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Dan instinctively averted his eyes. How could this be happening again? Had he become some kind of murder magnet?
He noticed his companion was staring straight at the bloody mess. “Look, Ben, I can handle this without—”
Ben stopped him with a curt head shake. “Something is wrong.”
“We should call the police.”
“Yes. And then search the place while we wait for them to arrive. But something is still wrong.”
“Because corpses keep dropping like rain?”
“No. Because this place doesn’t smell.”
Dan pondered for a moment. “You expected a lawyer’s office to be a big stinkfest?”
“Do you recall what the Roswell office smelled like?”
“Not good.”
“That’s what happens when a corpse has been decomposing, especially in a small closed space. Death has a distinctive smell. Learned that thirty-odd years ago at the Creek Estate Lodge, not that anyone cares.” He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “But I don’t smell it here. And do you know why?”
Dan turned his eyes back to the desk.
Wait a minute. There was a huge blood splatter on the back wall. Or what he took to be a blood splatter. But that corpse...
He felt the air rush out of his lungs. What an idiot he’d been. You see one corpse and then you start seeing them everywhere...
It was a lawyer’s doll, a life-size articulated mannikin, dressed and reclining in the desk chair covered with blood or something that looked like it. Upon closer inspection, he saw a knife sticking out of the doll’s stomach, and a twist of the left leg that would be impossible for normal human anatomy.
“It isn’t Gary,” Dan murmured. “It isn’t anyone. It isn’t real.”
“It’s real,” Ben said. “It just isn’t what we thought it was.”
“It’s...a supremely grisly escape room?”
“No. A re-created crime scene.”
“I assume the crime didn’t take place here. Who would reproduce a crime scene here?”
“I would.”
They both whirled and saw a third man had joined them. He was taller than both of them, wore a well-pressed pinstriped suit, and carried a large catalogue case. Like a briefcase, only bigger. Which proved he was a lawyer.
Ben extended his hand. “You must be Gary Quince.”
Gary’s lips parted. He seemed starstruck. “Are—Are you Mr. K? For reals?”
Dan chuckled. “You’ve never actually met the Boss, have you?” He gestured dramatically toward his companion. “This is the man you want. The one and only Ben Kincaid.”
“Thanks for outing me.” Ben gave Gary a handshake. “Congratulations on all the work you’ve done running this office. That case you handled last month for the German Shepherd was fantastic.”
Gary shuffled his feet. “I thought it turned out well.”
Dan squinted. “We have a dog case? You handled a dog case?”
Ben made a tsking noise. “Maybe you need to get more involved with the cases you supervise. Gary fought hard to preserve the dog’s fortune. And to make sure he always had a place to stay.”
“You defended a dog?”
Gary nodded. “Baxter’s late master’s wishes were clearly expressed in his will. But greedy relatives were trying to screw the pooch, so to speak. As if they didn’t already have more money than they could spend. We set things right.”
“Bravo.”
“I mean, we normally represent deserving people. But I don’t see anything wrong with squeezing in a deserving doggie every now and again. This was a rescue dog. Spent five years at the fire department saving lives. I think it’s nice that Baxter and his clan will have a nice place to live.” Gary seemed distracted. “I suppose you’re wondering about Bernie here.”
“Bernie?”
“Just a little joke. You know, like in that movie.”
Dan and Ben looked at him blankly.
“Not film buffs? Doesn’t matter. I use Bernie to stage the crime scene for myself and sometimes in the courtroom. The cops aren’t always so cooperative about allowing defense counsel access to the evidence. And sometimes their photos are unhelpful and they’ve missed angles that might be useful. And sometimes I like to immerse myself in the scene, you know. Just soak it in. As if I were there when it happened.”
Ben nodded. “That’s actually kind of brilliant. I wish I’d thought of this. A long time ago.”
“I prefer talking to witnesses who are actually alive,” Dan said. “I can observe more.”
“You can absorb information in a makeshift crime scene too,” Gary insisted. “It just takes longer. My client in this case is the victim’s family, who insist he did not kill himself, all appearances to the contrary. They want his name cleared.”
“Any reason why he would kill himself?”
Gary shrugged. “Talented guy, major agency, hasn’t had an acting job for two years.”
“Then he might as well die,” Dan murmured.
“That’s pretty much the thinking in this town,” Gary replied. “Show business is cutthroat. You start out being patient, and before long you’re starving to death.”
“What happened to him?” Ben asked.
“Corpse was found in his office. Receptionist monitored the only door. Says no one went in or out. Cops think he killed himself.”
“But you think the receptionist is guilty,” Ben said.
“Very logical. But not correct. And it can’t be suicide.”
“Why?” Dan asked.
“The wound is too high,” Ben said quietly.
Gary nodded. “Exactly. No one would stab themselves at that angle. Most people couldn’t get a knife through their ribs. They’d stab themselves lower, in the gut. Assuming they were going to stab themselves at all. It’s about the most painful way possible to off yourself.”
“Much simpler to cut your throat,” Dan agreed. “Or there are at least twelve other ways to kill yourself quicker. But if it wasn’t suicide, how did anyone get in here without being noticed?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet,” Gary said. “But now that I’ve eliminated the impossible...”
“...whatever remains, however improbable, must be true.” Ben smiled. “Good work, Sherlock.”
“Thanks.”
Ben pivoted. “We have to talk about the Donovan case.”
A sour expression crossed Gary’s face. “Do we?”
“Didn’t you file a Motion for New Trial?”
“I’ve got to get David acquitted. There’s no death penalty in California, but he’ll get life. He’s already dying and a life sentence could make him ineligible for the medical services he needs. So in effect, it’s a death sentence.”
“I remember. That’s why LCL took the case. What’s the problem?”
“I’ve worked it from every possible angle. It’s unwinnable. I tried to withdraw, but the judge wouldn’t allow it. He’s not granting any more continuances. And I don’t have anything powerful enough to set aside a jury verdict.”
“There’s always a way.”
“I’ve received death threats. Pertaining to this case. Someone very much wants me to disappear. Or to lose the case. Or both. I’m afraid they might come after me. Or someone I love.”
Dan and Ben exchanged a meaningful look.
“Do you have a partner?” Dan asked.
“Girlfriend.”
“Kids?”
“Not yet.”
“Call her right now. Send her somewhere safe.”
“I’ve told her about the situation and—”
“That’s not enough.”
“I could call a friend in security who—”
Dan grabbed him by the collar. “You’re not listening to me, Gary. Get her somewhere safe now!”
Gary was startled by the abrupt change of demeanor. Ben tried to intervene between them, but Dan wouldn’t budge.
“Okay, I’ll call her,” Gary acquiesced.
“Better yet, let’s take her right now. Somewhere safe.”
Gary squirmed. “She’s working—”
“I don’t care. Tell her to drop everything.”
Gary pushed him away. “Would you stop? I’m the one who got the death threats.”
“But,” Ben said quietly, “he’s the one who understands how serious that can be.”
Dan raised his hands. “I’m sorry. But my partner has disappeared and...and...I’m worried about her.”
Gary’s lips parted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Ben inserted himself between them. “Look, let’s calm down and get organized. Has anyone ransacked your files?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Good. Just this once, we may be ahead of the Reaper.”
“Who? What?”
“If he hasn’t gone after your files then he isn’t in LA yet. Gary, I want to know everything you’ve got on the Donovan case, even if you think it’s dead in the water. Apparently our killer isn’t so sure or he wouldn’t be hassling you.”
“But what’s his interest in this case? And why hassle me? My chances of success are slender to none.”
“But still sufficient to create some worry. First, we hide your girlfriend. Or better yet, maybe you take that long vacation you’ve been planning. When I hired you, I didn’t know I was putting you on the firing line.”
“But I still have to show up at the hearing.”
Ben turned toward his traveling companion. “Dan, if I’m not mistaken, you’ve been missing the courtroom, right?”
He shrugged loosely. “Maybe a little...”
“Good. Gary, start packing. Your bosses are taking over.”