Worst Fears Realized (Stone Barrington 5)

“Stone, you’re a target; I can’t let you testify before a grand jury.”

“So, I should take the Fifth? How would that look?”

“It’s how this is going to look that bothers me,” Bill said.

“Sorry,” Dino said, “I’m confused. I’m pretty well versed on this case, having arrived half an hour after the murder and having heard Stone give a statement to two of my detectives. What does Marty know that I don’t know? Stone, is there something you haven’t told me?”

“Absolutely not,” Stone said. “I’m not holding anything back.”

“Then he must have a witness,” Bill said. “Otherwise, why would you be a target of the investigation?”

“A witness to what?” Stone said.

“Look,” Dino said, “I’m happy to go down to the grand jury and tell them that my squad conducted a thorough investigation and that we cleared Stone.”

“Then Marty will ask you about your relationship with Stone, and he’ll discredit your testimony, because you’re former partners and close friends. Anyway, he’s not going to call you, because you wouldn’t help his case.”

“This just doesn’t add up,” Stone said. “Marty must know that he can’t get an indictment of me.”

“A good prosecutor can get anything he wants from a grand jury,” Bill said.

“But he couldn’t get a conviction, so why get an indictment?”

“There are two things here,” Bill said. “One, he could have a witness to cast doubt on your story, or even to claim you murdered the girl.”

“Then that would either be a perjurer or a frame-up,” Dino said. “Or both.”

“Right,” Bill said. “The other thing is, suppose he thinks this case isn’t going to be solved, so he wants to feed somebody to the press as the murderer. The day after your testimony, I can see a headline in the News that you’re the chief suspect, but that they don’t have enough evidence to indict you, yet.”

“Oh, shit,” Dino said.

“Well, Dino,” Bill said, “at least you’re getting the picture.”

“But that won’t wash,” Stone said.

“It’ll wash with enough people to ruin you in this town,” Dino said.

“And,” Eggers chipped in, “it would end your usefulness to Woodman and Weld. The firm couldn’t be seen to employ—even on an occasional basis—the chief suspect in a gaudy murder.”

Dino put down his glass. “You’d be the new O.J.”

Stone sat and thought about this, ignoring his steak. “Martin Brougham doesn’t strike me as that malicious,” he said. “So who is?”

Dino’s eyebrow’s went up. “I smell Tom Deacon.”

“Who’s Tom Deacon?” Bill asked.

“He runs the DA’s investigative division, under Marty, and he doesn’t like Stone and me.”

“Oh.”

“Something else,” Dino said. “Marty wants to be the next DA. He might like a flashy case to help imprint himself on the voters’ frontal lobes.”

“That all makes sense,” Bill said. “You think this Deacon guy is just trying to make himself look good?”

“I think that fits right in with his character,” Dino replied. “He knows a few reporters; he could make himself look good and Stone look bad. It would be easy.”

Stone spoke up. “I’ve already told him that if he did something like that, I’d sue him for libel.”