Orrin still didn’t stand. “You’re not going to discuss this.”
“Nope. Kelsey didn’t kill anybody, and she had no knowledge that her sister did. It’s that simple, and we aren’t going to play games with you. You’ve got nothing on her, and you know it.” I pushed the heavy conference room door open farther.
Orrin cleared his throat. “Your client has been charged with accessory to first-degree murder, evidence destruction and failure to notify of a death. She could get thirty years in prison, easy.”
I put on my bored look and partially turned. “Get to it.”
“Ten years. She pleads guilty and we agree to ten years. She could be out sooner with good behavior.” Orrin still appeared relaxed and calm in his chair.
Kelsey gasped.
I took her arm. “See you in court, Orrin. It was very nice to meet you.” I prodded Kelsey down the hallway, smiled at the receptionist, and walked out into the sunny day. A buzz of a lawnmower echoed through the park in front of us.
Kelsey turned on me the second we hit the sidewalk. “I can’t go to prison. Honest, Anna. I didn’t know anything, and I really didn’t want Danny dead.” Tears filled her green eyes. “I can’t believe this.”
I patted her arm. “It’s okay, Kelsey. Take a deep breath. I’m not sure what’s going on with Orrin, but we’ll figure it out. There’s no evidence that you had anything to do with Danny’s death. It doesn’t matter that you were with your sister for a while that day, and I’m sure Krissy will back you up if needed. Let me handle this.” I’d made a tactical decision in walking out of the meeting, and I thought it was the right one for not only Kelsey but for Orrin. He needed to know we weren’t going to fold. “We’re not going to do anything until your preliminary hearing, where we’ll see all the evidence Orrin has. Or most of it, anyway. Before you go, is there anything you haven’t told me? Anything they might know that I don’t?”
Kelsey shook her head and a tear dropped to her cheek. “No. I didn’t help Krissy kill Danny. I’d never do that.” Her voice rose and trembled.
I hugged her. “It’s going to be okay. Let me get their case file and I’ll call you to go over it when it arrives. Until then, just try to relax and stay out of trouble.”
She hugged me back and then turned to walk around the rose bushes to the parking lot. I glanced up at the windows from the office to see Orrin watching us, a slight smile playing on his perfectly symmetrical lips. Even though it was a warm day, a shiver ran down my spine.
What did he know that I didn’t?
Chapter 15
Ipoked my head in Clark’s office on the way to lunch. “We’ve already forgotten our plan to not see clients on Fridays.”
Papers were scattered across his desk and he looked up, circles beneath his eyes. “I know. Just for today. We’ll start the new routine next week after we take advantage of your recent notoriety.” He shook his head and sat back, looking lawyerly in his purple long-sleeved shirt, deep blue tie, and Monte Carlo style gun-metal glasses. “I can’t believe I actually just used that sentence with my law partner.” He shook his head. “Do you think we should hire a paralegal?”
“Not yet,” I said, leaning against the door frame. “We’re having an influx of clients right now, but that might trickle off quickly. Let’s give it a month or two, and if work doesn’t slow down, maybe we can hire somebody. For now, Oliver and Pauley have things covered.” I rocked back on my heels. “You know, we might want to talk to Oliver about attending the paralegal program at the college. We could offer to pay for it.”
Clark pursed his lips. “That’s a good idea if Oliver is interested in being a paralegal. What about Pauley?”
“We can ask him, but he’s focusing on math right now,” I said. Since Pauley was only sixteen, he had a lot of time to study a lot of subjects. “He might be interested, but after the two years here, I know he wants to attend a four-year college.” I just hoped he was ready for that. But that was something to worry about in two years, after Pauley graduated from the community college. I had enough to worry about right now. “I’m meeting Nonna at Smiley’s for lunch. Do you want to come?”
Clark studied me. Man, he was smart. “I don’t think so. Not sure what you’re up to, but I do know I want nothing to do with it.”
It was good that my law partner had a brain, right? “Fine. Want me to bring you anything back?”
His face cleared. “Yeah. Club sandwich and thanks. I appreciate it.”
I turned and moved for the doorway to the reception area. Thank goodness we’d created a wall between the offices and the entrance. The room was just as full as it had been yesterday, so I waved to Oliver and hustled out to the office hallway. It was unfortunate we didn’t have a back way out. Oh, all of the windows were good exits, and we could get out during a fire, but having a back door would be convenient.
I took several deep breaths as I walked down the sidewalk outside toward Smiley’s Diner. Only one building separated the diner from my office building, and Duke’s Jewelry Store had been there for as long as I could remember. It was only a one-story building and had an antique clock out front that was protected as a historically preserved sign in Idaho. I ignored the sparkly diamonds in the display window and continued to Smileys.
Smiley’s Diner was a Timber City staple. The booths were red, the hamburgers fresh, and the tile well worn. A sparkling and round turret featured the puffed pastries and pies for the day. Fresh ones. My stomach growled, and I hustled past a clustering of tables with wooden chairs, beyond the long counter with fifties style bar stools, to a booth toward the back. “Hi, Nonna.”
“Hi.” She beamed at me. For her outing, she’d worn a smart lilac-colored pantsuit with no-nonsense gold jewelry. Her hair was up in an intricate bun. “How are you? You look tired. Are you still hurting from the car wreck?”
I started to slide across from her, and she shook her head. “Please sit next to me.”
“All right.” I sat next to her, and light jasmine perfume tickled my nose. “I’m fine, Nonna. Just a little bruised.” Actually, my ribs were killing me and I’d love a pain pill, but since I planned to return to work, I’d have to make do with more Advil in an hour.
She began to say something and then straightened, waving her hand at the door.
Gerty Basanelli caught her eye and hustled over. She wore a pretty flowered dress with white tennis shoes, and her crocheted shoulder tote bag was big enough to take on a picnic. “Oh, hello, Elda. What are you doing in town?” She opened her cloudy brown eyes very wide and fluttered her eyelashes.
