Overkill(73)

“They lied for Eban’s sake?” Zach asked.

“Out of loyalty, yes. Probably intimidation, too. But Cal and Theo were also well compensated. They were bribed.”

“By how much?”

“Tens of thousands of dollars each. Of course, lying also worked to their advantage,” she said. “Neither served time. But the thing is…” She had to stop and tamp down a swell of emotion. “The thing is, even knowing how deviant and manipulative Eban is, Cal is still under his thumb.”

“How’s that?” Zach asked.

Melinda looked at Kate. “Will telling you this help Cal?”

“It could,” Kate said softly, but with emphasis on the qualifier. “All I can commit to is the possibility.”

“You’re not recording this, are you?”

“No,” Zach and Kate replied in unison.

“What if I said something you could later use against Cal?”

“It would be tossed out because it would have been obtained without counsel present.”

Melinda looked at Zach, who said, “We’re not trying to pull a fast one on you. If you send us away, things stay as they are. If we talk openly, it could work to our mutual benefit.”

“You’d swear to that?”

“As I said, I’ll swear it on whatever you hold sacred.”

“What do you hold sacred? How about your Super Bowl ring?”

He smiled, but without mirth. “I’d have to get it back from my former coach, Bing. After the network canned me, in the heat of the moment, I threw it at him. I guess he still has it.”

The young woman nodded pensively, then took a deep breath and told them about Eban’s surprise visit of the day before. “We’d just had it confirmed that we’re going to have a baby.”

After they had congratulated her, she continued. “We were elated. But Eban showed up and ruined the occasion.” She looked down into her lap where her hands were clasped so tightly, the tips of her fingers were white. “Last night, rather than celebrate with me, Cal left to meet up with Eban and Theo. I begged him not to go, but he said he must, that if he didn’t sever all ties with Eban once and for all, he would continue to hound us.

“But he didn’t sever ties.” She tilted her head up and sniffed back tears. “Eban has always been the host and paid the others’ way. But he’s the parasite, and he’s feeding on my husband.” Her voice cracked, and she began to cry.

Before Zach could react, Kate left the couch, went to kneel beside Melinda’s chair, and placed her hands on the young woman’s knees.

“I’m sorry.” Melinda produced a tissue from the pocket of her shirt and blotted her nose.

“Don’t be sorry,” Kate said. “You have a good reason to cry.”

“Cal told me that you’ve got Eban worried, Ms. Lennon.” She added with heat, “Please, please put him away for good.”

“I would love nothing better,” Kate said, “but he can’t be retried for the same crime.”

She patted Melinda’s knee then returned to her seat beside Zach on the couch. He could tell that Melinda’s plea had sparked Kate’s fighting spirit. Her blue eyes were alight, and she was gnawing the inside of her cheek as though trying to contain the things she wanted so badly to say.

“Lay it out for her,” he said in a confidential tone. “I won’t tattle on you.”

Melinda swiped tears off her cheeks. “Lay what out?”

Kate was poised like a sprinter in the blocks seconds before the pistol, but her voice was calm. “For the present, further prosecution of Eban Clarke is a nonissue because Rebecca Pratt is still alive. But upon her death, whenever it occurs and under whatever circumstances, the status would change. At that point in time, the attorney general might be persuaded to pursue a murder case against Eban. If tried and convicted, he could be put away. Maybe not for good, but for a long time.”

Melinda wet her lips. “Those are a lot of conditions to be met, though.”

“I’m aware,” Kate said with a rueful smile.

“Would you be prosecuting the case?”

“I don’t know. However, whoever did, before going to trial, should be holding a silver bullet.”

“Like what?”

“Like your husband’s eyewitness testimony.”

“The truth this time,” Zach said.

Warmed up now, Kate continued. “For years, Cal was Eban’s like-minded sidekick. He knows firsthand how destructive Eban can be, and one of his pet projects now seems to be the destruction of your marriage.”

“Because he’s jealous of Cal.”

“Very insightful, Melinda,” Kate said. “I believe you’re right.”

“Eban recruited Cal as his friend because of his looks, his way with women.” With a shy smile, she added, “He’s sexy.”

Kate smiled, then took a second before saying, “This is an important question, Melinda, so please think carefully before you answer. If everything else fell into place, and Eban Clarke was about to stand trial, do you think Cal would turn state’s witness? He would be offered inducements.”

In an unconscious gesture of protection for her child, Melinda ran her hand over her lower abdomen. “He loves me. I know that absolutely. He loves our baby already. I would like to think he would testify against Eban even without inducements.”