Accused: A Rosato & Associates Novel Page 6

  “Welcome,” said a woman’s voice, warmly. “Come in and follow the road. Take a left, then turn right, toward the house.”

  “Thank you.” Mary raised the window while the iron gates swung open. “The mom sounds nice.”

  “It’s the maid.”

  Mary smiled and turned onto the road, which switched to a grayish gravel. “I’m intimidated.”

  “Don’t be. Remember, they’re just people and we’re lawyers. We can sue them to death.”

  Mary steered the car past groupings of specimen bushes and trees, each with little brass nameplates. “The farm has a name, the trees have a name, everybody has a name.”

  “Birds.” Judy pointed at a white aviary on the right, housing colorful finches that darted about, and a white chicken coop with a long run, where black-and-white hens clustered in the shade. “Look at that. Birds of a feather really do flock together.”

  “This isn’t a house, it’s a theme park.”

  “It’s a petting zoo, but you can’t pet anything. There’s the stables.” Judy nodded at a large hill on the left, and at its crest sat a large white stable, surrounded by fenced pastures where dark horses grazed, the graceful heads bent toward the grass and their tails flicking.

  “Aw, I like horses.”

  “Evidently, so do they. Except that in Gulliver’s Travels, the Houyhnhnm weren’t very nice. They were stern and imperious, like John Gardner on the phone.”

  “Keep an open mind. Rich people can’t help it if they sound like bill collectors. They kind of are.”

  “There’s the house.”

  “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” Mary steered the car toward a huge mansion of gray stone, which had three wings, Palladian windows, and a bright white portico over the front door, under which stood an attractive, middle-aged couple.

  “There’s Barbie and Ken.”

  Mary smiled. “I don’t see Allegra.”

  “She’s in shackles in the basement.”

  Mary steered closer, then parked in a cobblestone lot that held a black Escalade, a white Mercedes sedan, and a silver Prius, the same model as Anthony’s. “See, a Prius. That shows they’re good people.”

  “It’s the maid’s.”

  “Do people really live like this?”

  “Let’s find out. You take the lead in our meeting.”

  “Me?” Mary turned off the ignition. She and Judy always ran meetings together as equals, which meant that they constantly interrupted each other.

  “Yes, you. You’re a partner now, and you have a better feel for Allegra than I do.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do.” Judy’s eyes narrowed as she looked through the windshield at the Gardners, who were approaching. “They’re coming. Game face.”

  “Got it.” Mary cut the ignition, and she and Judy got out of the car as the Gardners approached, walking in matching stride, which lent an unfortunate uniformity to their appearance, since they were both dressed in white polo shirts, pressed khaki shorts, and boy-and-girl patterns of Teva sandals.

  “Welcome, I’m John Gardner.” John extended a large hand, and Mary shook it, trying to give good handshake. He was tall, fit, and handsome, with blue eyes and crow’s-feet that made him look reliable and reddish-brown hair that was turning sterling silver at the temples. His teeth were predictably straight and even, but his smile had a genuine warmth of a suburban dad.

  “I’m Mary DiNunzio and this is Judy Carrier.” Mary stole a glance at Allegra’s mother while introductions were being made. Jane Gardner was also tall and thin, with wide-set hazel eyes and highlighted blonde hair scissored into a straight bob, curling obediently at her delicate chinline. Remarkably, however, a four-inch scar marred her right cheek, adding a badass touch to her wholesome American beauty.

  “Call me Jane, and we’re happy you could make it today. Did you have much trouble finding us, Mary?”

  “No, not at all, thanks.” Mary smiled to show they came in peace. “It’s great to meet you both, after meeting Allegra and hearing all the wonderful things she said about you. She’s a really remarkable young girl, and you must be proud of her.”

  “We are, thank you so much.” John touched Mary’s arm and steered her toward the house. “Come on in. We’ll get you both something to drink and we can hash this out. Jane made us some fresh cookies and lemonade.”

  “Where’s Allegra?” Mary asked, letting him guide them, and John gestured vaguely to the left, toward some evergreens.

  “She’s setting up her new hives.”

  “Does she know we’re here? I called her and left a message, but I’m not sure she got it.” Mary didn’t add that she had called Allegra on both of her telephone numbers, not knowing which one Allegra used more often.

  “We didn’t tell her that we were expecting you, so unless you told her, she doesn’t know. As I said, we’d much prefer to meet with you alone.”

  Mary was kicking herself. It was her own damn fault for not making sure she reached Allegra before they left the office. “Well, we’d like to see her.”

  “You can, after we meet.”

  “We’d like to see her first, if you don’t mind.” Mary hadn’t realized that the Gardners would try to game them out of meeting Allegra. She and Judy stopped walking at the same time, and so did the Gardners.

  “In point of fact, we do mind.”

  “Then let’s discuss this.” Mary hated to confront them as if they were opposing counsel in commercial litigation, instead of parents trying to deal with a painful family matter. She knew that their hearts had to be hurting under their well-dressed veneer. “We know this situation is difficult for you, and you have our condolences on the passing of your daughter Fiona. But Allegra has retained us, and as her counsel, we have an obligation that runs to her first and everybody else second, even her parents.”

  Judy stood beside Mary, nodding. “John, you probably know that as lawyers we act only as an agent of a principal, and the scope of our authority is narrow. Frankly, we lack authority to meet with you on Allegra’s behalf without Allegra’s consent. So we have no choice but to meet with Allegra first, or we cannot meet with you at all.”

  An awkward silence fell as John and Jane Gardner stood opposite Mary and Judy, the four of them squinting at each other in the sun, like rival teams in the most polite face-off ever. Suddenly they all looked over as the front door of the house opened and three older men in pinstriped suits emerged and strode toward them at a clip so purposeful that it could only be billable, like a legal cavalry. The Gardners had lawyered up, but Mary could have told them it wouldn’t work. The more outgunned she and Judy were, the more they liked it. You didn’t choose to be a lawyer unless you relished a good fight.

  John Gardner gestured at the three attorneys, who reached them wearing professional smiles. “Mary, Judy, meet Steve Korn, Vincent Copperton, and Neil Patel, who work in our in-house legal department.”

  “Hello, gentlemen.” Mary smiled back, in an equally professional manner.

  “Yes, hi.” Judy smiled more aggressively, if she were baring her teeth. She always said that a litigator’s smile didn’t count unless her incisors showed.

  “Excuse me.” Neil Patel stepped forward, his expression grim behind his thick glasses, and he buttoned his dark suit over a substantial waistline. “Mary, to come directly to the point, you’re well aware that Allegra Gardner is thirteen years old, a minor. Her parents are her legal guardians, and you may not meet with her, absent their consent.”

  “We were engaged by Allegra to represent her, and as her counsel, we can meet with her at any time.”

  “Allegra is legally unable to make any form of contract.”

  “No, that’s not precisely true.” Mary bore down. “As a minor, Allegra can make any or all contracts she chooses, whether written or oral, but the law is that contracts made by minors will not be enforced in court, should there be a problem. We do not anticipate needing to go to court to enforce our representatio
n agreement, which, by the way, was oral.”

  Judy nodded. “Of course, we could ask a court to appoint a guardian ad litem for Allegra, and the guardian would have the ability to make enforceable contracts for her and to assure that her wishes are carried out. But if we do that, this matter would become public.”

  John scowled, and Patel lifted a bushy eyebrow. “Obviously, we wish to avoid that. Perhaps there is a way to compromise. We would agree that you could meet with Allegra, with her parents being present.”

  Mary shook her head. “I’m sorry, but no. Our conversation with Allegra is confidential and privileged.”

  “Allegra can waive that.”

  “I won’t ask her to, at this juncture.” Mary glanced at Judy, who looked like she was ready to bite. “It’s our understanding that Allegra’s parents were aware that she was seeking counsel, so I’m at a loss to understand why we’re conducting litigation on the driveway.” Mary faced John. “You did know she was interviewing law firms, correct?”

  “Admittedly, yes,” he answered, and Jane looked upset, pursing her lips. “But we didn’t believe she would really go through with it, and it’s gone too far. We don’t want outsiders poking their nose into our family, and we’ll put a stop to it, here and now.”

  “We’re not here to interfere with your family.”

  John stiffened. “Yet you are, and my counsel are prepared to file an injunction against you, if you persist.”

  “On what basis?” Mary recoiled. “There’s no grounds for an injunction.”

  “Invasion of privacy. Harassment.”

  Judy scoffed, stepping forward. “None of those grounds would prevail, and your counsel has probably told you as much. Again, we will defend in court, and all that would accomplish is to make this public.”

  Mary wanted to reason with him. “John, you can’t solve a problem legally unless you have a legal problem. You can’t stop your daughter from asking questions, whether you tell her not to, or a judge does. Allegra hired us to look into the conviction of Lonnie Stall, and we intend to confine our investigation to the court case—”

  “Investigation?” Jane frowned, deeply, and Mary turned to her.

  “Jane, we can explain this to you, calmly. Why don’t you let us see Allegra, then we’ll all sit down, okay? There’s no reason for this to be adversarial. It’s difficult enough for you.”

  There was a happy shout from the evergreens, and they all turned to see Allegra hustling toward them, waving. She was wearing a white T-shirt that read DON’T WORRY, BEE HAPPY with white shorts and sneakers, and her long, wavy hair flew out behind her. “Mary! Judy! Hi!”

  “Hi!” Mary waved back, and so did Judy, before they could be enjoined not to.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Allegra’s smile faded as she reached the tense group, and Mary felt for her.

  “Sorry to surprise you, Allegra. We thought we’d come by, see you, and talk with your parents about the case, to keep them in the loop. I called you and told you we were on the way. Did you get the message?”

  “No, sorry, I didn’t have my phone on me.”

  “Is it okay with you if we talk to your parents, with you present?”

  “Sure.”

  “And can we meet with you alone first, before we do that?”

  “Yes.”

  “No,” John answered, at the same time. Neil Patel opened his mouth to say something, but John waved him into silence. “No, no, no.”

  “Daddy?” Allegra looked over at her parents, her expression anxious, but not completely surprised. “Why can’t they? They can’t talk to me?”

  “Allegra.” John placed a hand on his daughter’s knobby shoulder. “Your mother and I wish you would stop right now. We’ve been over and over this, but you’re taking it to a new level. Getting lawyers involved is very extreme. It’s not good for you, and it’s too intrusive to us, to have outsiders in our family life.”

  Jane came around Allegra’s other side, her expression pained. “Honey, Daddy’s right. Why don’t you tell Mary and Judy to go back to their office, and we’ll go inside, have some lemonade and cookies, and talk this over. You know we love Fiona, and if you still have questions about her, well, what happened to her, I promise you we can find a way to answer them.”

  Neil Patel turned to Allegra. “Legally, your parents are right, and we don’t believe that you have the capacity to engage outside counsel with respect to your sister’s murder.”

  Allegra squinted against the sunlight, looking up at her father. “Is that why you were mad when I came home early from Home Depot? And that’s why the lawyers are here?”

  “Honey, we can explain that.”

  Allegra frowned. “Daddy, if I can’t see them here, I’ll see them at their office. You can’t stop me from talking to them, or anyone.”

  “Yes, we can.” John’s tone remained firm. “You’re our daughter.”

  “Right. I’m your daughter, not your property,” Allegra shot back, equally firmly. “Now let me go talk to my lawyers.”

  Chapter Nine

  Mary and Judy followed Allegra across the immense, dappled lawn of the backyard, leaving the Gardners and their lawyers on the driveway. They passed a swimming pool with a flagstone surround and headed for an out-of-the-way, weedy patch near a wooden-sided compost pile, and Mary noticed that Allegra was walking with her head down.

  “Allegra, you okay?” she asked, with a sympathetic pang.

  “I guess so.” Allegra kept her head down. “That weirded me out, sorry.”

  “No need to apologize.” Mary glanced back to see that the Gardners and their lawyers were still on the driveway. She gathered they were going to stay and glare at them from across the lawn. “I should have kept trying to get you on the phone.”

  “No, it’s my dad. He’s freaking out.”

  “It’s understandable.”

  “Not to me.” Allegra pressed her lips over her braces. “I guess my parents made a secret plan to get me out of the house while you guys came over. They knew I wanted to get some things for the hives, and that must be why they had the driver take me. They said they couldn’t because they had work to do.”

  Mary exchanged a quick glance with Judy. “Well, try not to blame them. They’re trying to deal with a hard situation, and it will take some time to sort it all out. It’s new for them, and it’s topsy-turvy, a daughter calling the shots. Most parents would feel the same way.”

  “I’m not giving up.” Allegra faced forward, brightening as she motioned to some wooden boxes ahead. “Check out my new hives. What do you think?”

  “That’s a beehive?” Mary eyed the boxes, which looked like nightstands, with three drawers.

  Judy looked over with a crooked grin. “Mare, what did you think it would look like?”

  “A hive, you know like a big curved thing that’s wider at the bottom and comes to a point at the top, like in the cartoons.”

  Allegra smiled. “This is a Langstroth hive, which was invented by a man from Philadelphia, Lorenzo Langstroth. It’s the best-selling hive in the world, but it’s sad, he never got royalties from the patent. That bugs me.”

  “No pun.”

  “No. Bees aren’t bugs per se. I prefer to call them insects.”

  “Oh.” Mary stepped to the hive, then stopped herself. “Wait a minute, there’s no bees here, right?”

  “No, they come in the mail this week.”

  Judy turned. “You can mail bees? No wonder the Postal Service is so cranky.”

  Allegra smiled. “It took me all morning to assemble this, and I’ll paint it tomorrow.”

  “How does it work?”

  “The trays slide out so you can keep them clean, like this.” Allegra pulled one out. “Langstroth discovered the concept of bee space, which means that the trays are only as far apart as a single bee, so the honeycombs don’t get gummed up with propolis.”

  Mary didn’t ask her what that meant, because she wanted to get the conversation
back on track. Between Houyhnhnm and propolis, the place was a vocabulary nightmare, and the Gardners and the lawyers were still watching them from the driveway. “Allegra, remember in our meeting when you said that there was a reason you think Lonnie Stall is innocent? What was the reason?”

  “I think Fiona knew Lonnie.” Allegra straightened up, brushing brownish hair from her glasses, where a few strands had gotten caught in the hinge. “Everybody believes he was a total stranger to her, like he was just one of the waiters hired by the catering service, but my parents used that catering service all the time and they entertained a lot. There were always parties. Even I got to know those guys.”

  “Okay, so why does that matter? Would Lonnie hurt Fiona? Do you think there was a problem between them?”

  “No.” Allegra’s faced changed, her eyebrows slanting unhappily down. “I think Lonnie didn’t kill Fiona. I think he loved her. I think they were in love. I even think they were having sex.”

  “What makes you say that?” Mary gathered the birds-and-the-bees lecture was a moot point, especially for a bee expert.

  “Because when Fiona babysat me, Lonnie came over to visit.”

  “You mean, at the house?”

  “Yes.”

  “Didn’t you have a nanny or a sitter?”

  “We have a housekeeper, but Fiona sat me, too.”

  “Did your parents know that Lonnie was coming over?”

  “No.”

  “You’re sure it was him?”

  “I am, I remember, and he was such a nice guy.”

  “How do you know it was him? You were so young at the time.”

  “I remember him. He was nice to me, he talked to me, and introduced himself. He didn’t treat me like a baby. I remember his voice, even.”

  Mary was confused. “How many times would you say you saw him, when she babysat?”

  “Maybe five times, when she babysat, but more at my parents’ parties.” Allegra glanced over at her parents, but they were well out of earshot. “My Mom and Dad like to entertain at the house and the office. It’s a Gardner thing, because it’s a family business, so everything’s kind of together.”