Jasmine Cresswell - Suspect

Chloe linked her fingers, gripping tightly. “If you have an alibi, your personal connection to the case is irrelevant. The police will know you’re not involved and it’s okay for me to hire you as my lawyer.”

He shook his head. “The fact that I’m not likely to be arrested doesn’t mean that I would be a good person to represent you in court. You came to me because you thought I’d be the lawyer who would work hardest to keep you out of prison, that I’d have a vested interest in keeping you safe because Sophie is my daughter. Unfortunately, you could hardly have chosen a worse person to approach than the man who fathered your child. If this case ever comes to trial, the D.A.’s office would use the connection to blow us away. You wouldn’t be the only person on trial in that situation. I would be, too. Almost before you could say cheating wife and sleazy lover, you’d be facing a jury who wouldn’t believe a word I was saying, and a judge who would question my professional ethics. And their doubts would be justified, given the circumstances.” The lingering stench from the Sherri Norquist trial wouldn’t help, either.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Chloe sounded as if she’d passed beyond the point of despair and had moved well into apathy.

“I’ve already given you the answer to that. If you actually reach the point of being arrested, you need to hire either Robyn Johnson or Bill Schuller. I’ll call both of them on your behalf if you like. In the meantime, until Robyn clears her calendar or Bill gets back in town, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and your daughter safe. I’ll try very hard to insure that the police don’t arrest you until one or other of them agrees to represent you.”

Chloe’s head jerked up, and it was only when Liam saw the hope dawning in her eyes that he realized just how despairing she’d been previously. “Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate your help.”

Now that he’d given her hope, he’d better live up to it. Liam quickly assessed and discarded options. It was important to avoid crossing paths with the police until he knew exactly what had happened last night. On the other hand, the widow of the murdered mayor of a major city didn’t have many options open to her if she wanted to disappear. She was highly recognizable, and the press corps was going to be hunting her as hard as the police.

“What’s the name of your husband’s chief of staff?” he asked.

“Frederick Mitchell. Frederick Ambrose Mitchell.”

“Is he a good guy?”

She nodded. “He’s a friend, as well as Jason’s chief of staff.”

“Do you remember the number for his direct line?”

She nodded again and he pushed a scratch pad toward her. “Write it down for me, please.”

Chloe wrote the number and he depressed the intercom. “Jenny, here’s the number for the late mayor’s chief of staff. His name is Frederick Mitchell. Call him, please, and tell him that Mrs. Hamilton is grief stricken and exhausted. She plans to spend the night at a friend’s house, where she hopes to avoid any run-in with the media. She’ll be back at her home in Park Hill tomorrow morning around eleven. For the next few hours, Mrs. Hamilton would appreciate it if Frederick Mitchell would run interference for her with the cops and especially with the media.”

“Can I give him a number where he can reach Mrs. Hamilton if there’s an emergency?”

“Tell him that Mrs. Hamilton isn’t taking any phone calls tonight. Give him my cell number, and tell him I’ll pass on any urgent messages from him to Mrs. Hamilton and vice versa. Encourage him to tell the press that she’s not going to be returning to the mayor’s home tonight so that they pack up their cameras and go home.”

“I’ll take care of it. I’ll call right now.”

Liam made sure he’d cut the intercom connection before speaking again. He didn’t want Jenny to have any idea where Chloe was actually staying so that his receptionist would neither be required to stonewall or to lie if anyone happened to ask her.

“It’s better if you don’t return to your sister’s house tonight,” he said to Chloe. “The police don’t have enough manpower to stake out dozens of places, even in pursuit of the mayor’s murderer. But since they already know Sophie is staying with your sister, they’ve almost certainly spared at least one cop to watch her front door. I’ll bet they’re hoping to snag you for questioning when you come to pick up your daughter. In the circumstances, it would be best if you simply left Sophie at your sister’s.”

“I can’t do that.” Chloe was quiet but adamant. “I’m not going to leave her all night with Alexia. You’re forgetting it’s Sophie’s father who just died. She’s scared, she’s sad and I’ve already left her for much too long.”

“I’m not asking you to abandon your daughter, but you have to consider the big picture. She isn’t going to be reassured if you’re arrested when you go to pick her up.”

Chloe paled. “Maybe my sister could drive her to a hotel?”

Liam shook his head. “The police will follow your sister. Same result, except at a hotel with plenty of witnesses instead of at your sister’s house.” He thought for a moment. “I’ll have to pick up Sophie myself.”

“But how will you avoid the police? What’s the difference between you driving her to a hotel and my sister making the same drive?”

“I’ve had some practice in evading both the cops and the media. Above all, nobody will be looking for me. At this point, the police and the media have no idea there’s any connection between the two of us.” He held out his cell phone. “Use my phone to call your sister. Did you say her name is Alexia?”

“Yes.”

“Tell Alexia I have your permission to pick up your daughter. If she asks where I’m taking Sophie, or where you plan to spend the night, explain that you can’t tell her. That way, Alexia can’t be tricked into revealing your destination.”

“If the police ask her where I’ve gone, what should she say to them?”

“She should tell them the truth—that she has no idea if you’re even still in town. If they press her, she should insist that she’ll say nothing further unless she has a lawyer present. If the police decide she’s hiding relevant information, they could be persistent enough to be unpleasant. Having a lawyer present will prevent that.”

Chloe fiddled with the cell phone, looking troubled. “I had no idea I’d be dragging my sister into the middle of such a mess when I asked her to look after Sophie. Isn’t there some less complicated way to do this?”

“Trust me, this is a lot less complicated than having you spend the night in jail.”

“In jail?” She stared at him, eyes wide. “Surely they wouldn’t put me in jail!”

“Why not?” He was deliberately brutal. “Because you’re pretty? Because you won an Olympic medal? Because you married an important man?”

“I didn’t mean that. I wasn’t implying I deserved special treatment. But I assumed I could post bail even if they arrested me…”

“You can. As soon as a judge sets bail. If the cops arrest you tonight, you’d be required to stay in jail until court is in session tomorrow.”

He’d managed to scare her to the point that her cheeks were now dead-white. “You really think I’m going to be arrested, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “It’s a high-profile case. That works for you and against you. The cops will be more careful building their case, and they’ll make sure it’s strong before they seek any warrants. On the other hand, they can’t possibly let the murder of the mayor go unsolved, so there’s going to be a lot of pressure on them to make an arrest.”