Free Motion to Dismiss by Jonnie Jacobs Page B

issue at the moment.
    Unfortunately, the logic of that argument did little to dispel the chill that had worked its way down my spine.
    Let's let the dust settle, Grady had said when I'd pressed him about the rape charge. I've got a handle on it. I can take care of it .
    Is that what he'd done? Taken care of it?
    I wanted to hear from Grady himself.
    Grady was in his private office when I arrived. He introduced me to the two men seated across the desk from him -- detectives Flores and Newman from the Oakland police department. They were a Mutt and Jeff pairing of opposites. Flores was stocky and dark, Newman tall and fair. Neither seemed particularly happy to see me.
    Grady, on the other hand, looked relieved. "I just called you," he said.
    "And here I am. Must be ESP."
    "Deirdre Nichols is dead. She fell from the deck of the house where she was staying." His face, though tanned, seemed paler than usual, and his voice faltered.
    "I heard." Although the others were seated, I remained standing.
    "Are you representing Mr. Barrett?" asked Newman.
    Before I had a chance to frame a response, Grady nodded. "Yes, she is," he said emphatically. I left it at that for the moment.
    "No need for an attorney, really." Flores pulled at an earlobe. "We're merely checking with people who knew Ms. Nichols, trying to piece together what might have happened the night she died."
    Sure, and you just happened to start with Grady Barrett.
    "Makes me wonder" -- Newman nodded toward Grady -- "why you're so eager to have an attorney present. You got something to be nervous about?"
    Grady managed a stiff laugh. "I'm head of a major company in a competitive and cutthroat market. I've learned not to sneeze without an attorney present."
    "That so?" The cop wasn't impressed. "An investigation like ours is a little different, see. We like to think we're all on the same side, just trying to find out what happened. Kind of raises my hackles when a citizen thinks he needs an attorney."
    I leaned against the bookcase. "Cut the crap, Detective. If you have something to ask my client, go ahead and ask. Otherwise, you'll have to excuse us. He's a busy man."
    "Yeah, I've heard he gets around." This was said with a pointed smirk.
    Flores rocked back in his chair. "Before you arrived, we were asking about Mr. Barrett's activities Saturday evening. He claims he was here at the office, working late."
    "Not unusual," I said.
    "Unfortunately, there seems to be no one who can verify that."
    I looked at Grady, who nodded imperceptibly. "As far as I know," he said, "the other offices were empty."
    "I fail to see what my client's work habits have to do with your investigation of Ms. Nichols' death."
    "Might be no connection at all." The cop turned his attention back to Grady. "Anyone call you that night?"
    "No."
    "Maybe you called out?"
    Grady hesitated, thinking. "No, not that I recall."
    "What kind of car do you drive, Mr. Barrett?"
    No doubt they knew the answer already.
    "I have two," Grady explained. "A Mercedes and a Suburban."
    "And which were you driving Saturday night?"
    "The Mercedes."
    "What color is it?"
    "Silver."
    A smile pulled the cop's lips taut. "A convertible?"
    Grady nodded.
    "Ms. Nichols' little girl saw a silver convertible in the driveway sometime in the middle of the night."
    Grady shrugged, but he wasn't quite able to pull off the show of indifference he was after. "Mine is hardly unique."
    "She also saw a man in the driveway." The detective paused. "'Course, if it wasn't you, I imagine she'll be able to tell us that."
    I'd forgotten Deirdre's seven-year-old daughter was with her that night. Had she recognized Grady? Were the police withholding that critical piece of information in the hope of tripping him up?
    I pushed the thought aside. If Adrianna had seen her mother fall from the deck, she wouldn't have waited until morning to call 911.
    Unless she'd been scared, said the voice at the back of my mind. Unless she'd been hiding .
    I rose and stepped