A Fool for a Client (23 page)

“Whose there?” came the cautious voice from inside.

“Police,” said the detective.
“Open up.”

He heard the sound of wood scraping against wood as the window was raised and the sound of some one inside clambering on the window ledge.
He knew that his partner was there, ready to cover any escape by the window.
He waited a moment in case there was some one else in there who tried to make an escape through the door.
Then he walked casually round to the back of the building where his partner was already reeling off the litany of Miranda rights from memory as the subdued suspect “assumed the position” and submitted to the personal search.
Later, with the suspect safely in custody, the police were able to get a search warrant and check out the house, revealing no drugs but an
unlicensed
firearm.

Like all suspects, Declan had been given the right to make a phone call.
But he had no one to call.
He asked the arresting officer if they could recommend a lawyer.
The arresting officer told him that he couldn
’
t recommend, for fear of being accused of taking kick-backs, but then added with a vague ring of sympathy “there are plenty of shysters hanging around the courtroom where we
’
ll take you for the arraignment.”

Meanwhile in an IRA safe-house in the
Bronx
,
Thomas smiled.
With Declan out of the way for a while, the heat was off.
But if Declan got out of custody, he might have to take further action.

“It makes me feel small,” said
Nancy
.

“It makes me feel big,” replied Parker.
“It makes me feel as if I could just reach out and grab it.”

They were standing in the torch of the Statue of Liberty, looking out at the
New York
skyline and the spreading bay before them.

“You know Rick, I
’
m surprised you don
’
t get on with her better than you do.”

She was a big girl, a buxom blonde.
Only she wasn
’
t Justine.
She had the same full figure.
But whereas Justine had the unyielding face of an Amazon warrior and the firm body of an athlete, Nancy had the fresh face of a cheerleader and the soft body of a beauty queen.
While Justine
’
s back was flawlessly straight,
Nancy
’
s was more rounded.

Several men were ogling her and eyeing Parker jealously and some with open racially-motivated hostility.
It was hard to ignore
Nancy
.
Her ample breasts strained at her white summer dress with its plunging neckline that showed plenty of cleavage.

“Why do you say that?” asked Parker, “about being surprised that I don
’
t getting on better with her?”

“Because of what you just said... about being able to reach out and grab it.
It
’
s the sort of thing
she
would have said.”

“How do
you
get on with her?”

“Do we have to talk about her?”

“We made a deal,” said Parker.
“A free lunch for a financially pressed student in exchange for some routine information about Justine.”

“If it
’
s in exchange for something then it isn
’
t free” replied
Nancy
with a cheeky smile.

“Well you know what Heinlein said:
‘
there ain
’
t no such thing as a free lunch
’
.”

Secretly, Parker was impressed by the shrewdness of
Nancy
’
s argument.

“All right,” said
Nancy
, sweeping her hair back in subconscious imitation of a gesture so frequently made by Justine, “what do you want to know?”

“First of all I want to know one thing up front: do you really not have a clue why Abrams is calling you for the prosecution?”

“I swear to God I don
’
t.
Look I don
’
t
want
to testify against Justine and I can
’
t for the life of me think what I said to that smooth-talking assistant of his that I had anything relevant to their case.
But I got this subpoena and I have to go.
I haven
’
t got the slightest idea what he
’
s going to ask me.”

Parker was relieved by her lack of hostility.
At least she wouldn
’
t be accusing Justine of jealousy, an emotion that juries often associate with women accused of murder.
But he wasn
’
t reassured by the gap in his knowledge.
He preferred to know what
Nancy
was likely to say, even if it was something negative about his client.
Ignorance left Justine more vulnerable.
If there was a hole in Justine
’
s case, they could prepare to plug it now rather than when it appeared in court.

“OK, well let
’
s try another line.
What can you tell me about Justine?”

“That she hasn
’
t told you already?”

“She hasn
’
t told me very much.”

“Well I don
’
t know if I can
add
much.
I mean you
’
ve seen her yourself.
She was as closed in and private with me as she probably was with you.
If you have a specific question I
’
ll try to answer it, but I don
’
t know what you want.”

Parker thought to himself for a moment.

“What I really want is a woman
’
s perspective.”

“To tell the truth, I tended to stay out of her way at med school.
And don
’
t even think of asking her out on a date.”

“What about a night out with the girls?”

“Not that either.
I mean it was impossible to
relate
to her...as a human being.”

“In what way?”

“She
’
s too hard, too tough.
There
’
s no softness to her, not even a soft
centre
.”

Parker felt stab of fear.
Was this the evidence that Abrams was going to present through
Nancy
?
Negative character evidence.
Could Abrams somehow get it across under the guise of presenting some relevant substantive evidence?
The quiet insinuation that Justine was a hard woman who would think nothing of murder?
It couldn
’
t be.
Justine
’
s hard character had been apparent from the beginning.
For good or for ill she had done nothing to disguise it, and it was hard to see what
Nancy
could add to it, even if she had been friendly to the prosecution, which she clearly wasn
’
t.
But Parker knew that he had to explore further.
Abrams was evidently calling her for
some
reason.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Maybe there was a soft centre.
Maybe that
’
s what she was trying to protect.”

“She had a rough life,” said Parker.
“It
’
s hardly surprising.”

“She
’
s a born survivor, like her mother.”

“What do you know about her mother?”

“Well I don
’
t know if you know anything about her background, I mean her father and all that.”

“I know the basic facts,” Parker prompted, “nothing more.”

“Well after her father shot himself, her mother just picked up the pieces and carried on living.
She passed her real estate exams and was all set on a new career.
It gave them financial security, even a fair degree of luxury.”

“How often did you get to talk to Justine?”

“Not very often.
Before she was arrested, her life consisted of two straight lines: to med school in the morning and back home again in the evening.
We sometimes sat together in the cafeteria.”

“But she wasn
’
t very talkative.”

“Oh she talked all right, about her last class.
She couldn
’
t imagine why anyone would want to talk about anything else.”

“Didn
’
t she ever talk about her childhood?”

“Now I
know
you
’
re a closet Freudian.
You think that
’
s the key to it all.”

“I
’
m clutching at straws.”

“Do you know anything about Srini Shankar,” said Parker.

“Not really.
I mean the first I heard of him was after the case blew open.
He was a British professor.
Or an east Indian.
I don
’
t think any of his work formed part of our courses.
Justine used to read everything, not just what she had to learn for the course.”

“And that could have included Shankar
’
s work?” said Parker.

“I guess.”

“Any possibility that he was in
America
ever?
That they had a brief affair?”

Nancy
looked at Parker somewhat irritated.

“That
’
s a load of bullshit Rick!
And if there
had
been an affair, you can rest assured the prosecution would have given it to the press before the trial even started.”

“Well the might not have wanted to create an excuse for a mistrial with prejudice.”

“I don
’
t know what that means Rick.
All I know is that no one on the course had even
heard
about this Srini Shankar until Justine was arrested for killing that Murphy guy and the press started running stories about his background.
I
’
ve read a lot about this case in the press, and no one
’
s even suggested that Shankar was ever in
America
.”

“I
’
m just afraid that Abrams might be holding something back.
He
’
s not obliged to tell me his case.
The only thing I have to go on is his witness list.
That
’
s a list of all the people that he might be calling, although he isn
’
t obliged to call them.
That
’
s why I was wondering if you might know something that I don
’
t.
Because if you do and you want to help Justine, now
’
s your chance.”

“I don
’
t know anything about any affair.
I
’
m pretty sure that if there had been I would have known.
I never heard about Srini Shankar from the Justine.
I read about him in the papers.
I thought that if anything, Justine was more likely to be motivated by that three year old child.
That was a pretty gruesome think for Murphy to do.
I could see Justine taking revenge over something like that.”

“Did she ever say anything to suggest that?”

“No, but she always sided with the under-dog.
She felt empathy for the weak.”

“You seem to know a lot about her,” said Parker.

For the first time there was a hesitation before Nancy
’
s reply, as if this question had taken her out of her stride, as it if had forced her to consider a possibility that she hadn
’
t thought of before.

“We were close.
But there was a part of her that always had to remain private.
There may be a secret lurking there, but I don
’
t think you
’
ll find it until she chooses to let it out.”