Hostile Witness

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 28

It was dark, not late, when Archer pulled up to Josie's place. Josie's head was back, her eyes closed. It looked like she was asleep, but she was thinking about Rayburn's M.O. His preference was clear. Dependent girls. Women of color. Young. Each of them accepting Fritz as just a scummy part of life. All of them had a lot to lose: mothers, careers. All of them assumed they couldn't fight back. All except Hannah who was just that much more flawed than the rest, and that made her even less believable.

"We're home, Jo." Archer said.

"Thanks, babe," Josie whispered. "We did good today."

Archer took Josie's duffle out of the back.

"You coming in?" she asked.

"Am I still on the clock?"

Josie shrugged. "What if I said no?"

"Then I'm coming in."

Archer carried her bag, one arm slung over her shoulder. Josie picked up the mail, opened the door, and flipped on a light. Max ambled out of the back room. Archer petted him and let him out into the backyard, leaving the French doors open.

Josie filled his dish with food, replaced the dog's water. It was good to be home. She put the coffee on. Archer had wandered into the dining room and was looking at her mother's plates.

"I like these." He pointed to the wall.

"You say that every time you look at them," Josie laughed.

Josie liked them, too. Her mother's hula girl plates were her prized possession, two intact and one broken. Years ago Josie's father had dropped the plate while packing away Emily's things. When he was asleep, Josie opened the packing boxes and took the two plates. She retrieved the broken one from the trashcan and hid all three in her room. They were the first things Josie hung in her home. She could still see the crack that dissected one of the hula girls. Josie once thought she kept those kitschy plates because one day her mother would come back and be grateful. Now Josie knew she kept them to remind her that broken things can be mended, but there is always a scar.

Archer moseyed toward the living room; Max wandered back in. All was right with the world for now. Josie poured two cups of coffee, handing one off as she passed Archer.

"What are you going to do, Jo?" Archer asked.

"I'm thinking about breaking this down into two phases. First one is the assault on Rayburn. I'd put Rosa on the stand in a heartbeat. She's sympathetic. Rudy won't break her down. I'd like to find someone else who would corroborate in court." Josie took a drink, staring at the floor while she thought. "On the arson, I'm going to go with the doctors. Hannah couldn't have burned her studio. The defense is clear, and understandable, if I break it down that way."

"That jury is going to want another option on the arson."

"Then we go after Kip. He's the likely option. Something Rosa said puts me in the right frame of mind to look more closely at him. He's not the passive fool I thought he was. He proved it in court. There's a lot of anger there. I want to know what Kip and his father fought about. If it was Linda, Hannah, or business like he said."

Josie's words trailed off as she noticed the blinking light on her answering machine. She pressed play out of habit and took a minute to collect her thoughts. The first message was Ian Frank's secretary. Yes, Mr. Frank would meet with Josie in the morning, nine sharp.

"Want me to go with you?" Archer asked. "Might be good to have someone else listen in on what Rayburn's old partner has to say."

"No. I'll see him on my own. You check out. . ."