FiFty Fifty

Chapter Thirty - Eight

EDDIE

The ping of incoming mail jolted me awake.
I'd fallen asleep at the desk, again. I looked at the screen. Just after five a.m.
The alert message read, 'New Message from Kate Brooks.'
The email said Hal Cohen had been murdered last evening. What looked like a
female in black biker leathers rode past him at a crosswalk, put a knife in his neck. It said no more than that. Attached to the email was a zip file. I clicked on the zip file to open it. The compressed file contained a video. Nothing more.
The video filled the screen. Security camera footage from a pharmacy. A figure, clad in black and wearing a motorcycle helmet, entered the store. I watched as a gruesome double murder played out on the screen. I stopped the playback as the figure in black left the store, then I ran in the back and dry- heaved. My stomach settled, my anger did not. I showered, put on a fresh shirt and tie and then dialed her cell phone, finding her number at the bottom of the email.
She picked up almost immediately.
'We need to meet. Our clients can't know we've talked. This is between us.' 'Come to my office,' she said.
A half-hour later I parked my Mustang outside an apartment building called
Lexington Village, but could easily have been called Demolition by Fitzpatrick & Sons. The front door was wide open, like the large crack in the wall beside it. A smell of stale vegetables filled the hallway and I was surprised that one elevator was working. I rode it to Kate's floor. The hallway on this floor didn't smell any better. The carpets were dirty, and more large cracks ripped apart the walls. This place should be condemned. Kate opened the door to her apartment already dressed for court, but her hair was still wet at the edges.
'Come in. Sorry about the mess, I stayed at a friend's last night. Haven't had time to clean up,' she said.
She wore a pair of Adidas Superstars to go with the business suit. Inside, the apartment reminded me of my first place in Manhattan. It was smaller than most tombs. Somehow, the kitchen, bedroom and living area had been fitted into a single space, and with little forethought. Compact and uncomfortable. The two of us made the place look crowded.
 
'I'm sorry I asked you to my office. I work from home,' said Kate, sheepishly. 'That's fine, I live in my office, so we're kind of even.'
Kate had an easy laugh, and she appeared to relax just for a moment – no
longer embarrassed. She ushered me towards the single stool at what she said was the breakfast bar. It was a sheet of Formica sitting on a plank. I sat down, facing the small kitchen area. Kate busied herself making coffee. She set out two mugs, not asking if I wanted any. She wanted coffee and she wasn't going to drink it alone.
The coffee machine began to gurgle, and she poured it out. She took a sip from a mug that said 'Ravenclaw' across it, and gave me a mug with a picture of Harry Potter on the side.
It was good coffee, and I thanked her, then took a look at the mug. The picture of the kid wizard had faded, like it had been through the dishwasher way too many times.
'I like Harry Potter. Sue me,' she said.
'No, that's fine. My daughter loves the books.'
'Smart kid. How old is she?'
'Fourteen.'
'That's a tricky age,' said Kate.
'Being a teenager sucks for most people. She'll get through it. How about
you? How are you coping with your first trial?'
Kate nodded as she drank, then set down her mug and said, 'It's exhausting.
That's one thing I didn't expect. Soon as I got out of the courtroom I realized how tired I felt. It's really draining.'
'You get used to it. Adrenaline will carry you through your first half dozen trials. That, and fear. Eventually your body and mind get used to the effort required to get through a trial. You're doing just fine.'
I paused, let her take in the compliment, and said, 'What happened yesterday with Cohen?'
'I didn't know who he was until Dreyer showed up. He was outside Hogan Place, waiting for Cohen. We were crossing the street, and this bike shot past. The rider put a knife in Cohen's neck. I couldn't believe it. I spoke to the cops afterwards, gave a statement. So did Bloch. They think it might have been an attempted robbery. I told him it was too fast for that. The motorcycle rider didn't even say anything. Just stabbed him.'
'You think someone was taking out a potential witness in our case?'
'No, I think Sofia was taking out a witness.'
'Wait, the cops haven't come near Sofia. If she was a suspect, she'd be
arrested. What about Alexandra? Has she been arrested or interviewed?'