“That’s okay. Who is it?”
I leaned closer to whisper in his ear. “Donovan’s brother, Oliver. I think he did it. I just don’t know how or why.”
Chris inhaled sharply, then his gaze caught mine. “Good. This is good. Let’s head back to my office and you can tell me everything.”
By the time we reached Chris’ office, I had managed to snag a diet soda and a granola bar from the break room. I popped the can open and took a big swig before I explained everything I’d found out at Century Investments.
“I think Chase will have a chance to look at Oliver’s computer this afternoon, since Oliver’s coming to watch the trial,” I said. “He actually had the gall to say he was coming to support Victoria. Oh, and I found out who Donovan was having the affair with. Someone named Courtney. Ring a bell?”
Chris had that ‘deer in the headlights’ look on his face. “Oh, hell. They’re both on the list to testify, and now I know exactly what they’re going to say.”
“I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Hold off on questioning Oliver until Chase looks into his files, then if he finds something incriminating, you can ask him about that while he’s on the stand. I’ll be right there so I’ll hear what he’s thinking and I can write down leading questions for you to ask him. Then you’ll catch him in the act. It will be awesome!”
“I hate to be the devil’s advocate here, but what if he doesn’t find anything?”
“He will. There’s a reason Oliver killed his brother, and we’ll either find it or, in the course of the trial, I’ll hear it from his mind. Even if you can’t get it out of him on the stand, I’m sure he’ll cave once I confront him.”
“Yeah,” Chris said, but he wasn’t so sure he wanted me to confront Oliver. The last time I’d confronted a killer, the guy had nearly killed me, and Chris was just now realizing the danger he’d put me in to ask for my help.
“Oh come on, it’s not that bad. I’ve been in lots worse situations...” Oops, maybe now was not a good time to remind Chris of that.
“I know, but at least I didn’t put you there.”
“How about this,” I said. “Since he’s coming to the trial today, I’m sure he’ll think about how he killed Donovan. I mean... how could he not, when that’s all you’ll be talking about? I’ll be there, and I’ll listen real close. I’m sure I’ll hear everything we need to know. Then we can find the evidence he’s hiding and, since I’ll find out where that is too, it will all work out.”
A slow smile spread on Chris’ face, and he shook his head. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Hey, when you can read minds, it should be easy.”
He came to my side and pulled me into his arms. “I wish I would have asked for your help on this case sooner.”
“Yeah,” I said, drawing my brows together. “Why didn’t you?”
He shook his head. “Well... I just wanted to earn this on my own. To prove I deserved a chance at the partnership on my own merits. But I’m sure you’re thinking that was pretty cocky of me, huh?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think you deserve it after all the years of hard work you’ve put into this firm. It hasn’t been that long since I gained my ability, so you mostly did it all without me anyway. Does that make you feel better?”
He chuckled. “Hmm... maybe. Except for the one big factor neither one of us is willing to talk about.”
Our gazes met. “You mean Uncle Joey? You think this opportunity is because of him?”
His lips quirked into a frown, and he nodded. “He’s been sending me all of his clients... not only them, but a lot of his friends, too. I don’t know how many would have come to the firm without his special type of persuasion.”
The billable hours had been huge, but Chris thought it put him in a tight spot. It was hard to represent a mob-boss without the pressure that went with it. He was grateful for his attorney-client privilege, but he also had to be careful of every word that came out of his mouth. It didn’t help that James Strickland had it in for him either.
“Oh, Chris, I had no idea.”
“No... it’s fine. I can handle it. Let’s just concentrate on Victoria for now.”
“Yeah, okay.”
He checked his watch and picked up his briefcase. “I need to update Larson and Victoria before we head back to the courthouse, and I don’t want to be late.”
“Sure, you go ahead. I need to finish my soda and visit the restroom. I’ll just meet you there.”
“All right.” He pulled me into his arms and gave me a kiss. “Thanks honey. You’re the best.” With that, he hurried out the door.
With him gone, I let out a big sigh. I did want to finish my soda, and a visit to the restroom was a necessity, but I also wanted to call Uncle Joey. I had a sneaking suspicion that with his connection to Donovan’s company, it wasn’t a coincidence that Chris had ended up with them as a client. I needed to know if I was right, and if there was anything he might know that would help.
Since he was out of town on business, I hoped he wouldn’t mind my phone call. I held my breath until he picked up. “Shelby,” he answered. “What a nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Is everything all right?”
“Oh... sure,” I said. “Well... maybe not everything. That’s why I’m calling. I found out something that I thought you should know.”
“Hmm... sounds serious. What is it?”
“Well... it’s about Donovan Hampton, and his wife, Victoria, who is accused of murdering him. Chris is representing her and asked for my help. The trial starts today. Anyway, I talked to the CEO of the company and found out that you’re a big shareholder.”
“That’s right,” he said. “What’s this about? You don’t think I killed him, do you?”
“Heavens no,” I blurted. “But I think his brother, Oliver, had something to do with it. I don’t know exactly how or why he did it yet, but I thought you should know.”
Uncle Joey let out his breath. “You should check out the financial records. It could be that Oliver was embezzling money and fixing the books. He’s always struck me as the jealous type. Maybe Donovan found out, so Oliver killed him.”
“Oh... yeah, that makes sense.” It was amazing how talking to a master-mind of criminal behavior pulled everything together for me. “I’ll let Chase know. He’s checking the books right now.”
“Good. I hope he finds something. That company is important to me, and I want it solvent. Let me know what you find out, all right? Now, is there anything else?”
“Yeah, did you know that Chris needs this win in order to become a partner in his law firm?”
“Is that right? Well, good for him.”
“Yeah... it’s pretty great. Well, I’d better go.” I couldn’t tell if he was surprised or not. I also didn’t really want to thank him for sending all of those clients Chris’ way and making it possible. I mean... what good would that do besides put both of us more in his debt? “Thanks for your help. Uh... when will you guys be back?”
He chuckled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you missed me.”
“Yeah... right,” I said with a laugh, not willing to admit the truth to him. “But I do have a story I can’t wait to tell you. I think you’ll get a kick out of it anyway.”
“Good. I look forward to it. We’ll be back day after tomorrow. I’ve got a little something I need you to do for me, so I’ll give you a call, and you can tell me your story then.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you then.” We disconnected, and I put my phone back into my purse, surprised that the dread that usually accompanied Uncle Joey’s request wasn’t there. Instead, I looked forward to going into Thrasher Development and telling him all about my meeting with Judge Parker. Maybe I really was slipping closer to the dark side, or... maybe my story was just funny and I knew only Uncle Joey would appreciate it. Feeling better, I finished my soda and visited the restroom.
I arrived at the courthouse and slipped into a seat at the back of the cou
rtroom. Chris and Victoria, along with Larsen, sat at the defendant’s table, while Strickland and another prosecuting attorney sat at the other. Everyone stood as the judge came in, and the trial began. Strickland stood to give his opening statement.
I glanced around, looking for Oliver, but got interrupted by a person sliding into the seat next to me.
“Hey Shelby,” she whispered.
“Oh... hi Billie,” I whispered back, trying not to let my displeasure show. Billie Jo Payne was a reporter and my friend. We’d been through some crazy times together, and I really liked her, but there were times when she got on my nerves, especially when she was in ‘reporting’ mode, like now.
“What are you doing here?” she continued. “Are you helping Chris with the case? I saw that he was Victoria’s lawyer. I could hardly believe it when they arrested her for Donovan’s murder. Here I thought they were the perfect couple. I guess you never know. Anyway, I’m covering the case for the paper. How’s it going? Does Chris have a good case? Do you think he’ll get her off? I can’t believe she’s guilty. But, it’s also hard to believe Donovan committed suicide. Do you have any premonitions about it? Is that why you’re here?”
Yup. She was in full reporting mode, and I thought that maybe if I didn’t say anything, she’d just keep asking questions until the trial was over, but a man in the row ahead of us turned around and told her to shut up or leave. Her eyes got big with indignation, and I had to purse my lips tight to keep from laughing out loud.
“The nerve,” she said, under her breath.
I just shrugged and kept my mouth shut, then leaned over and said, “I’ll fill you in later, okay?” She nodded, and I tried hard not to let her hear my relieved sigh.
As Strickland continued with his opening statement, the door opened again. This time, Oliver slipped inside. I heard his thoughts of recognition when he saw me there, but he hurried to sit on the opposite side of the courtroom and didn’t even glance in my direction.
He sat a few rows ahead, which gave me an unfettered view of the side of his face without him knowing I watched, perfect for reading his thoughts. The first thing I picked up was that he was pretty sure he’d be one of the first witnesses the prosecution called to testify, and a pang of fear ran through me that I wouldn’t be ready. I sure hoped Chase got busy looking at his computer and called me with information fast.
Next, Oliver studied Victoria, taking in her pale face and tragic beauty, thinking it was too bad she had to go to jail for Donovan’s indiscretions, but it couldn’t be helped. He felt sorry for her... to a point, but then he remembered how easily she’d fallen victim to Donovan’s charms and had completely ignored him after that. Still, he wished he’d never introduced her to him, but what choice did he have? His brother got everything he ever wanted, no matter who it hurt, or what it took. Well... now he was dead, and all that money and prestige amounted to nothing.
At that moment, Strickland pointed to Victoria and said. “I will prove to you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this woman killed her husband in cold blood.” He turned back to the jury, resting his hands on the balustrade. “Besides gaining millions of dollars from a life insurance policy, her motives include a prenuptial agreement that she signed giving her absolutely nothing if she filed for divorce.
“We know for a fact that Victoria admitted to having an argument with Donovan that night, and I will prove that this argument was based on her knowledge that her husband was involved in an affair with another woman. There is no doubt in my mind that, in a fit of jealous rage, Victoria killed him and then staged it to look like a suicide.”
Oliver inhaled sharply, reliving the scene in his mind from that night, and my heart rate spiked. This was it. He remembered being outside, watching the scene unfold through the big windows while he stood just out of sight by the gate. He knew the moment Victoria told Donovan she’d found out about the affair by the shock on his face, and the hurt on hers.
He couldn’t hear what she’d said, but he knew it was bad when she’d run up the stairs with angry tears in her eyes. Donovan didn’t follow, instead taking the bottle of whiskey out of the liquor cabinet and pouring himself a generous amount. He’d swallowed it down in two gulps before pouring another and downing that as well.
That’s when Oliver knew this was his chance to get rid of Donovan. The only reason he was at the house in the first place was because Donovan had invited him over to discuss something important, and he knew Donovan had figured it out. He worried Donovan would either cut him off or send him to jail, but after that scene with Victoria at the office, a plan began to form in his mind.
He’d waited until Donovan left work to head home and followed him. It was after seven and dark, so he parked away from the house and, using his key, slipped through the gate and into the back yard. After Victoria had left for her room, he’d avoided the surveillance cameras and headed to the little-used, lower-floor entryway.
The key worked there too, and he quietly made his way to the front door so it looked like he’d let himself in. Once inside the house, it had been easy to encourage Donovan to drown his sorrows with whiskey while they spoke about what a great woman Victoria was, and what he needed to do to win her back.
When Donovan had passed out, he’d only hesitated a moment before getting the gun out of the desk drawer. He still remembered the surge of adrenalin when he’d placed the gun in Donovan’s hand and pulled the trigger. The sharp smell of blood was something he’d never forget. He thought for sure they’d rule it as a suicide. Now it looked like Victoria would go to jail. Too bad, but better her...
“Did you know about the affair?” Billie Jo asked, breaking my concentration.
I caught my breath before telling her to shut up and nodded, missing the rest of Oliver’s thoughts. So... it was him. He’d killed his brother. Knowing this solved the murder, but how were we going to prove it? I knew there was more to it than his jealous anger at Donovan. What else was he hiding? I focused on his thoughts again, but now his attention was focused on Chris’ opening statement. With a sigh of frustration, I tuned in as well, but I kept my mind open to catch Oliver’s thoughts.
“Victoria is not a cold blooded killer,” Chris began. “But a grieving widow who has been falsely accused by a failure of the system and an overzealous prosecuting attorney who have willfully overlooked evidence that would clearly prove her innocence.
“Yes, there was an affair, but Victoria didn’t find out about it until after Donovan’s death. Yes, there was a pre-nuptial agreement, but again, Victoria has money of her own held in trust, and the pre-nup protected her as much as it did Donovan. So it was certainly not something she would kill her husband over. The same can be said of the life insurance money. Again, there is no motive for Victoria to kill Donovan over money.
“Now, her husband, the man that she loved, is dead, and Victoria is just as much a victim of this terrible crime as he was. She hasn’t even had the chance to grieve his death because, rather than searching for the real killer, the prosecution has focused their entire case on Victoria, completely ignoring other leads.
“Victoria is innocent, and what has happened to her is not right. I assure you that a terrible injustice has been done here. By the time this trial is over, I am certain that the burden of proof presented to you by the prosecution will not only prove her innocence, but convince you, the jury, that someone else committed this crime. Thank you.”
Chris sat down, and I wanted to start clapping. That was totally awesome! I smiled at Billie Jo. “Isn’t he great?”
“Yes,” she said, giving me a fist bump. “Is she innocent?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Good to know. So who killed him?”
I glanced at Oliver before I could stop myself. She looked in his direction and frowned. “That guy? Who’s he?”
Dammit! “Uh...what guy? What are you talking about?”
Billie sniffed, glancing at me with narrowed eyes. She was thinking she’d ca
ught me and she wasn’t going to let me off the hook until I told her exactly who he was, especially since I thought he was the real killer. “You don’t have to hide it from me. I can help you, and I won’t say a word until we have proof. That’s what you need, isn’t it?”
“Sure... but...” I pursed my lips, not knowing how to respond. I mean, how did I tell her I didn’t want her help without hurting her feelings, and if I did, how did I know she wouldn’t go after him on her own and ruin everything? “Okay... I’ll tell you what I can, but you have to promise me you’ll keep this between the two of us until I say otherwise. All right?”
Her face broke into a big, satisfied grin, kind of like the cat who caught the canary. “You bet.”
Ugh! What had I done? I raised my gaze to the ceiling but managed not to groan out loud. It was a good thing, since Oliver chose that moment to glance over his shoulder to look at me. I caught his gaze and would have waved, except he turned around before I could.
He wondered what I was up to, and thought there was something fishy about me that made him nervous. He didn’t like it one bit. He’d never heard of me before, but he was going to do some digging and find out what he could. He wasn’t going to let some two-bit private investigator mess everything up.
I pursed my lips, determined more than ever to catch him.
“Wow,” Billie whispered, her gaze going between me and Oliver. “If looks could kill, that guy would be so dead.”
“You know it,” I said, then concentrated on his thoughts again, but found that they’d shifted to the police officer on the witness stand who was the first to arrive on the scene. In fact, most everyone’s attention was riveted to his account of that grisly night, and how he’d found Victoria covered in blood.
I focused on the jury and found several who were feeling sorry for her, and I thought that was a good sign. Then I heard another person thinking that just because she had a lot of money, it didn’t mean she could get away with murder, and that it didn’t matter how much of her own money she had; rich people like her could never get enough and would do anything for more.