by Claire Adams
I smiled. “I guess that’s the silver lining. Have you heard any more about what happened to Vick? The police have arrested Brigham, but I have to tell you, Alicia and I both really don’t believe he had anything to do with it.”
Alex rubbed his chin, a sign I had come to know over the years that he was trying to think of how to phrase his words wisely. “Vick was stealing from him. Brigham had a lot to lose as long as Vick was in that position.”
“I agree. But why kill him? Why not just expose him and move on? Brigham has everything to lose if he is convicted of this.”
“True,” Alex said. “But Brigham isn’t known for his rational thinking when he’s angry. He also had just found out about Vick and that David guy. Maybe he just went to talk to him, intimidate him, and the whole mess got out of control.”
“Maybe,” I said, thinking that Miles’ reputation as a hot-head had definitely helped out whoever had set him up if that had been the case. I decided to try something else.
“Alicia has an old friend who’s in town on business. His name is Jack Grant; do you know him?”
Alex looked surprised and then said, “Hmm, name sounds familiar but I don’t recall where I’ve heard of him from.”
“Oh, I was just asking because Alicia mentioned that she thought she had seen the two of you talking a few days ago outside of the courthouse. She asked me if you’d mentioned knowing him.”
“Oh yes!” he said suddenly, “That guy with the British accent.” I could actually tell that he was trying to sound as if he’d only just remembered. “He was asking me about some contributions his father was thinking of making to our campaign.”
“Kind of odd, don’t you think,” I asked, “Someone from the UK interested in putting money into our politics?”
“Yes,” Alex agreed, “I thought so, too, at first. It seems that his father is trying to bring his business to the US and I think it’s all about gaining some powerful contacts.”
“I suppose that would be a good way. It seems that the more money you sink into a campaign the more friends you make. Miles Brigham IV is a good example of that.”
“Yes, but unfortunately, Brigham’s recent escapades has made him like poison to be around. All the negative press has caused people in high up places, and people that wish to be in high up places to start cutting ties with him.”
“You were put in your position because of him, right?”
“Yes, that’s true. I’m grateful to him, but I have to look out for myself. If he’s found guilty of Vick’s murder, it might make it look like I’d been involved in that, too, right?”
“I don’t think he’ll be found guilty,” I told him.
“Oh?” Alex asked, “Even though you don’t believe he’s guilty, it sounds like the D.A. is going at him with both barrels.”
“When it does go to court, Alicia will be defending him. He couldn’t do any better than that.”
Alex laughed, “Spoken like a true fiancé.”
The conversation turned to Alicia and I getting married at the Plaza, and we sat and talked for over an hour more. I didn’t come away from it feeling like I’d gotten any more information than I already had. It made me sad to think that my best friend was a crook, and sadder yet to believe he may be tied to not one but two murders. I was dying to ask him just one question when and if this was ever resolved…why?
CHAPTER THREE
ALICIA
I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from lunch and I was happy to see that Adam and I were no longer top news on the tabloids. A young actor had overdosed at his Manhattan apartment the night before. He lived, thankfully, but the newspapers and magazines were speculating on whether or not it had been a suicide attempt. I was glad the young man hadn’t died, but I was more than happy to give the front page to him.
When I arrived home, Luis was at the door, as usual. He held the door for me and after asking how my day was going he said,
“You have company,”
“Yes,” I told him. “My parents are still visiting.”
“No, Mr. Grant just got here a few moments ago. I told him you were out, but he said he was here to visit with your parents today.”
“Oh.” He was looking worried that he may have done something wrong. I felt bad and said, “Thank you, Luis. He’s an old friend from back home. I’m sure my parents were happy to see him.” He looked relieved to hear that.
As I walked to the elevator in the lobby I noticed a man sitting in the lobby chair that I didn’t recognize. Being a New Yorker now, I of course did not know everyone who lived in the building, but I had lived there long enough that I knew how to spot a new face. The man was reading or pretending to read a New York Times. I waited a few beats before pushing the up button on the elevator, and when he felt me looking at him he looked up and gave me an almost imperceptible nod and a smile.
I knew then that he was one of the agents looking out for me, and it made me feel more secure as I got in the elevator and rode up to see what it was Jack wanted this time. I did wonder what story the agent had given Luis, who was also protective. He made a point to not let strangers in unless someone was expecting them. I’m sure if the man did tell Luis he was FBI, he would be discreet about it.
I let myself into the apartment and found my parents and Jack having tea in the sitting room. When Jack saw me come in, he stood up and said, “Alicia, I hope you don’t mind me just stopping by. I wanted to get a chance to catch up with your parents while they were still in town.”
“No, not at all,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. Jack gave me a kiss on the cheek and for the first time since I met him all of those years ago, it made my skin crawl a little.
“Jack was just telling us about his father’s business coming to the States,” my mother said. “Isn’t that nice?”
“Yes,” I said and then looking at Jack, I asked, “Strange though, you working with him, huh?”
Jack didn’t appear nervous at all to me as he said, “Yes, I guess it would seem strange to you, all of those years I spent bad-mouthing him. I was an angry young man, Alicia. I have since learned to keep my anger in check and appreciate all that my father has done for me, instead of holding a grudge over what I thought he hadn’t done.”
“Good for you,” my father said before I had a chance to ask anything further of him. “Family is our most important asset.”
“Here, here,” Jack said in a mock toast as he raised his tea cup before drinking from it. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I caught myself before I did. If I let Jack know that I could see through his innocent act he would never share anything with me or in front of me that might lead the FBI to his arrest.
“Alicia,” Mother said, “Why don’t we have Jack stay for dinner tonight?”
“Sure,” I said, really wishing there were some way out of it. “I was planning on making veal cutlets. Is that okay with you, Jack?”
“Sounds terrific, I’d love to stay,” he said, enthusiastically.
It was early afternoon, yet but I told them I had to prepare the veal and excused myself into the kitchen. I wasn’t good at this whole espionage thing. I knew I’d never get Jack to open up to me if I continued to avoid his company, but I could hardly stomach being around him these days.
I poured myself a cup of tea and although I had an excellent butcher who had already done the work for me, I made a play of tenderizing the cutlets. After about half an hour, Jack came into the kitchen.
“Hey, are you sure you don’t mind your mother inviting me to dinner?”
“Of course not,” I told him. “I have plenty.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said with a serious look. “It just seems that the last few times we’ve talked, you’ve acted like you’d like to be somewhere else.” I drew on the persona I use when I’m in court and trying to defend a client that I don’t like.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I don’t mean to treat you badly. I’ve just had so much going on lately.”
“It’s okay, as long as I haven’t lost my best friend,” he said, making me sad. I didn’t want to lose my friend, either, but I was almost certain I already had.
“Can I help you with anything?” he asked.
I gave him some vegetables to chop and I began preparing the potatoes I was planning to serve with the veal. As we worked, we talked about old times. I found my chance when Jack brought up a big fight he’d had with his father just before entering law school.
“You remember,” he told me, “I was in such a mood. You made me your famous red velvet cake and we stayed up high on sugar, talking all night long.”
“Yes, I do remember,” I told him. “I think I gained five pounds that night. That leads me to a question I’ve had, though. That night, you swore you’d never have anything to do with your father’s business. What really changed your mind, Jack? I’m not really buying what you were selling my parents in there.”
Jack went dark for a minute, and I thought he wasn’t going to answer. Finally, he said,
“I tried making it on my own. I opened my own practice after you left, and for a while, it felt good defending the innocent. But I wasn’t making any money and ultimately had to go to Father for a loan.
“He gave it to me and then promptly began to use it against me. Anytime he wanted or needed anything from me from then on he’d throw it in my face. He made me feel like a failure and he turned out to be right. I ended up losing the practice and not having the money to pay him back. He offered me a job in exchange for what I owed him and a salary larger than anything I ever would have made as an attorney. It was another failure on my part that I accepted it.”
I felt for him as he talked. I didn’t like seeing him so defeated. I could understand his need to seek out his father’s help, but I still couldn’t grasp why he would be willing to undertake the things the FBI were accusing him of.
“Is your commitment to him long-term or do you plan on returning to the law someday?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“At first, it was only until I could pay him back. Now, I just don’t know. Every day I stay, I get sucked into the business a little deeper.”
“Sucked in” sounded to me like he was almost admitting to getting his hands dirty. He seemed to be sad about it, but almost resigned to his fate.
I was about to ask him another question when my mother came in to see how we were doing. The conversation turned to other things and I was actually relieved. Dinner was actually enjoyable and for a while, I lost myself once again in the good memories of an old friend. When it was time for Jack to leave, I walked him down to the lobby. As he was thanking me for the evening and saying goodnight he said,
“So, I guess you’re really set on marrying this Hanson guy, huh?”
“Yes, Jack,” I said. “I am set on it. I love Adam and can’t wait to be his wife.” I couldn’t interpret the look that passed over Jack’s face, however, the words he spoke next needed no interpretation,
“Just remember what I said before, if it doesn’t work out, for any reason, I’ll be here for you.” I thanked him, but came away with an eerie feeling. If I were a superstitious woman, I would have said that Jack was predicting that Adam and I wouldn’t work out. I knew he was wrong. Adam was right for me in every way. We just needed to help bring all of this intrigue to a close and get on with our lives together.
CHAPTER FOUR
ADAM
Sunday, I had lunch with Alicia and her parents. It was nice and I think her mother is really warming up to me. The rest of the day I spent going over the lists of prospective jurors for the Brigham case that my investigators had put together for me. I had to be in court at nine a.m. for jury selection. I was trying to face this trial the way I did any other, but so much had happened that I was almost fearful I wouldn’t be able to put my best foot forward on this. I was grateful for Mac because even though he knew nothing about what was going on with the FBI, he would keep me grounded.
I got to court half an hour early and so did Mac. We went over our separate lists and spent some time strategizing before the judge called court to order. I started out positive and energetic, but as the day wore on, it was quickly apparent that we had been right to worry about finding an untainted jury in New York.
The prospective jurors who claimed not to have a bias against Miles Brigham IV in general had at the very least been exposed to the constant advertisements that the EPA had been running on television, radio and in magazines, to raise money for what they termed “The Victims” of the oil spill. They advertised that the “victims” were both people and animals, which screwed us further because if the prospective jurors didn’t care about one, they did the other.
That in and of itself was enough to make me concerned that the other side was coming to the table already ahead of us, even though Mac and I had our team working around the clock investigating backgrounds for weeks now. I told the team that I wanted to know if any of them so much as used a recycling bin on a routine basis. I didn’t want an EPA advocate sneaking into the jury pool. That would mean certain death for our case and millions or possibly close to billions of dollars loss to Miles’s company. The process of running background checks on jurors was not exactly legal, but I discovered early on in my career that it could be crucial to winning a case. In this case, it didn’t seem to be helping at all.
Mac and I took turns asking the prospective jurors and we each turned down the first six. We were running out of options and the attorney for the plaintiffs, Hal Rogers, was eating it up. My head was pounding like a drum by the time the judge called it for the day and told us to be back at eight-thirty a.m. two days after Christmas. All I could think about was that I needed a Tylenol and Alicia. I knew Marie would have something for my headache and tonight Alicia and I would have our much awaited alone time. I couldn’t wait.
I had my car service take me back to the office and when I climbed out of the car in front of the office, I saw Alicia’s friend Jack. He was opening the passenger door of his black Mercedes. I was surprised when I saw him extend his hand to help Alicia out of the car. She was smiling and so was he, until he looked over and saw me standing next to him. I almost smiled at how quickly his fell off of his face.
“Hi, baby,” Alicia said when she saw me there. “It was so warm earlier I decided to walk to court. I guess I wasn’t thinking very far ahead. Jack came by and saved me.”
“Imagine that, Jack was there…again.” I gave him a tight smile and he gave me one in return. He looked at his watch then and back at Alicia and said,
“I just remembered an appointment I have. If I don’t see you before, Alicia, have a Merry Christmas.”
“Thank you, Jack, you, too.” Hmm, he didn’t wish me a Merry Christmas, I thought.
“Thank you for giving my fiancée a ride,” I told him with a smile. He shot fire out of his eyes in my direction. He caught himself and quickly hid the look and said,
“It was my pleasure.”
Alicia and I watched as he got into his car and drove away. When he was gone I said, “I don’t think he cares for me much.”
Alicia chuckled. “Me neither, baby.”
I put my hand on the small of her back and steered her in out of the cold. “So he just ‘happened’ to be around again?”
“Yeah, you’re right…that happens way too often.”
“I really wish you would have called me or the car service. I don’t like the idea of you alone in the car with him. I don’t trust that guy.”
“I don’t either, anymore, but not in a sense that I think he would ever hurt me. I can’t even imagine that. Besides, it was a productive ride.” We both dropped it as we rode the elevator with several more people. When we go to our floor, we stepped off and I walked Alicia to her office, stopping by Mary’s desk and asking her for something for my headache. She opened one of her desk drawers and handed me a bottle of Tylenol. I shook three out into my hand and when I handed the pill bottle back to her she handed me a
bottle of water to wash them down. I smiled at her and took it. She was a life-saver.
“Thank you, Mary. I’ll be back for my messages in a few.”
Alicia and I continued on to her office and I sat down when we got there and asked her, “What did you find out? Did Jack admit something to you?”
“No, not directly,” she said. “When I got in his car, I started out our conversation by telling him I ran into Alex earlier.”
“Did you really?”
“Yeah, on my walk to the courthouse I ran into him at the coffee shop.”
“What did he say?”
“Alex or Jack?”
She was losing me. My head was throbbing. “Either,” I said.
She grinned. “I’m sorry, babe. I know you’ve had a tough morning. We can do this later…”
“No, later I’m going to be kissing and touching you…and inside of you…”
“Okay,” she actually blushed. She’s so damned cute. “I asked Alex about Jack. He told me about Jack’s dad and the presidential campaign money. Then lo and behold, there was Jack as I came out of court with a warm car and a friendly face. I couldn’t resist at least trying to get a little bit of information.”
“So then did you ask Jack about Alex?”
“Yes and he tried to say he didn’t know him again until I told him that Alex admitted they knew each other. He finally gave in and told me that he was acquainted with him and the last time I asked about him he’d just been confused and hadn’t put the name with the face. Once I told him what Alex said about his father making campaign donations, he acted like he just suddenly remembered and said that his father decided it was the best way to make strong political connections.”
“They’re getting their stories straight,” I said. It pissed me off even more to think Alex was working with Jack. For some reason, I saw Jack as sleazier than Alex, although they were accused of doing the same things. I knew it was jealousy, so I was glad to just have another reason not to like him.