Ties That Bind

Chapter Thirty-Seven.

Tim Kerrigan parked in Harvey Grant's driveway at eight o'clock at night. A heavy rain was falling, and the prosecutor dashed from the car to the shelter of the portico where he jabbed repeatedly at the bell.

"She called my house," Kerrigan said as soon as Grant opened the door. The judge could smell alcohol on his breath. " My house!Cindy answered the phone."

"Come in, Tim."

Kerrigan ran a hand through his hair as he pushed past the judge and headed for the den. He looked wild and on the brink of doing something desperate.

"I take it that you've made a decision," Grant said when Kerrigan was seated with a glass of scotch in his trembling hand. The prosecutor stared at the floor.

"She hasn't left me a choice. She says that she's going to the police next week if Dupre's case hasn't been dismissed. I kept trying to explain the problems with a dismissal but she wouldn't listen. She's . . . she's irrational. So . . ."

Kerrigan could not finish. He took another stiff drink.

"You've made the right decision, Tim."

Kerrigan put his head in his hands. "What have I gotten myself into?"

Grant laid a hand on Tim's shoulder. "Nothing you won't survive as a much stronger person. Right now your emotions are dominated by fear and doubt. Once Bennett is dead you'll realize how grand your future is going to be."

"I'll go to Hell."

"There is no Hell, Tim, and there is no eternal punishment. For you there will only be freedom when Ally Bennett is dead. Your family will be safe. You will become a United States senator and be in a position to do good for a great number of people."

"What do I do now?"

"Nothing rash. You have to detach yourself from what you're going to do. It's the only way you'll be able to handle the pressure. You must be calm. You must always remember that you're doing this for your family."

Tim took a deep breath. He closed his eyes.

"Have you thought about how you're going to accomplish your task?" Grant asked.

"I've thought about some of my cases, what went wrong. I don't want to make a stupid mistake."

"Good."

"My big problem is that I don't know where Bennett lives. I had her address from the police reports in Dupre's case. I called the manager. She's gone. She moved out in the middle of the night and stiffed him for the rent."

"She'll contact you, Tim. She wants her money. You'll have to kill her when you meet."

"Yes. I'll . . . I'll do it then."

"There's one thing we haven't talked about," Grant said. Tim focused on the judge. "Bennett mentioned some tapes."

"She wants to sell them for fifty thousand dollars."

Grant smiled. "Remember I told you that there are people who care about you, friends who want to protect you and see you succeed?"

Tim nodded.

"The money will be no problem. It will be provided in any form that Miss Bennett demands."

"Judge, I . . ."

Grant held up a hand. "The money means nothing compared to the welfare of you and your family. But you can't give it to her unless she gives you these tapes. Do you understand?"

"Of course."

"They're very important."

"I'll get them."

"I know you will. I have great confidence in you. When you hear from Miss Bennett, call me immediately."

"I will."

"And relax, Tim. You're not alone. You're with your friends. No one can touch you now."

"I wish I could believe that."

Grant touched him on the shoulder. "You can, Tim. Alone, you're just a man, but with us to protect you, you will be invincible. Now go home to Megan and Cindy."

The judge walked Kerrigan to the front door and watched him drive away. As soon as Tim's car was out of sight, Grant returned to his den and made a phone call.

"It's done," he said as soon as the phone was answered.

"Do you think he'll follow through?"

"He really has no other choice. But there's backup if he falters."

"Good."

"We have another problem that I wanted to run by you," Grant said. "Amanda Jaffe made a motion for discovery in the Dupre case."

"So?"

"She wants the police reports for the nineteen-seventy shootings at Pedro's drug house and the reports about Jesus Delgado's murder."

"Do you think she's onto the club?" Grant's friend sounded concerned.

"I don't know but I don't think we should take any chances."

"You want to kill her?"

"No. The next lawyer who was appointed would see the motion and want to know what was in the reports, and we don't know who in her firm knows about the request." Grant laughed ruefully. "We can't kill everyone."

"So what do you suggest?"

"We need to control Jaffe," Grant said. "I've had a tail on her since she started representing Dupre. She's seeing a psychiatrist because of what happened while she was representing Vincent Cardoni. I've got a copy of her psychiatrist's file. I think she can be frightened into backing off on the reports and laying down on Dupre's cases."