Perri O’Shaughnessy - Breach Of Promise

“A friend on the inside?” Wish said.

“That’s what I finally decided. Maybe she bribed someone. Promised one of the jurors a lot of money to do their damnedest to make sure that jury went her way. What if that person saw Cliff turning everyone against Lindy and had this ingenious idea on how to stop him?”

“Which juror?”

“I don’t know. Diane Miklos is the most likely candidate in that case. Mrs. Lim even saw her lifting the lids off of the lunch that day. Her lifestyle requires major injections of moolah. But she’s off on a climb. That means she’s already got her money in the bag, when Lindy doesn’t yet. And then there is the fact that Lindy swears she didn’t bribe anyone and seemed awfully credible to me.”

“What about her friend Alice?” Wish asked.

“Oh, I looked into that. Lindy helped her buy a house after her divorce. She had a breakdown, and that’s where most of Lindy’s salary went over the past few years, to supporting her old friend.”

“Lindy sounds nice,” Wish said.

“Or you could see her as the type of person who needs that money so that she can keep playing the big shot with her friends and favorite charities.” Feeling frustrated, Paul pounded a fist on the table, accidentally knocking his Coke to the floor. The brawny woman at the pool table missed her shot and turned eyes filled with hatred on him. She whispered to a few menacing-looking friends.

“You know I’ve got fifty bucks riding on this,” said the nearest one, the venality in his tone a warning. He puffed out his chest and stood close enough to violate Paul’s personal space.

“No, I sure didn’t,” said Paul. Swooping down, he picked up his cup and headed for the nearest exit, followed quickly by Wish.

“Maybe it was an accident after all,” Wish said.

Paul walked more slowly. He had decided not to push back in there because after all, fifty bucks was fifty bucks. Paul could see the guy’s point. “But did you see what just happened? That guy looked mad enough to deck me, maybe kill me over fifty bucks, and there was a lot more money involved in the Markov trial.” Paul stopped beside the van and took a good look at his raw recruit. “I don’t know where all this discussion leaves us. I’m afraid we’ve hit the end of the line.”

“This is such a bizarre job,” said Wish. “I don’t know another single soul who gets to have so much fun around people dying.”

After Winston left, the law offices of Nina Reilly had fallen into quiet. Because of the furniture removal, Sandy had not scheduled any clients. In the reception room, Sandy’s fingers clicked across her keyboard. In the conference room, having made several passes through the place to collect her things, Genevieve scratched out a list of expenses for Sandy. In her office, Nina sat, unable to work.

Bob would be flying in from his school trip back East late tonight into San Francisco. Nina’s father had offered to pick him up at the airport. They would drive up Saturday morning. She couldn’t wait. She missed him, particularly today, with everyone leaving.

The phone rang to interrupt these dark thoughts. The caller was Jeffrey Riesner, who if the legal grapevine could be believed, had just lost Rebecca Casey to a big firm in Reno. Nina assumed he couldn’t afford to keep her on after the Markov loss.

“You know why I’m calling, don’t you?” he said, without introducing himself.

“Who’s calling?” asked Nina perversely.

“Don’t start,” he said. “Let’s attempt to talk.”

“I assume this is about Markov’s appeal.”

“Well, not exactly,” he said, hedging. “Didn’t you get a copy of the final receiver’s report?”

“It’s here somewhere,” Nina said. “I haven’t really studied it.” She patted around on her desk, picking up papers, looking for it.

“Find it and call me right back,” he said. And bang, down went his phone.

Wondering what in the world had put him into such a snit, Nina groped around, finally locating it in a pile on the floor beside her. She read it and called Riesner back.

“This is an amazing document,” she said, “if I read it right.”

“You do,” he said shortly. “And now I’m going to level with you, Nina.”

“I’m astonished and delighted to hear that… Jeff.”

“You can see the immediate problem. If we pay the claim, Mike’s flat broke. Plus, I’m in a bind. Mike… has decided not to appeal the award. Naturally, he made his decision against my advice. I can cite a million errors that make this eminently suitable for an appeal, even a reversal. But he’s made up his mind.”

Nina almost fell off her chair. This she had never foreseen.

“I wondered if you would talk to your client about this.”

“What would I say?”

“I think I saw a little sympathy up there on the stand from her. She’ll realize he’s gone completely off his rocker. Maybe she’ll give him a break and open up negotiations for a reasonable compromise.”

“We’ve always been open to negotiating, Jeff. I’ve said so many times. But we no longer have to do that. We’ve won our case.”

“Would you just check with her? See if she’s seen the report. See what she thinks. Maybe she’ll want to do something for him,” he said.

It was incredible. He was groveling.

“I’ll do that,” she said. “But don’t expect anything.” She tried to sound courteous and keep the triumph out of her voice. Riesner’s plum of a case had turned rotten on him. His client had quit cooperating. There was no more money to be squeezed out. And she knew the worst of it for Riesner.

Losing. This public brawl had been won by a woman, by her, Nina Reilly. Not by Riesner, the good old boy.

And Mike Markov would be broke. She had better get Lindy on the phone soon to stanch any outbreak of pity.

Paul appeared in her doorway. “Looking for me?” he asked.

“Always. What’s up?” she said.

“Not much.” He took her up for a long kiss. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

With a word to Sandy, they moved outside, walking along a road that led to the lake. “I’ve got a business hanging on by a thread back home,” Paul said. “Just gave Wright’s family the news that I haven’t come up with diddly to prove his death was anything but natural. Talked with Cheney, too. The local police haven’t got anything either. They’re closing the file on his death.”

“No juror involvement?” asked Nina hopefully.

“Nothing I found.”

“That’s great!”

“Yeah.”

“There’s a ’but’ in your voice.”

“I hate the feeling there’s something I’ve missed. Nina…”

“Yes?”

“You don’t know anything you aren’t telling me, do you?”

“No.”

“I know this case is important to you, and I know my talking with the jurors really made you nervous. But I never meant to bring you down. I just couldn’t let this pass by me without a second look.”

“I’m glad it’s over,” said Nina.

They reached the lake and watched kids nearby throwing a ball back and forth, and a dog running through the water after a stick.

“I assume you talked with the jurors about Wright’s position on our case,” said Nina.

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

“It was eight to five in favor of Mike at lunchtime. You were about to lose.”

“Remarkable timing, then,” she said. “Apparently, the replacement juror favored Lindy and they all swung back around.”

“Remarkable, yes.”

“Well, don’t look at me. I didn’t do it.”

“I know. Maybe Lindy Markov did, but if she did, I can’t find any proof.”

“So that’s it?”

“Met by a rock wall, most people stop.”