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“Oh, I was there. That’s why I sent for you. Don’t worry. That isn’t privileged information. I intend to admit it. I asked you here because I can be a witness for Skip. But in exchange, once he is cleared, I want you to represent me. There won’t be any conflict of interest then.”
“Look, I’m not going to represent you,” Geoff said flatly. “I’ve spent ten years of my life representing an i
“You see, now that’s the kind of determination I want to hire.” Arnott sighed. “Very well. Let’s try it this way. You’re a criminal defense attorney. You know who the good ones are whether they’re from New Jersey or elsewhere. You promise to find me the best attorney money can buy, and I’ll tell you what I know of Suza
Geoff stared at the man for a moment, considering his offer. “Okay, but before we say another word, I want to have a signed and witnessed statement that any information you give me will not be privileged, and that I can use it in whatever way I see fit to assist Skip Reardon.”
“Of course.”
The FBI agents had a stenotypist with them. She took down Arnott’s brief statement. When he and a couple of witnesses had signed it, he said, “It is late and it has been a long day. Have you been thinking about what lawyer I should have?”
“Yes,” Geoff said. “George Symonds, from Trenton. He’s an excellent trial lawyer and a superb negotiator.”
“They’re going to try to convict me of deliberate murder in the death of Mrs. Peale. I swear it was an accident.”
“If there’s a way to get it down to felony murder, he’ll find it.
At least you wouldn’t face the death penalty.”
“Call him now.”
Geoff knew that Symonds lived in Princeton, having once been invited to di
Ten minutes later, Geoff put the phone back. “All right, you’ve got a top-drawer lawyer. Now talk.”
“I had the misfortune to be in the Reardon house at the time Suza
“Was he in the house while you were there?”
Arnott shook his head. “No, the way they had arranged it, she was to drive to the shopping mall in Pearl River, leave her car there and join him in his limo. As I understood it, she was meeting Jimmy early that night. Obviously I was wrong. There were a few lights on downstairs when I got to Suza
“What time was that?”
“Precisely eight o’clock. I was on my way to a di
“You went into the house…,” Geoff encouraged.
“Yes. There wasn’t a sound, so I assumed everyone was away as pla
“What was she saying?”
“Something to the effect of ‘You gave them to me and they’re mine. Now get out. You bore me.’”
You gave them to me and they’re mine. The jewelry, Geoff thought. “So that must mean that Jimmy Weeks had changed plans and arranged to pick Suza
“Oh, no. I heard a man shout, ‘I have to have them back,’ but it was much too refined a voice to have been Jimmy Weeks, and it certainly wasn’t poor Skip.” Arnott sighed. “At that point, I dropped the frame in my pocket, almost unconsciously. A dreadful copy as it turns out, but Suza
“You dropped the frame in your pocket,” Geoff prodded.
“And realized suddenly that someone was coming upstairs. I was in the bedroom, you remember, so I jumped into Suza
“Did you see who came?”
“No, not the face.”
“What did that person do?”
“Made straight for the jewelry case, picked among Suza
“There was a lot of jewelry in that case. What did Suza
“Given what I learned during the trial, I’m sure it must have been the flower and the bud… the antique diamond pin, you know. It really was a beautiful piece: one of a kind.”
“Did whoever it was that gave Suza
“Oh, yes. In fact, I think he was probably trying to find the bracelet as well.”
“Do you know who gave Suza
“Of course I know. Suza
“Mr. Arnott, who gave Suza
Arnott’s smile was amused. “You won’t believe me when I tell you.”
96
It took Kerry twenty-five minutes to drive to Old Tappan. Every turn of the wheel seemed interminable. Robin, brave little Robin, who always tried to hide how disappointed she was when Bob sloughed her off, who today had so successfully hidden how scared she was-it had finally become too much for her. I never should have left her with anyone else, Kerry thought. Even Jonathan and Grace.
Even Jonathan and Grace.
Jonathan had sounded so odd on the phone, Kerry thought.
From now on, I’ll take care of my baby, Kerry vowed.
The momma and the baby-there it was again, that phrase stuck in her mind.
She was entering Old Tappan. Only a few minutes more now.
Robin had seemed so pleased at the prospect of being with Grace and Jonathan and of going through the photo albums.
The photo albums.
Kerry was driving past the last house before reaching Jonathan’s. She was turning into the driveway. Almost unconsciously she realized that the sensor lights did not go on.
The photo albums.
The flower-and-bud pin.
She had seen it before.
On Grace.
Years ago, when Kerry first started to work for Jonathan. Grace used to wear her jewelry then. Many pictures in the album showed her wearing it. Grace had joked when Kerry admired that pin. She’d called it “the momma and the baby.”