Sedona Law 4 by Dave Daren (free ebook reader for ipad .txt) 📗

friend. I had an enjoyable evening, but I had to leave early for another engagement. I was deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident that occurred afterward, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s family.”

“And how did you find out about the incident?” I asked.

“I had many friends and associates in attendance,” he said. “I cannot accurately recall which one was the first to relay the news to me.”

“Uh-huh,” I said. “Switching gears, you have also been connected with Judith Klein. What can you tell me about your relationship with her?”

“Judith Klein?” he said. “I don’t think I know that name.”

“So, you never invested in a photography studio with her?” I asked.

“Next question, please,” Evan piped in.

I smirked. John Malone was clearly dirty. So, I decided to go on the offensive. I wasn’t going to get anywhere playing neutral, so I might as well get what I could, how I could.

“Tell me about Olivia Parker,” I said. “Can you give me the address of the Tucson apartment you rented for her?”

“I’m sorry?” he said.

“How much money did you and Judith--”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Can you please stay on topic?”

“Oh, I’m on topic, Senator,” I said. “I know everything, and I’m about to bring you down from the columns, where you like it.”

I was referring to a line from A Streetcar Named Desire, where the scumbag husband tells his wife that when he married her, he brought her from the middle class to the lower class, and she liked it. I don’t know if Malone caught the reference or not, but he laughed.

“Is that right?” he snarled. “And just how do you intend to do that?”

“If this goes to trial,” I said. “I’ve got a rap sheet a mile long full of witnesses to testify, in court, to all your dirty tricks. So, we could go that route. Or you can tell me what you know about the murder, so I can get my client off, and you get to keep your little secrets, at least long enough to get re-elected, anyway.”

“Are you blackmailing me?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “I’m not. But even if I were, you’d actually have to have a secret for me to be able to use it against you.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, here, hotshot,” he said. “Are you sure you want to play with me?”

“I don’t want to play anything,” I said. “All I’m interested in right now is keeping my client out of jail.”

“Let me tell you something,” he said, “since you seem so hell bent on telling me a few things, I thought I’d return the gesture. You’re Iakova’s new little darling, and I get that that’s a bit of a head rush for someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” I asked.

“Small town lawyer, looking to make a name for himself among the lowbrow yokels,” he answered. “Your bravado is cute in its own way. Quaint, but cute.”

“Fascinating rhetoric considering the demographics you represent,” I said. “Do your constituents know you talk this way?”

“Cut the crap,” he said. “I know what this is really all about.”

“I should hope so, given that I’ve been quite direct about it,” I said mainly to deflect his condescension.

He chuckled. “No, you want to have a little power play.”

“I’ve got a client being charged with a capital offense,” I said. “Any phrase that includes the word ‘play’ I don’t have time for.”

“Look,” he said, “I’ve known Iakova for years. He’s a smart man, very smart. But his high intelligence is often his greatest downfall. He gets bored with his shiny new toys--which, is all you are to him. And if you go around burning bridges, like a crusader for political justice, in the end, when he gets tired of you, you’ll be left with nothing but a bad name from Sedona to Tucson. If you’re looking to move up in politics, that’s one hell of a way to start.”

“Right,” I said. “I guess I missed the part of your career advice speech where you hire a call girl, murder her boyfriend, and sit fat and happy while some other woman goes to jail for it.”

“I did no such thing,” he said. “And I’m offended by your accusations.”

“You can be offended all you want,” I said. “But I will subpoena you in all the way from Tucson if this thing goes to trial.”

He laughed mirthlessly. “You’ll never make it past being a low-grade lawyer. You don’t know the compromises it takes to get to the top.”

“Alright,” I said. “So tell me about it. What compromises have you made to get to the top?”

“This call is over,” he said.

“As I recall,” I retorted, “it never began.”

He hung up on me, and I dropped the phone on my desk and rubbed my face. Vicki and AJ stared at me in shock.

“You are the czar,” AJ said. “You are the fucking czar.”

I just smiled and shook my head. “I got nowhere with the guy.”

“We know for sure now that he’s involved,” Vicki said. “Which gives us a whole new angle.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Tomorrow, I’ve got to meet with Iakova. That should be fun.”

“He is probably on the phone to Iakova right now, ranting and raving about you,” Vicki added.

“Should be a delightful conversation,” I said sarcastically.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ve got another monkey wrench for you.”

“No, no, no,” I said. “Monkey wrench reception factory is closed.”

“We’re going to dinner with Julianna and Gabriel,” she said.

“What?” I asked.

“They’re nervous and unsure,” she began, “and she’s feeling betrayed and emotional, and so I told them we take all of our big clients out to dinner before their court dates.”

“We do?” I asked.

“We do now,” she said. “I think it’s a nice tradition we should start.”