The Perfect Alibi Read online

  When he got to the Stark residence, he would break in and beat the bitch and her mother to death. His only regret was that he’d have to kill them quickly. He would have loved to torture them for hours to avenge what they’d done to him. But the important thing was killing Randi.

  Hastings had been to the house before, but the cops had been called and he’d had to run. This time he would be more careful. It took him three quarters of an hour to walk from the restaurant to the house. He noticed that there were no lights on. He tried the doors and found them locked. He didn’t think the Starks could afford an alarm system, so he broke a pane in the back-door window and waited a minute. When no alarm screeched, Hastings reached through the window and opened the door from the inside.

  When he was inside, he crept up the stairs to Randi’s bedroom. He knew where it was because he’d seen Randi looking down at him the first time he’d been outside the house. He turned the doorknob slowly. Then he slid into the room. His hand closed on the iron bar he’d used to fell the drunk, and he walked to the bed. He wanted to stun Randi with the first blow so she could see who was going to beat her to death. Only he didn’t get the chance, because the bed was empty and neatly made.

  Hastings made his way through the rest of the house. No one was home, and there were few items of clothing in the closets. Hastings stifled an urge to scream. Then he closed his eyes and took several slow breaths until he’d regained control of his emotions. The Starks were hiding. But where were they and who would know?

  One name came to mind immediately. Robin Lockwood, Randi’s lawyer, would have to keep in touch because of the lawsuit. Hastings remembered the contempt she’d shown him in court. He hoped Lockwood would refuse to tell him where the Starks were hiding so he could beat the information out of her.

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  “It’s Vanessa Cole,” Kellerman said as soon as he and Les Kreuger were alone in the contact visiting room at the jail. “The bitch has always been jealous of me.”

  “I talked to Vanessa,” Les said. “She wouldn’t tell me much, but she did tell me you were forced to resign because of the way you handled Doug Armstrong’s case.”

  “Doug Armstrong killed Frank Nylander, but everyone is trying to protect him.” Kellerman shook his head. “Paul and I had a deal. I can’t believe he’d stab me in the back like this. I was supposed to resign, and that was supposed to be that.”

  “Vanessa knows about the deal. She told me that Paul tried to talk her out of bringing any charges against you, but she decided to charge you anyway. Once I know more about the case, I might be able to use Paul’s promise to your advantage. Right now, I need to know what’s behind these charges. If Armstrong is guilty, why were you fired for prosecuting him?”

  “I may have cut some corners,” Kellerman answered with a nervous laugh.

  “Tell me about that, because the indictment alleges that you bribed a witness to falsify evidence so you could frame Doug for a crime that could have led to his being executed.”

  “Yeah, well, he wasn’t framed. The DNA evidence proved he’s guilty.”

  “I’m confused. If you had evidence, what was the problem?”

  Kellerman told his lawyer about the inconclusive first test and his request for a retest. “It was all legal, but Paul misinterpreted what I did.”

  “Vanessa told me you had an affair with Doug’s wife and didn’t tell anyone about it. Did she ‘misinterpret’ that?”

  “I didn’t tell anyone, to protect Marsha. I didn’t want to mess up her marriage.”

  “Wouldn’t sending Doug to death row have messed up their relationship?” Kreuger asked.

  Kellerman started to respond. Then he realized there wasn’t much he could say. “Can the attempted murder charge stand?” he asked instead. “Have you ever heard of anything like this?”

  “I had an associate work on the problem after you called from jail. He found a few cases where a district attorney was prosecuted for withholding evidence that led to the conviction of an innocent man. But there is a United States Supreme Court case that might hurt us. It held that the Civil Rights Act of 1871 did not authorize a convicted person to assert a claim for damages against a police officer for giving perjured testimony that helped the state get a conviction. The bad news is a statement by the Court that you don’t need the possibility of damages to dissuade witnesses from lying, because they know they can be prosecuted criminally for perjury.

  “Vanessa can argue that you convinced the DNA expert to commit perjury and should be criminally prosecuted for attempted murder since you knew that the jury might sentence Doug to death if it accepted the perjured testimony.”

  “That’s a stretch,” Kellerman said.

  “I agree. I was just trying to play devil’s advocate.”

  “What’s the plan, Les? What are we going to do next?”

  “Your arraignment is at ten. I’m sure Vanessa will alert the press, so be prepared for a circus.”

  “Can you get me out of here?”

  “Teresa Reitman is presiding. That’s good. She’s smart and she doesn’t choose sides. I’m fairly confident she’ll grant bail that you can afford. After that, we hunker down and figure out how to get your case dismissed.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  Marsha Armstrong turned on the television in the kitchen while she fixed breakfast for Doug. He had started going to his office again because he thought it would help to get back into a routine, but he still couldn’t remember anything about the days surrounding Frank’s murder.

  The lead story on the news killed Marsha’s appetite. Vanessa Cole had charged Rex Kellerman with attempted murder because he had bribed a witness to falsify evidence that could have led to Doug’s execution. From the debate between the legal experts, Marsha gathered that no one had ever charged a prosecutor in this manner, but it wasn’t the novelty of the legal action that made Marsha want to throw up. Now that he was under arrest, Rex would have no reason to keep their affair a secret, and Marsha was smart enough to realize that Vanessa would expose the affair to prove Rex’s motive for framing Doug.

  Marsha turned off the set and collapsed on a chair. By the time Doug walked into the kitchen, she had decided what she had to do.

  Doug was smiling, but his smile faded when he saw Marsha’s face. “What happened?” he asked.

  “Sit down. I have something I have to tell you.”

  Doug was confused. Marsha looked like she was about to cry. “What’s wrong, honey?”

  “The police arrested Rex Kellerman for attempting to murder you by bribing that witness to lie at your trial about the DNA.”

  Doug brightened. “That’s great! I hope they send the bastard to prison.”

  “It won’t be so great for us.”

  Doug’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

  “There’s a reason Rex went after you, why he tried so hard to frame you.”

  “What reason?”

  Marsha looked down at the tabletop. “I … We … Rex and me, we had an affair.”

  “What?!”

  “It was the miscarriage. I was so depressed about losing the baby. I wasn’t thinking straight. I … I was sick, crazy with grief.”

  Marsha looked up. “I stopped when I came to my senses. When I realized how wrong it was.” Her eyes begged Doug to understand. “I’m so sorry.” Marsha started to cry.

  Doug stared at her for a moment, stunned by what she’d told him. Then he walked around the table and took Marsha in his arms. “I love you, Marsha. I’ll always love you. I know what losing our baby did to you. The affair means nothing. It’s your happiness that means everything to me.”

  “I was so wrong.”

  “No, if that’s what you needed to heal, it’s what you had to do.”

  Marsha started to wail. She squeezed her eyes shut and threw back her head. She was crying so hard, she couldn’t talk. Doug hugged her as hard as he could.

  “You’re so good,” Marsha managed when s
he had enough air to speak.

  “No, baby, you’re the one who’s good. You’re the one who saved me. You brought me back to life after Lois died. I’d do anything for you. I love you so much.”

  Marsha rested her head on Doug’s shoulders, and they stayed in an embrace for a while. When Marsha calmed down, she leaned away from Doug. “Paul Getty made a deal with Rex. He said he wouldn’t make public the reason Rex was resigning if Rex promised to keep our affair secret. Now everyone will know I betrayed you.”

  “I don’t care,” Doug said. “All that matters is that we’re back together.”

  “How can I face our friends? What will they think?”

  “If they’re really our friends, they’ll forgive you like I have.” Doug gripped Marsha’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Be strong. Together, we’ll get through this.”

  “Oh God, Doug,” Marsha said as she threw herself back into his arms. “I will never deserve you. Never.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  The arraignment went the way Les had said it would. Vanessa had pressed for a high bail, but Les argued that the case presented novel legal issues that might not survive pretrial motions, and the judge had agreed. Les posted bail, and Rex had been set free two hours after court adjourned.

  One of Les’s associates had been waiting for Rex in the jail reception area and drove him home, where he had showered and dropped into a deep sleep. The annoying tones of his doorbell woke him at seven thirty the next morning. He staggered downstairs and opened the door. A reporter from a local television station was standing outside, his cameraman aiming a lens at Rex. Rex slammed the door before the reporter could get his question out. Moments later, Rex’s cell phone began to ring. It was another reporter. Rex disconnected and turned off his ringer.

  Rex tried to get back to sleep, but the doorbell kept ringing. At eight o’clock, he gave up. After pulling down all the window shades so the reporters couldn’t look into his house, Rex fixed a breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, and black coffee. Eating this breakfast, after gagging on the slop he’d been fed in jail, proved to be one of the greatest dining experiences of his life.

  While he ate, Rex booted up his laptop. The story of his arrest was featured on the local paper’s webpage. Vanessa had told the press that Rex had faked evidence to frame an attorney against whom he had a grudge, which was bullshit. Rex knew Vanessa had planted this slanted and inaccurate story to poison the jury pool.

  It was a cool but sunny day. Rex thought about going out on the patio, but the reporters could get to him there, so he went into his den, collapsing on the sofa, where his emotions yoyoed between anxiety and rage.

  * * *

  Before he left Rex at the courthouse, Les had told him that he wanted him to go through the files in Frank Nylander’s case so he could tell him the strongest argument he could make that Doug had killed his partner. Shortly after three, a messenger from Kreuger’s office arrived with copies of the discovery that Vanessa had turned over.

  Rex spread the files across his kitchen table and fixed a cup of black coffee. While the afternoon slipped away, he read the files in the Nylander murder case, the New York City case file that contained the investigation into Tyler Harrison’s murder, Nylander’s file with the information about Leonard Voss’s lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company that had brought him to New York City, and the file about the murder of Leonard Voss.

  Kellerman made notes on his laptop during his initial read-through. He got hungry a little after eight and made a sandwich. It was already dark when he started to reread the files. By eleven, he’d finished the interviews with Ken Norquist and the other employees of Nylander & Armstrong, the Harrison murder file, and the forensic and autopsy reports. Rex’s eyes were getting heavy and he was ready to pack it in when something occurred to him. He frowned. Then he went back to two of the files. His heart began to thud when he found what he was looking for. It was strange, but was it relevant?

  Kellerman did a web search and found what he was looking for. He peeked through a window. The reporters had cleared out. He walked outside and stared into space. It was cold on the patio, but Rex was too distracted to notice. It was too late to follow up on his idea. He decided that he shouldn’t be the one to investigate anyway. That was his lawyer’s job. Les had crack investigators who could find out if there was anything that could help him.

  Rex went back inside and found his cell phone on the kitchen counter. That’s when he realized that he didn’t have the number for Les’s cell phone. He looked up the number for Kreuger’s law office. A computer voice told him to leave a message.

  “Les, this is Rex. I came across something odd in the files you sent me. I don’t know if it means anything. Give me a call in the morning when you get this message.”

  Rex disconnected. He was tired, but it was too early to go to bed. He decided to watch some television and was headed for the den when he heard a noise. He paused. Someone had come in the door that opened onto the patio. It was probably a reporter. Rex was furious. He walked toward the rear door.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  “It was definitely arson,” Carrie Anders told Vanessa Cole.

  They were standing in front of the charred remains of Rex Kellerman’s house. The blaze had awakened the neighbors, but the house was badly damaged by the time the fire trucks arrived.

  “Any leads on who did this?” Vanessa asked.

  “It’s too early.”

  “Any thoughts?”

  “There are all the defendants he prosecuted,” Anders said, “and no one I know liked Rex. Doug Armstrong comes to mind. He must hate Kellerman for framing him. If he found out that Rex was having an affair with his wife, that would give him another motive.”

  “If I were Doug, I’d want to see Rex go through the hell of a trial,” Vanessa said. “Then I’d wait to see if he went to prison. That would give me more satisfaction than killing him.”

  “I’ll check on his alibi anyway,” Anders said just as Les Kreuger drove up.

  “What’s Les doing here?” the detective asked.

  “I don’t know. He was representing Rex,” Vanessa said.

  Anders and Cole walked to Kreuger’s car.

  Kreuger got out and stared at the ruins of Kellerman’s home. “What happened?” he asked

  “Rex was murdered last night, and his house was set on fire,” Carrie answered.

  Kreuger looked stunned.

  “Why are you here?” Vanessa asked.

  “Rex left a voice mail message last night. He said he’d found something odd in the files I gave him. I called when I got the message. He didn’t answer. Then one of my associates told me he’d heard on the radio that Rex’s house had burned down, so I drove over.”

  “Did Rex say what he’d found in the files?” Carrie asked.

  “No. Only that he found something strange. I saved the message. I’ll give you a copy.”

  “When was the last time you saw or talked to Rex?”

  “When he was arraigned. One of my associates drove him home and dropped off the files yesterday afternoon. I can make him available if you want to talk to him.”

  “What files did you give him?”

  “It was your discovery, Vanessa. The files in the Nylander case, the stuff the New York detective sent about the Harrison murder, some information about the case Nylander went to New York to negotiate.”

  “The arson investigator thinks the fire might have been started by setting the files aflame,” Vanessa said. “Did you see anything in the files you gave Rex that can help us figure out why someone would want to destroy them or what Rex was talking about?”

  “I’ve been through the files a few times, but I didn’t see anything that struck me as ‘odd.’” Kreuger looked at the house. “Did he die in the fire?”

  “No,” Carrie said. “His body was burned, but the ME says he was probably dead when the fire started.”

  “Thank God he didn’t burn to death. That’s a horr
ible way to die.”

  “Dr. Grace found an entry wound in his forehead, and forensics found a bullet lodged in a wall under a painting. His body was found near the back door. Dr. Grace thinks Rex was shot by someone who came in that way and that he died immediately.”

  “Do you have any more questions for Les?” Vanessa asked Carrie.

  “No.”

  “Why don’t you take off,” Vanessa said. “If you think of something that might help, give Carrie a call.”

  Kreuger nodded. He took another look at the house and gave a sad shake of his head before walking to his car.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  The doorbell woke Marsha Armstrong from a deep sleep. She looked at the clock on her end table. When she saw the time, she bolted up in her bed. Ten o’clock! How had she slept until ten o’clock? She was an early riser, out of bed by seven at the latest. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept until ten. She looked at Doug’s side of the bed. It was empty, the sheets rumpled and his blankets thrown back. Doug was also an early riser, so she guessed that he was at the office.

  The doorbell rang again. Marsha grabbed her robe and rushed down the steps. When she looked through the peephole, she saw Roger Dillon and Carrie Anders. She had no idea why they would be here. She opened the door.

  “Hi, Mrs. Armstrong,” Roger said. “Is your husband home?”

  “No. He’s probably at work.”

  “I guess that means he’s feeling much better.”

  “He is, but he still can’t remember what happened on the night Frank was murdered, if that’s what you’re here to find out.”

  Carrie smiled. “It’s not.”

  Marsha frowned. “Then what do you want with Doug?”

  “Actually, we wanted to talk to the two of you.”

  “Oh?”