a friend, and I was curious. He told me that it wasn’t a door I should be opening, that I should not be involved in any way.”
This is stunning news; it seems that the entire United States government is conspiring to keep Richard Evans in jail. “This doesn’t fit with the facts of the case as presented at trial,” I say. “It was supposed to look like a very personal crime—a distraught man kills his fiancée and himself.”
“I don’t know where or how deep this goes, Andy. But I do know it hits a nerve. The mother lode of nerves.”
“Thanks, Cindy. I’m sorry I involved you in this.”
“No problem. Just be careful, Andy. You may be dealing with people even more powerful than Marcus.”
“Now, that is a scary thought.”
We hang up and drive to dinner, though for a moment I’m nervous about starting my car. Laurie and I generally try not to discuss business during dinner, but the phone call from Cindy has pretty much blown that out of the water.
Laurie obviously has no more idea than I do about what is going on or why the whole world seems to have lined up against me. Nevertheless, it’s important for me to come up with a theory, if only to give me something to test, to measure ideas against.
The flip side of that, however, is that once I come up with a theory, I have to guard against being married to it. I can’t look at new information only through a biased prism; I have to let it take me in any direction, not guided by my preconceptions.
The only theory we can come up with is that Richard was the victim of a plot to get him out of the way, for something having to do with his work. I don’t believe that the intent of the plot was to frame Richard for Stacy’s murder; I believe that Richard was supposed to die as a “suicide” victim. The approaching storm was unexpected, and had it not appeared, the Coast Guard would not have boarded the boat in time to resuscitate him.
I can only assume that something was being smuggled into the country, and Richard’s presence was considered a threat to the operation. If the CIA or DIA is involved in the case, then I doubt it was drugs; it was more likely something violent or military in nature. Probably a national security matter rather than a strictly criminal one. Try as I might, I cannot understand how this could still be an issue five years later, but based on the reaction to the reopening of Richard’s case, it must be.
The other thing I want Laurie’s opinion on is whether to turn the hearing into a media event. Up until now, my handling of Richard’s case has received modest coverage, nothing intense, and I’ve had no reason to change that. My involvement, and the fact that Reggie is so central to the case, can attract a great deal of attention, and I must decide if I want to go in that direction.
“There’s no jury pool out there, Andy,” Laurie says. It’s a good point; the judge is going to make the final decision, so there are no potential jurors to influence.
The judge assigned to the case is Nicholas Gordon. The original case was tried in Somerset County, so that’s where the hearing is as well. I don’t know Judge Gordon, or any other judges from that county, since that is not where I usually practice.
“Do you know Judge Gordon?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No, but I don’t know too many judges who like excessive publicity. Or wise-ass lawyers.”
It’s another good point, even if she’s not making it particularly gently. My normal trial tactics tend toward the flamboyant, and while they often work well with a jury, they tend to piss off judges. Pissing off the decision maker, which the judge will be in this case, is not a particularly logical thing to do.
“This hearing isn’t going to be much fun,” I say.
She smiles. “I’m not so sure about that. Watching you question Reggie is going to be a blast.”
IT TURNS OUT that I am not Andy the all- powerful.
I had decided to keep the publicity level down, so as to dampen coverage and not annoy the judge. Unfortunately, it didn’t work; the press is out in force in front of the courthouse when Kevin and I get there. The reporters on the court beat must have gotten a tip from