Ties That Bind aj-2

by Phillip Margolin

  "Why are you telling me this?"

  "What if the argument Dupre had with the senator at the Westmont was about Lori Andrews? What if the senator was involved in her death?"

  Rittenhouse was sweating.

  "Have you helped the senator with women before, Carl?"

  "Once or twice. I'm not proud of it."

  "Did he ever do anything to any of them that would make you think he hurt Lori Andrews?"

  The AA looked down. He wrung his hands.

  "There was one time, this one girl. It was in D.C. There had been a party at an embassy. He called me at home, late, about three in the morning. I brought her home, to her apartment. She had a black eye and some bruises."

  "The senator beat her?"

  "He said that she'd had an accident."

  "What did the woman say?"

  "Nothing. She was really scared and I didn't ask. Harold told me to bring money, five hundred dollars. I gave it to her. The senator never mentioned it again."

  Kerrigan asked Rittenhouse a few more questions, told him that he would have Sean McCarthy take his statement at a convenient time, then thanked him for coming. As soon as Rittenhouse was gone, Kerrigan grabbed the police reports in Travis's case. On page seven of a report written by one of the investigators from the crime lab, there was mention of traces of blood found on the baseboard of a wall in the living room. This blood appeared to be old. Kerrigan called the lab and spoke to the person who had written the report. Before he hung up, the prosecutor asked the investigator to run a DNA test to see if the blood on the baseboard was Lori Andrews's.

  Chapter Nineteen.

  As soon as Amanda returned to her office after talking to Oscar Baron, she looked up Ally Bennett's address in the police reports. Forty minutes later, she and Kate Ross were at the door of a garden apartment in Beaverton.

  Amanda was curious to see what a high-class call girl looked like, and she was a little disappointed. Ally's black hair was cut short, framing a face that was pretty, but not striking. With the proper makeup and clothing, she would probably look sexy, but today, without makeup, wearing sweat socks, jeans, and a T-shirt, she had the tired look of a co-ed who was cramming for exams.

  "I'm Amanda Jaffe," she said, holding out a business card, which Ally looked at but did not take.

  "So?"

  "I'm an attorney. This is my investigator, Kate Ross. I've been appointed by the court to represent Jon Dupre. We'd like to talk to you about him."

  Amanda hesitated for a moment, hoping for a response. When she didn't get one, she forged on.

  "He's facing a possible death sentence, Miss Bennett. Kate and I want to save his life, but we need information to do that. Right now I don't know very much about him. That's why we're here."

  Ally opened the door and ushered Amanda and Kate into a small, spotless front room. The floor was partially covered by a throw rug. Framed Monet and Van Gogh prints decorated the walls. The furniture was inexpensive but in good taste. Ally dropped into a chair and folded her arms across her breasts; her body language told Amanda that Bennett didn't trust her.

  "What do you want to talk about?" Ally asked.

  "The DA has charged Jon with killing Wendell Hayes, a lawyer who was appointed to represent Jon before I was, and U.S. Senator Harold Travis. We're interested in anything you can tell us about Jon or these two men that will help us defend him."

  "I don't know anything about Hayes, but I can tell you about Travis," Ally said angrily. "The papers are making him sound like a choirboy but he was scum."

  "Why do you say that?"

  Ally's eyes misted. "He murdered Lori."

  All good trial lawyers develop an ability to keep their emotions hidden when the unexpected happens, so Amanda managed to conceal her surprise.

  "Are you talking about Lori Andrews?" Kate asked. "The woman who was found in Washington Park?"

  Ally nodded.

  "The police think Jon killed Lori Andrews to keep her from testifying at his trial," Kate said, keeping her voice level.

  "The day Lori disappeared, Travis asked for her specifically. He had one of Pedro Aragon's men take her someplace so he could meet her later."

  "How do you know that?" Kate asked.

  "I was there. Travis had a fund-raiser for a bunch of high rollers at this big house in the country. He arranged for Jon to bring me, Lori, and some other girls to entertain these special guests after the regular guests had left."

  "You're talking about sex?" Amanda said.

  "What do you think?" Ally asked with a roll of her eyes.

  "What happened with Travis and Lori?"

  "Me and the other three girls were at the party most of the evening. We were told who our dates would be, but we circulated most of the night so no one would catch on about the real party that would take place after the straight guests left. As soon as we were the only ones left, Jon drove up with Lori, and Travis told one of Aragon's men to take her away." Ally paused. When she spoke again there was a catch in her voice. "Lori was scared to death. I tried to get Jon to stop it but . . ."

  Ally shook her head.

  "Why would Pedro Aragon be getting women for Senator Travis?"

  Ally shrugged. "All I know is that Travis dated Lori before. The first time he beat her bad. One of Aragon's men drove her to emergency. He told her if she called the cops he would kill her and her daughter, Stacey."

  "If Travis beat her, why did Lori see him again?" Amanda asked.

  Ally looked sick.

  "She didn't know what Jon had done until she got to the fund-raiser. Then it was too late."

  "Why did Jon put Lori in that position?"

  "He needed the money. Ever since he got busted, he's had trouble running his business. I'm guessing that Travis paid Jon a lot for the evening."

  "Wasn't it dangerous for the senator to deal with a pimp who was under indictment?" Kate asked. "What if it got in the newspapers?"

  "Lori worked for Jon, and Travis had this thing for her. She was small and she looked young. Travis made her pretend she was a bad little girl. Then he would punish her." Bennett's eyes welled up with tears. "And I'm sure it never entered his mind that he could get in trouble. He was going to be president. He probably thought he could get away with anything."

  Bennett paused and her features hardened. "A little rough stuff was something we've all put up with, but what he did . . . I picked up Lori at the hospital after he got through with her that first time. You should have seen her."

  Bennett shivered.

  "I don't suppose she considered going to the police," Kate said.

  "She wouldn't tell anyone but me what happened. She was afraid of Aragon but she was just as afraid that Children's Services would take Stacey away from her if she admitted what she did, which is what happened anyway. Besides, who would have believed her? Lori was a whore and Travis was a big shot."

  "Do you like Jon?" Kate asked.

  The question surprised Bennett. "What's that got to do with anything?"

  "If you testify for Jon, the prosecutor can ask you about anything that would give you a motive to lie for him," Kate explained.

  Ally thought about the question. Then she straightened up and clasped her hands in her lap, her shoulders folding in from tension.

  "It doesn't matter whether I like Jon. I owe him."

  "Why?"

  "My mother died a few years ago and my father . . . He needed a woman," she said bitterly. "I was the closest one. I got out of there as fast as I could and I ran as far as I could and ended up living in an apartment in the same building as Lori. I was barely making it when she introduced me to Jon." She shrugged. "It was easy money and I'm good," she added forcefully. "But Jon saw that I was smart, too. No one ever saw that in me before. He showed me how to run the phones, then he showed me how to handle the accounting."

  Ally looked down at her lap. When she looked up, Amanda saw strength in her that had not come through before.

  "Jon trusts me and h
e made me believe in myself. I've even started taking some courses at Portland Community College to get my GED. Jon encouraged that."

  "Are you and Jon lovers?"

  "Lovers?" Ally laughed. "We've screwed, but our thing is different. Jon fucks the other girls and he parties with them, but I'm the only one he trusts. I'm the woman he sends when someone important wants one of his girls. And no one else knows anything about the business. When the cops tried to frighten me into turning on Jon I told them to get fucked. So, no, we're not lovers, but Jon means something to me."

  "Ally, I've got a problem and you can help me solve it. Jon may trust you, but he doesn't trust me. When I met him at the jail he walked out on me. You need to know that I am the only lawyer in Oregon who will take his case, which means that I'm the only lawyer in Oregon who can keep Jon off of death row. I need you to talk to him, to tell him to cooperate with me. Will you do that?"

  "I'll talk to Jon. He'll see you."

  Chapter Twenty.

  Jon Dupre had been confined to a narrow single cell since killing Wendell Hayes. It had a metal cot that was bolted to the wall, a toilet, a metal sink, and nothing else. It didn't matter that his cell locked shut at night: Dupre was afraid to go to sleep, because he was certain that was when they'd come for him. One way or another, he was a dead man.

  Tonight he struggled to stay awake until exhaustion overcame his will. But even while he slept, part of his animal brain searched for danger, listened for the telltale squeak of an approaching footstep. So, when he heard a click at his cell door, he sprang up, fists clenched, ready for combat.

  A solidly built black man stepped into his cell, and the door slammed shut behind him. Dupre looked terrified. He was taking short, shallow breaths.

  "Relax, Jon," the man said. J. D. Hunter recognized flight-or-fight behavior when he saw it, and there was no place for Dupre to run. The agent held his hands up, palms out, knowing that if he had to, he could curl them into fists faster than Dupre could cross the cell.

  "Easy. I'm here to help you." Hunter kept his voice calm and low. "I'm the agent who was working with Lori Andrews, and, believe it or not, you weren't the prize we were after. Help me and I can help you, and you need all the help you can get."

  Dupre had not relaxed one bit. His upper body was swaying, his eyes were riveted on Hunter.

  "Who sent you?" Dupre asked. His voice was hoarse and choked by fear.

  "I'm with the FBI."

  "Bullshit!"

  Hunter slowly reached into his jacket pocket to take out his identification.

  "I want you out of here," Dupre said.

  "This could be your only chance, Jon."

  "Don't come a step closer," Dupre warned.

  "Okay, Jon, if that's the way you want it, I'll leave."

  Hunter rapped on the door and it swung open. Before he left, the agent flipped his card onto the bunk.

  "Do yourself a favor and call me."

  "Get out!"

  The cell door slammed shut and the light went out. Dupre dropped to the cot and put his head in his hands. He was shaking. After a while, he calmed down and lay on his back. His hand dropped to his side and his fingers brushed Hunter's card. It had the seal of the FBI and j.d. hunter embossed on it. Dupre's first instinct was to rip it to shreds, but what if Hunter really was with the FBI and could help him? He pulled the card in front of his eyes so he could study it in the dark. The card looked real, but that didn't mean a thing. He started to crumple it up but stopped and slipped it in the pocket of his jumpsuit. He was too stressed out to think. In the morning, if he could sleep and clear his mind a bit, he would try to come up with a plan.

  Chapter Twenty-One.

  Amanda's hands were clammy and she felt a little dizzy as she waited for the guard to let her into the contact room where Jon Dupre had murdered Wendell Hayes. Judge Robard would only agree to sign the court order compelling the jail to permit a contact visit if she agreed to go along with the safety measures that Matt Guthrie proposed, so she knew that guards would be posted outside both doors to the contact room and that Dupre would be in chains. Still, she could not calm down. The jail commander had also wanted Kate Ross present for the interview, but Amanda had drawn the line there. She knew that she had to meet one-on-one with Dupre if she was going to repair the damage caused by the noncontact visit.

  Amanda fought the urge to run when the guard locked her in. "I can do this," she told herself. "I can do this."

  There were no visible signs of the killing, but Amanda had seen the crime-scene photographs and she kept her back to the spot where Hayes had died. To distract herself, Amanda took out her pad and her file. She was arranging them on a small, circular table, when the lock on the back door snapped open and the guard motioned Jon Dupre into the room. He stared at her for a moment before shuffling to the table and sitting down.

  "We'll be right outside," Dupre's escort told her, gesturing toward the guard who was watching through the window in the corridor. Amanda studied her client. He looked just as angry and defiant as he had during their first meeting, but she thought she sensed something else--desperation.

  "Good afternoon, Jon," Amanda said when the guard had locked them in.

  Dupre slouched in his chair and didn't answer her. Amanda decided to go over some basics, to try and get Dupre involved and because it would help her calm down.

  "Before we discuss your case I want to make sure you understand the attorney-client relationship."

  "Oscar Baron told me all this shit."

  "You may find that Oscar and I practice law a little differently, so humor me, okay?"

  Dupre shrugged.

  "First, anything you tell me is confidential, which means I won't tell anyone about our conversations without your permission, except the attorneys in my firm who are working on your case and Kate Ross, our investigator.

  "Second, you are perfectly free to lie to me but I'm going to use the information you give me to make decisions in your case. If you do a great job fooling me and it causes me to do something that loses your case, please remember that you'll go to jail and I'll go home and watch cable TV.

  "Third, I will not let you lie under oath. If you tell me that you murdered Senator Travis, I'm not going to let you testify that you were in Idaho when he was killed. I won't tell on you because we have the attorney-client relationship, but I will remove myself from the case. What I'm getting at here is that I am very honest and very ethical and you need to know that about me up front so that we don't have any misunderstandings down the line. Any questions?"

  "Yeah. What's in this for you? Court-appointed lawyers aren't paid shit. You must be pretty hard up if you'll work for peanuts."

  "Trying a death case is a specialty. Very few attorneys have the training to handle a capital case. Judge Robard asked me to represent you as a favor to him."

  "Why is that?"

  "I'll be straight with you, Jon. He asked me for two reasons: First, I'm a very good lawyer, and second, the other lawyers who could handle death cases were afraid of you."

  "And you're not?" Dupre said with a smirk, holding up his manacled hands, giving Amanda another look at the cuts on his hands and forearm.

  "You have no idea what I had to go through to get Judge Robard and the jail commander to agree to a contact visit of any kind."

  "Yeah," Jon answered sarcastically, "I bet you'd be dying to be locked in with me if these chains were off. You're scared to death."

  "Do you think that my fear is unreasonable? Please focus on the fact that I'm willing to fight very hard for you knowing that you murdered your first lawyer."

  Dupre leaped to his feet. He looked furious.

  "Fuck you, bitch. I told you the last time I didn't murder anyone, and I don't want a lawyer who thinks I did."

  The front and rear doors flew open seconds after Dupre leapt to his feet and started screaming at Amanda.

  "Please . . ." Amanda started as the guards grabbed Dupre, but her client cut her off.r />
  "Get me out of here," he screamed. The guards obliged.

  The doors slammed, temporarily locking Amanda in with her thoughts. This was never going to work. Dupre was a lunatic. He'd murdered two men and he deserved anything he got. It suddenly occurred to Amanda that Dupre's rage had been sparked by her assertion that he had murdered Wendell Hayes. Now that she thought about it, Dupre had also gone ballistic the first time she'd implied that he was guilty. Dupre had insisted that he hadn't killed anyone both times, which was ridiculous in light of the evidence. Then she remembered something that she had forgotten in the excitement, something that had bothered her the first time she met with Dupre and continued to bother her now--something that made her wonder whether it was possible that Dupre was telling the truth.