Darcy in Hollywood

“Yeah, I suppose so, but why would I do that? I don’t particularly like her. And why would I drive her car? If she needed to go home, I would have put her in a taxi.”

Burton rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I get that, but I don’t like that we c

an’t account for all of your time.”

“I can account for it,” Darcy said testily. “I just don’t have witnesses.”

Burton cursed under his breath, muttering something about obstinate clients. Darcy didn’t respond. He paid Burton well to deal with his idiosyncrasies.

“They have an eyewitness. You have priors,” Burton growled.

“I have every faith in your legal prowess.”

The lawyer rolled his eyes and pushed his chair back from the table. “Fine, fine. I’ll see if I can turn lead into gold for you.”

“There was a driver who took me back to Pemberley after lunch; unfortunately, my regular guy was off that day, so it was a substitute driver from a service. I don’t remember his name. But he didn’t stay at Pemberley, so he wouldn’t be able to say I was there all day.”

Burton made another note. “All right, it’s something. Give me the name of the service, and I’ll see if we can find the guy.”

“There’s one more thing,” Darcy said. “I’m pretty sure the person who was driving the car was our friend, George Wickham.”

“Son of a bitch!” Burton exploded. He’d helped the Darcys through legal trouble with Wickham before.

“Yeah. That’s who the Bennets think it was. Well, who they thought it was…” Damn, it hurt to say those words aloud. Had all the press coverage changed their minds? Reporters were probably clustered on their doorstep demanding a statement from Tom. What would he say? What was Elizabeth thinking? “But Wickham disappeared, and they don’t have any evidence that he was there.”

“All right, I’ll have an investigator beat the bushes for Wickham. We’ll see if the police got any fingerprints off the car. I have to tell you, Will, after the Palm Springs incident, this looks pretty bad. The police are going to be inclined to think it’s you, and they’re not going to search for another suspect.”

Darcy rubbed his hands over his face. “I know. Let’s hope we can find Wickham.”

“Yeah.” Burton stood, swinging his briefcase off the table.

Darcy lurched to his feet. Between the hours of interrogation and the stress, he was just exhausted. He would call Elizabeth the minute he left the station. The sound of her voice would be like a soothing balm. Maybe she could even come to Pemberley.

As if he could read Darcy’s mind, Burton laid a hand on his arm. “Stay away from anyone involved in the case, especially the Bennets.”

“No way.” Surely that solace wouldn’t be denied as well.

Burton shook his head. “If you contact them, it could appear as if you’re trying to sway their opinion. Witness tampering.”

“But—”

Burton turned from the door and gave Darcy a level stare. “Would you prefer five years in prison for reckless endangerment?”

Darcy let out a long breath. “No.”

“Because right now you’re skating on thin ice. You have to do everything by the book, or you’re going to dig yourself into a deeper hole.”

“All right.” To his own ears, Darcy’s voice sounded so defeated he might as well have already lost the case.

“So you won’t contact the Bennets?”

Darcy restrained the urge to punch his own lawyer. That would be self-defeating. “No, I won’t talk to them.”

***

With reporters staking out their home, Elizabeth’s parents had decided on an impromptu family meeting at the hospital. At least hospital security wouldn’t permit the press past the lobby. Elizabeth had stopped in for a quick visit with Lydia, who was sleeping soundly. Her color was better, and she was hooked up to fewer machines; Elizabeth was heartened by the sight.

She then hurried to a nearby family lounge. Intended for families to consult with doctors, the small room had a bunch of chairs pushed up against the walls and a plethora of tissue boxes. High in one corner of the room, the television was turned to ZNN. The fact that it was muted didn’t stop the parade of headlines flashing across the screen: Drug Use and Car Accidents Part of a Pattern with Darcy. Darcy Appeared in the Victim’s Father’s Latest Movie. Witness Puts Darcy in Car with Unconscious Woman. Everything suggested Will’s guilt.