Free Double Jeopardy by William Bernhardt Page B

only man in the lineup who came close to fitting your general description?”
    She didn’t answer.
    “Isn’t it equally true that you would’ve identified any medium-sized, dark-haired male in that lineup? Just as you identified Charlie Slovic in the courtroom today?”
    “No,” she said weakly. “I—I— saw him—”
    “That’s all right, ma’am. We’ll let the jury answer that question. Nothing more, your honor.”

15
11:45 A.M.
    A T THE LUNCH BREAK, after the jury was excused, Travis left his client in the trusting custody of his five guards. He needed to stretch his legs. Unfortunately, traffic out of the gallery was slow. This case was drawing standing-room-only crowds and five minutes passed before the courtroom emptied. He pushed his way toward the door, only to find himself face-to-face with Curran McKenzie.
    “What did you bring me today?” Travis asked. “Her baby pictures?”
    Curran stared at Travis, his face fixed like granite.
    Obnoxious wimp. Travis tried to push past him. “If you’ll excuse me …”
    “Sarah and I saw what you did to our sister up there,” Curran said as his kid sister appeared beside him.
    “Every defendant is entitled to cross-examine his accusers. I was just exercising my client’s constitutional rights.”
    “This is all a game to you, isn’t it?” Curran said with undisguised contempt. “An entertainment. An easy way to make a buck.”
    “You don’t know what you’re talking about, kid.”
    “The hell I don’t. You’re a whore, Mr. Byrne. A filthy, two-bit whore.”
    Sarah McKenzie took her brother’s arm. “Curran, let’s leave. We don’t want any trouble.”
    Still glaring, Curran followed his sister out of the courtroom.
    “Self-righteous prig,” Travis muttered to himself.
    Cavanaugh strolled up beside him. “A meeting with the president of your fan club?”
    “Not exactly. That’s Mary Ann McKenzie’s brother.”
    “I know. I’ve had some heated conversations with him myself. He’s more interested in results than the legal process.”
    “So he’s furious with you, too.”
    “I never said he was furious. We’ve just had heated conversations. Lest you forget, Travis, I’m one of the good guys.”
    “And what does that make me? I’m just doing my job.”
    “That’s what they said at Nuremberg.” And on that note, Cavanaugh left the courtroom.
    Travis started after her, but a figure passing just outside the courtroom doors caught his eye. Was that …? My God, it was ! It was the man from the bathroom, the son of a bitch with the cigarette.
    A tremor of cold fear shot through Travis’s body. He’d spent the past twenty-four hours fantasizing about what he would do if he ever saw that man again, and now that he had, he was paralyzed.
    He forced himself forward, consciously moving one foot at a time. He was not going to let this man get away. Finally getting in gear, he rushed out of the courtroom and plunged down the corridor.
    Just as Travis rounded the corner a reporter stepped in front of him, almost tripping him. “Excuse me, Mr. Byrne. I’m from the Morning News. Could you please answer a few questions?”
    “Get out of my way!” Travis growled.
    Another reporter, a woman with a minicam operator hovering behind her, blocked his path. The red light on the minicam flickered. “Surely you can answer just a few—”
    “Not now!” Travis shouted. He shoved her aside. The woman fell back against the minicam operator and both tumbled to the floor. An elderly guard shouted at Travis as he plunged down the corridor. He burst out the front doors of the courthouse.
    He looked up and down Commerce Street, but saw no sign of the man from the bathroom. If that’s who he had seen. At any rate, the man was gone now.
    The sun went behind a cloud, and it started to rain. A flurry of umbrellas covered the courthouse steps as the guard tottered out the door. “I’m sorry, Mr. Byrne, but rules are rules. We can’t have