The Perfect Alibi (Robin Lockwood #2)(45)

Robin was certain that she’d seen the woman before, but she couldn’t place her.

“I’m Marsha Armstrong.”

Robin didn’t think she’d ever talked to Marsha, but she remembered seeing her at a few bar functions. “Of course, Doug Armstrong’s wife. Are you here to see me?”

“Yes.” It was obvious that Marsha was upset.

“Come on back,” Robin said.

While Marsha took a seat, Robin shut the door to her office. Doug’s wife sat up straight, her back rigid and her hands tight on her purse like a drowning woman clutching a lifeline.

“How can I help you?” Robin asked as soon as she was seated.

“Doug’s been arrested.”

“What! Why?”

“They’re saying he killed Frank.”

“His partner?”

Marsha nodded. “Doug told me to ask you to come to the jail.” She opened her purse and took out her checkbook. “I don’t know what you charge, but Doug said to pay your retainer.”

“Why don’t we hold off on that until I’ve talked to your husband? When did Doug call you?”

“Around nine. He said that two detectives were waiting for him at his office when he got in.”

“Did he know the detectives?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did he give you any names?”

“No. He just said they were taking him to jail to book him in and to have you come as soon as possible.”

“Okay. I’m going over right now. You give my receptionist your contact information. I’ll call and let you know what’s up when I get back from talking to Doug.”



* * *



Robin thought about Doug Armstrong as she walked to the jail. Her general impression was that Doug was a nice guy and a decent lawyer. She had never co-counseled a case with him. She remembered talking to him at a few continuing legal education seminars, but she couldn’t remember the conversations. Robin had watched Doug try Blaine Hastings’s case because she was representing Randi Stark, but she hadn’t talked to him, because the interests of their clients were adverse. It wasn’t fair to judge Doug on the result in the Hastings case, because the facts were so bad and Doug’s client was so awful on the stand.

Robin concluded that she really didn’t know Doug very well, and she knew even less about Frank Nylander, who didn’t handle criminal cases. Robin also realized that she knew very little about Frank Nylander’s murder. She rarely read about other lawyers’ murder cases because she tried murder cases for a living. She did recall scanning an article after Nylander was killed, but all she remembered was that the murder had been committed in Nylander’s law office.

After checking in at the jail reception area, Robin took the elevator to the floor where Doug was being held. A guard let her into the area where attorneys met their clients. While the guard was opening the door to the contact visiting room, Robin studied Armstrong through a wide pane of shatterproof glass that let her see into the room. Doug was wearing an orange, jail-issue jumpsuit that was a size too big for his pudgy body, and he slumped in his chair. When the guard ushered Robin inside, he looked at her with red-rimmed eyes.

“How are you doing?” Robin asked as soon as the guard was gone.

Doug just shook his head. “How could they do this?” he asked, choking up as tears filled his eyes. “Frank was my best friend. How could anyone think I would hurt him, let alone kill him?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out, Doug. But it’s going to be a lot harder to do if you don’t pull yourself together and help me.”

Doug wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. I can’t imagine the stress you’re under. But you’ve got to take a deep breath and morph into lawyer mode. You’re a bright guy, and I’m going to need your help if I’m going to get you out of this mess.”

Doug gave Robin a weak smile. “I’ll be okay.”

“Good. Now, who were the detectives who arrested you? Do you know them?”

Doug nodded. “It was Carrie Anders and Roger Dillon.”

“How did they treat you?”

“I was a little surprised. They were very considerate. I don’t think they had their heart in it.”

“What makes you say that?”

“They told me they were sorry they had to arrest me, and they waited until we were in the elevator to cuff me so no one in the office would know I was under arrest. Carrie even asked if the cuffs were too tight.”

Robin frowned. Something was going on, and she made a mental note to talk to the detectives to find out what it was. “Did they tell you the basis for the arrest?” Robin asked.

“Roger said he couldn’t tell me what the evidence was, but he did say that Rex Kellerman had gotten the indictment.”

Doug looked down. “I don’t know what Rex has against me, but for some reason, he doesn’t like me.”

“Rex treats everyone like crap,” Robin said.

“This is something different. He goes out of his way to humiliate me. He alerted the press, and they were waiting outside my building, so everyone who watches the evening news would see me perp-walked to the police car.