by Dave Daren
“My firm represents him,” Neville said.
“Why does the senator send his own lawyer to represent the needs of a former... nanny… from which he supposedly hasn’t seen in years, and he won’t acknowledge?” I asked.
“She needed legal help,” he insisted. “So she called in a favor to a powerful ex-employer, and he responded.”
“No one has accused her of anything,” I said. “In fact, she’s a victim here. She’s lost her lover to a terrible murder, and her sister-lover has been accused of this heinous crime. This poor unfortunate soul!”
I delivered the last line with the sarcastic gusto of the sea witch from The Little Mermaid. My theatre days were far, far from being over.
“So, why,” I extrapolated as I controlled the room by physically dominating the space, “Why would she be in such dire need to cash in her clout now?”
I paused to let the question sink in, but Neville interrupted me.
“Your intent to ruin the senator’s good name with insidious and baseless implication is both desperate and inconclusive,” he said. “And I--”
“Could it be,” I interrupted him and effected a dramatic pause. “Could it be... that the senator has... a... shall I say... personal... stake in this case?”
“Senator Malone didn’t kill Beyo,” Olivia insisted.
“That’s right,” I said. “He didn’t. Because you did.”
The room silenced, and everyone looked at her. Her mouth dropped open in shock. The only sound in the room was the faint buzzing of the camera which seemed to blare in the vacuum I had just created.
“You weren’t the nanny,” I said. “You were the call girl.”
An audible gasp erupted in the room, and even Neville seemed not to know what to do with that.
“And this ‘friend of a friend,’ that referred you to him wasn’t a nebulous network connection,” I said. “It was none other than Judith Klein, who took a twenty percent cut of your generous salary courtesy of the Arizona taxpayers.”
I laughed mirthlessly for effect, and to see if anyone would stop me. When they didn’t, I continued.
“You wanted out,” I said. “And rightly so. Whether it was a moral conviction, or Mrs. Malone paying a friendly little social call to the Tucson apartment he rented for you, was irrelevant. You decided the gig was up, you were ready to move on. Change came in the form of a one-way ticket to New York City, which I would be willing to bet that Mrs. Malone herself was oh-so-generous to sponsor you with.”
I leaned over the table and bored into Olivia’s shocked expression. “Am I getting warm?” I asked simply.
She dissolved into tears, but she didn’t deny the story, so I continued.
“That’s when you met Beowulf Vandergarten and his band of characters,” I said. “He put you up in his swanky loft, which was certainly much cozier than the bunks and hostels you had so far occupied yourself with. But comfort came with a price, which you were willing to pay.”
I took a swig of water and then a deep breath. I had crossed the point of no return here.
“And then... Mr. Malone himself, who was not yet a senator,” I said, “but a board member for Starbright Media, decided for whatever reason, to pop back up and ruin your new life in Brooklyn. Why... Ms. Parker… would he do that? Did you call him?”
She was crying again, and I let her weep for a minute. Then she spoke.
“It’s true,” she said. “Okay, it’s all true. Beyo and I were having problems, so I told John I wanted to come back, and we started talking again. Then, he came to New York to visit me, and by then things were good with Beyo again, and Beyo told him to get lost. But, afterward, I had to tell Beyo everything about John. He said he was okay with it, and he was for a while.”
“And then what happened?” I prodded once she had trailed off for a few minutes.
“Then,” she said, “things started getting weird between me and him, and I... I don’t know.”
“Define weird,” I said.
“Our relationship was strained,” she said. “He seemed to resent me and treated me like I was less than the other girls. Eventually, our relationship faded, and then we stopped talking altogether. We just lived and worked together.”
“Was that when you developed feelings for Julianna?” I asked.
She looked horrified. “Does she... does she know?”
I shook my head. “Not unless you told her.”
“No,” she said. “I never told Julianna how I felt about her, but she and I had a connection that... well, it’s the reason I couldn’t leave the group. It was, my world revolved around her. She has this magnetic energy that would just make me feel so special. Every time she said something, I stopped to listen. Every time someone said something about her, I was interested. Everything I did, I had to tell Julianna before I knew how I felt about it. Everything I wore, I had to know what she thought. I couldn’t make a decision, large or small, without knowing what Julianna thought about it.”
“And how did you feel when you found out Julianna was running off with Gabriel?” I asked.
“I was devastated,” she said. “How could she do that to me, you know? I thought we really had something, and then she just turned on me at the drop of a hat.”
“When did you find out she was leaving?” I asked.
“That night,” she said. “At the performance.”
“At the PAH, here in Sedona?” I clarified for the record.
“Yes,” she said. “They were very secretive about it. Beyo was a jealous man. He could go into a rage like you’ve never seen. So, to leave like that had to be done without anyone knowing.”
“How did you find out?” I asked.
“Beyo told me,” she said. “Shortly after the performance, I went into his dressing room to look for Julianna, and he flew into a rage as soon as he saw me. He asked me why John was there.”
“Were you aware that Senator Malone was at the performance?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “He had been messaging me that he wanted to see me when I came to Sedona, and he said that the whole performance at the PAH was all arranged for me, so that we could be together. Then, he went on his usual rant about how much he loved me, and how he was going to leave his wife for me, blah, blah, blah. It was the same stuff he had said to me for years, and I had grown so tired of it. I didn’t want to hear it anymore.”
“What did you tell him when said he wanted to see you?” I asked.
“I told him ‘maybe,’” she said. “He’s a powerful man, and it doesn’t hurt to have a powerful man on your side, so I’ve always been reluctant to cut him off.”
“So you led him on to use him?” I asked.
“I suppose,” she said. “But we were using each other.”
“And when Judith Klein showed up backstage, did she talk to you?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “She told me he was outside, and he was heartbroken that I wouldn’t see him, and that I should at least go talk to him and tell him ‘no’ in person. I knew where that led, and I knew why she was there, and I wouldn’t listen. Julianna had been the one who had given me the confidence to say ‘no’ to John, and so I went to find her for backup. And that’s when I ran into Beyo.”
“And did you tell Beyo that you didn’t want to see John?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “Beyo could be very manipulative, especially when he is in one of his rages. It was best not to say anything to him until he calmed down. So, I just told him I was looking for Julianna.”
“And this conversation all happened in his dressing room, correct?” I asked. I was starting to get the whole picture now.
“Yes,” she said.
“What did he say when you told him you were looking for Julianna?” I asked.
“He got very mean and cold,” she said, “and he mocked me, saying ‘Julianna, Julianna, you’re so obsessed with Julianna, it’s pathetic.’ And then he told me that Julianna didn’t care about me and never loved me, and th
at everyone knew I was in love with her, and it was all a big joke in the group.”
“What did you say to that?” I asked.
“Well,” she said, “I didn’t listen to him, but he kept going, and then I lost my cool. I told him that he had always treated me less than the other girls, and he said that that was because I was less than the other girls, because of what I had done with John. I told him I needed to find Julianna, and that’s when he told me she was gone, that she had run off with another man. I told him that couldn’t possibly be true, she would never leave without talking to me. He said that she had, and that I should just get over it.”
She paused and wiped her eyes because fresh tears had formed. “And that’s when everything happened,” she said. “I said that I was leaving, and I was going to find Julianna and go with her, wherever it was she was going. I told him I was done with him. He grabbed my arm and threw me against the wall and told me to leave Julianna alone. ‘She has a life. Let her go, she has a future ahead of her. Y-you will always just be a congressman’s whore.’ And when he said that, I just...”
She burst into tears for several minutes before she continued. “And I was so angry. And I saw Julianna’s bag all strewn out on the table.”
“Because Chloe had looked for hairpins,” I remembered from Chloe’s interview.
“Right,” she said. “And I saw the dagger, sitting there, and I... I... didn’t think. I just grabbed it and stabbed him.”
She cried for a few more minutes. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just happened.”
“And you were going to let Julianna, the love of your life, take the blame for it?” I asked.
“At first I didn’t know what to do because I was so scared,” she said. “And then I told John. He told me not to tell anyone because it would ruin him.”
“The senator knew?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes,” she said. “But he was the only one I told. I told him I wouldn’t name him, but he said too many people would figure out that we were connected, and that he had enough enemies that it would ruin him.”
“What about Julianna?” I asked.
“He said that he would make sure to get Julianna off,” she said, “But that I couldn’t tell anyone the truth. He begged me to think of his kids, and what it would do to them, for the scandal of our relationship to become public.”
“How was he going to get Julianna off?” I chuckled as I considered that would have required actually coordinating with me.
“Well,” she said, “He told me that Judith was going to take the blame for it.”
“Ah…” I said. “He paid Judith to confess, so that you don’t go to jail and name him. And Judith took the bargain because of her son. He never took into account that she’s a terrible actress. Did Judith know that you did it?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “John said he wouldn’t tell her.”
“That’s why he hired a mysterious man,” I pieced together.
“Right,” she said.
I paused for a moment to let all the pieces sit with gathered parties and then turned to Chet.
“Anything else?” I asked.
He was shocked and shook his head. “I think that’s enough for now.”
Officer Durant stood and adjusted his waistline. “Well, that about does it for you, little lady. I’m going to have to take you in.”
She took it gracefully, I had to give her that.
“I understand,” she said softly.
She rose from the table, and Durant politely motioned for her to follow him out of the room, which she did quietly, with a shocked Neville scrambling behind her like a little mouse. Once they were gone, the remaining three of us, along with Landon, let out a collective sigh.
“Wow,” Chet said. “That was something else.”
We all laughed to release the tension.
“Who knew?” I said. “In this quiet little town.”
“Well,” he said. “They’re not from here. They’re all from Tucson, and those people are nuts out there.”
“Do you need this tape?” Landon asked Chet as he switched off the camera.
“Yeah,” he said. “We’re gonna need it. You’ll need to give it to Officer Durant, and it will find its way back to me through the channels.”
“Make sure to give Durant the other recording of Judith, too,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said. “I gave it to him yesterday. That doesn’t violate our contract, right?”
I shook my head. “No. If a non-client confessed to a crime, and we got it on tape, we need to get it to the cops.”
“That’s what I thought,” he said. “I’ll get this all uploaded and onto a flash drive.”
He left the room with the camera.
“Well,” Chet said. “I’ll get all the paperwork sorted out in the next few days, but for all intents and purposes, we’re dropping all the charges against your clients, with our sincerest apologies.”
“I’ll take it, Chet,” I said.
“Good work, Irving,” he said as he rose. “You got a future in politics in this town. It will be interesting to see how you do it.”
“Thanks, Chet,” I said.
“But take a lesson from today,” he said. “Malone used to be a good man, and earnest. Earnest as American apple pie. I’ve been around long enough to remember that.”
“What happened to him?” I asked.
“Power,” he said. “Power and greed. It’s a shame. Well, see you around.”
“See you,” I said.
Chet left the office, I heard Durant finally getting around to the Miranda’s with Olivia in the other room. I turned to Vicki who sat down at the table with me.
“Well,” I said. “To winning.”
“To winning,” she said. “You were great, as always.”
I laughed. “Thanks, and I still feel bad about missing your hearing. I’m going to find a way to make it up to you.”
“Hmmm…” she snickered. “Remember back in the treehouse days, what we did right after our winning deposition?”
I laughed as I very much remembered. “That was before we had a real office and a roomful of people on the other side of the wall.”
“Damn success,” she said.
“Damn success,” I agreed.
“You should watch the tape, though,” she said. “You were impressive. I thought you were going to bust out into song at one point.”
“I thought about it,” I said. “But I figured I made my point.”
Landon came back in with AJ behind him.
“Damn success,” I mumbled to Vicki who laughed.
“Dude,” Landon gushed. “You were nuts. Totally straight up nuts. We’ve all got to watch the tape together. Like popcorn and movie night and shit.”
I laughed. “Thanks, Landon.”
“Dude,” he turned to AJ. “He was all like, ‘You’re right, Senator Malone didn’t kill Beyo, you did!’”
Vicki and AJ burst into laughter at Landon’s impression of me--dramatic and cocky.
“You do a great Henry impression,” AJ said through her laughter.
“What?” I asked. “I’m not that bad.”
“When you’re on a roll you are,” Vicki said, and she licked her lips. “But it is sexy as hell.
Landon and AJ whistled and laughed.
“Are they always like this?” Landon asked AJ.
“No, most of the time they’re so chill,” AJ said. “It’s only lately.”
“You know, now that this case is bigger...” I told Landon in a subject change. “It’s grown out of my hands. You’re not going to be able to do that documentary, especially with Malone involved.”
Landon shrugged. “I figured as much. It’s cool. I didn’t get the angle I wanted, and it was turning into a migraine of a project. I think I’ll change to a simpler topic. But, I got a ton of good practice. I learned a lot.”
“Glad to hear that,” I said.
I pulled an
envelope out of my padfolio and slid it across the table to him. “This is for you. We really appreciate your help.”
“What is this?” he asked as he opened the envelope.
“A check,” I said. “You really helped us out this month.”
“Cool,” he smiled as he read the amount.
I paid him decently, about as much I pay AJ for a month’s work.
He held up the check, “I can pimp my ride, now.”
“Or pay tuition,” AJ took the check.
“That, too,” he said with a disappointed tone, and he took the check back and turned to me. “So I gotta know, what did you figure out that day that we watched the tapes?”
I laughed. “On the video, when you saw they were doing hand signs, I saw Olivia look at Julianna like a dog in heat.”
They all laughed.
“And then,” I said, “I thought about Julianna and Gabriel leaving, and how Olivia would have felt about that. And, the blinding jealousy became that elusive motive we couldn’t figure out all month. I just needed her to fill in a couple of holes.”
“Like why Beyo instead of Julianna?” AJ asked.
“Right,” I asked. “And to smooth out some wrinkles, like why Judith and Malone were back there, and if Beyo was in cahoots with them. And a few other details.”
“I did not see that expression,” Landon smiled. “I’ll have to watch the tape again.”
Officer Durant, Olivia, and Neville were gone now, and it was just our little team.
“Alright, people,” I said. “I think we’ve earned the rest of the day off. Let’s lock up.”
“I’m all for that,” AJ said.
“You’ll call Julianna?” Vicki asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “To tell her that her girlfriend killed their mutual boyfriend and then tried to frame her for it? I think I’ll sit on that one for a couple hours.”
“I know I would,” Landon said. “Sheesh.”
We all gathered our things and congregated toward the door.
“Landon,” I nodded and shook his hand. “Have a safe trip back to Chicago.”
“Thanks,” he said.
Landon and AJ left, and then it was just me and Vicki.
