The Perfect Alibi (Robin Lockwood #2)(53)

“And if they don’t dismiss?”

“Then you have no choice. You’ll have to go before a judge and move for dismissal on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct. But if I know Getty, he’ll want this settled quietly.”

“I think you’re right. But before I go to Getty, there’s one other thing we need to do.”



* * *



Robin and Jeff were waiting in the parking lot at Nilson Forensics when Greg Nilson walked to his car.

“Dr. Nilson?” Robin asked.

Nilson stopped and looked at Robin, then Jeff. “I’m Dr. Nilson.”

Robin held out her business card. “My name is Robin Lockwood, and I represent Douglas Armstrong. I believe you’ve met my investigator, Jeff Hodges. We’d like to talk to you about a DNA test your lab conducted.”

Nilson looked nervous. “I told Mr. Hodges that I wouldn’t discuss the test without the district attorney’s permission.”

“When you say the DA, do you mean Rex Kellerman?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Mr. Kellerman is going to be in a world of hurt very soon, and anyone who did anything even mildly dicey in Mr. Armstrong’s case is going to be in big trouble, too. Do you fit into that category?”

“What … what do you mean?”

“I can’t go into details, but Mr. Kellerman violated a number of ethical rules, and the odds are that Mr. Armstrong’s case will be dismissed. When Jeff tried to talk to you, you refused and he got the distinct impression that you were scared. Why would that be if you had nothing to hide?”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble.”

“Then you better come clean about what you did,” Robin said.

“What would happen if I told you about the test and you thought I’d done something I shouldn’t have done?”

“You’re not under oath right now, Dr. Nilson. But you will be if I start filing motions. If you lie under oath, that’s perjury and you could go to jail. If you’re honest with me, I will try to protect you if I can without hurting my client. Now, what did you do?”





CHAPTER FORTY-THREE


Rex Kellerman was in a great mood when he walked down the hall to Paul Getty’s office. The day before, he had won a motion to suppress in a high-profile case. He guessed that Paul wanted to congratulate him in person for his coup.

Kellerman’s mood changed from elation to confusion when he saw Robin Lockwood sitting across from his boss. Then he smiled. Maybe Lockwood was here to work out a plea in Armstrong.

“Close the door and have a seat, Rex,” Getty said. He didn’t sound happy.

“What’s up?” Rex asked.

“Miss Lockwood has just given me some deeply troubling information,” Getty answered.

Rex glanced at Lockwood. She looked grim. Rex frowned. “What did she say?”

Getty nodded at Robin.

She turned so she could look Kellerman in the eye. “Doug Armstrong’s wife came to my office two days ago. She told me that you met her at a hotel in Vancouver, Washington, on four occasions. According to Mrs. Armstrong, the second and third time, you had sexual relations, and the fourth time you met, she broke off the relationship.”

Kellerman looked stunned, but he recovered his composure quickly. “That’s ridiculous.”

Getty handed Kellerman several documents. “This is a sworn affidavit from a desk clerk at the hotel who identified you and Mrs. Armstrong from photographs Robin’s investigator showed him. The other documents are copies of the hotel register signed by Mrs. Armstrong.”

Rex kept his eyes on the paperwork so he wouldn’t have to look at Robin or his boss.

“Well?” Getty asked when enough time had passed without a response.

“I…” Kellerman ran his tongue over his lips. “This is a setup, Paul. I mean, maybe Armstrong’s wife was having an affair with someone at the hotel, but it wasn’t me.”

Getty handed more paperwork to Kellerman. “I sent a detective to the hotel,” the DA said. “The clerk made another positive identification of you. He also gave us credit card receipts signed by you. Lying is just going to make this worse.”

Kellerman was dizzy, and he felt like he might throw up. “Okay, yeah, we had a brief affair, but it was before Armstrong murdered his partner.”

“Rex, you’re a smart guy,” Getty said. “Don’t tell me you didn’t understand that you had one hell of a conflict. Mrs. Armstrong thinks you’re prosecuting her husband to get even with her for breaking off the affair.”

“No, no. He did it. That’s why I’m after Armstrong.”

“We had a talk in this office before you went to the grand jury. I told you that I was dubious about Armstrong’s involvement and so is everyone else who’s had any part of this case. I think what Robin told me explains why you were so enthusiastic about indicting Doug.”

“I know how this looks,” Kellerman pleaded, “but Armstrong is guilty. I knew I might have a conflict, but no one else was willing to go after him. I couldn’t let him get away with murder. He was alone with Nylander. Armstrong’s blood is under Nylander’s fingernails.”

“The DNA evidence presents another problem,” Getty said. “Robin spoke to Dr. Nilson, who runs the lab that conducted the DNA test you say supports your theory. He told her that you were informed that his initial test of the blood sample was inconclusive and that you offered him several incentives for him to retest it. Did you share the results of the first test with the defense?”