The Perfect Alibi (Robin Lockwood #2)(23)

“I did.”

“What was the result?”

“He refused to take my call. This morning, I went to the district attorney’s office and asked for Mr. Powell, and I was told that he was out sick. I had his cell phone number from another case, and I called it.”

“What happened?”

“The call went to voice mail.”

“No further questions.”

Judge Wright looked angry when he turned to Rex Kellerman. Kellerman’s face was bright red.

“Did you learn about Mr. Goins on Tuesday?” the judge asked the prosecutor.

“I … Well, uh, not exactly, Your Honor. Mr. Powell told me that a prisoner at the jail had some information about the case, but I was too busy to follow up. So, I didn’t know what the information was until Mr. Stiller called on Wednesday night.”

Judge Wright looked like he could barely contain his anger. “I want to be certain I understand what happened, because there may be serious consequences. On Tuesday, did Mr. Powell, an investigator for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, tell you that he had spoken to Willis Goins?”

“Yes.”

“Did he also tell you that Mr. Goins told him information relevant to Mr. Henderson’s case?”

“Yes, but he didn’t say what it was. I didn’t learn the information until after I rested my case.”

Judge Wright stared at Kellerman until the DA broke eye contact. Then he turned to Robin. “Do you have anything you’d like to say, Miss Lockwood?”

Robin had plenty she wanted to say, but she restrained herself. “I think it would be interesting to talk to Mr. Powell, but it appears that Mr. Powell has made himself scarce. In any event, I believe that it doesn’t matter when Mr. Kellerman learned what Mr. Goins had to say. Terry Powell works for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office and is an agent of the office and Mr. Kellerman. Mr. Kellerman should be charged with knowing everything Mr. Powell knew on Tuesday. Mr. Kellerman can’t put his hands over his ears and then spring a surprise witness on the defense. As soon as Mr. Kellerman learned about Mr. Goins from Mr. Powell, he had a duty to list Mr. Goins as a potential witness.

“In light of what Your Honor has learned from Mrs. Goins and Mr. Hodges, I think Your Honor should bar Willis Goins from testifying in this case.”





CHAPTER FOURTEEN


Rex Kellerman stared straight ahead to avoid looking at Robin when Judge Wright read the not guilty verdict. Even though losing to a bitch like Robin Lockwood was unbearable, he congratulated her with a broad smile as soon as the jury was dismissed. A mob of reporters was waiting in the corridor outside the courtroom, and Kellerman gave them clichéd answers about the American system of justice before begging off and heading for his office.

Kellerman knew that news of his defeat had reached his fellow prosecutors because people averted their eyes and no one spoke to him as he passed their desks. Kellerman walked with his head up to preserve his dignity, but as soon as he shut the door to his office, the fa?ade disappeared and he smashed his fist into the wall.

The murder of a policeman by a member of a racist prison gang had been headline news, and Rex had counted on a highly publicized win to make him a front runner when the district attorney announced that he was not going to run again. Now the voters Kellerman hoped would make him the county’s district attorney would think of him as a loser.

Kellerman squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head into his hands. Vanessa Cole, the chief criminal deputy, was putting a campaign team together. He imagined the satisfied smile on Cole’s face when she heard the news of his defeat.

When Kellerman opened his eyes, he saw the time on his wall clock and remembered that he would be fucking Douglas Armstrong’s wife in half an hour. Kellerman had arranged to meet Marsha tonight so they could celebrate his victory in the Henderson case. There was nothing to celebrate now, but sex might help him forget his humiliation for a while.

Marsha was good in bed, but more than the sex, Kellerman enjoyed cuckolding her wimp of a husband. Whenever he and Armstrong met at the courthouse, it gave Kellerman great pleasure to remember the way Marsha’s body felt.

Armstrong’s first wife had died unexpectedly from cancer. A year later, he’d married his secretary. Kellerman had met Marsha for the first time at a bar function. She wasn’t very bright, and she seemed a bit lost amidst all the legal brain power. Kellerman knew she wasn’t a lawyer, but he had asked where she practiced and pretended surprise when she said she was a legal secretary. By the time they’d parted, Kellerman had convinced himself that she was attracted to him. He hadn’t made a move during that first meeting, but he’d filed the memory away for further exploration at a date to be determined.

Nine months later, Kellerman had run into Marsha while she was waiting outside a courtroom where Doug was in trial. She seemed sad, and Kellerman sensed an opening. Not really thinking she’d accept, he asked Marsha to meet for a drink in a hotel over the river in Vancouver, Washington, where they were not likely to be seen. He’d been surprised when she accepted.

At the hotel, Marsha had been reluctant to do more than talk. Kellerman learned that her marriage was not working for reasons Marsha would not reveal. He pretended to be sympathetic, and Marsha agreed to meet him at the same hotel when Doug was in Los Angeles, taking depositions. This time, they ended up in bed. Kellerman was pleasantly surprised by how aggressive Marsha had been, and he’d concluded that her husband left a lot to be desired in the sack.