The Simple Truth

Back at her office, Sara spent the next thirty minutes filling Fiske in on everything she had found out. When Barker calls back with the attorneys name, we can talk to him and maybe really start getting somewhere.

That would be nice.

Do you believe Michael went to see Harms in prison?

It really complicates matters that the guys escaped.

Sara had a sudden terrifying thought. You dont think Michael was somehow mixed up in that, do you?

My brother would not be part of anything illegal.

I didnt mean intentionally.

According to the newspaper reports, Harms escaped from a hospital in RoanokeafterMikes body was found. But Im not saying that the timing is just coincidental.

Do you have any brilliant deductions?

I think I know why Wright was killed.

Why? Because he knew about Harms? About what Michael had done?

No, he was killed because he saw something. Something he shouldnt have.

Sara drew her chair closer to his. What do you mean?

Wrights office yourformer office is right down the hallway from Mikes. Wright was going to be working all night.

Sara slumped in her chair. Right. Because I told him he had to.

No, because Knight told you to tell him he had to. Well, his body was found in a park that wasnt on his way home. Chandler told me that he was killed between midnight and two last night. If he was working all night here, what was he doing in that park?

You believe someone took him there and killed him?

More to the point, someone took him from inside the Court to the park and killed him.

Sara gaped. Meaning the killer was here?

Fiske nodded. I dont know if the person works here, but I believe he was physically present here last night.

What could Steven have seen that cost him his life?

I think he saw someone go into Mikes office. Yesterday, Wright heard Chandler tell everyone that the office was off limits toeveryone.Whoever went into Mikes office might not have known that Wright was inhisoffice. I assume you dont broadcast when youre working late.

Like last night, often we dont even know until the last minute.

Right. So somebody goes into the office looking for something

Like what?

Who knows? Copies of the appeal that Mike took. Telephone messages, something on his computer.

But thats an awfully big risk. Theres security here twenty-four hours a day.

Well, if the person knew the police were going to search the office thoroughly the next morning, hed only have a limited amount of time to do it.

That makes sense.

So Wright hears something, or hes finished his memo, he comes out, and runs right into whoever.

If your theory is correct, do you think Steven knew the person who killed him?

Fiske took a deep breath and sat back. I think he had to. Otherwise he wouldve raised the alarm right away. And I saw Dellasandro lock the door to Mikes office. Theres no sign of forced entry. The person had a key.

But someone must have seen something, then.

Not necessarily. If the killer is familiar with the layout of the Court, then hed know ways to avoid being seen with Wright until they got out of the building.

So it might be somebody he trusted.

Fiske looked at her. Like one of the justices?

Sara stared back, horrified. Ill accept a lot, but I cant accept that. She had a sudden thought. Maybe it was McKe

How could McKe

I dont know. Hes the first one who occurred to me.

Because hes not with the Court and he slugged me?

Sara sighed. Probably. Then she remembered something and tore through the papers on her desk until she found it. I can tell you about what time Steven left. She picked up the memo Wright had left for her. Across the top of the memo was a date and time stamp. She flipped the papers around so Fiske could see it.

The word-processing system automatically puts the date and time stamp on documents because we go through so many drafts. That way we can quickly tell whats current or not.

Fiske looked at the time stamp. This was printed out at one-fifteen this morning.

Thats right. Steven finished the memo, printed it out, put it on my desk and then presumably left.

And saw whatever he saw.

Sara suddenly looked puzzled. Wait a minute. Something doesnt make sense here. When a clerk works late, ordinarily what happens is one of the Court police officers will give the clerk a ride home, if you live nearby. She looked at Fiske. The police here are really good to us.

And at one-fifteen the metros not ru

No. Besides that, Steven lived barely a five-minute car ride from here. Hes gotten rides home before.

So the chances are very good that Wright got a ride home from somebody at the Court?

Leaving here at one-fifteen in the morning, Id say it was a really safe bet.

How about a cab, though? Maybe at that hour there werent enough guards to spare to take him home.

Sara looked doubtful. I guess its possible.

If a police officer did take him home, that should be easy enough to check. Ill tell Chandler.

So where does that leave us?

Fiske shrugged. We need to see Harmss military file. Ive got an old friend with the Army JAG. Im going to call and see if he can help expedite the process. Until we know whos involved in all this, I want as few people as possible to know were looking around.

Sara shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.

You know what? she said. Im starting to become terrified of what the truth might be.

["C40"]CHAPTER FORTY

While Sara went back to work, Fiske telephoned his lawyer friend at the JAG office, Phil Jansen, and relayed his request. Among other things, he asked Jansen to obtain a list of the perso

Chandler stared intently at the young man. So, did you find out anything interesting with Ms. Evans during your time together last night?

I think shes a good person. A little impulsive, but a good person. Very smart.

Anything else? At our initial meeting, Ramsey said that she and your brother were close. She have any reason why he might have been killed?

You might want to ask her that.

Well, Im asking you, John. I thought we were a team. He moved closer to Fiske. Ive got way too much I dont understand on the front end of this case without having to watch my backside. You were a police officer; you should understand about covering somebodys backside.

Fiske said angrily, I never let a partner down.

Good to hear. So tell me about last night.

Fiske looked away, thinking how best to handle this. Withholding information was not the best course. So how could he do the right thing with Chandler and avoid destroying Saras life and his brothers reputation?

Can we get some coffee around here?

In the cafeteria. Ill even buy.

A few minutes later they were in the ground-floor cafeteria. The Courts afternoon session was in progress and thus the cafeteria was fairly empty. Fiske sipped on his coffee while Chandler watched him.

John, it cant be that bad, unless you tell me youre the one ru

Buford, if I tell you something, then you have very specific rules as to what you do with that information and who else learns that information.

Thats true. And those rules are whats stopping you from coming clean?

What do you think?

I think lets talk hypotheticals, okay? Now, my job is to collect the facts and to use those facts to ultimately arrest somebody for a crime. If were not talking facts, but just theories like your theory of why Wright was murdered then I can follow up that theory but I dont have an obligation to report it to anyone until its proven correct by the discovery of facts to corroborate it.