Keep Them Close(49)

“I can, sure. Who’s narrating?”

She sighs. “I have a list of actresses to audition. If my budget permits.”

“You should narrate it yourself,” I say. “You have a nice voice.”

“Doubtful.” She rolls her neck. “So what’s the latest with Finley and Allison? When I met with Finley the other night on the documentary, he didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Don’t know much, either,” I say. “All I know is she kicked him out. We didn’t have a long conversation, just some quick text messages. But that’s mostly because she’s so busy at work. And she has plenty of reasons to boot him out of the house. One, in particular.”

She sits down on the bed. “Yeah, it sure seems like he’s cheating on her. Once, when I was at his condo to interview him, I saw a wineglass with lipstick in the sink. The other night, I saw a condom wrapper in the wastebasket of his bathroom. I didn’t ask. None of my business. I want him good and happy for now. I want him to think of me as his friend, an ally, partners on this documentary. Once the research is done and we expose his role, he can hate me all he wants. And he will.”

I think about that. “I can’t see their breakup affecting the project. If anything, he’ll be more interested than ever. He wants to be involved in something big. He thinks this thing’s going to make him a star. God, I’d love to see the look on his face when he realizes what it’s really gonna show. By the way, when are you going to tell him that we know about the brakes on my bike?”

“When I’m done getting information from him. Say what you want about him, but he has a great memory of that time period. I have pages and pages of notes, all sorts of little details about what all you boys were like back then, the places you’d hang out, lots of baseball stuff—great detail.”

“That’s because he still lives in that time period,” I say. “He never grew up.”

She thinks for a moment, chewing her lip. “Look, I don’t want to ambush him. I’ll get all the information I can, but before we actually film, I’ll confront him. He’ll have the choice of participating or not.”

“You think he’ll still participate after we accuse him of causing the accident?”

She shrugs. “He might deny it. If he wants to, if he wants to go on camera and say it’s not true, he deserves that opportunity.”

“You’re nicer than me.” My phone chirps. I pull it from my pocket. “My sister,” I say.

“Hey,” Allison says when I answer. “I need to talk to you.”

“Sure, yeah. Did the forensic test results come back?”

“Not yet,” she says. “But I’ve been thinking. This Childress case, it’s dominating my time. And once it starts in May, it’ll probably go at least through the summer. Bottom line, I don’t think I can give your case the time it deserves. You need someone else to handle it.”

I glance at Trinity, who can hear Allison through the phone.

“Um, okay,” I say. “If that’s what you think.”

“Can I email you the paperwork? You need to sign a consent and an acknowledgment that we are no longer attorney and client. You can e-sign it and send it back.”

“Sure.”

“Great. I’m sending it now. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning, if you’re around,” she says. “I’ll give you fully executed copies. And we can talk about who can represent you.”

“Sounds good,” I say.

I turn to Trinity when the call ends. “Wonder what that’s about. You think she knows about the test results?”

“Maybe.” Trinity looks up from her narration notes. “Didn’t you say, once she learns about the results, she wouldn’t be your attorney anymore?”

“That’s the least of it.” I laugh. “When she sees the test results, she’ll want to string me up. God, I’d give anything to see the look on her face when she gets that news.”

“I think you’re enjoying this a little too much,” she says.

“It’s just that she deserves it,” I say. “You know how many chances I gave her to come clean? I told her I wanted to plead guilty. I blamed Finley. No matter what I tried, she just sat there, insisting it was you, Trin. That doesn’t piss you off?”

“Yes, of course. But just…be careful. This is Allison you’re dealing with.”

“I’m not afraid of her,” I say with a wave. “You caught her on surveillance video planting those drugs in your car. She can’t make that go away. And her DNA and fingerprints on the drugs? She can’t make that go away, either. She’s cooked, Trin, I’m telling you. And she has nobody to blame but herself.”





40


Luke

I’m back from a morning run and freshly showered when Allison knocks on my door at ten o’clock, just as scheduled. She’s wearing a long wool coat, her hair pulled back. She stands in the foyer, showing no inclination to linger.

I’m braced for whatever may come, but she seems cool as snow.

“Your fully executed copy.” She hands me a copy of the acknowledgment and consent forms for her withdrawal from the case. “I’m no longer your lawyer.”