Someone Else's Husband(44)

“We can’t make promises,” Mikey Pearce added smoothly. “Certainly, that’s the hope—it’s what we’ll advocate for. Given that Richard has no criminal record and is an upstanding citizen, bail should be granted. It will likely be several million dollars, though, given the charges. Ten percent cash. I can set you up with someone who can walk you through how to get it covered in practical terms, if that’s—”

“The money won’t be a problem,” Gretchen said, wishing it hadn’t come out so forcefully. She could only imagine the disgusted expression on Elizabeth’s face. She had no intention of looking her way. But then, their ability to make bail was a relevant fact that needed to be stated plainly, for Richard’s sake. Money wasn’t a problem for them. All Mikey and Scotty needed to do was get bail granted and Gretchen would take care of the rest.

“Great,” Mikey Pearce said, seeming genuinely relieved. “That’s helpful to know. And just to lay out the entire process so we’re all on the same page: Following the arraignment, there will be a grand jury. As a matter of New York law, they have only six days from the date of arrest to convene a grand jury. Six days. If Richard is indicted by the grand jury, there will be a second arraignment. A trial follows all of that.”

“He does need to come home right now, though,” Gretchen said firmly.

“I understand, Gretchen,” Scotty said. There was compassion in his eyes. So much. Too much, maybe. “Mikey here is our secret weapon. He’s a legend. He’s going to get the job done.”

Mikey looked concerned as he turned back to Gretchen. “Again, we will do everything we can. But judges can be unpredictable. There’s a lot of discretion on bail, and unfortunately it sometimes comes down to personal biases. But ultimately, either way, a trial is based on evidence.”

Gretchen’s face felt warm, the back of her throat burning. A trial. “That sounds—”

“Bad,” Elizabeth said, stepping in protectively. “Really, really bad. Our dad isn’t exactly a jail kind of guy.”

Mikey smiled gently. “I understand, but it’s also my understanding that your dad is something of an athlete. And that he came from nothing and has thrived at Goldman Sachs, arguably one of the most cutthroat companies on the planet. He’s also a nice guy. I expect he’s savvy enough to take care of himself in almost any context. And, luckily, he is being held in a newly remodeled precinct instead of central booking.” He paused, looking around at all of them. “I’m only preparing you for the possibility Richard could be denied bail. If that happens, we’ll appeal. Then we’ll have a shot at another judge, and a panel of judges from there. We won’t stop fighting. We’ll also work to get the case dismissed. And if all else fails and we end up at trial? We will press for it to move quickly. And then we will win.” Mikey paused until Gretchen looked up. “That’s the only thing that matters. We need to keep our eyes on the prize.”

“Okay.” Gretchen nodded. She felt reassured. Mikey Pearce had a genuine, honest manner despite his flashy exterior. She found him far more forthright and trustworthy than she had expected. Also strangely warm. It was his eyes. You could see some kind of heartbreak deep inside them. Like he’d been through things of his own and wanted to help soften the blow for others.

“So, prior to the arraignment, I need to ask if there’s anything you feel we should know.”

“Know about what? There is nothing to know.” Gretchen sounded defensive. Even to herself. But it did feel like a trap, like Scotty and Mikey (a virtual stranger) might already know things she didn’t. They’d spoken to Richard. Who knew what he’d said? And surely Scotty had his own opinions about Frankie. Even though they’d been friends forever, he still probably thought that any man in his right mind would want to have sex with her instead of Gretchen. Were Scotty and Mikey looking at Gretchen thinking, Poor, poor old fool? No. No. This was going to be a long process with lots of questions. She needed to do better. Much better. Gretchen squared her shoulders. “My apologies. What exactly do you mean?”

“For instance, were there any unexpected visitors here or odd calls?” Mikey asked.

“Why would someone come by our house?” Becks asked. “If she was the person who was murdered?”

“You’d be surprised how complicated the truth can be when it finally comes out,” Mikey said. “For instance, if there was someone in her life causing problems, maybe that person intended to have the blame fall on Richard. Or maybe he—some ex or stalker—suspected some kind of relationship between them. Even if it didn’t exist, that could still have led him to kill Frankie in a jealous rage. Anyway, anything that seemed strange in the past several weeks could be relevant.”

“No,” Gretchen said. This was not an actual lie, not the way he’d phrased the question. “Nothing like that.”

“My dad’s got a million friends, you know,” Becks said. He sounded a little defensive, too. Because no one had asked about Richard’s friends. “Not just her. He mentors people all the time.”

“That’s true,” Cassandra added quietly. She’d stopped pacing and was staring at an empty spot on the carpet. “Everyone loves him.”

“Yeah,” Elizabeth muttered. “This has got ‘mentee’ written all over it.”