Lawful Deception

by Pamela Samuels Young

  CORPORATE ATTORNEY SUSPECTED

  IN BABY MAMA DRAMA MURDER

  Colin blows out a breath. “Blood sucking cretins.”

  Most attorneys love cases that allow them to get their mugs in front of a TV camera. Colin feels differently and gives very few interviews. If he had, he’d be filthy rich. With his skills and success rate, he’d be the clear heir apparent to Johnnie Cochran.

  He turns to face me. “So give me the background.”

  “We have some housekeeping chores first,” I begin. “Now, I know we’re buds and all, but let me say for the record that I’m only going to share general background info and the procedural status. As you know, I still have to maintain Fletcher McClain’s confidences. If he ends up getting charged and our love birds decide to turn on each other, I don’t want to be accused of breaching any attorney-client confidences.”

  Colin smiles. “Sounds like you learned a thing or two since law school, homie. If I were in your shoes, I’d be giving you the same spiel. Okay, shoot.”

  I begin my recap by telling Colin about Bliss’ paternity case, then move on to Fletcher’s fraud suit. By the time I get to my defense of Mia at the police station last night, Colin looks flabbergasted.

  “Dang. That’s some baby mama drama for your ass.” He brushes his palms back and forth in excitement. “I haven’t had a case this challenging in a while.”

  I stop short, way short, of mentioning Fletcher’s discovery of the gun. I’m curious about whether Mia will disclose that to him. Colin mentions a local attorney he thinks might be a good fit to represent Fletcher in the event he’s pulled into this. I wonder if Fletcher will tell his new counsel about the gun.

  When we arrive at my office, Special is there waiting for us. I want Colin to hear firsthand the information Special has uncovered about Mystery Baby Daddy. After that, Colin has a meeting scheduled with Mia. He’s going to be using my office as his base of operations.

  “So this is the mysterious Colin T. Bowman,” Special gives him a hug as if she’s known him all her life.

  “Glad to be working with you, counselor. The jury’s gonna love that accent of yours.”

  Colin grins. “Where’s the bog around here?”

  “What the hell is a bog?” Special asks.

  “Sorry.” Colin looks embarrassed. “Where can I find a restroom?”

  I direct him down the hall.

  “Girl! Why didn’t you tell me about that tall, handsome drink of water?”

  “Forget it. He’s married with children.”

  “Shoot! I might have to adopt Bliss’ theory on dating. At least she was getting paid. I still can’t believe Darius’ lying ass had the nerve to cheat on me.”

  “Special, we’re not going there again. So move on.”

  When Colin returns, we gather around the table in my office. Special fills him in on her investigation and the video she saw of the man who had argued with Bliss at Salt Creek Grille.

  “I really like the work you’ve done,” Colin says. “At trial, it’s always good when you can point a finger at somebody else. It’s hard for a jury to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt when there’s another possible suspect the police failed to properly investigate. I’ve gotten more than a few hung juries on that basis.”

  Special frowns. “None of Eli’s cop friends have been able to run the license plate. They track all that stuff now and they could get in trouble for running a plate without a legitimate reason.”

  “I have a contact who can run that plate for us.” Colin says. His eyes narrow and he looks as if he’s in deep thought. “But for now, I’d really like to get a picture of the guy.”

  “No can do,” Special says. “The security company wouldn’t give me a copy of the video without a subpoena.”

  “Can you throw the guy a few more bucks to see if he’ll show you the video again and let you record it on your phone?”

  Special slaps her forehead with her palm and shoots out of her chair. “Wow! You’re good! Why didn’t I think of that? I’m going back over there right now.”

  “You should also have him freeze the screen and take a few still shots of the guy,” Colin advises.

  “Will do.” She opens her purse and counts the cash in her wallet.

  As Special leaves the room, Colin checks his Rolex. “My new client should be arriving any minute now.”

  CHAPTER 90

  Special was still kicking herself. Why hadn’t she thought of something as simple as videotaping the video? Now the greedy guard Carlos wanted another two hundred bucks. This time, he refused to let her into the Security office. He’d made Special hand over her phone and wait in her car.

  As it turned out, it was well worth the wait. Carlos not only provided the video, but some pretty good still shots of Mystery Baby Daddy too.

  She’d taken one of the still shots and cropped it on her phone. The picture was almost as good as if the guy had posed for it.

  “Mystery Baby Daddy,” Special said to the picture, “I’m going to find your ass. You might be the key to saving Mia Richardson from a lethal injection.”

  Special was halfway back to Vernetta’s office when another idea came to her. Now that she had the photograph, she could show it to Jessica Winthrop to see if she recognized the guy. Until they could run his license plates, that was her best bet at figuring out his identity. Making a U-turn, she headed toward Bel Air.

  Special knew she had to come up with another approach to get Jessica to talk to her. She’d decided to tell the woman that Bliss had been seeing two men the police knew nothing about and Special wanted to see if she recognized their pictures. She didn’t plan to bring up Jonas’ father at all, since that seemed to set Jessica off. Special figured she wanted to raise the little boy herself. So having Mystery Baby Daddy surface could throw a wrench in that plan.

  Special selected a picture of Mystery Baby Daddy and downloaded one of Martin Zinzer from his firm’s website. After uploading both pictures to the Walgreen’s website, she stopped by the closest store to pick up the printed photographs. She pasted them on a piece of construction paper and, abracadabra, she had her first official photographic lineup. Special felt a smug sense of satisfaction. She was good at this, even if she hadn’t come up with taking a video of the video.

  If Jessica claimed she didn’t recognize either of them, Special should be able to tell from her body language whether the woman was telling the truth. She’d taken an online course on body language and had also been reading up on it.

  Twenty minutes later, she was pulling up in front of Jessica’s home. Before she could knock on the door, Jessica snatched it open. “Why are you back here again? I’m calling the police.”

  “Just hold on a minute,” Special pleaded, her hands raised, palms out. “I’m not here about Jonas’ father. I gave up on trying to find that guy,” she lied. “You should hear me out, because it may help you get custody of Bliss’ daughter.”

  She’d come up with that fabrication on the fly. The curious interest in Jessica’s eyes was exactly what Special had hoped to incite.

  “How?” Jessica asked.

  “Did you know Fletcher’s girlfriend Mia Richardson is the primary suspect in Bliss’ murder? Whether Mia or Fletcher goes on trial for murder, no judge is going to return Harmony to that household. So, we need to rule out all other potential suspects.”

  “So what do you want with me?”

  The woman obviously wasn’t too sharp. On her last visit, Special had said she was an investigator working on behalf of Fletcher. So obviously Special wouldn’t now be trying to rule out other suspects.

  “I have a picture of two men. I just want you to take a look to see if you recognize them.”

  Jessica stuck out her hand. “Let me see them.”

  “I prefer not to do this standing on your porch. I promise I’ll o
nly be inside for a few minutes. Then I’ll be out of your hair for good.”

  Unless we need you to testify at trial.

  After a long pause, Jessica opened the door and allowed her in.

  When Special stepped inside, she found the entire living room littered with toys, big and small. There was a six-foot-tall stuffed giraffe, Tonka trucks, building blocks, a miniature tent and tons more stuff that could’ve been stolen from Neverland Ranch.

  “Excuse the mess,” Jessica said. “I kind of went a little overboard on toys for Jonas.”

  And that’s exactly why kids today ain’t worth a damn.

  “We’ll need to be quiet. Jonas is sleeping. He’s a very light sleeper.”

  “Shouldn’t he be in pre-school or something?”

  “He’s too young for that. Anyway, I plan to homeschool him.”

  Yet another reason why we’re producing a bunch of over-protected, knucklehead kids who can’t function in the real world.

  Special followed Jessica into a humongous kitchen that opened into a great room with the highest ceilings she’d ever seen in a home.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Jessica asked.

  “No, thanks. I just want to show you the pictures. Then I’ll be on my way.”

  Special placed the two photographs on the island’s black granite countertop. “Do you recognize either of these men? I think both of them had a relationship with Bliss.”

  Jessica ignored the picture of Mystery Baby Daddy, keeping her eyes glued on Zinzer. “I’m not sure I recognize either of them, but I better get my glasses just to be sure.”

  Disappointment flooded Special’s face as Jessica left the room. She’d banked everything on Jessica recognizing Mystery Baby Daddy. Oh well. They would just have to find a way to track him down via his license plate number.

  Special used the opportunity to nose around. She looked out through French doors into the backyard, which had so many plush plants, bushes and flowers it looked like an arboretum. The great room was decorated in relaxing, homey furniture, floral curtains with lace and ruffles, the kind of Home and Gardens decor that Special hated. She meandered over to the fireplace and started browsing the family pictures on the wall. One in particular drew her closer. As she leaned in to get a better look, her adrenalin level charged into overdrive.

  “Oh my God!” She dashed back over to the kitchen island and snatched her phone from her purse. Her hands were shaking so badly, she could barely hold the phone. She went to her Favorites and tapped Vernetta’s name.

  “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Pick up! Please pick up!”

  When Vernetta finally answered, Special’s brain was working faster than her lips.

  “You’ll never believe this! Mia didn’t kill Bliss. Mystery Baby Daddy killed Bliss. And I know who he is. He’s Jessica Winthrop’s husband!”

  Special abruptly stopped talking as Jessica reentered the room and charged up to her.

  “What did you just say?”

  Special hesitated, then blurted it out. “Your husband killed Bliss.”

  Jessica’s thin brows furrowed. “That’s nonsense.”

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your husband is Jonas’ father.”

  Special expected a stunned reaction, but Jessica’s bland eyes didn’t even blink.

  Did she already know?

  “Your husband killed Bliss,” Special repeated, “because she threatened to tell you about Jonas if he didn’t give her five hundred thousand dollars. I think—”

  “I don’t want to hear any more of your lies! Get out of my house!”

  “Fine.” Special clasped the cell phone in her hand, hoping Vernetta was listening to every word of their conversation. “But when I leave here, I’m going straight to the police.”

  “And we’ll sue you for defamation. I won’t let you ruin my husband’s career.”

  “If it’s the truth, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “It’s not the truth,” Jessica insisted. “Just because Bliss tried to blackmail Paul wasn’t a reason to shoot her five times. Now leave!”

  Special was about to grab her purse when Jessica’s words signaled something in her brain, causing her to freeze.

  Five times?

  “What did you just say?” Special’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How did you know Bliss was shot five times? The police didn’t release that information to the public.” She pointed a finger in Jessica’s face. “You already knew your husband killed Bliss because he told you he did it!”

  For several long seconds, the two women defiantly stared each other down.

  “Get the hell out of my house,” Jessica screeched. “Now!”

  CHAPTER 91

  As Colin and I wait for Mia to arrive, we hear a commotion just outside my office door.

  “You’re nothing but a goddamn liar! So your apology means nothing to me!”

  I open the door to find Mia repeatedly jabbing Fletcher in the chest with her finger. “I guess I didn’t blow you as well as your baby’s mama did!”

  When they notice us standing there, they step away from each other and act as if we didn’t see what we just saw. They both look like they could use some sleep and some grooming tips. Fletcher forgot to shave. Mia’s face is bare of makeup and her blouse could use a good ironing.

  “Do you guys need a few minutes?” I ask.

  Fletcher smiles. “Naw. Just a little lover’s spat.”

  He takes Mia’s hand. Her pinched lips tell me Fletcher’s touch is making her skin crawl.

  When they finally walk into my office, they usher in such a chill, I swear I start to shiver. It’s easy to figure out what their fight was about. Mia finally found out about Fletcher’s backseat blow job.

  After introducing them to Colin, I grab my purse from underneath my desk. “Fletcher, let’s go get some breakfast while they talk.”

  “Vernetta?” Mia says my name in an ultra soft voice. “I know you’re not my attorney now, but I’d feel much better if you stayed.”

  I look first at Fletcher, then at Colin, whose eyes are signaling, No friggin’ way.

  “I can’t do that,” I say. “I represented Fletcher, so it would be a conflict of interest for me to be involved in your representation. You’re a lawyer, so I’m sure you understand.”

  “But Fletcher can waive the privilege, can’t he?”

  “He could. But I wouldn’t advise him to do that. We don’t know that the police won’t ultimately come after him.”

  It crosses my mind that Mia might actually want to create a conflict. Since I still think it’s possible she set Fletcher up, this could be all part of her plan. In the event I relented and later decided to represent Fletcher, being in this interview would get me kicked off his case.

  “I’ll waive the privilege,” Fletcher says. “Mia needs you. Besides you made it clear that you weren’t going to represent me if I do end up getting charged. So I don’t see the problem.”

  Colin and I exchange looks. The conflict rules are way too complicated to explain in full.

  “It’s just not a good idea,” Colin says. “We don’t want to—”

  “I don’t care about the rules,” Fletcher snaps. “If Mia’s going to feel better with Vernetta here, then we want her here.”

  I swallow hard. There’s no way I want to get pulled into this case or find myself facing an ethical violation. But I’m also dying to know whether Mia’s going to admit to Colin that she planted that gun in Fletcher’s closet.

  “How about this for a compromise?” I say. “I’ll sit in just for today for consultation purposes only. But if you begin to broach a topic that I shouldn’t hear, I’m going to step outside.”

  Colin shoots me a look that says, Are you friggin’ nuts? Didn’t you hear these two lovebirds going at
each other a second ago?

  “That’s fine,” Mia says, still speaking in a whisper.

  “I really don’t think Vernetta should be here,” Colin repeats. “But if you both insist on acting against our counsel, we’ll need to have that in writing.” Colin opens his laptop and starts typing our cover-your-ass document.

  In just a few minutes, Colin emails me the document, which I print out and have Fletcher and Mia sign. After Fletcher leaves, I join Colin and Mia at the table in the corner of my office. Colin reviews his retainer agreement with her and discusses some administrative matters.

  “Okay, then, let’s get started,” he says.

  Colin positions a yellow legal pad on the table and takes a pen from his jacket pocket. “So tell me what happened?”

  Mia looks confused. “What do you mean, what happened? Nothing happened. I didn’t kill Bliss.”

  “Okay, then. Why do the police think you killed her?”

  “Because they’re stupid!”

  Here we go. Snotty Mia is back in all her glory. Colin gives me a look that says, Why didn’t you tell me she was such a drama queen?

  “Let’s start with the conflicting information you gave the police. You initially told them you were at home reading, but later said you were getting your hair done.”

  Mia’s eyes start to water and she looks as if she’s ready to crumble. “I lied because I didn’t want the police to know I’d been in the area. I really did have a hair appointment that day. I don’t know what made me drive by Bliss’ place. I wasn’t going to do anything. I was just so mad at her for all the trouble she caused.”

  “Ms. Richardson, I need you to remember that I’m on your side. I can’t represent you to the best of my ability unless you’re completely honest with me.”

  Mia bursts into tears. “Oh my God! You’re doing it too. Fletcher thinks I’m guilty and so do you!” Tears are flowing as if they’re gushing from a busted water main.

  I go to my desk, grab a box of Kleenex and place it on the table in front of Mia. She snatches three sheets and dabs her eyes. “I didn’t kill her. I swear I didn’t!”