The Ex(39)

She must have recognized me, too, because she bounded from her chair when she saw me, thanking me for taking the time to talk with her, even though I had been the one to request the meeting.

According to Gary Hannigan, Amanda had been all too eager to dish the dirt on Malcolm Neeley. My hope was that she had new tales for me as well, perhaps some involving Max’s animosity toward his father. I greeted her with my warmest smile. “I love that bag. Tod’s? So cute.”


AMANDA HAD THE LOOKS OF a kept woman whose only jobs were shopping and staying pretty, but her demeanor reflected the education and experience listed in her LinkedIn profile: an art history degree from Sarah Lawrence and three years’ marketing experience with a major cosmetics manufacturer. Across from me at the circular table in the corner of my office, she sat upright in her chair with crossed legs and the kind of open body language taught in public-speaking classes to convey honesty and confidence to an audience.

“I understand you were in a relationship with Max Neeley.”

“On and off, yes. Serious for a couple of years, in fact.”

“Does Max know you’re here?”

“Definitely not, and I hope you won’t have reason to mention it to him. I’d like to help you, though.”

“I can’t imagine why. Max has made it clear he’s not very happy with the arguments we raised at the bail hearing.”

“You barely scratched the surface. Malcolm was not a good person. He was cruel and controlling.”

“Unfortunately for my client, the victim-was-an-* isn’t a defense.”

“Maybe not officially, but when juries like the so-called bad guy more than the victim, they don’t put anyone in jail. You see it all the time on the news. From that chick who cut her man’s pecker off to the racists who get away with killing kids in hoodies. It’s a popularity contest.”

She was right. If Malcolm Neeley had been the only one to die at the waterfront, I’d fillet him so thoroughly that no jury would care about his death. “Sounds like you should be a lawyer.”

“Not enough money in it anymore, but thank you.” My office suddenly felt small, and I noticed smudges on the glass of the table. “I know enough to guess that you’ll be pointing to alternative suspects. I’m hoping, for Max’s sake, you can refrain from highlighting the dispute between the Sentry Group and the Grubers.”

Frederick Gruber was the investor who had sued Neeley’s hedge fund, arguing that his wife and Neeley were lovers who duped him into investing. Gruber had looked like a prime alternative suspect, but unfortunately, we’d already debunked the theory. Gruber was worth billions, so his investment in the Sentry Group was a pittance compared to his overall wealth. Perhaps more important was the evidence the Sentry’s lawyers had filed to show the Grubers had an open marriage, meaning jealousy wasn’t a likely factor.

I saw no reason to share any of this with Amanda. “Max isn’t my client, so his well-being is really not my concern.”

“But that’s why I’m offering to tell you whatever you want to know about Malcolm. He had other girlfriends, and I’m sure some of them were married, too. And there was a reason Frederick Gruber wanted to pull his money. Malcolm was overstating the fund’s assets. He wasn’t as rich as he let on. That’s why Max wanted to go out on his own—to start his own hedge fund. But Malcolm was such an *, he wouldn’t give Max any seed money. And he didn’t even pay him what he was worth as a salary. He used his money to control Max.”

“I get the impression this is personal for you.”

She looked out my office window for a few seconds before focusing on me again. “Max loves me, but we broke up because his father told him he should marry rich. He said he married Max and Todd’s mother for love, and look what happened. He told Max his best bet at seed money for his own fund was to find a sugar momma and a generous father-in-law.”

“And here you are, fighting for a man who actually listened to that garbage.”

“Part of why I love Max is that I think I understand him. It’s like his whole family was afraid of love. Malcolm was a bad person, but I do believe he was crushed when his wife killed herself. And the news never really reported this, but a broken heart was the reason Todd was so distraught before—you know, Penn Station. He was head over heels for some girl at school who wouldn’t give him the time of day. He said she was all wrapped up with some older guy. He’d talk about all these plans to break them up, like awkward, scrawny Todd could save Rapunzel or something. And in Malcolm and Max’s eyes, look what that love did to him? It turned him into a madman.”

I found myself looking away. Amanda made it sound like a fear of love was the saddest thing in the world.

“And what about Max?” I asked.

“Now that Malcolm’s gone, he has a shot. He can run the Sentry Group better than his father ever did. And he’ll get Gruber to drop that lawsuit and keep his money with Max. But if you start dropping Gruber’s name in a murder trial, he’ll run as far as he can from the Sentry Group. But if things work out for Max at work—”

“He can be with the woman he actually loves.”

She smiled. “And that’s why I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about Malcolm Neeley. Do we have a deal?”