Free On Thin Ice by Eve Gaddy Page A

remember him?”
    She accepted the change of subject because he gave her no choice. Yet the idea of Devlin Sinclair actually having a heart still shocked her. What else went on behind the scenes that he preferred to keep silent? “Who’s the first interview?”
    “Caleb Bailey. You know, the guy who was originally the prosecution’s witness. Sabatino allegedly extorted protection money from him.”
    “Until he changed his mind and refused to testify against Sabatino,” Gabrielle said. “Now I wonder what made him do that?” she added sarcastically.
    Devlin shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We need to see if he’ll be a credible witness for the defense.”
    Late that afternoon, on the way back to the office, Gabrielle pondered the events of the day. Caleb Bailey, and every other witness they had interviewed that day, was useless. Not a decent one in the bunch. Bailey had been so frightened, he shook, and Gabrielle doubted he’d be any better in a courtroom. Worse, if anything. While it didn’t break her heart not to find any reputable witnesses for the defense, she knew Devlin would come up with something. Why did he have to be so good? Her lip curled in a snarl of irritation.
    Franco deserved to be in jail, she thought. Should have been a long time ago. It would do the world a favor if—
    “Hey, are you in there?” Devlin asked, one hand on the wheel, the other touching her arm.
    She jerked in surprise. “Sorry. I was thinking.”
    He cast her a considered look. “I said we’ll try the police reports next. Maybe they screwed up on something.”
    Get him off on a technicality? It wasn’t a new tactic; she’d used it herself. The problem was, she didn’t want Franco to get off. “I’ll start going over them tonight,” she offered.
    “No hurry. Tomorrow will be soon enough. We’ll keep the teams looking for more witnesses, though. Some miracle might turn up.”
    With Franco’s luck it would, Gabrielle thought. Back in the office a short while later, she couldn’t concentrate on anything. Trying to work was a lost cause, but she couldn’t generate a lot of enthusiasm for going home, either.
    She’d just about decided to leave when Nina stuck her head in the office doorway. “Hey, Gabrielle, check out Alfonso’s with me. Half an hour, okay?”
    “Thanks, Nina, but I—”
    “You can’t turn me down. One drink—I’ve got a date later. Wait until I tell you about this guy.”
    Nina and her men, Gabrielle thought as her friend disappeared before she could answer. Alfonso’s. After the day she’d had, she could use some relaxation.
    Gabrielle had intended to leave the bar as soon as Nina’s date showed up, but she couldn’t force herself to go home and face the silence. Or the memories she knew would swamp her once she let down her guard. Even her music, she knew, wouldn’t provide solace that night. Seeking distraction, she glanced around at the clientele of the well-filled bar, an oddly soothing proliferation of professionals. One of her colleagues’ favorite hangouts, it attracted bankers, doctors, CEO’s, and other assorted upscale types. And no doubt a Mafia hit man or two, disguised as something else, she reminded herself sourly. Still, being there kept her mind going instead of stalling on finding a solution to disaster.
    Her life, the disaster. Franco’s conviction would solve everything. Or if not everything, a large portion of it. They would put him away for years. But how to accomplish that? Short of turning over evidence to the prosecution . . . despite her initial disgust at the thought, the idea took root. Logs, records, address books. She and Devlin had a number of them that the prosecution would never see. An anonymous tip—
    No! She couldn’t do it. Unethical, certainly. Illegal too. She was bound by law and her professional oath to protect her client. And if she quit the case, there went her only power over Franco. The power to see him freed . . . or convicted.
    Could she do