by Riley Moreno
There was a loud knock on the door and Donald Quick, CEO and senior partner of Quick, Sherman and Bale walked in to Regina’s office. He was a large man with a florid complexion and a bald head. He had recently acquired a young wife and in a bid to look younger wore bright silk shirts with clashing ties.
“Miss James,” he said. “A word.”
Jeffry left the room quickly and closed the door. Regina motioned for him to take a seat but he shook his head impatiently.
“You’re working on the Belitrov case, yes?”
“Of course.”
“Yes,” he seemed to consider Regina for a moment, looking at her quizzically with hooded eyes. “The board is meeting next month to discuss the possibility of adding a new partner to the roster. You’re name has been nominated by Eliza Sherman.”
Regina didn’t comment and kept an impassive face.
Eliza Sherman, daughter of the late Rupert Sherman, was the only female partner in the firm and even that because her father had held the senior partner position before his death. A shrewd woman, she had seen Regina’s talent and the blatant disregard for it in the firm. She had urged Regina to try for more female centered firms but Regina had been adamant in making it in a male dominated law firm; a quality Eliza greatly admired.
“It looks like this case will improve or ruin your chances at the board meeting,” Donald said with a forced smile. “I thought you should know, to get you working extra hard,” his laugh was high pitched. “Well,” he sobered, “good luck.”
“Thank you,” Regina said with a small smile and sneered at his back when he left.
What an asshole! I did not need the extra pressure, thank you very much!
“Regina,” Jeffry said from the door. “Mr. Belitrov’s here. Shall I send him in?”
“Yes, please,” Regina said, “And some coffee please!”
Leo Belitrov looked better than he had on all the previous occasions they had met. It was the first time she was seeing him after he’d been released from jail on bail and he looked well rested and alert. He also looked good enough to eat.
Watch yourself, Regina warned herself.
“Good morning Mr. Belitrov,” Regina said opening her legal pad to a fresh page.
“Please,” he said, “Call me Leo.”
Regina gave him a tiny smile, “We need to discuss your lack of alibi.”
“We’ve discussed this before,” Leo slashed his hand in the air as if dismissing the topic, “I can’t tell you where I was.”
“And why is that?” Regina asked slightly annoyed that he was withholding vital information that could make or break the case.
Leo looked at Regina with calculating intensity, a look Regina knew he used often in the boardroom to cow his opponents. He looked her up and down, his eyes straying languidly on her hips and breasts before coming to rest on her lips.
“You’re accountable for client confidentiality, right?” he finally asked, his voice barely above a murmur.
“Yes,” Regina said, his voice, the way he was looking at her making her deeply uneasy but in an enjoyable way.
“So if I tell you where I was,” he said his eyes fixed on her lips, “of my suspicions; and ask you not to use them in the case, you’ll have to listen to me.”
“I’m afraid so,” Regina nodded feeling a strange urge to bite her lips but fighting against it. Leo leaned forward in his seat. Regina could smell his musk, earthy with a hint of rain and thunder. Regina’s lips parted of their own accord.
The door opened and Jeffry walked in with their coffee and a few snacks.
“This might run long so I thought I’d bring a few nibbles,” Jeffry said smiling at them. He looked between the two, the hooded eyes and unnecessary shifting and rearranging of limbs and he knew he’d interrupted a moment.
“I’ll just be outside if you need anything,” he said pleasantly and left.
“You were saying,” Regina prompted after serving Leo his coffee.
“What I’m about to tell you can’t leave this office,” Leo said gravely, placing a warm hand on Regina’s to ensure he had all of her attention. “Some information has come to light concerning one of our cargo ships that makes regular trips from China to America. The cargo is usual electronic waste to China and we bring back footwear for various companies. It’s perfectly legitimate, the crew is dependable and we’ve never had any complaints other than the odd delay due to storms at sea.”
Regina took a careful sip of her steaming coffee, her attention riveted.
“But recently,” he paused and looked at his fingers on his thighs, “I’ve had reason to believe that we’ve been importing more than just footwear,” he looked at Regina meaningfully. “live cargo.”
“You mean illegal immigrants?” Regina asked matter-of-factly.
“I mean human trafficking,” Leo said, “One of the crew workers; Curtis Osborne, he’s been with the company for ten years; came to me two weeks before the murder of my wife and told me that they’d been ordered to stow a dozen young girls in to the hold and dispatch them in a boat that came to meet them as soon as they docked at night, hours before the hold is opened.”
“And what did you do with that information?” Regina asked putting her cup down and leaning forward.
“I asked Osborne to keep the whole thing quiet,” Leo said spreading his hands, “I needed time to find out who had given the order. I hired a private detective, opened up the files and workings of my company to him for full disclosure. I’d gone to meet my PI that night. You can see now why I can’t reveal this information; I don’t want the man using my ships to traffic girls to know that I am wise to his operations.”
“Didn’t the private eye find out who it is?” Regina asked frowning in concentration.
“No, but he had vital information,” Leo said, “He knows that the orders came from within the company. So it’s obviously someone in a senior position. It will still take us some time to find him but I assure you we will,” he said with a steely glint in his eye.
“Can your private eye,” Regina looked at him enquiringly.
“Brian Roach,” Leo provided.
“Can Brian Roach testify that you were with him on the night of the 24th of November?” Regina asked.
“Yes,” he said patiently. “But I would rather we don’t consider that an option.”
“Mr. Belitrov,”
“Leo,” he insisted.
“Leo,” Regina tested the name on her tongue, “I’ll be honest with you. This case is lost if we don’t have an alibi.”
“I will not jeopardize this investigation,” Leo said with finality.
“Even if you get convicted of murder,” Regina asked with an arched eyebrow, “A life time in jail is acceptable to you?”
“If I’m not mistaken,” Leo said sharply, “this is why I hired you.”
“I’m trying to do my job, Mr. Belitrov,” Regina started.
“Leo,” he interrupted.
“This case is open and shut, Leo, you’re making it difficult, needlessly really,” Regina said.
“Then you mustn’t be a very good lawyer and I should look elsewhere,” Leo said, his eyes piercing in to hers. It was a challenge, a blatant insult to get a rise out of her.
Regina didn’t bat an eye. She picked up her coffee cup and took a small swallow. Her mind was working furiously; here she was, finally up for a shot at making partner and she’d been given a client who was headstrong and arrogant. He really didn’t leave her any choice.
“I’m sure we can find another way,” Regina said. “It’ll take longer and we’ll have to prepare but it’s nothing I haven’t managed before.”
“If it’s any consolation,” Leo said with a smile, “I’ll try to find the perpetrator as soon as I possibly can. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
The invitation was so innocuous and so unexpected that Regina didn’t really register it for a second. He was smiling lightly; his eyes alight with amusement as he watche
d her mull over his dinner invitation.
“I don’t think it would be circumspect to be seen dining with another woman so soon after your wife’s demise,” Regina said carefully, not sure what to make of this turn of events. Is he toying with me? Is this how he gets his kicks? “The public will view it as caustic and unfeeling.”
“And we want the public sympathy,” Leo said sardonically.
“Your jury will be made up of those people, so yes,” Regina said.
“At my place then,” Leo said not backing down, “Even better, I’ll cook for you, what do you say?”
“That’s very thoughtful but,”
“We can discuss the case further,” Leo interrupted, “you’re meeting the prosecution later today; we could discuss it further over dinner.”
Regina could see a heavily suppressed desperation in his eyes, something he was trying hard to hide from her. She found herself responding to the underlying urgency.
“Okay,” Regina said. “I’ll join you for dinner.”
“Excellent,” Leo said standing up, indicating the meeting was over. “My apartment downtown, at eight. Don’t be late,” he said sliding closer as if he were about to kiss her lightly on the lips. He caught himself last minute and took Regina’s hand instead, squeezing it once and walking out of her office.
Chapter Three
The Brother’s Belitrov
The first thing Regina noticed was how alike yet different both Leo and Dimitri were to each other. Though both of them were tall, well built, broad shouldered with the same golden brown hair there the similarities ended. They were undoubtedly brothers, there was no mistaking that but Leo’s open, cautiously warm eyes translated in to narrow hard one’s in Dimitri; where Leo’s lips were full bordering on sensually feminine, Dimitri’s were thin with a tiny scar on the top lip.
“You’re going to get him off aren’t you?” Dimitri asked.
“I’m trying my best but your brother can be headstrong,” Regina said with a warm smile that turned thoughtful as she regarded the man in front of her. “So, how may I help you?”
Dimitri Belitrov had dropped by unexpectedly without an appointment with the express wish to see Regina.
“I just wanted to meet you and tell you personally that I am here for anything that’s needed to help with Leo’s case,” Dimitri said.
“That’s very kind of you Mr. Belitrov, and I’m sure Leo will appreciate it,” something was nagging at Regina but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “And as a matter of fact yes I think you can help. Can you account for Leo’s whereabouts on the night of 24th November?”
“Sorry,” Dimitri said shaking his head, “I was at my friend Solomon’s reception that night. Leo hadn’t been invited because Solomon’s wife used to date him,” Dimitri shrugged giving her a goofy smile. “But, hey, why? Hasn’t Leo told you where he was?”
“Unfortunately he’s keeping that information very close to his chest,” Regina said sighing in frustration. “It’s the one thing we need to prove his innocence and he won’t give it up.”
“Yeah, he can be stubborn,” Dimitri nodded, “Father always said Leo was like a bulldog; once he locked his jaws on something he never let it go. If you want I can talk to him, make him see sense?”
“I’d really appreciate that, thank you,” Regina said. The hint of an idea was bumping against her head like a fly ceaselessly knocking itself in a closed window but she couldn’t seem to grasp it. “Will that be all?”
“Yes,” Dimitri said getting up and extending his large hands. “I’ll keep dropping by any time you need me.”
“Thank you,” Regina said, “I’ll follow you out, I have an appointment at the District Attorney’s office.”
“Oh, what’s he saying?” Dimitri asked when they stepped into the elevator. He smelled of Old Spice and cigars. “Do they have concrete evidence against Leo? Fingerprints? Blood reports?”
“None that I know of,” Regina said. “I’m going to go find out.”
Something about Dimitri Belitrov bothered her. She didn’t trust him but couldn’t say why. For all intents and purposes he seemed like a man who genuinely cared about his brother’s future and would do anything to prevent his incarceration but Regina had sensed more, a thought like an underlying current that wanted to pull at her and take her away but she couldn’t let it at this moment.
“You’re parked on 3B? I’m parked in 4F. I’ll walk you to your car,” Dimitri said holding out a beefy hand for her briefcase.
“No thank you,” Regina said, “I can manage.”
She stepped out of the elevator and began walking fast to her car parked at the end of the lot. She had a horrible feeling that Dimitri was going to follow her; she could feel his gaze like tiny spiders creeping up the small of her back and on to the back of her neck.
Regina turned around and saw Dimitri staring after her as the elevator doors closed on him.
Regina fumbled in her coat pocket and took out her phone. She dialed Jeffry and cursed the fact that her hands were trembling. Maybe she was wrong, maybe it was something she ate but right now her gut told her to follow her first instinct.
Dimitri Belitrov did not mean well.
“Jeffry,” she said when he picked up, “I need you to do me a favor. Call the police station where they kept Belitrov and get me a list of all the people who visited him during his stay there. No not just visited, all those who enquired. I want the names of everyone who came to that station with the intention to see, or hear about Leo Belitrov. Every single one.”
Regina got in to her car and screeched out of the parking lot like the hounds of hell were after her. All the way to the DA’s office she kept thinking about Dimitri and what it was that had triggered such panic in her.
He has dead eyes, she thought, like a sharks.
She found it curious that Dimitri had wanted to meet her but not with his brother. It only made sense to make plans with Leo and see his lawyer together to show a united front. Why visit her minutes after Leo left her office. It was very odd.
Maybe he asked and Leo refused, she thought, Leo had wanted to keep the human trafficking information a secret, but does he suspect his brother as well? And why was Dimitri so interested in whether Leo had confessed and alibi or not, what the police reports said or what did the prosecution have?
Maybe I’m over thinking this when the only explanation is that I don’t like the guy, she scolded herself and parked outside the DA’s office. Brian Ludgate was the lawyer for the prosecution, tall, handsome with a winsome smile, Brian was Regina’s nemeses. Her senior in law school he had dated Regina for a while before his fraternity had made it very clear that his ‘kinks’ could get him kicked out. He’d encouraged Regina to keep their relationship private, like a dirty secret shoved in the darkest corner of her wardrobe. She’d dumped him that minute.
“Regina James,” Brian said with a wide cocky grin, “fate pits us together again. It’s like the universe wants us to be together.”
“I’d like everything you have printed in a file and sent to my office by the end of the day,” Regina said ignoring his offer to move to the more comfortable sofa in the corner of his office and taking a seat at his desk. “I also want it all in this USB because last time the papers were delivered soggy and illegible.”
“It was raining,” Brian shrugged.
“Be that as it may,” Regina gave him a tight smile, “Could you humor me,” she gave him the USB and he rang for his secretary.
“Have the Belitrov file photocopied and sent to Quick, Sherman and Bale within the hour. Also copy it all in this USB, all the evidence, police files etc. You know the drill.”
The young girl, tall, blonde and busty; the perfect California mascot gave them a vague smile and left.
“She’s my niece,” Brian shrugged again, “Needed a job. Anyway,” he cleared his throat, “So, Leo Belitrov and his murderous rages. Let me guess, you’re pleading insanity, right?”
“That seems
the logical way to go,” Regina said. “He finds out his wife is pregnant, the baby isn’t his, proof of infidelity. Who wouldn’t lose it?”
“Yes but according to close friends the Belitrov’s haven’t been on speaking terms for the past six months,” Brian said. “She lived in the house and he lived in his penthouse. The police didn’t even find his clothes in the closet, none of his things were there.”
“Yes for all intents and purposes they were separated,” Regina admitted. “Which mean he wouldn’t be too cut up about her infidelity because he wouldn’t see it that way; at least not enough to stab her repeatedly in the stomach.”
“So where is the defense going to stand?” Brian asked giving her a charming smile. His secretary walked in and handed the USB to Regina.
“Wouldn’t you like to find out?” Regina said archly nodded her head in thanks to the young girl and walked out of the office.
~*~
Regina felt stupid. She hadn’t had time to change in to something casual so she had grabbed her files and a bottle of wine on her way out of the office. She tapped her feet in the elevator and checked the time. She was only a few minutes late and it annoyed her but she had to remind herself that it wasn’t an appointment, just dinner so she could stand to be a few minutes late and not have her career on the line.
But that wasn’t true and Regina knew it. She couldn’t take anything casually no matter how much she was asked to. The truth of the matter was where such a casual attitude would be expected from a man and even indulged in a few women it was never going to be true for her. Men took a lot of things for granted women had to work extra hard for to achieve the same equality, and as a woman of color Regina had to work even harder.
Too many damn chips stacked against me, she thought as the elevator came to a stop and she walked in to the receiving hall of the penthouse. She’d expected gold pillars and Faberge eggs kind of austerity but it was tasteful; expensive, yes but minimalistic and comforting. Decorated in varying shades of white, grey and burgundy Regina expected it was copied out of a catalogue. There were fresh flowers in a vase and a mouthwatering smell in the air.