David Baldacci - True Blue

Mace said, “While you go over the case with him I’m going to have a chat with my sister.”

WHEN MACE ARRIVED at Beth’s office her sister was hastily shoving files in a briefcase. “Got two minutes, Mace. Late for a bunch of meetings.”

“I’ll walk with you. Thanks for your help with Alisha and Tyler, by the way.”

“I’m assuming you’re here for some more help.” When Mace didn’t say anything, Beth added, “They called me when you two showed up to see Dockery. So is Kingman going to rep him?”

“Looks to be the case. Dockery said you found his cart?”

“That’s right. And would Kingman like to know what we found in it?”

“You have to tell him that anyway, Beth.”

“He’ll get all the proper evidentiary disclosures from the prosecutor’s office. Well, at least I assume he will.”

“What do you mean you assume he will?”

Beth gave her a knowing look. “Take a guess on who’s trying the case?”

“Oh hell, not Mona? She’s got an office full of homicide hounds to do that kind of work.”

“Did you really think she was going to pass up a case like this? Fine upstanding female law partner in G-town struck down by a homeless nutcase and then stuck in a fridge? She’ll get tons of ink on this. She’s probably getting her hair and nails done as we speak. She won’t do the heavy lifting, but rest assured she will be the voice of the U.S. Attorney’s Office at all press conferences and other media opportunities. She’ll probably do the closing argument too. If the case gets that far.”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“Ever heard of a plea bargain? Although Mona won’t plead this out unless your guy takes the max. She’s not going to pass up her chance to get on Larry King for anything less than that.”

“So what did they find in the cart?”

“Tolliver’s missing panties and her purse. Credit cards and cell phone and office key card were inside but there was no cash.”

Mace’s mind flashed to what the Captain had said.

I got two hundred dollars.

“Two hundred dollars found on Dockery,” said Beth, seemingly reading her sister’s mind. “It does not look good, Mace.”

“I still don’t think the guy did it. I mean, look at all the other stuff going on here. The key Diane sent Roy. This Andre Watkins character. The guy rolling his apartment. The people after me. How do they all tie into Tolliver being murdered?”

“Did you ever stop to think that they don’t? I agree that there is something strange going on with Tolliver and the stuff with you. But her being killed by Dockery might have been a simple crime of opportunity that has no connection to the other things.”

“I just knew you were going to say that.”

“Why?”

‘Because it’s so… freaking logical!”

“My apologies for being so freaking logical.”

“But look, Dockery said the police found his cart, so it was missing. Anybody could’ve planted that stuff in there. And the other trace found at the crime scene too.”

“Let’s not forget the sperm in the woman’s vagina. Does Kingman want to make the argument that was planted too?”

“Believe me, I get the point.”

“How is his firm going to feel about Kingman defending the guy accused of murdering one of its partners?”

“Probably not too good.”

“So why is Kingman doing it?”

Mace gave her an exasperated look. “Why don’t you ever just call him Roy?”

“I only call my friends by their first names, with the exception of Mona. And I only do that because I found out she hates her name.”

“He’s doing it because he believes Dockery is innocent. Same as me.”

As they walked down the hall, Beth said, “Did you ever wonder how a guy like Dockery is able to sneak into the building like that and no one ever sees him? Sounds to me like he had some inside help.”

“What are you saying?”

“Maybe your lawyer friend is repping Dockery because he has a guilty conscience? He helps the guy get in the building, Dockery ends up going berserk and killing Tolliver, and Kingman comes in to help clean up the mess.”

“So you think Roy actually believes Dockery is guilty?”

“Most people accused of a crime are guilty, Mace, you know that.”

“Well, you know something, big sister?”

“What?”

“ I wasn’t guilty.”

CAN I SMOKE in here?” asked the Captain.

“No, nonsmoking building,” said Roy as he wrote some notes down.

“Hey, is it time to eat?”

“Soon.”

“I’m hungry.”

“I know. Okay, so you got in on Friday a little after six. Hid in the closet by the stairs on the main floor. Then around eight you went up to the fourth floor and settled in for the weekend. What time did you leave on Monday morning?”

“Can’t remember.”

“You have to try, Lou.”

The Captain seemed confused by the use of his real name. Roy noted this and said, “Lawyer-client thing, I need to start using your real name.”

“But I tell you what, those damn Twinkies were stale anyway. What’s the fuss?”

Roy ran a hand through his hair and wondered why it wasn’t falling out with all the stress he was under. “The fuss is they’re not charging you with stealing Twinkies, they’re charging you with murder .” He pointed his pen at the Captain. “If you get no other concept down, Lou, please get that one.”

“I didn’t kill nobody. I would’ve remembered something like that .”

“Please don’t make that sort of statement to anyone ever again. And the evidence says otherwise, namely that you did rape and kill her.”

“Why I got you. Two hundred bucks. You send me a bill.”

I will, to whatever prison you’ll be spending the rest of your life in.

“Them cheapskates anyway.”

“Who?”

“Twinkie people. Only time I heard church bells.”

Roy put his pen down and stared helplessly at the man opposite him. It seemed like the Captain was finally really losing all touch with reality. “Church bells?”

“Yep. Why’d they have to lock up that refrigerator anyway?”

“Lock what refrigerator?”

“The one where I was staying. They didn’t lock up the toilet. Or the Twinkies. And they ain’t never had much in there anyway so why lock it up?”

“Lock it up how?”

The Captain made a circling motion with his hands. “Big old chain.”

Roy had a momentary vision of Mace holding a “big old chain” as a weapon on the fourth floor the previous night when unknown people were coming after them.

“Did they wrap it around the fridge to keep it closed?”

“Why else? Big old padlock. Tried to pick it with my knife. No way, no how. Bet they had Pepsi in there. I like Pepsi better’n Coke.”

“Was the chain on there when you got to the fourth floor?”

The Captain thought about this. “Don’t know. I think I went to sleep. But it was on there when I woke up.”

“Well, that makes sense, Lou, if they thought someone was stealing the food from inside it. They’d lock it up after hours.”

“Oh, right. Didn’t think of that. You smart, Roy. Glad you’re my lawyer.”

“Okay, what about the church bells?”

“Yeah, nothing to eat. Ain’t staying there. So’s I left to look for some food.”

“Church bells? You mean you left on Sunday?”

“You sure I can’t get me a smoke?”

“I’m sure. You were talking church bells?”

With a vacuous expression the Captain said, “Don’t they still have church on Sunday or did they pick another day?”