The 5th Horseman

Chapter 104

YUKI WAITED IN THE LONG LINE outside the ladies’ room. Her arms folded, chin tucked down, she was thinking how powerfully she’d felt O’Mara’s closing, and she was asking herself again why she hadn’t dragged her mother out of Municipal before Garza, that bastard, killed her.

The line moved so slowly that by the time Yuki entered the washroom, there were only moments left before court was due to resume.

Quickly, she turned on the cold water faucet, splashed water on her face. Then she reached blindly for the paper towels.

She patted her face dry and opened her eyes to see Maureen O’Mara in front of the mirror touching up her makeup.

Yuki was happily surprised to see O’Mara.

She congratulated her on her closing argument and introduced herself, saying, “I’m with Duffy and Rogers, but I’m here because my mom died recently at Municipal.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” O’Mara said, nodding; then she cut her eyes back to the mirror.

Yuki recoiled at the rebuff. A half second later she realized that O’Mara was probably absorbed, bracing for Kramer’s closing.

Worrying about the jury.

Yuki wadded up her paper towel and tossed it into the trash container, taking another look at O’Mara, both in the round and in her reflected image in the glass.

Maureen O’Mara’s suit was splendid. Her teeth were bleached, and her glorious hair had that seamless glow usually only seen in shampoo commercials. The woman takes care of herself, Yuki thought, and that observation irritated her for some reason.

She had a thought about how she hadn’t had her own hair cut in months and had been alternating every other day between one of two dark-blue business suits. It was just easier to dress automatically.

Since her mother died, how she looked just didn’t seem to matter.

Beside her, O’Mara blotted her lipstick, flicked a stray hair from her collar, and, without another look at Yuki, left the bathroom.

A broad woman in a pinstriped suit asked Yuki if she minded, she had to reach across her to use the soap.

“Sure, no problem.”

Yuki stepped back from the sink, thinking, So what if Maureen O’Mara was a somewhat pampered bitch?

She still wanted her to win.

She wanted her to win big.