Judge Roberts decided it was close enough to midday to turn the recess into a lunch break, longer than usual, as if he knew Edward and his client had something to work out. Linda had shown up by then. She came through the gate in the bar into the well of the courtroom and hugged Edward, her back to Veronica, who had started to step across to say something. Veronica stepped back.
Linda looked very professional in a blue skirt suit and white blouse. But her eyes were dancing. ‘Where are we going to lunch?’
‘I was thinking just the Luby’s in the basement. We should be able to get there and back in an hour and a half.’
‘Let’s go. Hi, Donald.’ He had walked up and stood respectfully by.
‘Not you, Linda,’ Edward said as kindly as possible.
‘What?’
‘I may be committing a crime, and I don’t want you to be part of it.’
‘Over lunch? This I gotta see.’
Edward gave her his serious look. She’d seen it before. Just a hard stare, forming an almost visible tunnel between their eyes.
Linda turned and walked away. After she’d gotten a few steps she turned and looked at both of them. ‘You coming?’
Yeah, the serious look had never worked on her yet.
They went down to the basement of the beautiful civil courthouse. Eventually. Those elevators. It was crowded down there in the Luby’s cafeteria, but they finally got through the line and found a table. A small tile-topped table crammed among many others. Along the way, Edward kept saying, ‘This was a mistake.’
Both courthouses – the lovely civil one, the criminal one that smelled like sweat and bad life choices – had once had nondescript little sandwich bars. At some point the nicer civil one had contracted that out to a chain, Luby’s, which had cafeterias all over the state. Perfectly OK food – the fried fish in rectangles that disguised whatever it might have been in the sea, if those bits of flesh had ever known an ocean, were very popular.
They sat down, unloaded their trays – apparently they’d all opted for the anonymous fish, Edward with sensible spinach on the side, Donald with fried everything, okra, cauliflower. For health purposes he had added mashed potatoes with cream gravy. Donald took the space for two seats across the table, Edward and Linda sat close in two other plastic chairs. Before they’d even had a sip of their iced teas, Edward said, ‘That was the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard.’
Donald looked at Linda as if she’d been the offender. ‘What?’ He turned to Edward. ‘You talkin’ about me? Which part did you not believe?’
‘Everything after you woke up that morning. And I only believe that because I’m sitting here looking at you.’
And then it was on. Donald set down his fork and stared at his lawyer, his brows coming together. Edward sat placidly receiving it. Finally Donald said, ‘You callin’ me a liar?’
‘Yes, that’s the clear inference when I say everything I just heard you say was a lie.’
Donald’s stare remained direct. Then just slid off Edward’s face. ‘I need to get another lawyer right here in the middle of trial?’
‘Yes, if you want one who’ll suborn perjury. Look around. There are probably candidates within arm’s reach.’ Donald didn’t survey the room. Edward leaned toward him. ‘But your current lawyer already has a felony conviction and I’m not looking for another. I can’t let you repeat that story. It’s not just unethical, it’s actually a crime. For both of us.’
Something had always bothered Edward about Donald’s story of how he’d gotten involved with the Greenes in the first place. That feeling had crystallized with Donald on the witness stand. Sterling trusting this guy with his precious wife, at almost a first meeting? Maybe Sterling was furious at her. This had been shortly after Diana had been made to sign a post-nuptial agreement, obviously under threat of divorce, because she’d consulted a divorce lawyer. Maybe Sterling had caught her again. Maybe he wanted her dead. Looking at Donald, a man would think he could do such a job.
But then why had Donald waited for hours, or at least a while, at that house with Diana without doing anything? Second thoughts?
No. Edward had gotten to know Donald well enough in prison to know he was no killer. He could be violent when necessary, but he didn’t seek it out. He wasn’t a sociopath. He’d protected Edward.
But what else made sense?
‘When does the crime happen?’ Linda asked. She was following the exchange with reddened cheeks and bright green eyes.
‘The crime would be if I encouraged him to commit perjury again. But I’m not going to. I’m just going to let the lie stand.’ He turned back to Donald. ‘Was Sterling really there when you first got to the CVS?’
Maybe Donald and Diana had been having an affair. ‘Recent sexual activity’ the medical examiner had said. Edward found it hard to picture, but that may have just been prejudice, which he acknowledged he carried, like everyone.
‘Yes,’ Donald insisted. ‘I’d never seen Mrs Greene before, I wouldn’t have gone there just to meet her. Mr Greene was there, he offered me a job. I wouldn’t have just snatched his wife in the stupid way she said I did. Do I look like an idiot?’
The jury was still out on that. Literally.
‘What was the job he offered you?’
Donald hesitated.
Linda suddenly leaned into the conversation. ‘Isn’t it obvious? He hired Donald to fake a kidnapping.’
Edward looked at her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Donald stare at her.
‘Tell me the clues,’ Edward said sincerely to the love of his life.
Linda gestured. ‘What’s he known for? What would someone who barely knew Donald hire him to do? And Sterling would certainly think Donald wouldn’t have any moral objections. Not that I think Sterling would recognize such a thing anyway.’
‘Is that right?’ Edward said to his client. ‘Why?’
‘So Sterling could hide some money losses,’ Linda said. When Edward turned back to her she said, ‘What? What do we know about Sterling? He was constantly on the financial edge. He’d probably stolen from some account he wasn’t supposed to touch, client trust funds or something, money he was supposed to hold until a job was finished but it had fallen through. Something. We know from Donald’s friend hacking into Sterling’s records—’
‘Illegally.’
‘Yes, but we still know it. Sterling didn’t remove any large sums from any known account for ransom money. He was just going to say he’d pulled the ransom money to cover the losses.’
Edward turned back to his client. ‘Is that true?’
‘No,’ Donald said firmly, looking him in the eye. He leaned across the table. ‘Nah, man, it went down the way I said. He hired me to bodyguard.’
‘But Linda’s story makes sense,’ Edward said, thinking out loud. ‘You thinking the three of you were in on this together when in fact you were the fall guy. And you not holding Diana for the hours she said, but only long enough for Sterling to fake something financially, call a few people to act frantic, then get the SWAT team on their way. Then he could tell whoever he stole from the ransom money just disappeared. This one I believe.’
After a long pause Donald said, ‘But that’s not what happened. I told you what happened.’
He sounded believable. Edward folded his arms and stared off across the room. Next to him, Linda ate with a good appetite. Donald popped an okra.
‘What you thinkin’?’ Donald asked quietly.
Linda glanced at her lover. ‘He’s wondering how he can use this information without putting it on in evidence.’
‘Really? Is that true, Edward?’
Edward frowned. ‘No, I was wondering if that food you just ate is an okra, or is the whole collection okra, plural. Like rice, you know? You don’t say I ate a rice.’
Linda chuckled. Donald stared. ‘Really?’
‘No, of course not. I was thinking what she said.’ And he imagined Linda’s increasing ability to read his mind could be a problem one of these days. She smiled, obviously doing it again.
‘So did you come up with something?’ she asked.
‘Just Sterling and Diana. I need to let them think I know something I shouldn’t. Put the fear of God into them. So maybe they’ll be receptive to a deal.’
‘Even though they know you can’t prove the truth?’
‘I can get close. I can bring out enough to make Sterling very afraid of someone looking into his business activities.’
‘Then what?’ Donald asked.
Edward shrugged. His food was cold and looked completely unappetizing. ‘Then I figure out what to do with that.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ Linda said. ‘It’s not, but it sounds like one. Maybe a half-assed plan.’
‘Half an ass is all I got at this point.’
Donald put out one hand palm upward in supplication. Linda began eating Edward’s spinach.