Heck’s eyes shot to mine. “Like eight years. Met her right before the thing, so when I needed a lawyer I went to her.”
“The thing being the Alberts investigation.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where’d you and Bettina meet?”
“Tinder,” said Heck.
Milo said, “Tinder,” and scrawled in his notepad.
Heck said, “Is that relevant?”
“We never know what is and what isn’t, Mike.”
I said, “Tinder.”
Dividing his attention between us made Heck frown. “It was just for…you know. Her thing more than mine.”
“She’s a big fan of Tinder.”
“Oh yeah, she’s been sleeping around for years. Before and after getting married. She says he does the same thing but I don’t know, that’s just what she says.”
I said, “You and Bettina were sleeping together before the Alberts investigation so when you thought you needed a lawyer, you turned to her.”
“Actually,” said Heck, “she thought I needed a lawyer and volunteered.”
“You figured you were okay without a lawyer.”
“Because I knew I did nothing. But she said don’t be careless so I said okay. She wasn’t charging me anyway. I just had to take her to nice places.”
“Hotels.”
“Hotels, restaurants, we went a lot to Ojai, Santa Barbara. I’m not sure it didn’t end up costing me more than a regular lawyer.”
“You were never charged for anything she did on Alberts.”
“Not ’cause of her. I was innocent. Everyone was.”
“Everyone except Alberts.”
“Exactly. He ran a one-man show.”
“So,” I said, “Bettina and you go back a way.”
“Nothing steady, here and there.”
“Did you meet Sophie Barlow on Tinder?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Her it was the gym. She shouldn’t have been there.”
“At the gym.”
“At that gym. I’m not being a sexist, some girls can handle it but it wasn’t for her.”
“Not strong enough.”
“Not hardly,” said Heck. “She would’ve been better with machines, light weights, yoga classes.”
