Филипп Марголин: The Perfect Alibi

The older woman struggled to her feet. “We most definitely do,” she said.

“Why don’t you come back to my office.”

Robin walked slowly so the heavyset woman could keep up. She led the women down a long hall decorated with prints by Honoré Daumier that depicted lawyers and courts from the 1800s. On the way, they passed the office of Jeff Hodges, the firm’s in-house investigator, and Mark Berman, Robin’s partner.

Mark was thirty-two with long brown hair, brown eyes, and the rock-hard body he had developed while competing on the University of Washington’s nationally ranked crew. Robin’s partner was married, with a four-year-old daughter, and seemed immune to stress. When Regina retired to travel the world, he had graciously given Robin Regina’s corner office, which had a spectacular view of the Willamette River, the foothills of the Cascade Range, and the snowcaps that crowned Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens.

“I’m Maxine Stark, and this is my daughter, Randi,” the older woman said when they were seated with the door closed. “Randi’s been raped, and we want you to help us set things right.”

“When did this rape occur?” Robin asked.

“Three weeks ago. The cops already got the guy.”

“What do you want me to do, Mrs. Stark?”

“We want you to make Blaine Hastings suffer the way he made my Randi suffer. He’s an animal, and animals belong in cages.”

“I can’t help you there, Mrs. Stark. A district attorney will be prosecuting. That’s the person who will try to send Mr. Hastings to prison.”

“But you can take away the money that made him so high and mighty, can’t you? You can sue for every penny he has.”

“I can help you sue,” Robin agreed.

“Good! That’s why we’re here.”

Randi Stark’s shoulders were hunched, and she seemed to be pulling into herself. Robin guessed that her mother’s aggressive behavior was upsetting her.

“I’ll need to talk to your daughter so I can find out the basis for her lawsuit.”

“Go right ahead. She has nothing to hide.”

“I assume you’re aware of the attorney–client privilege that makes anything Randi says to me confidential.”

“I watch a lot of lawyer shows on TV,” Maxine assured her.

“Then you know that Randi will lose the privilege if a third party hears what she says to her lawyer.”

A look of confusion clouded Maxine’s features. “I’m her mother.”

“Unfortunately, there is no mother–daughter privilege. So, I’m going to have to ask you to wait outside while we talk. My secretary can get you coffee or tea while you wait.”

“Randi needs me,” Maxine insisted.

“Of course, you’re her mother. But you don’t want to be the cause of losing her lawsuit, do you?”

“Well, no, but—”

“I knew you’d understand. And I’ll call you back in as soon as we’re done.”

Maxine hesitated for a second, then slowly levered herself out of the chair. “I’ll be outside if you need me, honey,” she said before she waddled out of Robin’s office.

Randi relaxed as soon as her mother left the room.

“This has to be a terrible ordeal for you,” Robin said when her office door closed.

“She won’t leave me alone,” Randi answered, not realizing that Robin was talking about the rape. “All she wants is the money.”

“And what do you want?”

For the first time since entering her lawyer’s office, Randi came alive. She sat up and stared into Robin’s eyes. “I want that bastard to pay. Money won’t ever make up for what Blaine did to me. That’s not why I’m here. But the Hastingses think they can get away with anything, and I want them to know that for once, they’re not going to be Kings of the Universe.”

Robin frowned. “Do you have a history with Blaine Hastings and his family?”

“We went to the same high school.”

“Did you date?” she asked.

“Are you kidding? I don’t live in a mansion, and I don’t drive a fancy car or dress like the stuck-up princesses who gave him blow jobs at their sorority parties.”

“You sound like you really hate Hastings. Did something specific happen to you before the rape?”

“There was a guy I was dating in high school, Ryan Tucker,” Randi answered quietly. “Blaine baited him. Then he beat the hell out of him. But he didn’t stop there. He called the cops and got his buddies to swear that Ryan started the fight.

“Mr. Hastings gives money to every politician’s campaign. So, no charges for Mr. Perfect, and juvie for Ryan. I don’t know what happened to him in there, but Ryan wasn’t the same when he got out—and Blaine just kept moving toward silver spoon heaven.”

Randi’s outburst seemed to have exhausted her. Robin made some notes so Randi would have some quiet time to pull herself together.

“Are you still in contact with Ryan, in case we want to interview him?”

Randi choked up. “A month after he got out, he… he killed himself.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, well…” Randi shrugged.

“Do you want some water?” Robin asked.

“No, I’m okay,” Randi said, but she didn’t sound okay.

“What does Blaine Hastings do now?” Robin asked when Randi had regained her composure. “Is he working or in school?”

“Blaine is a big football star at Oregon. I hear he’s probably gonna go pro.”

“What year is he in?”

“Senior.”

“I take it you want me to sue Blaine Hastings for damages and pain and suffering because he raped you?”

“Yes.”

“If Hastings is a student, he won’t have much money. We might sue him, but you might not get anything.”

Randi looked embarrassed. “My mom did some research on the Hastingses. There was a trust fund he’d get when he turned twenty-one, and he just had his birthday.”

Robin studied her client. Randi seemed convincing. She probably did want a measure of justice. But Robin thought that her mother was probably motivated by money.

“Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself.”

Randi shrugged. “Not much to tell. I’m twenty, I graduated high school, and I’m in community college, studying to be a nurse. Still living with my mother.”

“Where’s your home?”

“We used to live in a housing project, but Mom got this insurance settlement and she used some of it to buy a place in Northeast Portland.”

“Is your mom married?”

“Divorced. He walked out on us when I was two, and we haven’t seen him since. Good riddance, like Mom says.”

“So, you two live alone?”

Randi nodded.

“Does your mom work?”

“She used to, but she was in a car crash and she’s been on disability ever since. I work. School’s part-time.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a waitress.”

“Okay. Now, where did the rape occur?”

“At a frat party. Annie Roche, my girlfriend, found out about it. We weren’t doing anything, so we went.”

“Did Annie see what happened?”

“Not all of it, but some.”

“Have the police interviewed Annie?”

Randi nodded.

“Is she going to be a witness for the State?”

Randi nodded again.

“You’re going to be the star witness at Blaine Hastings’s trial, and in your lawsuit, so I have to ask you some personal questions.”

“I told the cops. I got probation for shoplifting once.”

“Is there anything else Hastings’s lawyer can dig up?”

“Not on me.”

“Have you been sexually active?”

“I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you mean.”

“Exactly,” Robin said as she flashed a kindly smile. “But let me ask you this. Hastings is going to say that you’re making up the rape so you can get his money. Have you ever accused another boy of rape?”