Hear No Evil

“It’s pretty clear that he thinks you shot your husband.”

“No kidding. But did he tell you why he wanted me off the base before the NCIS report came back? Hell, he wanted me off the base before Oscar’s body was cold.”

“Maybe he knew what the report was going to say.”

She raised an eyebrow, and Jack realized the implications of his observation. Lindsey said, “I’m so glad to hear you say that. Nice to know I’m not the only one who understands that the fix was in when that report named me the chief suspect. What else did Lieutenant Johnson have to say for himself?”

“I didn’t get to ask him many questions about your husband’s death. Every five minutes the JAG lawyer kept reminding him that he could leave any time he wanted, and he finally picked up on the hint.”

“Who else did you get to talk to?”

“No one. Everyone else on my witness list has been transferred to another base.”

“Unbelievable. Did you at least get to visit my house?”

“Only for a few minutes. The investigators released the crime scene two weeks ago. Someone else is living there now. The place has been scrubbed and repainted.”

“That was it, then? You went all the way down there, and all you got was one partial interview and a quick stop at a cleaned-up crime scene?”

“Afraid so. From the moment we met with Lieutenant Johnson, it seemed they couldn’t get Sofia and me off the base fast enough.”

Lindsey ran her fingers through her hair, head down. “This supports everything I’ve been saying all along. They’re circling the wagons. They’re afraid you’re going to find out why Oscar was really killed.”

“That’s going to be tough to prove, but we may have an important lead in that direction. Sofia and I were stopped by the Cuban government on our way out of Havana. There’s a Cuban tower guard who may offer some helpful testimony.”

“A Cuban soldier?”

“Yeah. The Cubans and Americans are watching each other constantly down there. It’s not a total shock that someone on the other side of the razor wire might see something.”

“What did he see?”

“I haven’t interviewed him yet, so I don’t want to get your hopes up too much. But according to the colonel we met with, one of the Cuban guards saw you leave your house for work, just as you say you did. And, more important, he saw someone else come in.”

Lindsey’s mouth was agape. “Oh, my God. That’s fantastic! Did he see who it was?”

“They claim to be able to identify him. But they haven’t given me a name yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because they want me to cut a deal with them. They’ll give me the Cuban soldier as a witness, but only if I give them something in return.”

“Well, give it to them! What do they want?”

“It doesn’t matter what they want. If there’s any kind of deal at all, the prosecutor will destroy us in front of the jury. The only way we can bring a Cuban soldier into a Miami courtroom to testify on your behalf is if it’s completely clean, no deals, no strings attached.”

“Says who?”

“Trust me on this. It’s my best judgment.”

“But it’s my life. I’m staring straight at the death penalty, and you’re telling me to walk away from a witness who will testify that he saw an intruder enter my house because I might offend a few Cuban Americans on the jury?”

“I think the Cuban government will come around on this, if we play our cards right.”

“So what did you tell them?”

“That I wasn’t making any deals.”

“You what?”

“Don’t get angry.”

“I’m not angry, I’m furious!” She leaped up from her chair and began to pace. “You should have called me before making a decision like that.”

“You expect me to make a confidential phone call from a Cuban military office to a United States prison? I got a better idea. Why don’t we just conduct our attorney-client conversations on The Tonight Show?”

She stopped pacing and returned to her chair. Jack could see the worry in her face, the lack of sleep in her eyes. She seemed broken, and she spoke without heart. “I don’t have the stomach for this, Jack.”

“That’s why you hired me.”

“You still don’t seem to understand what I’m feeling.”

“I do.”

“No, you can’t. The thought of never seeing my son again is tearing me to shreds. The thought of his wondering if his mother killed his father, I-” she stopped, unable to finish. “You can’t possibly know how that feels.”

Jack considered it, but it wasn’t the first time he’d heard a parent tell him that until you’ve had children, you can’t possibly know. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Unless…”

“Unless what?” said Jack.

“Unless you have a personal stake in the outcome.”

“Brian is my biological son. Isn’t that personal?”

“Not if there’s no consequences to you if you lose.”

“Brian loses his mother if I lose the case. Those are serious consequences.”

“For Brian, not for you.”

“I don’t distinguish between the two. I’m doing this for his benefit.”

“Are you? Or do you sit back and think, Oh well, if I lose this case, I’ll look after Brian. I’ll make sure he’s raised properly. I’ll have my own life with Brian.”

“I haven’t thought anything of the sort. If his mother’s i

“And if you lose, you should lose the same thing I’m losing.”

“Meaning what?”

She leaned closer and said, “If I lose, I lose Brian. If you lose, then you should lose Brian, too.”

Jack chuckled nervously. “This is crazy.”

Her eyes brightened, as if she were suddenly on to something. “No, it’s not crazy. You lawyers can be so dispassionate about the life-and-death decisions you make for other people. Maybe it’s time you feel the way your clients feel.”

“Exactly what are you saying?”

“I have two lawyers now, you and Sofia. I want Sofia to be the one who deals with Brian, not you. You get to meet Brian if, and only if, you win the case.”

“I can’t operate under those rules.”

“What did you expect? That I would pull you aside at trial and say, ‘Oh, Jack, promise me one thing: If I don’t get out of prison, please make sure that Brian is well taken care of?’ That’s fairy tales. I want you to have everything riding on wi

“You’re using your own son as a carrot on a stick.”

“I’m doing everything I possibly can to make sure the mother who loves him will be there to raise him. What’s so terrible about that?”

“This isn’t what’s best for Brian. It’s what’s best for you.”

“Like you said before. I don’t see the distinction between the two.”

“It’s not going to make me win your case.”

“No. But it might keep you from losing it.”

“It also might keep me from being your lawyer.”

“What are you going to do, quit?”

“Yeah,” said Jack, rising. “I quit.”

“Wait a minute. You can’t quit. Once the case starts, a criminal lawyer needs the judge’s permission to quit.”

“But as you so happily pointed out earlier, you have two lawyers now. That means the judge will let one of us quit whenever we want. You still have a lawyer, so it won’t delay the case.”

Her expression fell. Jack walked toward the door.

“Jack, please.”

“No, you’ve made your decision. I’m outta here.” He pushed the button near the door, and a buzzer sounded for the guard.

“Wait!” she said, her voice shaking. “I’ll make a deal with you. You can make all the strategy decisions you want. The Cuban soldier as witness, all that stuff. It’s your bailiwick.”

“What about Brian?”

“We agree to do what’s best for him.”

“Which means what?”

“This is how I see it. Brian shouldn’t meet you when I say so. He shouldn’t meet you when you say so. I’d like him to meet you when he asks to see his biological father. I can’t think of a better way to know when he’s ready.”

“You told him he was adopted?”

“Yes. I told him. Before I was arrested.”

Jack didn’t say anything.