Jackie/Lori Merritt/Myles - Her Best Defense

But if they truly believed they were bulletproof, why on earth had they run to an attorney so soon?

Lisa pondered that question for a moment, then asked, “Was anyone in your household staff aware of the affair?”

“Not that I know of,” Glory answered. “I always gave them the night off when I planned on seeing him.”

“Where were you last night, Chandler?”

“I was in Detroit.”

Lisa wrote, Check Chandler’s alibi. “When did you leave?”

“Yesterday morning. It was a short trip. Just one day.”

“What hotel did you stay at?”

Glory huffed as if to tell Lisa that this was all a waste of time. Lisa ignored her.

“The Radisson, downtown.”

“And you returned just this morning?”

“That’s correct. I was on the six-fifteen flight.”

All of that would be easy enough to check. With security measures being what they were these days, Chandler would not have been able to board an aircraft without first showing identification. Of course, with the weird relationship he and Glory obviously had, Lisa couldn’t quite believe that he had gone off to Detroit, only to return sometime in the night to kill Mateo, then fly back and return in the morning as if nothing had happened. However, there usually was very little logic to murder, and Lisa had learned years ago that anything was possible.

She turned her attention back to Glory. “So, you were alone in the house with Mateo last night?”

“I was until whoever it was came along and killed him.”

“Can you tell me what you remember about the night?”

“Do you want all the gory details?”

“Just the ones about letting the staff off and then everything surrounding the time Mateo was killed.”

Glory looked almost disappointed. “Very well. I guess it was around sixish when I told everyone, including Maria, to leave.”

“Why do say, ‘including Maria?’”

“Maria is our only full-time house staff,” Chandler explained. “She oversees the daily routines of running an efficient household, which includes managing the part-time help…maids and such…we employ. She’s quite adept at it all. And when I’m out of town, she makes sure everything is taken care of for Glory.”

“Does she live on the property?”

“She stays occasionally when her duties cause her to work late. Other times, she goes home.”

“Where is home?”

“You’ll have to get that from her.”

Lisa reverted back to her original line of questioning. “Did everyone leave right away, Glory?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“What time did Mateo get there?”

“I guess about an hour later.”

“Without too much detail, can you tell me about the rest of the evening?”

“After Mateo arrived, we got a bottle of wine and went out to the spa. He liked water sports,” she said with a salacious little grin. Tossing her head, making her fabulous hair bounce a bit, she added, “Then, we went up to my room and spent the rest of the night there.”

“What time did he leave?”

Glory shrugged, which Lisa noticed that she did quite beautifully. Watching this woman was more entertaining than watching a movie, she thought with a slight frown. Truth was, she would like to really know Glory Witherington, through and through. Did Glory ever let anyone get that close?

“I couldn’t say,” Glory said. “I took a pill and went to sleep. I have a hard time sleeping when Chandler is out of town so I always take something that will knock me out.”

“Was Mateo still there when you did this?”

“Yes, I suppose he was.”

“So, you were asleep before he even left?”

“That’s how I remember it, yes.”

“And you heard nothing?”

“Honey, a bomb could go off in that house and I wouldn’t hear it after I’ve taken one of my pills.”

“This could present a problem if the police decide to go after you, Glory.”

“I believe that’s why we’re hiring you, dear, to make sure they don’t.”

Lisa’s intense interest in Glory’s entertainment value came to an abrupt end. In fact, she could stand this woman’s condescending attitude no longer and put pure ice in her voice to respond to such patronization.

“I don’t think you quite understand, dear, but I don’t have any control over what the police decide to do. My job is to defend you, should it come to that. And from what you’ve given me so far, I wouldn’t be able to do that very well.”

Glory appeared to be on the verge of another huff when Chandler intervened. “I think what Glory meant,” he said, patting her hand as if to tell her to cool it, “was that we would like you to do whatever is necessary to prevent that from happening. Use your connections, if you have any, to find out what their intentions are and if they have any suspects. We know Glory didn’t murder Mateo, but then I guess that leaves the question of who did. Why don’t you start there?”

Chandler’s last sentence was more of a directive than a suggestion and Lisa could feel the hair on the back of her neck bristling. Where did these people get off coming in here and ordering her around as if she were simply the hired help? She wasn’t on their personal payroll, and she certainly had other things to do besides catering to them. She would, of course, do absolutely everything in her power to give the Witheringtons the best possible legal advice and, should it come to it, defense. That was her job. But she would not be ordered around and told how to do her job by anyone!

“Mr. Witherington,” she began. “I assure you I will do everything I can for you and Glory—”

“That’s all we’re asking,” Chandler said, interrupting her. He then rose from his seat, bringing Glory up with him. “If that’s all, then we’ll be going. Be sure to keep us informed.” And before Lisa could utter another word, the pair was out the door.

What the hell just happened here? Lisa wondered, dazed by the past few minutes.

Lisa’s head was still spinning as she rode the elevator back down to the sixteenth floor. She hoped that the police had found some evidence of an intruder and that Glory would be ruled out as a suspect. Otherwise, she wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do to prevent the woman from being arrested. Perhaps something in Mateo’s background would help find his real killer. Of course, finding out everything she could on Glory and Chandler might help her better understand this strange couple, as well. A stop at Larry’s office was definitely in order.

“Hey, good morning,” Larry said with a smile as she entered the research department. He was seated at a computer desk, one of several in the department, and he did that thing that men do to show their respect for a lady. He lifted himself about a foot off the chair, lingered a second and then sat again.

Lisa, still focused on the Witheringtons, barely noticed that he’d moved and only offered a wan smile in recognition of his greeting. “I’ve just spent time with my newest clients, and I don’t mind admitting that I’m confused and unnerved. Larry, I need anything and everything you can dig up on Chandler and Glory Witherington.”

“I heard their name on the radio this morning while driving to work. Something about a corpse in their front yard? Imagine waking up to that.”

Lisa was in no mood for humor. Ignoring Larry’s comments, she plopped into the nearest chair and moaned, “It’s already in the news?”

“The Witherington name is always news. Anyone with money is news. What are Chandler and Glory like in person?”

“You know I can’t discuss clients. But I don’t think I would be too far out of line by mentioning raw nerve endings and the threat of a massive headache lurking on the fringes of consciousness.”