Page 6 of The Accomplice
‘He’s not asking us to do his donkey work or hold his hand,’ said Kate. ‘He wants us to take over the defense.’
‘What ? Why ?’
‘He was holding out for a deal and the DA hasn’t played ball. Otto Peltier is not a trial lawyer. He needs a team with trial experience,’ said Harry.
‘That’s very generous of him and the right thing for his client, but the problem is we don’t represent the guilty. The DA says Carrie was an accomplice in six of the Sandman’s murders. I won’t put a killer back on the street—’
‘She says she’s innocent,’ said Kate.
‘They all say that,’ I said.
‘I think she’s telling the truth,’ said Kate.
Of all the lawyers I’d ever met, Kate was maybe the smartest. If she believed Carrie Miller, then there had to be something there worth fighting for. I was beginning to get interested. Then I stopped.
‘Wait, doesn’t this case start in a couple of days ? Why is he dumping the case now ? Maybe he’s messed up the defense and we’re going to walk into a lawsuit from the client if we take this to trial.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Harry. ‘He doesn’t have anywhere near the experience needed to run a murder trial, but I’ve looked over the case papers and he’s done everything right in pre-trial prep. All appropriate motions filed. I don’t know what the jury is like but how bad can it be ? The case is ready to go in two days. That’s enough time for us to be ready. We’ve parachuted into cases before. And it’s not like there’s no defense. There’s a decent fight in this one, Eddie.’
My hands covered my face. I needed the darkness, a little silence and another damn cup of—
‘Drink your coffee,’ said Denise.
I brushed my fingers down my cheeks, opened my eyes and saw everyone staring at me. There was another reason I didn’t want this case.
‘The Sandman is still out there. If we get involved, we are one step closer to a madman. There’s a risk—’
Kate cut me off. I could see the passion in her eyes. She wanted this case. Since we became partners, Kate had focused on representing women who had suffered sex discrimination and sexual harassment at work. At her last firm Kate was the victim of unwanted advances from a partner in that practice and she’d been taking down misogynist employers since. These cases were personal. With every woman Kate helped she was saving not just that person, but a part of Kate that got hurt and hadn’t fully healed.
‘We all know the risks, but I don’t see why he would target us,’ she said. ‘We’re saving his wife. The biggest risk is the media taking a dump on our firm if we don’t prove she’s innocent. If we do, that’s another female victim who has gotten justice because of us. You know this is important to me.’
I nodded.
‘Let’s hear the man out,’ said Kate.
‘Okay, bring him in.’
Denise asked the man to come in. I didn’t have the biggest office, so it was a little crowded. That look was still on his face – someone in trouble who needed our help. I reached for my chest ; felt the Saint Christopher’s medal I wore beneath my shirt.
Soon as he sat down, Peltier forced a smile. Even though he needed us, he still felt like he should sell me the case. He introduced himself, then said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. Flynn. You now have the most high-profile murder trial in America.’
‘I don’t want to be rude,’ I said, ‘but this is all news to me. I get the feeling my colleagues were anticipating some resistance on my part. See, first, I don’t take a case unless I believe the client is innocent. I’ve been burned before, and I don’t need any more ghosts in my head. Second, I’m the suspicious type. I’m still not sure why you would hand this case over to another law firm. I know lawyers who would wrestle their own grandmothers for a case like this.’
Peltier crossed his long legs, his face cracked into a smile as he said, ‘I can give you more than one reason to say yes. My client, excuse me,yourclient, is willing to give your firm twomillionreasons. The agreed fee for the case is three million. I take a third of that for the preparation work, the rest is yours. So, do we have a deal ?’
That number blazed Kate’s eyes. This was the big one. This was the hottest case in the country. With a payday that most lawyers only get to fantasize about. A once-in-a-lifetime case. The one we all chase, the one that will make our careers. Far as my firm was concerned, we’d just won the lottery. Only a fool would turn it down.
Which is why I said, ‘No.’
CHAPTER TWO
EDDIE
‘Look, no disrespect to you or your client, Mr. Peltier, but this just doesn’t feel right to me,’ I said.
‘I understand. Perhaps I have not made myself clear to your colleagues,’ he said. ‘I was hoping to broker a deal with the DA. In exchange for my client’s cooperation in the Sandman case I wanted them to drop the charges against her. At first, I thought they were just playing hardball. Taking us to the door of the court before they made a deal. Unfortunately, they are not bluffing. The case will begin in two days. And while I am a talented lawyer and negotiator, I don’t have your trial experience. Carrie is innocent, and I intend to make sure she gets a fair hearing. For that to happen, she needs the very best representation.’
He spoke clearly, confidently. Good eye contact, natural hand movements. No tells. No indication he was lying. Apart from the fact that he wasn’t telling me the whole story.
