on her ring finger. “I just don’t understand this.”
“I know how you feel,” I said, meaning it. “I’m surprised you came to me, considering everything that happened with your sister.” I’d helped put Krissy away and had even trapped her in a coffin until the police had arrived to arrest her.
Pink filtered into Kelsey’s cheeks. “I know, but you were really sweet during all of that. My folks have pretty much disowned both me and Krissy after everything that happened. Even they think I’ve gone bad, Anna.” More tears welled into her eyes.
I reached out and patted her hand, aching for her. The idea of my family ignoring me was painful and hard to even imagine. “I was with you during that whole case, and I believe you.” The woman just couldn’t get a break. “Have you talked to Krissy?”
Kelsey shook her head. “No. I’m still mad at her for getting me involved in that whole gun mess, and I loved Danny. She killed him.” Kelsey’s mascara pooled beneath her eyes in a black gob. “I know he wasn’t the best of guys, and I’m seeing that shrink you recommended, but he didn’t deserve to die.” She dug in her purse for a Kleenex and blew her nose before continuing. “Maybe if Danny and I had gone to counseling together, he would’ve become a better person. He never got that chance.”
I doubted Danny Pucci would’ve ever been better than a slug on concrete, but there was no reason to say so. “I’m glad you’re getting help.” Danny had liked to hit women, and it was good that Kelsey was attending counseling.
She reached in her purse and pulled out a wallet, Chapstick, lipstick, and then lotion to pile on my desk. Sighing, she dug deeper, yanking out a sunglass case and an unopened purple condom. “Geez. This is crazy. I need to get more organized.” Finally, she pulled out a folded check to hand over. “I have some money in savings and hope this is enough to cover a retainer.”
“It is.” I didn’t look at the check. Kelsey needed help and I was going to help her. I kind of felt like we were in this together.
She shoved all of her belongings back into the pink bag. It didn’t look big enough to hold everything, but she made it work. “Thank you. What do we do now?”
I pushed the button on my phone.
“Hello, Ms. Albertini. This is Oliver. How may I help you?” Oliver asked formally.
I sighed. “Oliver, please call the court and get a copy of the case file against Kelsey Walker. You’ll probably need to pick it up, and I’m sure they’ll charge us for copies. See if we can set up an account there to be billed monthly. I think Clark has business credit cards for all of us.” That reminded me that I needed to get mine from him.
“Yes, ma’am,” Oliver said.
I grit my teeth. “Also, let’s order lunch in, and we can have an office meeting.” If he called me ma’am ever again, I was firing him.
“Yes, ma’am,” Oliver said dutifully.
I briefly shut my eyes. Okay. I could make this all work.
Chapter 9
Clark walked into my office mid-afternoon with a couple of printouts. “You’ve hit the paper online and will be in the print edition tomorrow morning.” He tossed them on my desk.
I read the newest headline featuring me: Murder at Anna Albertini’s Home. “Wonderful.” I quickly scanned the article, which more than hinted at my being a suspect. There was a lot of speculation, considering I’d been in a public bar fight with the deceased. “Fantastic. This is just great,” I muttered.
“This probably won’t bring us more clients,” Clark said.
I tried to find a silver lining. “Sorry about this. I’m sure the police will solve the case soon, and we can move on.”
“It’d be great if you could avoid being in the paper for a few days,” Clark said as a parting shot. He retreated back down the hallway.
The article was written by Jolene O’Sullivan. At this point, she owed me half her salary.
I turned back to my paperwork and made diligent notes and plans for a good couple of hours. My phone rang just as I was shutting down my office. “Anna Albertini,” I answered in my best lawyer voice, even though it was my cell phone.
“Have you washed your car lately?” Detective Pierce asked.
I frowned. “No. Why?” We hadn’t had rain in a while and my car looked fine.
“I’m sending over a couple