Overkill(48)
“Please,” she moaned. They smiled across at each other. She wished the lighthearted, flirty banter could continue but knew it couldn’t. “You believe someone was in my house, don’t you?”
“Don’t you?”
“I’m reluctant to,” she said softly, “but yes. Who?”
“I’m afraid that if I speculate, I’ll be right.”
“Eban Clarke.”
He made a motion with his shoulder. “Or he sent someone.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her upper arms. “It makes my skin crawl.”
“Mine, too.”
“But I don’t see how it could’ve been him. The investigator—”
“I’m sure your guy is good. But Eban is sly. He’d have figured out a way to give him the slip.”
She shook her head. “I checked with him late this evening before I left the office. He said Eban returned from a racquetball workout at four o’clock and hadn’t left the house since.”
Zach raised his hands in a gesture of helplessness. “As I said, maybe he sent a toady. But how would he have gotten your name? It hasn’t been publicized that you or anyone is considering another charge against him.”
“It hasn’t been publicized, no. But his father, Sid, has a lawyer on retainer. They’ve been cheek-to-jowl for ages. Upton Franklin is his name. He’s shrewd and he’s corrupt. He’s probably got a dozen or more snitches in the AG’s office. Any red flag that appears next to a Clarke’s name, he hears of it within minutes. If it’s nothing but a scratch, he starts immediately stanching the bleed.”
Zach took a look around the room before coming back to her. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay here.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“First of all, you’re lying. Secondly, I’m scared shitless.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
“Go to New Orleans with me tomorrow.”
Chapter 20
Kate didn’t say anything immediately. Then, “For what purpose?”
“To see Doug.”
“Again, for what purpose?”
“You told me you had notified him of Clarke’s release.”
“He reacted with anger, disgust, all the justifiable emotions. He asked if I had notified you. At that point I hadn’t.”
“But now you have, and Morris has told Doug that you’ve been to see me. I’m certain that unhinged him. I need to talk to him, Kate. Face-to-face. When I do, I’d like for you to be there.”
“To serve as a buffer?”
“More than that. You represent the attorney general. That makes the discussion official, not personal. Otherwise, Doug will just bang heads with me. It also may influence his thinking if you impress on him what a threat Eban Clarke is.”
“A flight risk, yes. But a threat?”
“I doubt he changed his spots or came to Jesus while in prison. If he remains free, other women could fall victim.”
She looked at him thoughtfully. “Last night you referred to Rebecca as having been ‘victimized’ by Eban Clarke. Not everyone shares that opinion.”
“Don’t you?”
“Well, Parsons and Simpson testified that she went into that room with them of her own volition. She knew what they were going in there for, and she participated. ‘Enthusiastically,’ to quote Cal Parsons.”
“In all probability that much is true,” Zach said. “But Rebecca loved life. Loved living. If at any point she’d felt that her life was in danger, she would have called a halt. In fact, I believe she would have fought like hell.”
“All three men had scratch marks on their arms and faces,” Kate said. “Their tissue was found under her fingernails. Clarke’s defense attorney couldn’t refute the DNA evidence, but he reminded the jury of the sex toys found in that room. He said that scratching was part of their rough sex play. He raised a reasonable doubt.”
“That’s what the Clarkes paid him to do. Hell, you could create reasonable doubt about damn near anything. The sky is blue. No, it’s gray. Actually it can be either. Reasonably speaking, it’s blue, but—”
“All right, you’ve made your point.”
“This is my point, and I’d stake my own life on it. Either Rebecca was incapable of saying the safe word, or she said it, and they ignored it. But even if she didn’t fight, or couldn’t, at any time past signaling No. Enough, she became a victim.”
Kate had been listening, her expression intent, her body tense. Now, her shoulders visibly relaxed. “I believe so, too.”
“Then why’d you put up an argument?”
“Because that’s what I’m paid to do. By the state.”
“Clever. You wound me up.”
“I needed to hear just how passionately you felt about it.”
“Now that you know, what about New Orleans?” When she hesitated, he said, “I took the liberty of booking a departure flight tomorrow morning for you and me.”
“Returning when?”
“That depends on Doug and the outcome of the meeting. I may be coming back by tomorrow evening, or I may be required to stay for several days. You could return directly after meeting with him. In all honesty, Kate, I can’t predict what he’ll say or do. But I believe it would be helpful to have you there. Will you come with me?”