A Prosecutor for the Defense (David Brunelle Legal Thriller Series Book 4)

by Stephen Penner

  Westerly chuckled. “You’d be surprised what people don’t tell you now that you’re a defense attorney. But they’ll tell us everything. They like us.”

  Brunelle had to nod. Westerly was right. And it would be the same with the jurors. Just one more thing to overcome.

  “Anything else?” Sophia asked.

  “Well, the life insurance on her was pretty hefty,” Ayala went on. “But the M.E. told the insurance company it was murder, so they refused to pay out. Stephenson was the beneficiary.”

  That reminded Brunelle of one more question. “Was the studio insured?”

  Ayala nodded. “The landlord had casualty insurance, and the victim and her partner had a renter’s policy.”

  “Was my client the beneficiary of that policy too?”

  Westerly handled that question. “No, but I wish he had been. That would be the last nail in the coffin, so to speak.”

  “Why?” Sophia asked. Brunelle wondered too, but was glad he didn’t have to admit his ignorance.

  “That would have shown premeditation to commit both the fire and the murder,” Westerly answered. “It would have shown that Stephenson expected to burn the building down and made efforts to profit financially from it. No, the life insurance was the motive. The renter’s insurance they had was just payable to Vanessa and her business partner. Just in case there was ever a fire or an earthquake or something. That’s not motive, that’s just insurance.”

  Brunelle considered for a moment, then decided to be grateful Jeremy hadn’t been stupid enough to take out that insurance too. Although he supposed it was more likely that Jeremy just hadn’t thought of it.

  “Thanks,” he said, standing up. “I think we’re done.”

  Westerly stood up too and shook his hand with a grin. “You sure are.”

  Chapter 24

  “That was chump,” Sophia complained as she and Brunelle stepped out of the Hall of Justice. She was blonde again that day, so Supergirl.

  “What was?” Brunelle asked. He didn’t have to shade his eyes as much as he’d expected. They’d been inside for a long time, but it was long enough that the sun was behind the tree tops.

  “That ‘You sure are’ comment as we finished,” Sophia said. She pulled on a very fashionable pair of sunglasses that somehow both hid half her face and made the rest of it seem even more beautiful. “I hope you win this just so I can see that arrogant ass have to eat that comment.”

  Brunelle shrugged and smiled slightly. “He seems like a decent enough guy.”

  “He’s a prosecutor,” Sophia snapped back. “They’re all the same.” Then she stopped and looked over at Brunelle, who had also stopped, an eyebrow raised at her comment.

  She burst out laughing. That snort laugh. It was incongruous with her Jackie O. sunglasses, but was becoming increasingly endearing. “Except you, of course,” she barely managed to say through more chuckling.

  Brunelle just shook his head good-naturedly. It had been a long day and he was looking forward to relaxing that night. He and Kat hadn’t figured out their plans yet, but they likely involved dinner and the beach. He could handle a little ribbing from his investigator.

  They were walking back toward Sophia’s office. It was a lot closer than Dombrowski’s, and there was no particular need to bring Dombrowski in. But Brunelle did want to sit down with Sophia to discuss next steps. Trial was fast approaching and he could tell there was some aspect of the case that was still eluding him. He was managing to carry on some further light banter with Sophia while his mind replayed some of the seemingly more significant bits of information they’d learned that day.

  Dr. Tuttle said Vanessa was dead before the fire was set.

  Det. Ayala said it initially looked like it was an accident.

  Jeremy asked if there were any witnesses.

  It didn’t add up. There was something missing. But he didn’t have any more time to think it about it just then. There was something else he’d forgotten about. Jeremy’s loan sharks. But they hadn’t forgotten about him.

  “Hello, Mr. Brunelle,” said the man who’d punched him the last time. He stepped out from a doorway just as Brunelle and Sophia were about to pass. Any effort to step around him was made pointless by the sudden appearance of his two henchman from the next doorway down. They stepped up behind their leader, effectively blocking the way. “And this must be your client’s lovely ex-wife.”

  Brunelle felt the adrenaline dump into his bloodstream. He didn’t really want to get punched again. He also found it disconcerting they knew his name. On the other hand, they didn’t know everything. As much as he didn’t want Sophia dragged into it, he was relieved that Kat had stayed back at the hotel to review the autopsy reports.

  He didn’t correct the thug. Neither did Sophia. She was smart.

  Thug looked Sophia up and down brazenly the same way Brunelle had done surreptitiously. She was worth the up-and-down look. But it still bothered Brunelle. And distracted him, eager to defend her honor but smart enough not to challenge three likely-armed criminals.

  “If this is about the money Stephenson borrowed from you,” Brunelle said, “I don’t know anything about that. I represent him on his criminal charges only.”

  Thug sneered at him and stepped into their space. “Don’t patronize me. You represent him on everything he needs help on. And he needs help on this.” He locked eyes with Brunelle. “You need help with this.”

  Brunelle knew there was no point in arguing. Not right then. He needed to figure out how to make these guys go away. That meant another meeting with Jeremy. And likely a loan from the Adonis corporate account, authorized by Overstreet. So in a way, Thug was right. He was going to end up representing Jeremy on this. He wondered absently if that might possibly be a crime. Accessory to usury?

  His legal ruminations were interrupted by Thug. He had turned his attention to Sophia. “You get us that money, Mr. Brunelle. Or else something bad might happen. To you. Or…” He reached up suddenly and grabbed Sophia by the throat. “To someone you care about.”

  Sophia instinctively grabbed Thug’s arm. Her nails dug into his skin, but he didn’t loosen his grip. Brunelle made a halting movement in Thug’s direction, but a gesture from one of the other men exposing the gun in his belt let him know not to try anything.

  “Do we understand each other, Mr. Brunelle?” Thug asked without letting go of Sophia’s neck.

  Brunelle nodded stiffly. “Yes.”

  Thug let go of Sophia and she curled away, rubbing her throat. She didn’t cough, telling Brunelle it had been about control and fear, not actually hurting her.

  “Good,” the loan shark said. “Make arrangements. One week. We know where to find you.”

  With that, he turned his back to Brunelle and walked through the other two men, who kept their eyes on Brunelle to make sure he didn’t try anything. Once their leader was safely past them, they too turned and the three of them disappeared down the next alleyway.

  “Are you all right?” Brunelle reached out and touched Sophia’s shoulders, but she shook off his hand.

  “I’m fine,” she said evenly, still rubbing the sides of her neck. “A little pissed, but fine.”

  “We need to talk to Jeremy,” Brunelle said.

  But Sophia shook her head. “No. We need to talk to Laura Mayer.”

  Chapter 25

  “Remind me again,“ Brunelle said as they stepped into the elevator, “why we’re bothering Laura Mayer instead of Gary Overstreet?”

  “Because,” Sophia replied, pressing the button, “we need to reorient her incentives.”

  Brunelle raised an eye to Kat, who had insisted on coming along—to give a human face to their business proposal—but she just shrugged. He looked back to his investigator. “How’s that again?”

  Sophia smiled. “She already has skin in the game,” Sophia explained enigmatically. “We need to make sure she wins no matter who loses.”

  With that, the elevator doors opened ag
ain and they stepped into the hallway. “Besides,” Sophia continued as they walked the short distance to Laura Mayer’s condo, “Overstreet would say no, and then tell everyone. We need someone who will say yes, and be discrete about it.”

  They’d reached Laura’s condo. Sophia raised a ringed and bangled hand.

  Knock! Knock! Knock!

  “Maybe we should have called first,” Brunelle suggested.

  “No,” Sophia assured. “That would’ve given her a chance to figure out how to say no.”

  The door opened and a clearly surprised Laura Mayer greeted them.

  “Well, hello, Mr. Brunelle, Ms. Farinelli,” she managed to say upon seeing him. Then she quickly nodded to the other woman in the hallway. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

  Kat extended her hand. “Dr. Kat Anderson. I’m Jeremy’s ex-wife.”

  Laura smiled tightly. “Very nice to finally meet you, Kat. I’ve heard a lot about you. Good things, all of them, I assure you. Please come in.”

  Kat didn’t look particularly assured, but they stepped inside and again sat around the coffee table. This time, Laura hadn’t been expecting them, so there wasn’t any tea ready. She slipped into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and returned to her guests.

  “So tell me,” she asked as she sat down on an upholstered loveseat, “to what do I owe this unexpected visit?”

  Brunelle opened his mouth to start the pitch, but Kat jumped in first.

  “We need your help,” she said. Then, she admitted the truth. “Jeremy needs your help.”

  Laura nodded. But she also pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and sat back in her seat—none of which were under ‘eager to help’ in the body language dictionary.

  “Not to be rude, darling,” she finally said, the word ‘darling’ simply underscoring somehow that she was a bit older and a bit better off than any of them, “but why should I help the man who murdered my business partner?”

  “Allegedly murdered,” Brunelle corrected. He thought it the lawyerly thing to do. He forgot he wasn’t supposed to be a lawyer just then.

  “He didn’t murder anyone,” Kat spat at him. “He’s innocent. Jesus, David, try to remember that.”

  Brunelle offered a contrite smile. “Right. Sorry.”

  “I’m afraid, dear,” Laura interjected, “that none of us really know what happened that night. But the authorities seem convinced of his guilt, and I dare say none of us are unbiased.”

  Brunelle thought for a moment. “Sophia is.”

  That seemed to surprise even Sophia. “I’m part of the defense team,” she said. “So I’m biased too.”

  But Brunelle shook his head. “No, that’s not biased. That’s just doing your job. Kat’s his ex-wife. I’m Kat’s, uh…”

  Kat rolled her eyes. “Oh, for God’s sake, David. Can’t you even say ‘boyfriend’?”

  “Right,” Brunelle grinned. “Boyfriend. That. And Laura, you were Vanessa’s business partner and friend. But Sophia doesn’t know anyone involved.”

  All eyes turned to the private investigator. After a moment she shrugged. “I suppose that’s probably true. This is a case like any other. I care, but it’s professional. For you all, it’s personal.”

  Laura nodded. “All right then, Sophia. What do you think? Did Jeremy murder Vanessa?”

  Sophia thought for several seconds, then shrugged again. This time a pretty little flinch of the shoulders. “I don’t know. And again, I don’t really care. It’s kind of irrelevant.”

  Laura raised her eyebrows. “Irrelevant?”

  Sophia nodded. “I’ve been hired to do a job. I’ll do it, and extremely well too. Then I’ll get hired to do the next job.”

  Laura and the others considered Sophia’s answer for a moment.

  “And anyway,” Sophia continued, “we didn’t come about that. We came to ask for money.”

  “Money?” Laura practically gasped. “You want me to pay for Jeremy’s defense?”

  Brunelle wasn’t sure this was how he would have handled it, but it was too late. He lowered his head into his hand, but Kat seized the opening.

  “No,” she said, “We want to borrow some money, temporarily, to pay off a loan Jeremy took out. From, well, from a loan shark.”

  Laura cocked her head, as if she were assessing just how insane these people in her home really were. “Is this some sort of sick joke?”

  “No,” Kat assured.

  There was a long pause as Laura eyeballed her guests a bit more. “How much are we talking about?” she asked.

  Kat looked to Brunelle who had raised his face again. “Twenty thousand,” he said.

  “Twenty thousand dollars?” Laura repeated. “And why in the hell would I do that?”

  Kat reached out and exposed the red marks on Sophia’s neck. “Because if you don’t, they’ll take it out on us.” She looked over to Brunelle. “Show her your bruise too, David.”

  Brunelle hesitated then pointed to the yellowy spot on his cheek that marked where the bruise had mostly healed.

  “They assaulted you?” Laura asked, aghast. “You’re just his criminal lawyer.”

  “They didn’t seem to care,” Brunelle explained.

  “And they thought Sophia was me,” Kat added, letting Sophia’s silky tresses drop back over her neck. “I don’t want to think what they’ll do when they hear my teenage daughter is in town for the trial.”

  That seemed to strike a chord with Laura. Up until the Lizzy comment she seemed shocked, but potentially unimpressed. But the thought of a teenage girl being victimized seemed to move her. “Even if I were willing to help, where do you suggest I get the money?”

  “Your insurance settlement,” Sophia answered immediately.

  Laura raised an eyebrow. Gears turned behind her eyes. Brunelle guessed she was trying to decide whether to admit she’d received a settlement. “I need that money to recoup my losses.”

  Sophia didn’t hesitate to reply. “You can double your money.”

  That got the affluent woman’s attention. She uncrossed her arms. “How?”

  “The payment to Vanessa is being held up by the criminal charges,” Sophia explained, having discussed the matter with Brunelle and Kat on the way over, They had always drawn government checks and been on the county’s malpractice insurance policy. Sophia the Entrepreneur was the expert on business, risks, and casualty insurance. “Once Jeremy is acquitted, he’ll receive the payment through Vanessa’s estate and he can repay you.”

  Laura narrowed her eyes. “That doesn’t double my money.”

  Sophia smiled darkly. “And if he’s convicted, they’ll deny the claim as to Vanessa. You’ll be the only beneficiary and you’ll receive the entire settlement payment.”

  Brunelle’s jaw dropped, but not nearly as far as Kat’s.

  “What are you doing?” Kat demanded. Her question was directed to Sophia, but she smacked Brunelle’s arm. He was closer.

  “It’s a simple business proposition,” Sophia explained. “Either way, Ms. Mayer winds. And we get the big uglies to go away.”

  Sophia turned back to Laura. “So what do you say?”

  “I’m not convinced,” she said. “What if I loan him the money, he’s acquitted, and they still don’t pay out? Then I’m out twenty thousand dollars. I need a guarantee the loan will be paid back.”

  “It will be,” Brunelle jumped in. “Jeremy was borrowing from his practice without telling his partner. This is his loan, not ours. We’re just the ones getting harassed. Maybe we can get him to agree to secure the loan with assets from his practice. But we don’t want to go to a bank with this, for obvious reasons.”

  Laura pursed her lips again and tapped them thoughtfully. The pitch was over. She just needed to give her answer. The other three in the room waited for it. Finally she lowered her hand from her face and nodded. “I need to see the books for Jeremy’s practice. If I’m going to loan money based on a security interest in a business, I need to know how solvent
that business is. That kind of thing can be hidden pretty easily, but I’ll be able to tell.” She gestured toward her luxurious home. “I didn’t get here not understanding how business works.”

  Brunelle figured that was all too true. “Done,” he said. “We’ll get you those A.S.A.P.”

  Sophia stood up and extended her hand, knowing to get going once the agreement had been made, lest it be rescinded upon a second thought. “Thank you, Ms. Mayer.”

  Laura seemed to appreciate the termination of their meeting. She stood up and shook Sophia’s hand. “I’ll look forward to seeing the books. Thank you for coming by.”

  The visitors quickly made their leave, Brunelle only slightly disappointed they hadn’t gotten around to actually drinking any of the freshly brewed coffee. They waited until they were downstairs in the lobby again before anyone said anything,

  “That went fairly well,” Brunelle opined.

  Kat had to agree. “Honestly, I thought she’d say no.”

  “She had to say yes,” Sophia replied. “She thinks Jeremy’s guilty and she has money riding on it. Now she knows we know that. So she had to agree to help—just to make it look like she had a reason for him to be acquitted too.”

  “She doesn’t?” Kat asked, a bit dejected by Sophia’s practicality.

  “Her best case is still a conviction,” Sophia replied. “She’ll get her money from the insurance company. Plus a bonus.”

  “What bonus?” Brunelle asked.

  “The guilty verdict,” Sophia answered. “Remember, polite or not, she thinks Jeremy murdered her friend.”

  Kat frowned and looked away. Brunelle put a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t respond, but she didn’t shrug it off either. Brunelle decided to change the subject.

  “So how do we get the Adonis books?’ he asked. “We seem to be a pretty good team. Maybe we should all go visit Dr. Overstreet together and explain the circumstances.”

  But Sophia shook her head. “No, I don’t think we want to do that. We don’t want to arm him with that kind of information. He’s the type who’d call the authorities.”