Sleight of Hand - By Phillip Margolin Page 0,79
taking the stand, but he blew me off. Then he confessed during cross-examination, just to impress Carrie. I would have smacked my head against the counsel table but it would have been unseemly.”
“I thought defense attorneys were supposed to put the interest of their clients first,” Dana said with the hint of a smile.
Even ten years later, Schatz did not appear to see the humor in the situation.
“I don’t like to lose. Ever. In any event, I don’t see how I can represent Horace. Charlie Benedict is representing him.”
“That’s true, but he shouldn’t be Blair’s lawyer. You should.”
“What’s your interest in Blair?”
“I think he’s being framed and I want you to help me prove it.”
Schatz leaned back in his chair, steepled his fingers, and studied Dana.
“Who do you think is framing him?”
“Charlie Benedict.”
“Now you’ve got my attention.”
“Bobby, how much do you know about the Ottoman Empire?”
Schatz listened intently as Dana told him about her quest for the scepter and all that had followed.
“That’s some story,” Schatz said when she was finished.
“That it is. What do you think of it?”
“I think you’ve convinced me that Horace is innocent and Benedict might be guilty. But how do you intend to prove he’s innocent with Benedict as his lawyer?”
“The key to this case is—if you’ll pardon the pun—the key with Blair’s fingerprints that the police found in Carrie’s grave. If Benedict killed Carrie Blair, he had to get hold of it before he buried her, but I don’t know if he had an opportunity to do that. What I do have is a plan that will let me find out. And the first step in that plan will be to get Horace Blair to fire Charles Benedict and hire you.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“By meeting with Horace Blair and convincing him that his attorney is trying to frame him. To do that, I have to talk to Jack Pratt, his civil attorney, the other lawyer who is allowed to meet with Blair. Do you know him well enough to set up a meeting?”
Chapter Fifty-One
“Thanks for coming over, Charlie,” Rick Hamada said.
“It’s always a pleasure, Rick,” Benedict answered as he took a seat across the desk from the prosecutor. “So, what’s the reason for this get-together?”
“The Blair case. You have no idea how much shit has been raining down on me since we arrested your client.”
Benedict smiled. “Oh, I think I have a small idea.”
Hamada didn’t return the smile. “Yeah, you probably do. You probably engineered the calls from the governor, the mayor, and every other politician in Virginia and the District of Columbia who gets money from Blair.”
“Not me,” Benedict protested. “I don’t run in those circles.”
“Then it’s probably Jack Pratt doing your dirty work for you.”
Benedict shrugged. “If he is, he’s doing it without my knowledge. And I’m sorry you’re getting annoying calls, but you still haven’t told me why I’m here.”
Hamada’s cheeks puffed up. Then he expelled the air he was holding.
“I’ve been ordered to offer Mr. Blair a deal. This wasn’t my idea. I think I’ve got a pretty good case. If I could get my hands on a copy of the prenuptial agreement I’d have an airtight case, but I can’t. Mancuso is worried that we won’t be able to prove a motive without the prenup, and our only evidence about the contents comes from Barry Lester. Mancuso is nervous about using a scumbag like Lester to convict a person as prominent as your client. Personally, I think Lester will hold up, but I’m not the big boss. I just work here.”
“What’s the offer?”
“Blair pleads to manslaughter and we drop the murder charge. I told Mancuso he’s making a mistake, but I’m not the only person getting nasty calls.”
“Interesting.”
“It’s better than interesting, Charlie. It’s a fucking fire sale as far as I’m concerned.”
“I’ll take the offer to my client and see what he thinks.”
“Get back to me. All I can give you is two days. Then the deal is off the table.”
The two lawyers talked a little longer, then Benedict left. As soon as the door closed behind Blair’s attorney, Hamada phoned Frank Santoro.
“He just left,” Hamada said.
“How do you think it went?” the detective asked.
“I have no idea.”
“But you got him thinking about the prenup?”
“Yeah, I played it up big. Now we just have to wait to see if your plan works.”
“Absolutely not!” Horace Blair said.
“At least think about the offer. Hamada hasn’t decided whether he’ll ask for the death penalty. Even if he doesn’t, you’re