From the way Shirley Walker keeps jiggling her leg, Briley deduces that the housekeeper is nervous.
“Thank you for coming in,” she says, stepping out from behind her desk. “Can I get you a cup of coffee? Some water?”
“No, thank you.” Mrs. Walker smoothes out a wrinkle in her dark jeans. “If we could get on with this, I’d appreciate it. I still have two houses to clean this afternoon.”
“Of course. I appreciate your time.” Briley pulls over a guest chair and sits directly across from the white-haired woman. She smiles, hoping to put Mrs. Walker at ease. “I’m sure you know I’m not allowed to tell you what to say if you’re called to testify. In any case, I wouldn’t want you to say anything that isn’t the truth.”
The woman bobs her head in a quick nod. “I’ve seen Law & Order.”
“Good. If the prosecutor calls you as a witness—and I’m sure he will—he’ll begin by asking your name and where you live. Then he’ll want to know how long you worked for the Tomassis. He’ll probably ask you to describe your relationship with them.”
The woman nods again but remains silent.
Briley folds her hands. “Can you answer that question now?”
“Which question?”
“How would you describe your relationship with Jeffrey and Erin Tomassi?”
The woman rubs her jeans again. “Mr. Tomassi was always nice to me. He paid on time, he didn’t leave a big mess, and he didn’t speak sharp to me.”
“And your relationship with Mrs. Tomassi?”
The beginnings of a smile lift the corners of Mrs. Walker’s mouth. “We were friends. Erin was sweet, and she never took my help for granted. Some mornings, if she didn’t have to rush off with him, she’d stay and help me clean. She didn’t think nothing of getting up on a chair to take down draperies or running a comforter to the dry cleaner. She wasn’t afraid of hard work.”
Briley jots a note on her legal pad. “Were you around the Tomassis enough to get a feeling for the state of their marriage?”
“You mean…were they happy?”
“Yes. Did you see evidence of happiness?”
Mrs. Walker’s frown deepens. “Nobody smiled much in that house, at least not when he was around. He was polite, but not what you’d call warm, and sometimes he spoke real sharp to her. She was always polite to him, but a few times I walked in and caught her crying at her desk. No, I couldn’t say I saw much happiness in that house.”
“Did you ever hear Erin threaten her husband? Did she ever say anything to you about leaving him or wishing she were free of him?”
“No, never. Nothing like that.”
“Very good,” Briley says. “Try to keep your statements centered on the facts. Don’t elaborate. And relax—you’re going to do fine.”
The woman’s face softens in an expression of relief. “I wouldn’t want to say anything to hurt Erin. She doesn’t deserve any more pain.”
Briley stands. “I haven’t decided if I’ll call you to testify, but if you’re needed, someone from the court will call to let you know when you’ll need to appear at the courthouse. You’ll have to arrive early and go through the metal detectors. Sometimes it’s good to bring a crossword puzzle or something to read, because trials usually involve a lot of waiting around.”
“That reminds me.” The woman pulls several envelopes from her purse. “I’ve been gathering the mail for Mrs. Tomassi. Will you be seein’ her anytime soon?”
“Probably later today.” Briley takes the mail and skims the return addresses—mostly bills and credit card offers. With no one living in the house, she should probably send these to Antonio Tomassi or some other family member.
“And there’s this.” Mrs. Walker hands Briley a slip of paper with a name and number written on it. “This doctor has called twice. He says he needs to speak to Mrs. T about something.”
Briley frowns at the unfamiliar name. “This is a physician? Was Erin seeing him about something?”
“I don’t know. All I know is, he’s left two messages on her machine.”
“I’ll pass the word along. Thank you, Mrs. Walker, for your help.”
After the housekeeper leaves, Briley pulls out her list of witnesses and places a check next to the woman’s name. She may not have to call Mrs. Walker, but she needs to be ready in case Bystrowski decides to put her on the stand. She also needs to prepare Dr. Lu, and she may have to subpoena Douglas Haddock….
The judge has allowed only seven weeks to prepare for trial. Briley would ask for an extension—and would probably get one—but every day she waits is another day Erin spends in jail. The memory of the bruise on her client’s jawbone spurs her to look for Dr. Lu’s phone number.
Postponement is not a viable option.