Killer Ambition

77

By the time we got out of court, I was wrung out. Too many curveballs in too short a time. I unlocked my office door, flopped into my big, cushy chair, and let my head fall back as I closed my eyes.

“You were right about where the Vegas witnesses were coming from,” I told Declan. “But I did not see that union thing coming.”

“They bought the casino under another name,” Bailey said. “Andower Limited. And of course, they got rid of it a couple of years ago. The thing is, you’d have to know what you were looking for to find out about it. I only figured it out now because the witnesses gave us the name of the hotel.”

“Makes sense. Explains why the media didn’t catch it either.”

“But they’ll be all over it now. Might even give those jerks a little well-deserved bad press.”

I sat up. “Come to think of it, when did you have a chance to get all that?” She’d been in court with us all day.

“I did a little checking on my cell while you were bouncing around with those witnesses.”

“Your cell? Are you suicidal?” I asked. The judge had said he’d confiscate any cells that weren’t turned off.

“The advantage of sitting behind you guys-he can’t see what I’m doing.”

“So how are they going to connect this union business to Russell on the day of the kidnapping?” Declan asked.

That was the question of the day-or more accurately the trial. We found out soon enough.

The next morning, when the jury filed in, I tried to suss out my talent agent, now known as juror number four. But he didn’t look at me or the defense.

“The defense calls Angela Mosconi,” Terry announced.

Dani’s personal assistant? I turned to look at Bailey. She shrugged and shook her head. Angela walked in looking as confused as we were. For some reason, that made me feel better.

Terry quickly established that Dani was Russell’s current wife and Angela had been Dani’s assistant for the past three years. Asked if her employer was in the courtroom, Angela pointed to Dani, who looked both stricken and confused. Asked if she sometimes spent the night in the house, Angela said that she did, and generally had the run of the place.

“And you were at the Antonoviches’ house the night Hayley got-for lack of a better word-kidnapped, right?”

“Right.”

“You remember that Dani and Russell spent most of that evening in the study together, don’t you?”

Angela frowned and thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. They may have.”

“Well, you saw them there when you brought Dani her green tea, didn’t you?”

“I really don’t remember, to be honest.”

“But you generally do bring her a cup of green tea every evening, isn’t that right?”

“I usually do. But that night was so weird…I don’t exactly know whether I did or not.”

“If Dani or Russell says you brought her tea in the study that night, would you agree they were probably right?”

Looking mildly perplexed, Angela said, “I guess.”

I had a feeling I knew where this was going. A glance at Bailey showed me she did too. Declan had on his poker face, but I could see his wheels were turning. If I was right, this was about to get ugly.

“Your father is currently retired, is he not?”

Angela looked startled at the abrupt shift. “Yes.”

“Before he was retired, what did he do?”

“He worked in the restaurant of a casino in Las Vegas as a maître d’.”

“And what else did he do?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Wasn’t he also the president of the hotel workers’ union?”

“Y-yes.”

“You’re very close to your father, aren’t you?”

Now Angela looked worried as well as confused. “Uh, sure.”

“And isn’t it true that you called him on the night of Hayley’s kidnapping?”

“I-no. No, I didn’t.”

Terry brandished a cell phone bill and one of her law clerks handed a copy to Declan. “Who pays for your cell phone, Angela?”

“The Antonoviches.”

I quickly scanned the bill. It looked legit and I doubted Terry would pull a bush-league trick like trying to dummy up an exhibit. I wasn’t about to object and let the jury think this worried me. But I’d have it checked out later, just to be safe.

Terry approached the witness stand. “I’m showing you the phone bill. Do you recognize the number at the top?”

“Yes, it’s my number.”

“I’ve highlighted a phone call on this bill. Do you recognize that number?”

“Yes. It’s my father’s number. But I-”

“That’s enough, you’ve answered the question.”

And she’d established who the “mole” was-the one who connected the union to Russell and the kidnapping.

“So you did call your father the night of the kidnapping, didn’t you?”

“I…yes.”

“Now, since your father was union president up until about a year ago, you know that he was very vocal-along with many other union officials-about his anger with certain casino owners who laid off their union staff and rehired non-union workers, don’t you?”

“I know they didn’t like it.”

“Didn’t some of the casino owners get death threats?”

“My father would never-”

“In fact, Russell Antonovich and Ian Powers were among those casino owners who received death threats, isn’t that right?”

I jumped to my feet. “Objection! No foundation, assumes facts not in evidence, and it calls for speculation! There’s no evidence this witness knows anything about that!”

“Counsel is allowed to inquire, Ms. Knight. If the witness doesn’t know, she can say so.”

“It’s also hearsay, Your Honor!”

“That’s enough, Ms. Knight. I’ve ruled. Take your seat.”

I might’ve fought the ruling a little harder, but I knew that Terry would get it all in anyway. And now I knew how.

“Isn’t it true that your father’s union made death threats on Russell Antonovich and Ian Powers?”

“No!”

“And isn’t it true that when you called your father that night you told him about the kidnapping?”

“No! My father just had open-heart surgery! I called to find out how he was doing!”

“You didn’t tell him about the kidnapping? Something as outrageous as that happens and you don’t mention it?” Terry’s incredulous tone said it all. No one would believe she hadn’t at least mentioned it.

“I didn’t even know about the kidnapping till the police came! And I didn’t talk to my father after that-I never had the chance!”

“So you deny having seen the message about the kidnapping on Russell’s cell when you brought Dani her tea that night?”

“Yes!”

“And you deny having told your father about the kidnapping that night?”

“Yes! I absolutely deny it! And my father would never-”

Terry cut her off with the wave of her hand. “I have nothing further.”

I used my cross to let Angela repeat her denials in full sentences, but the damage was done. When she left the stand, red-faced and teary, the jury was awash in frowns and skeptical looks.

The judge announced the mid-morning recess, and as the jurors filed out, I saw Wagmeister and Ian exchange surreptitious congratulatory nudges, elbow to elbow, as they stood and pretended to watch the jurors exit with solemn expressions. After the jurors were gone, we huddled at counsel table.

“We’ll need to line up our rebuttal witnesses for tomorrow,” I said.

“You think they’re done?” Bailey asked.

“Just about. They’ve got one more. But they’ll be done by the end of the day.”

“Let me put a call in to Graden and see if Parkova’s made any progress.”

“Don’t bother. We’re out of time.” Tomorrow was Friday. We didn’t have enough witnesses to fill up more than half a day, so there was no way I could push to the weekend to buy ourselves time. “Besides, we’d have heard from her if there was something to report.”

Declan asked if there was anything he could do, but I shook my head. “It’s over.”

The coup de grâce was coming now.