Page 101 of The Accomplice
Next, I called Bloch.
‘I want the original filings on that company Daniel Miller used to buy the warehouse for his freezer. You need to see the original documents. If I’m right, you’ll find the start of a trail. Follow it. Take Lake with you.’
I took five minutes, told Bloch what Carrie Miller had written in her journal.
Bloch said nothing. I waited.
‘Son of a bitch,’ she said.
‘Tell me you can do this.’
‘I can do it.’
Two more calls to make. The next one was a breach of legal professional conduct and ethics. Not the first time I’ve fallen below those standards. It would not be the last.
Otto picked up right away.
‘Carrie will be in court in the morning. And we’re going to win this case with your help. I know I’m not supposed to talk to you about your testimony. Coaching a prosecution witness might get us both disbarred. Maybe even prosecuted. There’s no other way of putting this, Otto, I need you to fight back against Drew White tomorrow,’ I said.
He was silent for a time, letting this roll around in his head, then said, ‘If I deny what I’ve already told White then he can ask Stoker to declare me a hostile witness. Then he can cross examine me and discredit me. I would lose everything I’ve spent my whole life building. My entire career wiped out. And for what ? Soon as I’m declared hostile the jury won’t believe a word I say anyway. I have to stick to what I’ve told the DA.’
‘Maybe so, but you can put a favorable slant on it. She didn’t know her husband was a killer, not for sure. She suspected but she had no proof. She was a victim, Otto. Come on, you can do this. I really need your help.’
‘I really feel for Carrie, but I can’t throw away my career on one case—’
‘You won’t have to throw it away. Just do your best, alright ?’
‘Alright,’ he said.
Last call of the night was the most difficult. Bill Seong sounded pissed. I could tell by the tone of his voice, even over the noise from the car.
‘You don’t happen to be following a red Dodge Hellcat by any chance ?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, some asshole named Eddie Flynn is tearing around New Jersey. Just tell me where you’re meeting her. That would make things a lot easier.’
‘I’m not in the car. It’s Lake in that passenger seat. I switched cars.’
‘Son of a—’
‘Before you say anything you might regret, listen up. I’m going to bring in the Sandman tomorrow.’
All I could hear was the throb of the engine and the sound of tires squealing around a corner. Once he’d gotten hold of his tongue he said, ‘Tell me that again.’
‘I’m going to deliver the Sandman to you, but there’s a price.’
‘Isn’t there always ? What do you want ?’
‘I want two things and they are non-negotiable. First thing is youdon’tarrest him.’
‘Say what ?’
‘You heard me. The Sandman is smart, and the media is all over this thing. There can’t be another trial. No arguing over witness testimony, no disputes over forensics – you are going to get this guy red-handed. I’m wrapping this motherfucker in a bow for you. If you want that, you’ve got to wait until I give you the okay before you arrest him.’
‘Jesus, Eddie, what’s the second thing ?’
We talked some more and by the time I hung up I was as satisfied as I could be that Seong would stick to his word. There were so many things that had to go right tomorrow, and so many people I was relying on that any slip, from any one of them, would make the whole thing crumble. I’d seen jobs go that way before in my old profession. As a con artist, working with a team, sometimes even something so small as giving the mark the wrong look could blow the entire operation.
I was used to working on a knife edge. But not when someone I cared about had their throat at the end of that blade.
