“No charges yet is fine with me,” said Milo.
Nguyen stared at him.
“What I’m saying, guys, is I’m totally comfortable showing her what we have and heading her off at the pass. It’ll knock off the lawsuit and prevent her from obstructing when I want to question Heck. Who is back in my sights as a murder suspect.”
“Why is that, Lieutenant?” said Rachel Stone.
“Because he’s the only link we’ve found to two of our murder victims—Sophie Barlow and Martha Matthias. Three, if we consider Lynne Gutierrez as tied to Matthias. Plushisrole in the deception shows the kind of guy he is, meaning he could have premeditatedly set up an alibi while hiring someone to do the actual killing. Getting rid of a bogus false-arrest money grab will give us grounds to dig deeper.”
“That all sounds pretty theoretical.”
“That’s my point, Ms. Stone. If I can get access to Heck’s phone records and his financials, I might be able to turn it from theoretical to empirical.”
Rachel Stone placed smooth, manicured hands flat on the table.
John Nguyen said, “I concur totally.”
Stone said, “An ounce of prevention.”
Nods all around.
Stone said, “What if Mr. Heck casts Bettina aside and gets himself another lawyer who bears no liability in the case. What stops him from continuing to stonewall you?”
Using Bel Geddes’s first name. Maybe they went to the same parties.
Milo said, “That’s also theoretical.”
“Not quite, Lieutenant. I can imagine any competent lawyer attempting to block your subpoenas.”
Nguyen said, “Block away, given Heck’s lies on record, we’ll get past it.”
No reply.
Human beings have low tolerance for silence so therapists use it as a way to encourage self-revelation. Attorneys use it, too, the way they use everything: as a weapon, to confuse and intimidate.
Rachel Stone’s motive for keeping us waiting was unclear. Whatever her reason, the air in the room seemed to empty of oxygen.
I said, “Is there something about Bel Geddes we should know?”
She blinked. “Why would I be aware of that?”
“Just wondering if you knew her outside the courtroom.”
“I don’t know herinthe courtroom, Doctor. Why are you asking me this?”
“You called Heck mister but used her first name.”
“Oh wow,” said Stone. “I’m being analyzed?” Her laughter was brittle.
Our turn for collective silence.
“As a matter of fact,” she said, “we have attended some of the same social functions, but no, we’re not pals.”
No one responded.
Stone laughed again. Uneasily. Her hands curled.
“Okay, this doesn’t leave these four walls but she’s got a reputation. I’m not going to tell you for what but let’s just say putting her in her place wouldn’t be disappointing.”
