“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Can’t I make you a nice breakfast without you getting suspicious?”

Mike folded his arms across his broad chest and stared at Amanda until she blushed.

“Okay, I do have an ulterior motive, but I also wanted to thank you for being so nice to me last night.”

“Taking care of you was my pleasure. Now, please drop the other shoe.”

Amanda plopped down across from Mike. She looked sexy with her hair mussed, dressed only in a T-shirt and panties.

“You know Karl’s murder is connected to the Marsh case, right?”

“That’s a possibility. But it could be a random killing,” Mike said.

“Was Karl robbed?”

“He had his wallet, rings, and an expensive watch, but you could have scared off the killer when you drove into the lot. The killing could still be coincidental.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?” Amanda asked.

“I don’t know what to believe. It’s too early in the investigation to draw any conclusions.”

“You should get Karl’s files in Sally Pope’s and Charlie’s case. There may be notations in them that will explain why he called me.”

“I was intending to do just that.”

“Why don’t you let me see them so I can point out things you might not realize are important.”

Mike looked shocked. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m dead serious.”

“Is there some reason you want me fired and disbarred?”

“What do you know about Charlie’s case?” Amanda asked.

“Not much. I know it was a big deal up here, and I remember reading about it when I was living in California.”

“I’ve been living this case almost nonstop and my Dad tried Pope. I can spot things in the file you might miss.”

“Amanda, you may be shocked to learn that I’ve actually gotten up to speed on other people’s cases before. And I’ve done it without violating the rules of professional conduct. Do you understand what would happen if anyone discovered that I let you read the files of the attorney who was prosecuting your client? And I wouldn’t be the only person in trouble. You’d be riding the elevator to hell with me.”

Amanda smiled coquettishly. “That’s so literary.”

“Don’t try your womanly wiles on me. Flattery, the batting of eyelashes, and come-hither stares are not going to work. This is too serious.”

Amanda stopped smiling. “Now you’ve got it, Mike. This is damned serious. Someone’s tried to murder Charlie twice and they succeeded in killing Sally Pope, her personal assistant, and her dog. Now they’ve killed the DA prosecuting Charlie’s case. You need all the help you can get and I’m willing to risk my career to get the bastard who’s doing this. If I help nail him, I don’t care what rules of professional conduct I violate.”

CHAPTER 42

Derrick Barclay had not changed much over the years, Frank thought, as Arnold Pope’s personal assistant ushered him into a sitting room at the rear of Pope’s mansion.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll tell Mr. Pope you’re here,” Barclay said before shutting the door. The curtains were drawn and the subdued lighting from a small ceiling fixture gave the room a closed-in, musty feel. Most of the furnishings were antiques and Frank would not have been surprised to learn that white sheets had covered them until shortly before his visit. He also thought that he should probably not be here, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him. When Barclay invited him to meet with his employer, Frank had been surprised and suspicious. Barclay claimed to know only that the meeting concerned Kevin Pope and Pope’s lawyer in the custody matter would not be present. When Frank told Barclay that it was improper for him to meet with a represented party without the party’s lawyer, Barclay said that Mr. Pope had prepared a notarized waiver in anticipation of Frank’s objection. Frank had thought that over, then agreed to come. Now he wondered if he would regret his decision.

Frank waited for his host in a comfortable armchair across from a small marble fireplace. After a while, he glanced at his watch and realized that only five minutes had passed. There was a narrow, floor-to-ceiling bookshelf next to the fireplace. Frank was about to inspect Pope’s library when the door opened and Pope hobbled in.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Jaffe.”

Frank noted the tremor in the older man’s voice and the difficulty he had navigating across the room to the armchair opposite Frank. When he lowered himself onto the chair, he grimaced.

“Why am I here, Mr. Pope?”

Senior stared at Frank, irritated that his guest had taken control by skipping the usual pleasantries that preceded a business meeting.

“I see you like to get right to the point.”

“Which is?”

“You are ideally situated to perform a service for me, which will bring me great satisfaction and will bring you a substantial reward.”

“Go on.”

“I understand you’re representing Liam O’Connell in the guardianship contest.”

Frank nodded. Pope shook his head slowly.

“What a sad affair. Poor Sally. We definitely had our differences, some quite vehement, but she was a fighter and I admired her spunk. She probably didn’t know that.”

Frank didn’t respond. If Pope was trying to convince him that he was sorry that Sally was dead, he was failing. Frank knew how Pope really felt about his daughter-in-law and no phony show of sympathy was going to change his mind.

“I regret very much that Sally saw fit to cut herself off from me after my son’s tragic death,” Pope continued.

“If I remember correctly, Mr. Pope, you had something to do with that.”

“You’re completely correct, Mr. Jaffe. My son’s death was a crushing experience. I was not rational at times after he passed and my grief interfered with my judgment. When Sally was indicted for Arnold’s death I focused my hatred on her and I saw the dismissal of the charges against her as a personal affront.

“After the dismissal-after I had gotten my emotions in check-I hired a team of investigators to review the case. They concluded that there was a strong possibility that Sally had been unjustly accused.”

Frank noted that Pope had conveniently managed to forget his involvement in the false accusations and the manufactured evidence that had led to Sally’s indictment. He was tempted to remind him about the photographs and the note that had lured his son to his death, as well as the strong evidence that Otto Jarvis had been bribed to lie at Sally’s trial, but he decided to hold his tongue.

“I made numerous attempts over the years to apologize and I made many offers to renew our friendship, all of which, to my sorrow, she rebuffed.” Pope lowered his eyes and made a show of contrition. “I can’t say I blame her.”

“Where is all of this breast-beating leading, Mr. Pope?”

A flash of anger was Frank’s reward for his blunt question, but Pope mastered his emotions quickly.

“I am very concerned about my grandson. Sally kept us apart as punishment for the way I treated her, but I love Arnie very much…”

“Sally’s son is named Kevin,” Frank interrupted, eliciting another flash of anger from Pope.

“Yes, Mr. Jaffe. His legal name is Kevin. My son wanted to name him Arnold Pope III but Sally named him Kevin to spite me. I bear her no grudge for that but he will always be Arnie to me.”

“You were getting to the point of our meeting,” Frank prodded.

“Sally designated Liam O’Connell as Kevin’s guardian in her will, but he has no right to be the boy’s guardian. He and Sally never married, he’s not kin.”

“Kevin looks up to Mr. O’Connell and he’s very fond of Kevin. From what I’ve seen, Mrs. Pope made a good choice.”

“Kevin may be fond of this Irishman, but he has my blood in his veins.”

“If I remember correctly, you and I discussed the possibility of you becoming Kevin’s guardian shortly after Mrs. Pope’s trial. Have you forgotten why your attorney advised you to drop your plans for a custody battle?”