Hard Evidence

Ken Farris had told him that he’d last seen Owen Nash on Friday around lunchtime, after lunch. The article, quoting Farris as the source, said Nash had last been seen by his household staff on Thursday night.

He looked back at his notes – Friday around lunchtime, after lunch. Elliot’s article – Thursday night. Thursday night was not Friday near lunchtime.

He shook his head, rubbing his eyes. What was he thinking of? Farris wasn’t any kind of suspect in this. He had been Owen Nash’s best friend. All right, so he effectively inherited the business when Owen died, that wasn’t -

Or was it?

But all he had done was tell Hardy one day and Jeff Elliot another. The stress of those first days after Nash’s death had undoubtedly played some havoc with his short-term memory.

But Farris was a detail man.

Ridiculous.

He shook his head again…

Fra

‘You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.’

He came out of his trance, shook himself. ‘More of this madness,’ he said.

‘I thought you were done with it.’

It was as tantalizing as that last cognac, where you knew if you had it you were going to hurt tomorrow. He would, perhaps, mention it to Glitsky. It wasn’t his job.

‘I am,’ he said, closing the file. ‘I was just waiting for you to get home.’

36

JUDGE GUARANTEES BOND IN NASH

MURDER CASE

But Defense Attorney Verifies May

Shi

by Jeffrey Elliot

Chronicle Staff Writer

In a startling series of developments surrounding the murder trial of financier Owen Nash yesterday, Superior Court Judge Andrew B. Fowler resigned just hours before it was discovered that an apartment he owns had collateralized the half-million-dollar bail for defendant May Shi

According to sources in the district attorney’s office, investigators may subpoena a defendant’s financial records if there is probable cause that the money used for bail, or for paying a defense attorney, is the result of criminal activity, such as drug dealing or, in this case, prostitution. Ms Shi

In a related story, however, Ms Shi

District Attorney Christopher Locke last night personally interviewed the two boys and a

‘Two eyewitnesses confirm her alibi,’ Locke said, ‘so there is no case. But remember, her gun was the murder weapon, we believed we had a solid motive. But we are dealing with a very clearly defined window of time in this case, and if Ms Shi

‘This office is, of course, distressed by implications of racism used against Ms Shi

The relationship between Judge Fowler and Ms Shi

David Freeman refused to comment on Judge Fowler, although he certainly knew the details of the bail arrangement. Citing the attorney-client privilege, he also defended Ms Shi

‘Wow!’ Fra

‘Yeah.’ Hardy was on his third cup of coffee. He had read the article twice. He was astounded that Andy had essentially put up bail for May Shi

The sun was coming through the skylight over the stove, shining off the pots and pans hanging from the opposite wall. Rebecca was breast-feeding.

‘I’m sure this has nothing to do with a friend of yours who is in legal trouble that you can’t say anything about.’

The shifting sands of the moral high ground. Hardy smiled at it, had some more coffee.

‘Where do you think he is?’ she asked.

‘I think he’s probably home, holed up, not answering the phone.’

‘How much more do you know about this?’

‘A little. Not much.’

‘I don’t know how you can keep this in. How long have you known about it?’

He pulled the paper back in front of him. ‘This stuff, about fifteen minutes. The relationship a little longer.’

‘So what was the relationship?’

‘What do you think, Fra

Fra

‘Let me hold her.’

Hardy took Fra

‘I know.’

But the newspaper kept drawing them both back. Fra

‘What’s going to happen to him now, Diz?’

‘I don’t know. Since May Shi

‘She gave it to him.’

Hardy nodded. ‘Reminded him of his broken heart, so he gave it to me. She dumped him for Owen Nash.’

‘So they weren’t together anymore, Andy Fowler and Shi

‘No, I mean that was kind of the point.’

‘So then why would he put up her bail? Why would he be the judge on her trial?’

‘I don’t know. If he helped her out, maybe he could get her back eventually.’

‘That never happens,’ Fra

‘What doesn’t?’

‘You don’t dump somebody for someone else, then go back to the first one. If you’re the one dumped, okay you might. But if your heart goes cold on somebody…’ She shrugged. ‘It just doesn’t happen.’

‘I don’t know if it was May’s heart that went cold, Fra

‘And he’d be satisfied with that?’

‘I don’t know. I guess so. Anyway, that’s what he had before.’

She was rubbing his back, rocking back and forth against him. ‘Nope,’ she said. ‘He loved her, and however she felt about him, he had to believe she loved him too. The paperweight, remember? That’s a special gift. That’s a message.’

‘So?’

‘So what was it? After she left him I don’t believe he really thought he was buying her back. By then he had to realize she didn’t love him, even if he’d made himself believe it before. So there must have been another reason.’