Dead Wrong

Lawrence Tazewell studied the photo for a long time. Then he picked it up and held it next to Leslie’s picture. When he spoke, his voice was a hoarse whisper. “Who the hell is this?” he demanded. “The women in these two pictures could be twins.”

“Not twins but close,” Joa

Tazewell looked stu

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. We’ve collected some DNA samples that should confirm Leslie’s real parentage. It’ll take time to have them processed, of course. In the meantime, Leslie told us a few things about the unusual circumstances surrounding her birth, including the fact that you were out of town at the time it happened.”

Tazewell nodded. “I was in Dallas at a conference. Leslie was delivered at home with her grandmother’s help and then taken to the hospital later.” He paused and then added, “But if Leslie is someone else’s baby, what happened to Aileen’s?”

“Are you certain she was pregnant at the time?”

“That’s what I thought,” Tazewell said. “It’s what Aileen told me. So did her doctor.”

“Do you remember the doctor’s name?”

“Carstairs, Carston, Carmmody,” Tazewell answered. “I don’t remember exactly, but I think his name started with a C.”

“Maybe something happened to that baby,” Joa

“The murdered man, Bradley Evans,” Tazewell said. “He would have been the husband, the same man I personally sentenced to prison.”

Joa

“But he pleaded guilty, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“If he wasn’t responsible for his wife’s death, why would he do a thing like that?”

“Who knows? If he was drunk, maybe he was operating in a blackout and felt ultimately responsible for whatever had happened to her regardless of who actually did it,” Joa

“No, not that I remember,” Tazewell responded. “But our marriage was what one could charitably call troubled. With the notable exception of Rory Markham, I wasn’t really privy to Aileen’s circle of acquaintances. Still, are you saying that she knowingly participated in some kind of conspiracy that resulted in my sending an i

“At this point,” Joa

“And Evans was i

Joa

“If I’d had any idea-if I’d had even the slightest hint that Aileen knew the woman-I would have recused myself immediately. I never would have agreed to preside over the Evans case. You do believe me, don’t you?”

Joa

“But supposing Evans didn’t kill his wife. Where the hell did she go? Is she still alive and well somewhere, living under an assumed name? And what if that other baby-my baby-didn’t die either? Where is that child?”

“I don’t know the answer to any of those questions,” Joa

“How did that all come about?” Tazewell asked.

“Pure bad luck,” Joa

“Maybe he wanted to confirm for himself what he thought he was seeing. Or maybe he pla

“Am I a suspect?” Tazewell asked.

The man’s direct question caught Joa

“Possibly,” Joa

Nodding, Tazewell removed a PDA from his pocket and reeled off a telephone number. “That’s the FBO-Fixed Base Operator-at the general aviation airport north of Denver where we landed and where the plane was parked from Wednesday until Monday morning. Sharon and I spent a lot of time at the hospital, but we were at our daughter’s in-laws’ apartment a good deal of the time as well, and we met some of her friends and neighbors. Do you want their names and phone numbers?”

“Wherever possible,” Joa

It took several minutes for Joa

Joa

“Has Leslie been informed about any of this?” Tazewell asked.

“Not yet,” Joa

“Right,” Tazewell said. “Of course. It would be irresponsible to mention any of this to her while it’s still a matter of supposition, but when the time comes, are you going to tell her or should I?”

“I’d prefer to have that handled by a family member-either you or her mother.”

Tazewell nodded. “That may not be possible,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Depending on how far Aileen’s HD has progressed, she may not be able to talk.”

“I’d like to hear Aileen’s side of the story,” Joa

Lawrence Tazewell shook his head. “I really don’t have any idea where to start,” he said.

Frank Montoya caught Joa

“Fine,” Joa