The Murder Rule(83)

Sam, angry, shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

As Jackson Engle’s questioning of Sam continued Hannah stood quietly and made her way down the side of the courtroom to the defense table. She crouched down and, leaning around Jim Lehane, touched Robert Parekh’s arm to get his attention. He jumped, looked at her like she was something that had crawled out from under a rock.

“Ask for a recess. I have evidence I need to share with you,” she whispered.

He recoiled. “Hannah. You can’t be here. You need to leave, right now.” He tried to return his attention to the front of the court but she tightened her grasp on his wrist.

“Listen to me. Ask the judge for a short recess. I have evidence.

Just give me five minutes to explain.”

She could see that he didn’t trust her. But either he felt like he had nothing to lose or it suited him to request a recess at that time.

When Engle final y released a distraught Sam from the witness box, Parekh stood and requested five minutes. The judge wasn’t happy, Engle objected, Parekh pushed harder.

“Two minutes, then, Mr. Parekh. Use them wisely because there wil be no more unscheduled breaks. The court has a ful day.”

Parekh tried to usher Hannah into a side room. She held back.

“Michael has to come too,” she said.

Parekh hesitated, but real y there was no reason to refuse her request, and he could surely tel by the look in her eyes that she wouldn’t yield on it. So he made the arrangements and Dandridge too was escorted to a side room. Lehane, Sean, and Camila fol owed.

“What’s al this about?” Parekh had his arms folded.

“I have evidence that Pierce knew who real y kil ed Sarah Fitzhugh. That he framed Michael for his own reasons.”

Parekh glanced at Sean. “This is your theory about Derek Rawlings again. What’s the evidence? Rawlings is long dead.”

“There was hair evidence taken from another crime. Another home invasion and attempted rape. That evidence was hidden by Jerome Pierce because he didn’t want anyone to know that his brotherin-law was a rapist and murderer. I believe that that hair wil match the hair taken from the Sarah Fitzhugh murder and prove that Rawlings committed both crimes.”

“Where did you get this evidence?” Parekh snapped. “And how do you think we’re going to prove it came from Rawlings?”

There was a knock on the door to the side room. The bailiff, cal ing them back to court.

“Look, there’s no time to explain everything,” Hannah said. “You’l have to trust me. Has Pierce already given evidence? Cal him to the stand again and let me cross-examine.”

Parekh shook his head, eyes wide in disbelief. “I’m not going to do that. Are you crazy? Apart from the minor fact that you told Sean you’ve been working against us for the past week, you’re not even qualified. You’re a student, for God’s sake.”

Hannah was very conscious of Dandridge’s eyes on her. “I’m a third year,” she said. “I’m enrol ed and in good standing at Virginia Law. The third-year practice rule says that I may, in the presence of a supervising lawyer, appear in any court in any criminal matter on behalf of any person if the person on whose behalf I am appearing consents.” She turned to Dandridge. “You have to consent. If you say no, it’s al over.” Hannah was surprised that her voice sounded steady. Inside she was jittery and uncertain.

Parekh was stil shaking his head. Hannah turned to Dandridge.

“Please. What possible motive would I have to cross-examine Pierce in an open courtroom, other than to help? I can’t hurt you.”

“That’s just not true,” Parekh cut in. He took a step forward, putting himself between Hannah and Dandridge, cutting her off. “She can hurt you. Deliberately or not. She doesn’t have the experience.”

There was another knock at the door. They were running out of time.

“Please. Please, Michael. You have to trust me.”

“Hannah.” Parekh turned to her, trying for patience. “I haven’t seen this evidence you’re talking about. I have no idea if it has any value or if you’re just plain making things up. I’m not going to risk my case by putting you . . . Look, we can discuss this tonight. You can lay it al out for me. We can take it to trial.”

“No,” Hannah said firmly. “That’s not an option. You know Pierce.

Give him time and he’l find a way to make it al go away.”

There was yet another knock on the door, this one louder. She had to push him. She had the strongest feeling that she had one chance to make things right. If she let this chance slip through her fingers everything could get much, much worse. She had to make Parekh listen to her. Maybe she’d been unfair about him, back in that conversation she’d had with Sean’s mother. Maybe he was running the Project for al the right reasons. But he was stil a human being with his own private motivations, and the Robert Parekh that she had observed was a man who loved to win, no matter the cost.

“Look, the evidence I have, I stole it from Jerome Pierce’s home.

An hour ago. When he gets out of here this evening and finds out that it’s gone, he’s going to move heaven and earth to find me.

There’s nothing he won’t do to stop this information from coming to light. If you let this chance go by, it wil not come again.”