The 17th Suspect (Women's Murder Club 17)

“Len, my theory that Marc and Paul colluded is speculative. This thought occurred to me when Marc told his new and improved story on the stand. Were old memories just coming to him? Or was he lying? And if he was lying, I have to ask. Is his whole story a lie?”

Len looked perturbed, but he was hanging in with her.

Yuki said, “In sum, we’ve got a witness with a history of extortion. I can’t prove that Marc was untruthful, but I’m questioning his veracity. As for the defendant, her testimony was heartbreaking.”

“Heartbreaking as in good acting? Or heartbreaking, she’s been framed?”

Yuki shrugged. “I’m on the fence. I want some evidence before we ditch.”

The prosecution had a legal obligation to withdraw charges if the case against Briana Hill was wrong. If Yuki proceeded without confidence in the defendant’s guilt, she could get disbarred.

She said, “I need to talk to Yates again. If he changes his story, says he made up what he said happened between him and Briana, I’ll go back to Marc and squeeze him until he yelps.

“Can you ask Rathburn for a continuance?”

“I’ll give it a shot,” Len said.

Parisi used Toni’s desk phone and called Judge Rathburn. In twenty-five words or less he explained the new situation to the judge, who agreed to recess court until tomorrow morning.

“It’s a gift,” Parisi said to Yuki. “Make the most of it.”

CHAPTER 91

AS YUKI HEADED toward her office, she phoned Arthur and left him a message, updating him on the situation, including that court was adjourned until morning. She had just gotten back to her desk when her phone rang.

She said into the mouthpiece, “Art?”

“It’s Cindy.”

There were very few people Yuki would be willing to talk to in the middle of this mess, but Cindy was on the short list.

Yuki said, “I’m kinda in a rush.”

Cindy said, “Me, too. Did you hear?”

“Maybe not,” said Yuki. “Tell me.”

“This is a girlfriend-to-girlfriend heads-up,” Cindy said. “I got it off the police scanner and I made a couple of follow-up calls to confirm. Paul Yates. He’s your witness, right?”

“Right. What about him?”

“He committed suicide this morning. He hanged himself.”

Yuki sat down hard behind her desk.

“Noooo. That can’t be true.”

Cindy assured her that her sources were good.

“I’m posting a cloaked version of this story to my crime blog in about ten minutes,” Cindy said. “Claire should have Yates’s body by now, so talk to her.”

Yuki sat for a moment, trying to put this news flash in the context of her meeting with Parisi and her past meetings with Yates, and to consider the impact of his death on her case, which was coming apart at high speed, the wheels flying off and littering the roadway.

Cindy said, “Yuki? Yuki?”

“I’m here. I’m just stunned, that’s all. Thanks, Cindy.” Yuki hung up with Cindy, phoned Claire’s office, and was told that Claire wasn’t available. She asked to speak with Claire’s lab assistant, Bunny Ellis. After several crazy-making minutes of ’80s Muzak, Bunny got on the line.

“Bunny. This is ADA Castellano. Do you have the body of Paul Yates?”