Splitsville by William Bernhardt

Author:William Bernhardt [Bernhardt, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: legal thriller, courtroom drama, courtroom, Legal, thriller, Perry Mason, Grisham, Turow, Bernhardt, Daniel Pike, Ben Kincaid, suspense, injustice, innocent man, lawyer
Publisher: Babylon Books
Published: 2021-05-25T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 27

Kenzi stopped by Sharon’s desk before she returned to her own office. She was not surprised to find she had messages waiting for her—but on this occasion, there were so many Sharon had been forced to break out a second spindle.

“Are any of these messages I want to return?” A wave of despair rushed over her as she glanced at the stack. Every passing moment convinced her she was in over her head.

“Probably not,” Sharon replied, typing, texting, and talking simultaneously. “Most of them are from media agencies, so you’re under no obligation to reply.”

“I have no interest in making press statements.”

“You may want to reconsider that, girlfriend. You lose the media war, you may lose the jury. The DA has already released a statement.”

“The DA? The actual DA? Shel Harrington?”

“The big man himself.”

“Doesn’t he have better things to do?”

“He knows this is about to become a firestorm and he wants to get in front of it.”

“Surely there are more important news stories.”

“More important? Sure. But sexier? Not so much. We got a violent fiery murder allegedly committed by a canned mommy on the rampage. Throw in a cult and you’ve got a story that’s likely to lead the news until the zombie apocalypse.”

“I wish people would stop talking about the cult. It’s the least important aspect of this case.”

“Are you sure about that? The reporters aren’t. Where have you been?”

“Down below. Recruiting help.”

Sharon’s eyebrows rose. “From the reclusive Ms. Emma Ortiz, Esquire?”

“I need someone who knows criminal law.”

“So you and she are going to work together?” Sharon looked down, shaking her head and pursing her lips. “This is gonna be interesting.”

“I’ll make it work. Since I have no choice.” She grabbed her messages. “Hold my calls. Cancel my appointments. I’m going to be holed up in my office all day getting a grip on this case. But I want to go to the jailhouse and check on Maya before visiting hours end. So no distractions until—”

Sharon pushed out her hand in the traditional Stop position. “I’m afraid you don’t have the luxury of hibernation.”

That sounded ominous. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been summoned. Daddie Dearest calls.”

* * *

The main thought in Kenzi’s head as she made her way down the corridor was: Why aren’t I being summoned by Gabriel? Isn’t he supposed to be the managing partner now? Was his appointment purely ceremonial? Her father still appeared to be running the shop. Gabe probably got the donkey work, but Alejandro Rivera still held the reins.

She didn’t bother to knock. She had been summoned, after all. “Look, if you’re going to hassle me because—”

She stopped short. Though her father sat behind his desk, both of the chairs on the other side were occupied. On the far end, Lou Crozier sat with a Cheshire Cat grin on his face. And unless she was mistaken, the man in the other chair was...

“Shel Harrington. Our distinguished district attorney,” her father explained.

Harrington rose and extended his hand. He was tall. Seriously tall. She guessed about six foot four, which meant he was almost a foot taller than she was.

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