"Thank you for coming. I want to take Elizabeth home unless you need to discuss things further." Martin shook the lawyers' hands.
"Yes, we need to talk. How about we follow you since my office is in Chicago? Cleo's is downtown," Newsome suggested.
"Chicago?” Elizabeth asked.
"Cleo is your attorney of record until my credentials come through, though we hope this is wrapped up before a courtroom is needed. I was with family in Des Moines and caught a ride in a friend's helicopter. Let's get you home." Newsome preferred working with his sister, a renowned Iowa attorney, but she alerted him that her firm represented Talbot Reed. He chose to avoid potential conflict.
"Elizabeth, I have your things. Come with me?"
She walked in a fog to the black Navigator. Guiding her to the passenger side, he lifted her into the seat. She didn't react when he pulled the seat belt across her and buckled her in. A quick run around and Martin climbed into the driver's seat.
"Why are you doing this for me, Marty? I assume you called the attorneys." She stared down at her hands.
It broke his heart. He didn't want her to fear him. He resisted reaching for her hand, putting the car in gear instead. "After you speak with Mr. Newsome, we can talk."
"I didn't murder Randy Knox." The air from the open window rushed over her skin.
"I believe you, Sunshine." When sympathy overrode reason, he reached across the console, clasping her cold hand before focusing on driving her home.
Newsome and Nolan sat with Elizabeth in her dining room, away from Martin and Zach to preserve privilege. "Dr. Reed, I need to go over a few things about your personal relationship with Randall Knox."
"You mean my professional relationship with Randy. There never was a personal one."
"Tell me, why the hostility?" Newsome dissected her tone.
"Because this is absolute insanity to think I would be interested in Randy, much less kill him."
"You and Randy Knox ever have intimate contact?" He leaned back in his chair.
"No, ew, never! What about the word ‘personal’ do you not understand?" Anger erupted.
"Have you ever been in his apartment, or has he ever been to your home?" Newsome sought.
"No…wait—yes, he held a holiday gathering last December, and he was here with the surgical department for a July fourth party."
"If you didn't like him, why would you go to a party at his home?" Cleo scoffed.
"I went with Steven Keys. It was work-related. The same reason he was here."
"Are there any reasons others think you hated Dr. Knox or wanted him gone?" Terry slid his chair closer.
"God! Because I did. His sexism and vulgarity had no bounds." She ran both hands through her hair. "He was lazy. He cut corners. He tried to undermine me anytime he could. Sad, he was competent, but only when he felt like it. I had words with him often. I wanted him to smarten up before someone died. Which just so happened on the eleventh."
"He killed someone?" Cleo pursed her lips.
"Viola Dufour."
Newsome took her through why she believed that to be the case. "Let me confirm. You told him?"
"I told Randy, Craig Hillinger, Miles Gerba and Virginia Harper that he caused her death, so, yeah."
"It's not news, then, that Dr. Knox told people you killed Viola," Terry probed.
"No."
"You operated on a child. You lost a car accident victim. Dr. Knox complained to the VP that you exceeded your license and that you 'wasted' resources. Dr. Keller disagreed with you about your initial choices in Austin Bailey’s surgery.”
"Mr. Newsome, this shouldn't be new to you; you're a lawyer. I'm a physician licensed in Iowa. Any licensed physician can operate on any human being. And wasting resources—I tried to give a young man a chance. Knox questioned my decision in front of residents. That question influenced Dr. Keller with Austin. What you seem not to know is Knox didn't question my use of similar procedures for Austin because saving a cop is a glory call to a guy like him."
