The Fifth Witness Part 5

I stopped pacing to consider what was left and what my role was going to be. I looked at Cisco.

"You want me on the witness?" he asked.

"That's right. And the victim, too. I want the full picture on both of them."

My order was punctuated by a sharp buzzing sound from an intercom speaker on the wall next to the kitchen door.

"Sorry, that's the front gate," Lorna said.

She made no move to go to the intercom.

"You want to answer it?" I asked.

"No, I'm not expecting anyone and all the delivery guys know the combination. It's probably a solicitor. They walk this neighborhood like zombies."

"Okay," I said, "then let's move on. The next thing we need to be thinking about is the alternate killer."

That drew everyone's undivided attention.

"We need a setup man," I said. "If we take this thing to trial it's not going to be good enough to just potshot the state's case. We are going to need an aggressive defense. We have to point the jury in a direction away from Lisa. To do that, we need an alternate theory."

I was aware of Aronson watching me as I spoke. I felt like a teacher in law school.

"What we need is a hypothesis of innocence. If we build that, we win the case."

The gate buzzer went off again. It was then followed by two more long and insistent buzzes.

"What the h.e.l.l?" Lorna said.

Annoyed, she got up and walked to the intercom. She pushed the communication b.u.t.ton.

"Yes, who is it?"

"Is this the law offices of Mickey Haller?"

It was a woman's voice and it sounded familiar but I couldn't immediately place it. The speaker was tinny and the volume turned low. Lorna looked back at us and shook her head as though she was confused. Her address was not on any of our advertising. How did this person get to the front gate?

"Yes, but it is by appointment only," Lorna responded. "I can give you the number to call if you want to set up a consultation with Mr. Haller."

"Please! I need to speak to him now. This is Lisa Trammel and I'm already a client. I need to speak with him as soon as possible."

I stared at the intercom speaker as though I believed it to be a direct pipeline to the Van Nuys women's jail-where Lisa was supposed to be. Then I looked at Lorna.

"I guess you'd better open the gate."

Six.

Lisa Trammel was not alone. When Lorna answered her front door my client walked through in the company of a man I recognized as having been in court during Lisa's first appearance. He had been in the front row of the gallery and stood out to me because he didn't look like a lawyer or journalist. He looked Hollywood. And not the glitzy, confident Hollywood. The other one. The Hollywood on the make. Either a toupee or amateur dye job on the hair, requisite matching fringe on the chin, wattled throat... he looked like a sixty-year-old trying without a lot of success to pa.s.s for forty. He wore a black leather sport coat over a maroon turtleneck. A gold chain with a peace sign on it hung from his neck. Whoever he was, I had to suspect he was the reason Lisa was walking free.

"Well, you either escaped from Van Nuys jail or you made bail," I said. "I'm thinking that somehow, someway, it's the latter."

"Smart man," Lisa said. "Everyone, this is Herbert Dahl, my friend and benefactor."

"That's D-A-H-L," said the smiling benefactor.

"Benefactor?" I asked. "Does that mean you put up Lisa's bail?"

"A bond, actually," Dahl said.

"Who did you use?"

"A guy named Valenzuela. His place is right by the jail. Very convenient and he said he knew you."

"Right."

I paused for a moment, wondering how to proceed, and Lisa filled in the s.p.a.ce.

"Herb is a true hero, rescuing me from that horrible place," she said. "Now I'm out and free to help our team fight these false charges."

Lisa had worked previously with Aronson but not directly with Lorna or Cisco. She stepped over and put her hand out to them, introducing herself and shaking hands as if this was all part of a routine day and it was time to get down to business. Cisco glanced over at me and gave me a look that said What the h.e.l.l is this? What the h.e.l.l is this? I shrugged. I didn't know. I shrugged. I didn't know.

Lisa had never mentioned Herb Dahl to me, a dear enough friend and "benefactor" that he was willing to drop 200K on a bond. This, and the fact that she hadn't tapped his largesse to pay for her defense, did not surprise me. Her barging in all bl.u.s.ter and business, ready to be part of the team, didn't either. I believed that with strangers Lisa was very skilled at keeping her personal and emotional issues beneath the surface. She could charm the stripes off a tiger and I wondered if Herb Dahl knew what he was getting into. I a.s.sumed he was working an angle, but he might not understand that he was being worked as well.

"Lisa," I said, "can we step back here into Lorna's office and speak privately for a moment?"

"I think Herb should hear whatever it is you have to say. He's going to be doc.u.menting the case."

"Well, he's not going to doc.u.ment our conversations because communications between you and your attorney are private and privileged. He can be compelled to testify in court about anything he hears or sees."

"Oh... well, isn't there a way of deputizing him or something to make him part of the legal team?"

"Lisa, just come back here for a few minutes."

I pointed toward the den and Lisa finally started moving in that direction.

"Lorna, why don't you get Mr. Dahl something to drink?"

I followed Lisa into the den and closed the door. There were two desks. One for Lorna and one for Cisco. I pulled a side chair over in front of Lorna's and told Lisa to sit down. I then went behind the desk and sat down to face her.

"This is a strange law office," she said. "It feels like somebody's home or something."

"It's temporary. Let's talk about your hero out there, Lisa. How long have you known him?"

"Just a couple months or so."

"How did you meet him?"

"On the courthouse steps. He came to one of the FLAG protests. He said he was interested in us from a filmmaker's perspective."

"Really? So he's a filmmaker? Where's his camera?"

"Well, he actually puts things together. He's very successful. He does, like, book deals and movies. He's going to handle all of that. This case is going to get ma.s.sive attention, Mickey. At the jail they told me I had interview requests from thirty-six reporters. Of course they didn't let me speak to them, only Herb."

"Herb got to you in the jail, did he? He must be relentless."

"He said that when he sees a story he stops at nothing. Remember that little girl who lived for a week on the side of the mountain with her dead father after he crashed off the road? He got her a TV movie."

"That's impressive."

"I know. He's very successful."

"Yes, you said that. So did you make some sort of agreement with him?"

"Yes. He'll put all the deals together and we split everything fifty-fifty after his expenses and he gets the bail money back. I mean, that's only fair. But he's talking about a lot of money. I might be able to save my house, Mickey!"

"Did you sign something? A contract or any sort of agreement?"

"Oh, yes, it's all legal and binding. He has to give me my share."

"You know that because you showed it to your lawyer?"

"Uh... no, but Herb said it was standard boilerplate. You know, legal mumbo-jumbo. But I read it."

Sure she did. Just like when she signed the contracts with me.

"Can I see the contract, Lisa?"

"Herb kept it. You can ask him."

"I will. Now did you happen to tell him about our agreements?"

"Our agreements?"

"Yes, you signed contracts with me yesterday at the police station, remember? One was for me to represent you criminally and the others granted me power of attorney to represent you and negotiate any sale of story rights so that we can fund your defense. You remember that you signed a lien?"

She didn't answer.

"Did you see I have three people out there, Lisa? We're all working on your case. And you haven't paid us a penny so far. So that means I have to come up with all their salaries, all their expenses. Every week. That's why in the agreements you signed yesterday you were giving me the authority to make book and film deals."

"Oh... I didn't read that part."

"Let me ask you something. Which is more important to you, Lisa, that you have the best defense possible and try to defy the odds and win this case, or that you have a book or movie deal?"

Lisa put a pouting look on her face, and then promptly deflected the question.

"But you don't understand. I'm innocent. I didn't-"

"No, you don't understand. Whether you're innocent or not has nothing to do with this equation. It's what we can prove or disprove in court. And when I say 'we' I really mean 'me,' Lisa. Me. Me. I'm your hero, not Herb Dahl out there in the leather jacket and Hollywood piece sign. And I mean that as in piece of the pie." I'm your hero, not Herb Dahl out there in the leather jacket and Hollywood piece sign. And I mean that as in piece of the pie."

She paused for a long moment before responding.

"I can't, Mickey. He just bailed me out. It cost him two hundred thousand dollars. He has to make that back."

"While your defense team goes hungry."

"No, you're going to get paid, Mickey. I promise. I get half of everything. I'll pay you."

"After he gets his two hundred grand back, plus expenses. Expenses that could be anything, it sounds like."

"He said he got a half a million for one of Michael Jackson's doctors. And that was just for a tabloid story. We might get a movie!"

I was on the verge of losing it with her. Lorna had a stress-release squeeze toy on the desk. It was a small judge's gavel, a sample of a giveaway she was considering for marketing and promotional purposes. The name and number of the firm could be printed on the side. I grabbed it and squeezed hard on the barrel, thinking of it as Herb Dahl's windpipe. After a few moments the anger eased. The thing actually worked. I made a mental note to tell Lorna to go ahead with the purchase. We'd give them out at bail bond offices and street fairs.

"Okay," I said. "We'll talk about this later. We're going to go back out there now. You are still going to send Herb home because we are going to talk about your case and we do not do that in front of people who are not in the circle of privilege. Later, you are going to call him and tell him he is not to make any deal or move without my approval. Do you understand, Lisa?"

"Yes."

She sounded chastised and meek.

"Do you want me to tell him to leave or do you want to handle it?"

"Can you handle it, Mickey?"

"No problem. I think we're done here."

We stepped back into the living room and caught Dahl as he was finishing a story.

"... and that was before he made t.i.tanic t.i.tanic!"

He laughed at the kicker but the others in the room failed to show the same sense of Hollywood humor.

"Okay, Herb, we're going to get back to work on the case and we need to talk with Lisa," I said. "I'm going to walk you out now."

"But how will she get home?"

"I have a driver. We can handle that."

He hesitated and looked to Lisa to save him.

"It's okay, Herb," she said. "We need to talk about the case. I'll call you as soon as I get home."