The Perfect Alibi

by Phillip Margolin

  “Can you tell me what you and Doug did last night?”

  Marsha’s brow furrowed. “Why do you want to know?”

  “I’ll tell you in a minute.”

  Marsha hesitated.

  “It’s important,” Roger said.

  Marsha shrugged. “We stayed home. I fixed dinner and we watched some episodes of Game of Thrones Doug missed when he was in jail. Then we went to bed.”

  “About what time was that?”

  “I don’t know. Nine, nine thirty.”

  It suddenly dawned on Marsha that she couldn’t remember what time she’d gone to bed or even going up to bed. She did remember seeing the episode where the dragons burned up the army, but even that memory was hazy.

  “You were together all night?”

  “Yes,” she said, although she was guessing.

  “Could Doug have left during the night?”

  “Okay. That’s enough. I don’t think I should say anything else until you tell me why you’re here.”

  “Rex Kellerman was murdered last night,” Carrie said as she watched Marsha closely for her reaction.

  Marsha’s jaw dropped and she looked stunned. Then she realized why the detectives were at her door. “You think…? That’s ridiculous.”

  “We have to talk to everyone who had a grudge against Mr. Kellerman, and Doug had a powerful motive to kill Rex.”

  “Doug was home all night, and I don’t think we have anything more to talk about.”

  “I’m sorry we upset you,” Carrie said.

  “You have some nerve, coming here after what you did to Doug. So just go.”

  Marsha slammed the door. The adrenaline generated by her anger had cleared Marsha’s head a little, but not completely. Why did she feel so dopey?

  Marsha had told the detectives that Doug was with her all night, but had he been in her bed all night? She could never swear to that, because she had been dead to the world until the doorbell roused her at ten in the morning.

  Marsha thought about the previous evening. She had been tired, but not abnormally tired. So, what was the explanation for her foggy memory and deep sleep? Marsha did take sleeping pills on occasion. She’d taken them almost every night after her miscarriage and while Doug was under arrest. But she had not taken any since Doug forgave her for having an affair with Rex Kellerman.

  Marsha strained to remember what had happened during their viewing of Game of Thrones. Doug had been very sweet, she recalled. He’d bought several flavors of ice cream for her, and she’d eaten a big bowl while the dragons were flying around.

  It dawned on Marsha that this was her last clear memory. She frowned. Did Doug put something in the ice cream? Why would he do that? The answer that came to her was one she quickly rejected. Doug was no killer. He was a gentle soul. It was ridiculous to think that he would drug her, sneak out of their house in the dead of night, and kill Rex—wasn’t it?

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  Robin had a court appearance in another county, so she had to take her car. The case finished at three. When she got back to her office a little after four, she found Everett Henderson waiting for her in Reception. Robin broke into a big grin. She hadn’t seen Everett since she’d won his case and humiliated Rex Kellerman, two very pleasant accomplishments.

  “Hey, Rockin’ Robin,” Henderson sang when he stood up.

  “What brings you here? Hopefully, not another run-in with the law.”

  “Nah. I’m keeping my nose clean.” Henderson pointed to a man who was sitting next to him. “This is my good friend, Bill Carmody. He’s got legal problems, which I’ll let him explain. And he has money, so don’t let him off cheap.”

  Carmody gave new meaning to the word disreputable. He was rail thin, dressed in stained jeans, a soiled black T-shirt, and a leather vest that displayed the colors of the Viper motorcycle gang. His beard was unkempt, as was his hair, and he couldn’t sit still. As Robin drew near, she caught a whiff of a horrible stink resembling the odor of cat piss, which she knew from experience attached itself to people who cooked speed.

  “Thank you, Everett,” Robin responded, trying not to breathe.

  Henderson stood. “I’ll be waiting downstairs, Bill. You’re in good hands.”

  “Mr. Carmody,” Robin said, “why don’t we go to my office, and you can explain why you think you need my help.”

  * * *

  It was after six by the time Robin finished interviewing her new client. She was too tired to work, so she called Jeff to tell him she was on her way. He said he’d treat her to dinner at their favorite restaurant. Robin straightened her desk and headed down the street to her garage.

  The lot had been packed when Robin arrived, and the first spot she’d found was far from the elevator, at the back of the eighth floor. By six thirty, most of the cars were gone and her car was the only one parked against the back wall. Robin was reaching for the driver’s door handle when she heard footsteps. As she turned, a hand shot out and jammed her against her car.

  “Where is Randi Stark living?”

  “She moved after she saw you outside her house, Blaine. I don’t know her new address.”

  “I don’t believe you. Give me the address or I’ll hurt you.”

  “You’re in enough trouble already. Don’t make it worse by piling an assault on top of a rape.”

  “I never raped that lying cunt.”

  “The evidence and the witnesses say otherwise,” Robin said to stall for time.

  “The witnesses lied and the evidence was planted.”

  “DNA doesn’t lie.”

  “You moron, that scheming bitch rigged the DNA.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Hastings’s features hardened. “I’m through talking. Give me the address or I’ll beat it out of you.”

  Robin let her voice crack so Hastings would hear fear. She hoped he would relax enough to give her an opening.

  “Okay, okay. But I don’t have it memorized. It’s on my phone. Give me some room. It’s in my pocket.”

  Hastings stepped back, and Robin aimed a kick at his knee. Blaine had exceptional reflexes, and Robin’s foot missed the mark. Robin smashed her fist into Hastings’s stomach, but it was like hitting a wall. Hastings grunted. Then he swung. Robin blocked the punch, but there was enough force behind it to drive her back against her car. She raised her forearm to block the next punch, but Hastings was so strong that the blow drove her forearm into her face. The back of her head smacked into the side of her car, stunning her.

  Hastings grabbed Robin by the throat with one hand and slapped her hard with the other. “The address, bitch, or…” Hastings’s eyes went funny and he released Robin.

  He started to turn, and a massive fist adorned with brass knuckles crashed into the side of his face. Hastings staggered and tried to raise his arms, but he was too dazed to get them up. The next punch flattened his nose and sent him to his knees. Everett Henderson’s final punch put Blaine out.

  “How you doing?” Henderson asked.

  “I’ve been better. How did you know I needed help?”

  “I was downstairs waiting for Bill when I saw this asshole watching the building. I didn’t think about it until his hood fell back for a moment, and I recognized him. Then you came out and he started following you. I decided to tail him.”

  “I’m glad you did. He was way too big for me.”

  “Hey, you tried.”

  “I’m going to call 911. Those brass knuckles are illegal, so I think you should disappear.”

  Henderson smiled. “Good advice, Counselor.”

  “And thank you.”

  “No need after what you did for me. Hey, I just got an idea. We should go WWE. We’d make a good tag team.”

  Robin laughed. “Get lost.”

  * * *

  Hastings started to come to before the police arrived. Robin hesitated. Then she remembered what Blaine had done to Randi, and she stomped his head hard enough to put him out ag
ain. Two police officers arrived moments before the ambulance.

  Robin had told Dispatch who had attacked her and asked them to notify Carrie Anders and Roger Dillon. The detectives showed up fifteen minutes after the first responders. The EMTs had Hastings strapped down in the back of the ambulance. The detectives checked on the prisoner, then walked over to Robin, who was sitting in her car with the door open.

  “You’re going to have a tough time getting dates if you keep beating them up,” said Anders.

  “Blaine Hastings isn’t my type, Carrie. I don’t date rapists.”

  “I took a good look at Mr. Hastings’s injuries. I didn’t know you could hit that hard.”

  “I can’t. A Good Samaritan came to my rescue.”

  “Did you get a name?”

  “No. And I was too dazed to give you a description, so don’t ask.”

  Anders studied Robin for a moment. Robin met her gaze and Anders smiled.

  “Maybe Prince Charming can give us a description. But he’s going to have his jaw wired shut for a while, so I’ll have to wait. Why did he attack you?”

  “He wanted Randi Stark’s address.”

  “Lucky for her, he’s in no condition to pay a visit.” Anders frowned.

  “What are you thinking about?” Robin asked.

  “I was just wondering if Hastings murdered Rex Kellerman.”

  “Kellerman’s dead?”

  “You haven’t heard. It’s been all over the news.”

  “I was in court and out of town all day. What happened?”

  “Les Kreuger gave Rex all the files in the case against Doug Armstrong, those New York cases, all that stuff. Someone shot him early this morning, then set fire to the files. His house burned down.”

  “And you think Hastings might have killed him because he prosecuted him?”

  “It’s possible. Especially now that you tell me he was going after Randi Stark.”

  “Why would Blaine or anyone burn case files? Plenty of people have duplicates.”

  “That’s a question we’ve been asking. Les Kreuger told us that Rex left a message in his office voice mail last night. He claimed he’d found something odd in the files, but he didn’t say what it was. I have someone going through our copies to see if he can figure out what Rex noticed.”

  Robin was about to say something when she grew dizzy and reached out to brace herself.

  “Are you okay?” Carrie asked.

  “I think my adrenaline tank just went dry.”

  “Do you think you have a concussion?”

  “I hope not.”

  “Did you make a statement already?”

  “Yeah, to the first officer who responded to my 911 call.”

  “Can you drive safely?”

  Robin thought about calling Jeff but decided against it. She’d see him at the apartment. “I’ll be okay. I’ll just sit for a minute.”

  “Okay. Then go home. If I need anything more, I’ll get in touch.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  When Robin walked in the door of her apartment, Jeff saw her black eye and swollen jaw.

  “What happened!?”

  “I had a run-in with Blaine Hastings.”

  Jeff looked shocked. “Are you okay? How badly are you hurt?”

  “I’m good. Just a little shaken up.”

  “Did you go to the hospital?”

  Robin smiled. “Relax, Jeff. I used to fight professionally. I’ve been hurt worse in the octagon, believe me.”

  “Not by someone who tried to kill you.”

  “Blaine didn’t try to kill me. He just wanted information. And he’s in jail, so I don’t have to worry about him. He also got much more of a beating than I did.”

  Robin told Jeff about the attack and the rescue. By the time she finished, he’d calmed down.

  Jeff wrapped his arms around Robin and pulled her tight. “I should have been there for you.”

  “It’s not your fault Blaine got to me.”

  “We dropped our guard. I should have known better.”

  Robin pushed Jeff far enough away to look into his eyes. “I’m okay. Please don’t beat yourself up.”

  “I love you, Robin. If anything happened to you…”

  “Neither of us can live in a bubble. If I could go back in time, I’d keep you from going into that meth lab, but I can’t, and you can’t go back in time and walk me to my car.”

  Jeff started to say something, but Robin silenced him with a kiss.

  “Who rescued you?” Jeff asked when they came up for air.

  “I’m not saying, because I don’t want to get him in trouble.”

  “I won’t tell anyone.”

  “You won’t be able to if I don’t tell you the identity of my knight in shining armor.”

  Jeff decided it would be futile to pursue this line of questioning.

  “Did you hear about Rex Kellerman?” Robin asked to divert Jeff.

  “Yeah. Do you think Hastings killed him?”

  “I don’t know. And right now, I don’t want to think about Kellerman, Blaine Hastings, or anyone but the sandman.”

  * * *

  Robin had a splitting headache when she woke up the next morning. Jeff was concerned, but she told him that he shouldn’t worry. Then she took two Advil and fixed a bagel and tea for breakfast. Jeff read the newspaper while they ate. Every once in a while, he would comment on an article, but Robin seemed miles away.

  They were almost finished with breakfast when Carrie Anders called to see how Robin was feeling and to ask her to come in to give a formal statement. Robin called her secretary to tell her she’d be in late.

  “Do you want me to drive you downtown?” Jeff asked.

  “I’ll be able to drive myself.”

  “Are you really okay? You seem a little spacey.”

  “More than usual?” Robin said, flashing a smile that made it look like she felt a lot better than she actually felt.

  Jeff didn’t return the smile.

  “I’m okay, Jeff. Please don’t worry.”

  “Will you promise me you’ll see a doctor? You could have a concussion.”

  “I’ll go right after I give my statement to Carrie.”

  Robin went back to her breakfast, and Jeff turned to the sports page. He was about to comment on an upcoming football game when he saw Robin staring into space.

  “What is it?” Jeff asked.

  Robin frowned.

  “Out with it,” Jeff said. “I know when a weird idea is whirling around in your little brain.”

  “It’s something Carrie told me. Les Kreuger gave Rex copies of the files in Doug Armstrong’s case. Rex left Les a message on his voice mail. He said he’d found something odd in the files, but he didn’t say what it was. The person who killed Rex burned the files. Could Rex have been killed because he found something in them that put someone in danger?”

  “There’s another possibility,” Jeff said. “Paper burns. Maybe the killer just used the files to start his fire.”

  Robin sighed. “That’s the most likely possibility. But Frank Nylander went to New York to settle a case against a pharmaceutical company represented by a lawyer named Tyler Harrison. The files in that case were among the files that Les gave to Rex. Leonard Voss was the plaintiff in the case. Both Harrison and Nylander were murdered. Then Leonard Voss and his wife were murdered, and their house was set on fire, just like Rex.”

  “And you don’t think that’s a coincidence?”

  “I’m starting to think that there are too many coincidences connected to the New York case.”

  “Did Rex have anything to do with the New York case?”

  “Not that I know, but he might have stumbled onto something when he read the files. Norcross Pharmaceutical is a relatively new company, and the drug that Voss claimed caused his stroke is their first big product. If Voss’s suit had been successful, it could have been devastating for Norcross.”

  “You think the company hired someone to
kill Voss?”

  “I don’t know, but Voss and the lawyers who were representing Voss and Norcross were all murdered within a short time.”

  “Assuming Rex found a smoking gun in the files last night, how would Norcross even know about it?”

  Robin grimaced. “You’ve got a point.”

  “This isn’t our case anymore, Robin. Doug was our client, and you cleared his name. Why waste your time?”

  “It just bothers me.”

  “If you’re right, poking around in Rex’s case could be dangerous.”

  Robin smiled. “You’re sweet, but you don’t have to worry. If I do find something, I’ll tell Carrie and Roger.”

  * * *

  Robin drove to police headquarters and gave a statement about Blaine Hastings’s assault to Carrie Anders. She pretended not to know the identity of her rescuer, and Anders didn’t push.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Robin asked just before she left.

  “Shoot,” Carrie answered.

  “Something has been bugging me. Does the way Rex died and the way Leonard and Rita Voss died strike you as being similar?”

  “I did think about Voss when I drove up to Rex’s house, but I haven’t found anything that ties the two together.”

  “Have you had a breakthrough in the Voss murders?”

  “Maybe. Mrs. Voss called the station before she died and said she thought someone was following her. She said she got suspicious when she saw the same car on two occasions. Then she spotted a car down the street from her house.”

  “Did she give a description of the car?”

  “She said it was a red Honda Accord.”

  “Did she get a license number?”

  “No, the car was too far away, and it sped off when she started to walk toward him. But we may have caught a break. A red Honda Accord ran a red light two blocks from the Voss home on the night they were killed. There was a traffic camera at the light, and we have a photo of the driver and the license. The car was a rental. The renter used fake ID, but we ran the photo of the driver through facial recognition software and we think his name is Ivar Gorski.”

  “Does he have any connection to Norcross Pharmaceuticals?”