shrugged. “Maybe. Can you get him in?”

Seats were prized commodities. Members of the public had lined up for passes at six this morning. “I think so. And I’d be glad to chat with him.”

Edie gave me a knowing smile. “And maybe take a photo together? Yeah, I saw a lot of young faces in that jury pool.”

A photo with the man trying to get cheaper tuition for those young faces couldn’t hurt. “The free publicity wouldn’t be bad for him, either. Kind of a win-win, don’t you think?”

Edie gave a little laugh. “I’ll see what he says.”

I gave her a quick statement and headed for the town car. I wanted to relax, maybe even take a quick nap, but I couldn’t stop the wheels from turning. I mentally reviewed my opening statement. I’d done my best to stitch together what little fragments of evidence I had into a quilt that looked like reasonable doubt-but I knew it wouldn’t hold up. If something didn’t break my way soon, I’d be standing next to Dale listening to the judge put him away for life.

Michelle was at the office when I got back. Alex had dropped her off and headed out to Scott’s place-a small duplex on the east side of Hollywood. Zack told me he was going to start with the neighbors tomorrow. Janet and Nikki were two-hundred-pound boulders; they couldn’t be pushed around. All I could do was use them to point out possibilities, like: Isn’t it possible Dale was just looking for the burglar when he was driving around the neighborhood? And isn’t it possible someone else came to the apartment that night?

And that got me thinking about my last conversation with Scott. I knew he’d been lying when he told me why he’d chosen to burglarize Chloe’s apartment. I thought I’d figured out the truth. I stood up and stretched, then saw that it was almost ten o’clock-and heard Michelle still typing at her desk.

I walked out and put my hands on my hips. “Michy, what are you doing here?”

She stopped and stared at me. “Getting a facial. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“No word from Alex?” She shook her head. “Remember I was wondering why Scott chose Chloe’s apartment to break into?”

“Yeah, what’d he tell you?”

“That he chose her apartment because he knew she was famous and figured she’d have good stuff. I knew he was lying at the time, but I let it go. Then it occurred to me. He doesn’t live that far from their apartment. He’s a dealer, and so is Chas Gorman-the guy who lives a few doors down from Chloe and Paige. It’s just a hunch, and it might be a coincidence. Maybe Chas and Scott don’t know each other. But if they did, it’d explain how Scott happened to target the girls’ apartment.”

“Makes more sense than Scott’s story, that’s for sure.” Michelle’s brow furrowed. “You think Chas told him to rip them off?”

“No, he liked the girls. And he really liked Paige. I think it was all Scott’s idea. He either saw Chloe at the building, or maybe Chas told him she lived there.”

Alex finally came back. “I knocked, I waited, I knocked again and waited some more. No answer.”

Damn it. “Does it look like he split?”

“I couldn’t tell. It felt empty, though.”

I was good and pissed. “That friggin’ asshole.”

Alex held up a hand. “Before we make any moves, let me have another day or so.”

“I’ll give you two days. If we don’t have that phone by then, I’m getting off the case. But I do have an idea of where you might want to look for him.” I told him about my Chas Gorman theory.

Alex smiled. “My stoner buddy. I miss him. And I bet you’re right.” He shook his head. “Small world. Want me to go out and see him now?”

“It’s after ten. Take the rest of the night off. Tomorrow’s soon enough.”

The truth was, tomorrow was soon enough because it was probably already too late.