The Perfect Alibi (Robin Lockwood #2)(22)

Robin laid a hand on Henderson’s massive forearm. “Don’t worry, Everett. I’ve got this covered.”

“What did you do after you spoke to Mr. Goins?” Kellerman continued.

“I called you and told you what Mr. Goins said.”

“What did I do after we spoke?”

“You came to the jail around nine o’clock and interviewed Mr. Goins.”

“Were you in the room with me during the interview?”

“I was.”

“What time did we finish speaking to Mr. Goins?”

“It was late, around ten, ten thirty.”

“No further questions, Your Honor,” the prosecutor said.

“Miss Lockwood?” the judge said.

“Thank you, Your Honor. Mr. Stiller, who is Terry Powell?”

Robin was watching Kellerman, and she was pleased to see the blood drain from his face.

“He’s another investigator in our office.”

“Nothing further,” Robin said.

“Do you have any more witnesses, Mr. Kellerman?” the judge asked.

“No, Your Honor.”

“Miss Lockwood?”

“I have two. I’d like Mary Goins to take the stand.”

The bailiff went into the hall and returned with Mrs. Goins.

“What is your relationship to Willis Goins?” Robin asked after the witness was sworn.

“He’s my husband.”

“How long have you been married?”

Mrs. Goins sighed and shook her head. “It seems like forever, but I guess it’s sixteen years.”

“Do you have an opinion about Mr. Goins’s ability to tell the truth?”

Mrs. Goins laughed. “He ain’t got that ability. If Willis tells you it’s high noon, you better get ten astronomers to back him up before you believe him.”

“Now, we’ve had testimony that your husband called the DA’s office and claimed that he and my client were in jail together and my client confessed to making up a story about acting in self-defense so he could win his case. Does this sound familiar?”

“It sure does,” Mrs. Goins said. “He pulls this sh … stuff all the time when he gets arrested. He finds out about a case and gets friendly with the defendant. Then he rats him out.”

“Isn’t that a good thing to do?” Robin asked. “Shouldn’t a good citizen contact the authorities if they know something that will help put a criminal behind bars?”

“Sure, if it’s true, but Willis makes this stuff up. He lies about it so he can get a deal in his case.”

“How do you know that?”

“He’s bragged to me about lying to get out of jail.”

“No further questions,” Robin said.

“Mrs. Goins, if your husband is so dishonest, why are you still married to him?”

Mrs. Goins shook her head. “I’ve asked myself that question a lot, but a divorce costs money, and, besides, Willis ain’t around that much. He’s either in jail or gone most of the time, so it’s like a divorce.”

“Mrs. Goins, do you know anything about this case, the case involving Everett Henderson?”

“No, except what I found out when I talked to Miss Lockwood.”

“So, you never talked to your husband about it?”

“No.”

“Is it fair to say that you don’t know if Mr. Goins is lying or telling the truth about his conversation with Mr. Henderson?”

Mrs. Goins started to say something. Then she stopped herself. “No. I got no idea.”

“No further questions.”

“Any more witnesses, Miss Lockwood?” the judge asked.

“One more, Your Honor. I call Jeff Hodges.”



* * *



“Mr. Hodges, are you the investigator for the firm of Barrister, Berman, and Lockwood?” Robin asked as soon as Jeff was sworn.

“Yes.”

“Did I tell you that Assistant District Attorney Rex Kellerman wanted to call a rebuttal witness named Willis Goins, who was not on his witness list?”

“Yes.”

“Did I also tell you that Mr. Kellerman told Judge Wright that he learned about Mr. Goins for the first time on Wednesday night when Rocky Stiller, one of his investigators, told him that Mr. Goins had called him earlier on Wednesday evening from the jail with information about Everett Henderson?”

“Yes.”

“What did you do after I gave you this information?”

“I went to the jail and looked at the visitors’ log.”

“What days did you look at?”

“Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.”

“Did you confirm Mr. Kellerman’s and Mr. Stiller’s claims that they spoke to Mr. Goins on Wednesday night?”

“Yes.”

“Did anyone else visit Mr. Goins on any of those days?”

“Yes. Terry Powell visited Mr. Goins on Tuesday afternoon at three thirty and left at four thirty. Then he returned an hour later and spoke to Mr. Goins again.”

“Who is Terry Powell?” Robin asked.

“An investigator in Mr. Kellerman’s office.”

“Did you try to contact Mr. Powell about these visits?”