VALOROUS (A Quantum Novel)(76)

“Yeah?”

“Can you, um, can you come here, please?”

My first thought is of Natalie. Has something happened? “What’s wrong?”

“There’s an FBI agent here to see you.”

Hayden and I look at each other and then at her. “To see me? Why?”

“He didn’t say. He’s waiting in your office.”

“Did you call Emmett?”

“He and the rest of the legal team are off-site today at a training session,” Addie says. “I can call him, if you think we need him.”

“Let’s see what he wants with me first.”


No words are spoken as Hayden gets up to come with me. The three of us are silent in the elevator that delivers us to the floor where our offices are housed. We step into my office, where a man in a suit is standing at the window, admiring the view. He turns when he hears us come in.

“Mr. Godfrey, I’m FBI Special Agent Vickers.”

I shake his hand. “My business partner, Hayden Roth.”

“Good to meet you. I admire your work. Both of you.”

“Thank you.” I’m anxious to dispense with the small talk. “What can we do for you?”

“A lawyer named David Rogers in Lincoln, Nebraska, was found murdered in his office this morning. Does that name ring a bell with you?”

I know a moment of pure, unmitigated joy at hearing the man who screwed Natalie over so badly is now dead. “As you and everyone else in America is aware, I know exactly who he is. What does it have to do with me?”

“On the Carolyn Justice show, you made a statement that has sparked the interest of law enforcement.” He consults a notebook he withdraws from his pocket. “You said, ‘I’ve never thought I was capable of murder, but in this case…’”

“Are you inferring that I killed him?”

“I’m inferring that you said you’d like to.”

“Yes, I did, but I didn’t actually do it.”

“Did you get someone else to do it?”

“No, I didn’t. I haven’t given that guy a thought in days other than to keep tabs on the efforts of my attorneys to ensure that he never had a chance to do to anyone else what he did to my wife.”

“By having him killed?”

“No, by having him disbarred. I’m not a murderer, Mr. Vickers.”

“That’s Special Agent Vickers.”

The guy is full of his own importance.

“We can put a halt to this immediately,” Addie says. “Mr. Godfrey has been surrounded by security personnel for days. He hasn’t left the state of California since he returned from New York two weeks ago this coming Wednesday.”

“That would rule him out,” Vickers said, “but it wouldn’t rule out a contract job.”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Hayden asks, incredulously. “Are you actually accusing Flynn Godfrey of hiring someone to kill a lawyer in Nebraska?”

“I’m not accusing him of anything. I’m simply pointing out that he had both motive and opportunity. He has the resources to procure any service he might need.”

“Well, I didn’t procure the service of murder. I was much more interested in legal ways to make Mr. Rogers suffer for what he did to my wife. We were going to ensure his life was a living hell for the next decade. I’m actually a little disappointed that we won’t get to do that now.”

“If you think he had this guy murdered, you’re going to have to prove it,” Hayden says.

“I’m well aware of that.” He produces a piece of paper from a binder and hands it to me.

“What’s this?”

“A warrant for your phone and computer, just so we can rule you out as a suspect.”

I withdraw the phone from my pocket and hand it to him. “Have at it.” I gesture to the computer on my desk. “I haven’t touched a computer in three weeks, but knock yourselves out.”

“Is this the only cell phone you own?”

“Yep.”

“We may acquire additional warrants for the phones belonging to your employees.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Addie stiffen and have to quell the urge to laugh. The idea of Addie without her phone for even an hour is hilarious. She’d go into convulsions.

“And your wife is where?”

All thoughts of laughter flee as I straighten my spine. “At home. Why?”

“I’d like to speak with her as well.”

“She’s been with me every minute of every day for two weeks. She has neither the desire nor the wherewithal to kill anyone.”

“She certainly had motive.”

“You know, Mr. Vickers,” I say, enjoying the flush that appears on his face when I refuse to use his title, “I’ve found that when someone is a snake like Rogers was, there’s usually more than one person who’s been screwed over by him. I certainly hope you’re looking beyond the obvious here. There’s probably a long list of people who’d like to see him dead.”

“We’re conducting a thorough investigation.”

“When will I get my phone back?”

“Hopefully we can return it to you tomorrow, providing there’s nothing on it that could be used as evidence in this case.”