Chapter 19
The Ace of Swords brings clarity and inspiration to a situation.
CAL
Ican tell Laura is miffed with me. She is very short and brusque when she greets me. It is I who should be pissed; I’m the one on trial for murder. I’m beginning to wonder if she is the appropriate attorney for me.
In the center of the conference room table are a high-heeled shoe, a cup, a wine bottle, and a small plastic envelope. Not the ones from the crime scene, obviously. Those are still in police custody. These are props to jog my memory.
“Tell me about Abigail. Did she and Paul marry?”
“I don’t think so. After I went…” I hesitated, searching for the right word.
“Berserk?” Laura interjected.
“Yeah. After Abigail filed the restraining order, I backed off. I took a leave of absence and sort of had a breakdown.”
“I know. Danny told me.”
Why is my attorney conferring with the police detective investigating me?
“He said you spoke about it at the lecture you gave on Saturday.”
“I’m not comfortable with you sharing information with the detective who arrested me.”
“Let’s get one thing straight. I am not sharing any information with Detective Chan. Yes, we have a history and are now friends. I use that friendship to my clients’ advantage whenever I can. If you think I have done anything illegal or improprietous, take it to the Bar Association.”
She started to gather up her files.
Shit. “Hold on, Laura. I didn’t mean to imply you had acted inappropriately.”
She laid the files on the table, her eyes still snapping with anger.
“Eagle is tracking Abigail to determine her whereabouts now. What about Juliet? How did she find you?”
“She said a previous client had recommended me. She didn’t say who.”
“You didn’t ask?”
“No.”
“And the session on Thursday, that was the first and last one with Juliet?”
“Yes.”
Laura sighed. “Why didn’t you mention any of these missing items before? Do you not realize how serious this is? Georgia is a death penalty state.”
“Things happened so fast after Paul was killed. I was in shock. I didn’t think the missing cup was important until I was interrogated.”
I realize I had not taken this seriously enough at the outset. “I had assumed because I was innocent that the truth would become obvious, and the real killer would be arrested.”
“That hasn’t happened. You are the only suspect in Paul’s murder. The police have no other suspects. The evidence against you is solid. We must figure out who is framing you. Let’s start with Juliet.
“Let’s go with the theory that she took the cup at her first session. That’s when you noticed it missing. How about the wine? Your fingerprints were on the bottle.”
“What type of wine was it?”
“A very expensive one.” Laura consults the lab report. “A Chateau Margeaux. 2009.”
“Oh. Well, Paul and I bought a bottle of that when we were in France for our second anniversary. We intended to drink it for our tenth anniversary. We never made it to the ten-year mark.”
“See if you can find the bottle when you go home, please.
“Now, the shoes. How would she have gotten the shoes?”
Sweet Jesus I don’t want to tell her this. “She could have entered my house when I wasn’t home. I don’t always lock my doors when I take Carl for a walk.”
Laura looks at me incredulously.
“I choose to see the best in people.”
Evidently Laura does not think this is a virtue. “Look where that has landed you.”
For once I did not have a snappy comeback.
Laura hands me a small plastic envelope. “The poison that killed Paul was in an envelope like this.”
I turned the envelope over in my hand. Whenever I purchase crystals and rocks, they are usually packaged like… “Wait, that’s it! The rock!”
I explained to Laura. “Juliet brought a rock for me to the first session. It was in an envelope like this.”
“No other prints but yours are on the bag.”
I told Laura about the bandages on Juliet’s hands that day.
“You’re sure you hadn’t met Juliet before that first session?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. I hesitated. “There was something vaguely familiar about her, though.”
I closed my eyes in concentration.
Laura impatiently tapped the cap of her pen on the table.
I laid my hand on hers. “Do you mind?” I recall the feeling that something was off with Juliet that day, but nothing more.
Laura punches the intercom button. “Sarah, have Marci come in.”
Marci walks in with a computer under her arm. The three of us review the video footage of the scene in the restaurant and Marci’s office. As soon as I see the woman’s face, I exclaim, “That’s Juliet!”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
Laura punches the intercom button again. “Sarah, have Eagle check out Juliet Morrison.” She turns to Marci. “Did the police say where they were taking her?”
“The arresting officer said they were taking her to Summit Ridge.”
“Sarah, she’s at Summit Ridge. Get Eagle on this right away, please.”
Summit Ridge is an inpatient psychiatric facility in Atlanta.
Laura turns back to the video. “It’s a shame your security system has no audio. Did she mention Cal by name?”
“No, she just said, ‘My little friend.’”
“How long will be she be in Summit Ridge?” Marci asked.
“Three days.” Laura and I answer simultaneously. I continue, “They can legally hold her for 72 hours and then they have to release her if she doesn’t admit herself for treatment.”
Marci was outraged. “She sat in my restaurant and had conversations with two invisible people. That’s not grounds to keep her?”
“They’ll hold her if she is deemed a danger to herself or others. Otherwise, she will be released. That’s the law.”
Laura closed the laptop. “We have a potential ‘who.’ Let’s talk about the ‘why.’ If Juliet killed Paul, why would she frame you?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea.”
“Did she say anything during your session that was suspicious?”
“She talked about an ex-boyfriend who betrayed her. It reminded me of me and Paul.” I had a sudden flash of inspiration. “Could she have been talking about Paul? Maybe she dated Paul? But why would she be upset with me? We’ve been divorced for a long time.”
“None of this makes sense. But I’ve got Eagle on it. Let’s see what she can turn up.”