The Wife Who Knew Too Much(70)

“He was the gentleman you spoke to in the courtroom earlier. He told me you were in need of further advice,” the other lawyer said.

“Okay, yes. Definitely.”

“The point is, I don’t have much criminal experience—”

“I can tell,” I said, and pointed to the other lawyer. “If you’re saying she could represent me instead, then I want her. You can go.”

“Okay. Wow, great. Thank you. And you’ll tell Mr. Ford that I offered to stay, right? I mean, I can stay, to observe. In fact, he might prefer that I do that. He did ask for a full report.”

“No. This is my new lawyer. I want to meet with her privately. Please leave.”

“Oh, right, sure.”

My new lawyer pressed a buzzer. A few moments later, the door to the courtroom opened, and Courtney McCarthy disappeared through it.

“Thank God she’s gone,” I said.

The new lawyer laughed and pulled a chair up to the bars of my cell. When she sat down, we were at eye level with each other. She was in her fifties, with short dark hair and glasses, wearing a navy-blue business suit. She stuck her hand through the bars, and we shook.

“Suzanne Cohen. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ford, though I’m sorry it’s under such difficult circumstances. Call me Suzanne. May I call you Tabitha?”

“Certainly.”

“The judge is hearing a civil case now. We have about an hour till they call us to court, and there’s a lot to cover.”

In my agitation, I jumped to my feet and paced the tiny cell.

“Okay, but first, before I can focus on anything, where is my husband? I just can’t believe he would abandon me. It’s his money that would have to pay your fee. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you that. Please, don’t you abandon me. But—has he? Why would he do that? I’m scared.”

“Tabitha, please, sit down. Come on, here. Have a seat. Give me your hand.”

I sat down on the hard bench and clutched her hand through the bars. It was cool and dry and felt like a lifeline.

“Ever do yoga?” she asked.

“Sometimes.”

“Deepen your breath, in and out. I need you to be calm enough to work with me on your defense.”

I sat for a moment, looking into her eyes, breathing in and out deeply. I felt my concentration come back.

“Better,” I said with a nod, and dropped her hand.

“Good. We’re under time pressure, so let’s not worry about the fee right now. As to where your husband is, that’s an important question. Do you know whether he’s distancing himself from you, and why that might be?”

“I don’t know it for a fact, but he’s not here, so—” I shrugged hopelessly.

“That may be for some reason that has nothing to do with your case. But if it does have to do with your case, it would be important to know, and we’re going to cover that. Rest assured that anything you say to me in the course of this representation is confidential. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“First, I want to make sure you understand the charges against you. DA Neely gave me a copy of the criminal complaint. Let’s review the evidence they have against you, before I ask you for your side of the story, okay? It’s important for you to know where you stand before saying anything.”

She took a paper from her briefcase and held it so I could see. The first shock was the title. “People of the State of New York v. Tabitha Ford.” Me, charged with a crime in New York State. But it was the next part that knocked me over. The charge. Murder in the second degree.

Murder.

I had to reach for the bars and steady myself.

“Are you all right?” Suzanne asked.

“I’m sorry. I’m five months pregnant, and I get faint sometimes.”

“Oh. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. It’s hard to be happy about it under present circumstances.”

“I understand. It’s good you told me about the pregnancy, though. I can use it to our advantage in the bail hearing. It may not get you out, but I can ask for Bedford Hills over Rikers. It’s a much better facility, meant for female prisoners, with better medical care.”

“You mean I might not get bail?”

I started to cry. She handed me a Kleenex.

“Tabitha, I know this is hard. But you have to focus and face facts. I need your help to defend you.”

I nodded, pressing the Kleenex to my eyes.

“Are you sure it’s okay to say I’m pregnant? Won’t they use it against me?”

“Five months pregnant, you said?”

“Yes.”

“In other words, your relationship with your husband began prior to Nina Levitt’s death?”

“Yes.”

“Well, yes, that could be used against you. Let’s hold off on telling them for now, until we figure out our approach to the case and to bail. Getting back to the complaint, as you know, Nina Levitt’s death was originally ruled a suicide. It’s unusual for the ME to reopen a case after ruling on it, but the police presented new evidence to the ME.”

“What evidence?”

I leaned forward, wringing my hands. As shaken as I’d been by the events of the last twelve hours, I’d still held out a faint hope that Nina had actually killed herself. The alternative was terrible to contemplate—that Connor was a murderer.