Adverse Possession (The Anna Albertini Files #3) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,38

accomplice, and considering she was with her sister all day when Danny Pucci was murdered, it’s an easy connection to make. In fact, as I recall, Krissy Walker provided your client with an alibi for that day. They were in the park at a concert together, right? Yet Krissy has confessed to the murder…which means that your client was with her.”

“No, I wasn’t—” Kelsey began, but I stopped her by raising one hand. She gripped the edges of her chair.

I sat back in my chair and just studied Orrin. For several long moments. He stared right back. Finally, I smiled. “Okay.” I looked at Kelsey. “We’re done here.”

Kelsey fumbled and then pushed her chair away from the table. She’d gone pale and she sent me a confused look but kept quiet.

I stood and gathered my case file and pens.

Orrin crossed his arms. “Tactics won’t work with me.”

I smiled. “No tactic here. I just don’t have time to waste right now. Things are busy.” I gestured Kelsey toward the door.

Orrin still didn’t stand. “You’re not going to discuss this.”

“Nope. Kelsey didn’t kill anybody, and she had no knowledge that her sister did. It’s that simple, and we aren’t going to play games with you. You’ve got nothing on her, and you know it.” I pushed the heavy conference room door open farther.

Orrin cleared his throat. “Your client has been charged with accessory to first-degree murder, evidence destruction and failure to notify of a death. She could get thirty years in prison, easy.”

I put on my bored look and partially turned. “Get to it.”

“Ten years. She pleads guilty and we agree to ten years. She could be out sooner with good behavior.” Orrin still appeared relaxed and calm in his chair.

Kelsey gasped.

I took her arm. “See you in court, Orrin. It was very nice to meet you.” I prodded Kelsey down the hallway, smiled at the receptionist, and walked out into the sunny day. A buzz of a lawnmower echoed through the park in front of us.

Kelsey turned on me the second we hit the sidewalk. “I can’t go to prison. Honest, Anna. I didn’t know anything, and I really didn’t want Danny dead.” Tears filled her green eyes. “I can’t believe this.”

I patted her arm. “It’s okay, Kelsey. Take a deep breath. I’m not sure what’s going on with Orrin, but we’ll figure it out. There’s no evidence that you had anything to do with Danny’s death. It doesn’t matter that you were with your sister for a while that day, and I’m sure Krissy will back you up if needed. Let me handle this.” I’d made a tactical decision in walking out of the meeting, and I thought it was the right one for not only Kelsey but for Orrin. He needed to know we weren’t going to fold. “We’re not going to do anything until your preliminary hearing, where we’ll see all the evidence Orrin has. Or most of it, anyway. Before you go, is there anything you haven’t told me? Anything they might know that I don’t?”

Kelsey shook her head and a tear dropped to her cheek. “No. I didn’t help Krissy kill Danny. I’d never do that.” Her voice rose and trembled.

I hugged her. “It’s going to be okay. Let me get their case file and I’ll call you to go over it when it arrives. Until then, just try to relax and stay out of trouble.”

She hugged me back and then turned to walk around the rose bushes to the parking lot. I glanced up at the windows from the office to see Orrin watching us, a slight smile playing on his perfectly symmetrical lips. Even though it was a warm day, a shiver ran down my spine.

What did he know that I didn’t?

Chapter 15

I poked my head in Clark’s office on the way to lunch. “We’ve already forgotten our plan to not see clients on Fridays.”

Papers were scattered across his desk and he looked up, circles beneath his eyes. “I know. Just for today. We’ll start the new routine next week after we take advantage of your recent notoriety.” He shook his head and sat back, looking lawyerly in his purple long-sleeved shirt, deep blue tie, and Monte Carlo style gun-metal glasses. “I can’t believe I actually just used that sentence with my law partner.” He shook his head. “Do you think we should hire a paralegal?”

“Not yet,” I said, leaning against the door frame. “We’re having an influx of clients right now, but that