Malcolm shook his head. “How do you know this?”
“I worked a summer in a bone-processing plant out west. We handled thousands of bones just like this. Of course they were animal bones.” She lifted a forearm bone. “Whoever did this, I think, did not finish the job.”
The process had soured Malcolm’s stomach, but Garrison stared at the bones with a vague curiosity sparking in his eyes. “Got any theories why the killer didn’t finish?”
“Maybe the only goal was to strip evidence. I don’t pretend to understand why anyone would do this.” She adjusted her eye gear. “I can tell you that the victim’s right femur is missing.”
“His idea of a souvenir?” Malcolm said.
Henson shrugged. “You’re the detective, not me.”
Malcolm laughed. “Yep, that’s why they pay us the big bucks. Call us when you’ve thoroughly checked those dental records.”
At one minute to one, Angie glanced at the small gold ivory-framed clock on her desk. It had belonged to her father, and it was one of the few things of his she’d kept. She thought about her promise to represent Lulu Sweet as she tapped her pencil on her desk and watched the seconds tick. Regret nagged her.
A part of Angie hoped Lulu wouldn’t show, or would be terribly late or even would show up high. Any one of those reasons would be excuse enough to banish Lulu from her thoughts and confirm that Angie’s courtroom character assassination of the woman had been just.
Angie had left the courtroom that day satisfied that she’d shattered the prosecution’s case. She’d not expected Lulu to be waiting outside the courthouse. She’d not expected the girl’s outrage or anger.
You twisted my words well enough, but that man you are defending is evil.
The memory had Angie straightening. That day in the courtroom Angie had been defending the justice system and a defendant’s right to representation. She needed to be the one who believed in the system and what it represented. She needed to provide Dixon the defense that Eva had been denied so many years ago.
Her phone buzzed.
She pressed intercom. “Yes?”
“There is a Ms. Lulu Sweet to see you.” The voice belonged to Iris Stanford. Iris had run the offices of Wellington and James since the days the doors had opened—six years ago. A paralegal/administrator/mom, she kept Charlotte and Angie organized. The other named partner was overseeing a murder defense trial in Texas now and had been out of the office for two months. She wasn’t expected back until the first of November.
The clock chimed once, signaling Lulu’s punctual arrival. “Bring her back.”
Rising, she smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt and pulled the jacket off her chair. She slipped it on and fastened the middle button just as Iris appeared.
Iris had short, neatly trimmed hair with a subtle black headband. Her blue preppy dress and patent leather flats always gave Angie the sense that the woman had been plucked from the 1950s.
Right on her heels was Lulu Sweet. To Angie’s amazement the young woman had lost the pink spiked tips on her blond hair, the nose ring, and dark black eye shadow. A long-sleeved turtleneck covered her tattooed arms and chest. New jeans hugged her figure, which had filled out to a healthy weight. Even her scent had changed from dark and spicy to a clean soapy aroma. Without the hooker getup, Lulu looked a decade younger, reminding Angie that she couldn’t be more than twenty-one.
Angie extended a hand and a cool smile. “Lulu, you look great.”
The young girl’s grip was firm and her gaze direct. “That was the plan. I need to look the part if I’m going to get my son back.”
Iris slipped away, vanishing down the hallway.
Angie released Lulu’s grip. “So is this just an act for the court? Because I can tell you right now, I won’t represent you if you aren’t completely serious.”
Lulu’s fingers tightened around the strap of her purse, but her gaze didn’t waver. “I’m very serious. I want my kid back.”
“Kids are a lot of work, Lulu. And you’re young. From what Eva tells me you barely have gotten your life back on track.”
“I know I’m not the perfect anything. I know I’ve made more mistakes than I should have. But I love my kid, and I want to be his mother. He is the only really great thing I’ve ever done.”
Whatever Lulu’s motivations were in the past or whatever they’d be in the future she couldn’t see. What she could see was that right now Lulu was willing to move heaven and earth for her son.
Angie held out a hand toward an empty chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat.”
Lulu moved toward it but didn’t sit. “You’ve got to be wondering why I chose you.”
Angie arched a brow. “Eva told me you needed a mean bitch like me.”
Lulu didn’t flinch or appear remotely embarrassed. “That is true. My mom’s got a good attorney, and I need a better one. I know you’re good. But I know it’s more than just that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I wouldn’t even have my son if it weren’t for you. The path I was headed on when I took that witness stand was a bad one. I was using a lot. David would have been messed up good even before he was born if you hadn’t torn me apart on that stand.”
“I don’t follow.”
“I was so pissed.”
“I remember.”
“So pissed that I could have been made to feel so low. Even when I was with a john, I always felt in control. Even when Dixon did his worst I thought I’d find a way out of the fix. But with you there was no escape. You brought me down lower than anyone ever had.”
Angie raised her chin. She’d done her job. She hadn’t seen Lulu as a person. She’d been an obstacle to be overcome. Now, she couldn’t dismiss the woman so easily. “Okay.”
“If I hadn’t hit rock bottom that day, I’d have stayed on the same path. I was so mad at you I wanted to show you I could be a better person.”
Angie knitted her fingers in front of her, not sure why she didn’t trust her voice at that point.
Lulu dug a picture out of her purse and set it on Angie’s desk. “That’s the last picture I took of David. It was taken last week. Mom only let me visit for a half hour with him.”
Angie picked up the picture. The boy was staring up at Lulu. His smile and eyes were bright in his mother’s presence. Angie suffered a twinge of jealousy for the girl who had given birth to such a perfect child. She wanted to trace the curls framing his face. Instead, she laid the picture down. “Why did your mother limit the visit?”
“The court said I only get a half hour at a time. Mom plays by the rules.”
“She’s trying to protect this child—your son.”
“I know. I see that.”
Angie picked up a Montblanc pen and pushed a legal pad in front of her. “I’ll help you, but I need to know if you are using.”
“I am not.”
“So I could drug test you right now.”
Lulu lifted her chin. “Sure. Bring it on.”
Angie stared at her a long moment. Instinct whispered Lulu was on the level. “I’ve got a list of things I’m going to need you to do.”
Lulu scooted forward in her seat, her eyes anxious and ready. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
“First, if you’re still hanging with people who are using you need to dump them. They can drag you into trouble in the blink of an eye, and if that happens your case will be damaged.”
“Sure.”
“You do have a place to live?”
“Yes. An apartment. It’s small, but there’s room for a crib.” Lulu rattled off the address.
“And a job?”
“I work for a cleaning service by day. And I waitress at night.”
“Who is going to watch the baby when you work?”
“My neighbor. She said he could sleep at her place at night while I work.”
“What about during the day?”
“I’ve just got the day gig to make extra money now. When
David comes to live with me, I’ll quit.”
Lulu had thought through the details, but Angie still worried. So much could go wrong.
“What if the baby gets sick?”
“I’ve got other friends. They have kids. I’ve helped them. They will help me.”
“They’re responsible?”
“Yes.”
Angie’s gaze narrowed. “And if you get sick?”
“Those friends will help me too.” Lulu leaned forward. “Why are you grilling me?”
“I’m asking all the questions the judge is going to ask.”
“You sound mad.”
“I’m not.”
Lulu rubbed her hand over her arm. “You don’t like me.”
“I never said that.”
“A good hooker learns to read people well.”