of the angels. You can flag people we should be looking at.”
Morant, whose face had remained locked in that unmoving smile, didn’t even blink.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re referencing,” he told her. “I’d love to be of assistance but I’m just at a loss.”
Trembley leaned in and added a thought.
“Maybe we need to get a warrant to review your files and find the ones that might refresh your recollection.”
Jessie didn’t visibly react but her felt her insides sag slightly. Trembley was playing a losing hand and didn’t seem to know it.
“Detective Trembley,” Morant began slowly, seeming to relish what was to come, “while I appreciate your threat, I have to tell you, it rings hollow. You’re more than welcome to try to get a warrant. But you may find it difficult to find a judge who will allow you to pore over confidential client files, no matter how innocent.”
“Not all your files are related to your work as a lawyer,” Trembley countered. “Some deal with your role as agent.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. We’ll have to hash that out in the courts. And as you may have noticed, this entire floor is comprised of people with legal training, all of whom can be deployed to block, delay, and defeat whatever you send our way. You’re welcome to take us on. But I have to warn you, in the most friendly way, that you are almost certain to lose, at least in the short term and possibly in the end. If the head of Sovereign Studios eventually capitulated to us, I don’t think two goober cops from Downtown Division are going to make us sweat.”
Jessie, who could sense Trembley getting agitated, jumped in before he could respond.
“Why so combative, Mr. Morant?” she asked. “If there’s nothing to hide, why hide anything?”
“Because it’s fun,” he answered without guile.
“All right,” she said, standing up as she tried to mask her frustration. “I see that we’re at impasse. But I have a warning for you, Mr. Morant. We’re investigating a murder. And if we find that you’ve obfuscated facts that could have helped find Corinne Weatherly’s killer, it will go very badly for you. It’s one thing to operate an informal escort service and use it for blackmail. It’s something else entirely to obstruct justice in a murder case. You will eventually go down for the former so I recommend you reconsider helping us. We can reach a deal but not if you help protect a murderer.”
Morant stood up too.
“Thanks so much for your time,” he said, not directly responding to her comment and not extending his hand. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.”
“Count on it,” Trembley said emphatically as they walked out.
“Make sure to have Jenna validate your parking,” Morant reminded them amiably as they walked back down the hall.
Jessie didn’t respond. She was too focused on her losing hand. But then she remembered that the game wasn’t over yet.
I still have one card to play.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
“This seems desperate,” Trembley said, not for the first time.
They were headed back to the studio to play Jessie’s last card.
“Listen,” she replied. “We’re at an impasse here. Morant was right. Even if we got a warrant, the CTA lawyers would drown us in motions and paperwork for months. It won’t help solve this case. Besides, we already have the list. The tech folks will crack it soon. If we want to make a case for pandering, it will need to come from that. We can hand the info over to Vice. Morant was only useful to us as a guide, to let us know which names to focus on. Without his help, it might be useless in our investigation.”
“So it was a wasted trip,” Trembley asked.
“No. He’s the reason we’re going to see Remy Haughton.”
Remy Haughton was the president of Sovereign Studios. Even Jessie had heard of him. He’d been the president of a major studio longer than any of the other current heads, eleven years. He was known as a charmer and glad hander in public and a ruthless negotiator behind the scenes.
“Remind me why again,” Trembley asked.
“Because Jake Morant mentioned that Haughton had capitulated to CTA. He wasn’t specific but we were talking about Corinne and the list when he mentioned that. So it stands to reason that the dispute they had involved one or the other, possibly both.”
“You think Haughton is on that list?”
“I think it’s possible,” Jessie replied. “Or maybe someone else in a sensitive position