Least Wanted (Sam McRae Mystery 2)

“Your client’s not going to get away with killing Sondra,” he blurted. “The audit will take place.”

“He’s innocent until proved otherwise, Lenny. You do remember that much from law school, right?”

“We should have known this might happen.” He continued to rant, as if I hadn’t said a thing. “I should have insisted on being at that meeting.”

“Who else knew about their meeting?”

“Why, our president and the department heads. They were all concerned about the audit and Sondra told them she was going to meet Brad and answer any questions. Clarify his situation, so to speak.”

“You mean, let him know if he still had a job, while your company was dragged, kicking and screaming, through this audit.”

“Now who’s jumping to conclusions?”

“I’m just wondering why it’s taking so long to get the show on the road. I mean, here you are, a small company owned by a large conglomerate. Things are running smoothly. No one from headquarters is bothering your operation and, suddenly, whoops! Turns out someone’s been stealing from the till. You try to resolve the situation yourself and end up pointing the finger at Brad Higgins, who looks good for it, based on circumstantial evidence. When the big boys in Philly find out what’s going down, they send Jones in to straighten things out and maybe get you guys to tow the company line. People start to feel threatened. Could be a motive for murder, yes?”

Silence at the other end. For a moment, I thought Hi

rschbeck had hung up.

“You should be more careful what you say,” he growled.

“As should you. And, if I were you, I’d get that audit done—and fast. You should also have someone take a look at your computers, because I have reason to believe the accounts payable records have been tampered with. You need to take a closer look at who it is you’re representing and how they’re operating. It’s quite possible that you’re shielding an embezzler and a killer, and you don’t even know it.”

His heavy breathing told me he was still there, but not happy.

“Len,” I said. “You should know that it doesn’t pay to take shortcuts or turn a blind eye to the truth. I would have expected that you learned something since you cheated on that evidence exam. Maybe I wasn’t doing the profession any favors by keeping that to myself.”

“This isn’t the same. I’m not the same.” His voice was ragged and gruff. “I’m just trying to do my job.”

“And you can’t do it well if you refuse to find out what your client is up to.”

“Don’t you get all high and mighty on me. How closely did you look at your clients at the PD’s office? Are you going to tell me every one of them was innocent? Keep your opinions to yourself.”

A loud click told me he’d had enough. I sighed and hung up.

* * * * *

The next day, while at the courthouse in Upper Marlboro to file my motions, I decided to drop off a copy of the motion in Tina’s case at the State’s Attorney's Office.

I spotted Ellen Martinez in the hallway, caught up with her, and pressed the copy into her hand.

“Hi,” I said. “I’m contesting Tina Jackson’s pre-trial detention. Thanks for saving me the stamp.”

“I’m glad to see you. Do you have a minute?”

“Um, sure.” Why did she seem so glad to see me? It was probably too much to hope that they’d found another suspect and were dropping the charges.

Martinez, who was her usual cool, immaculately turned out self, in a gray sheath and matching jacket, escorted me to a small conference room. She asked me to wait for five minutes. I took a seat at the long conference table. She returned and sat at the head of the table, crossing her legs in that self-possessed way of hers. Without fanfare, Martinez said, “Given the brutal nature of the crime, your client’s possible association with a gang, and some other factors, we’re going to ask that Tina be tried as an adult.”

I sat a moment, not sure how to respond. I couldn’t say it was a complete surprise, but I had hoped it could be avoided.

“If the court approves your request, doesn’t that mean she’ll be moved to the adult jail?”

Martinez nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“Is that really necessary? She’s already scared to death to be where she is.”

“Your client is manipulating you, Sam. She’s not an innocent little girl.”