***
Evan made his way across the busy restaurant to where Thad sat waiting. Taking a seat opposite him, he adjusted his tie and said, “Sorry I’m late. I know you’re busy and I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.”
“Not at all, I just got here myself. I was afraid I’d keep you waiting.” Thad chuckled, and then said, “Man, I can’t believe you’re back inL.A.I thought you likedNew York.”
“And I can’t believe you’re an assistant D.A. I thought for sure you would stick with private practice.”
“Not all of us are fortunate enough to have a father who owns one of the top firms in the state. Oh wait, make that two firms in two states.”
“If you ever get tired of busting the bad guys, you can always work with us.”
Thad shook his head. “I think I would like to get experience from this side of the fence before I cross over again. But I’ll keep the offer in mind.”
Thad took a sip of his ice water, and then asked, “So what do I owe this unexpected visit?”
“It’s a social lunch, Thad, but I see no reason why we can’t mix a little business with pleasure. As I mentioned earlier on the phone, I’m here to practice for a while and I have a new client. Amy Trammel. Do you know of her case?”
“This day just keeps getting better.” Thad smiled. He paused and signaled a waiter. “It looks like you and I will finally get to spar with one another after all.”
The waiter stopped and took their drink order. When he walked away, Thad continued. “You should be getting a call from your client soon because I believe L.A.P.D. will be making an arrest once the warrant is processed.”
“You got her on attempted murder fast. I’m impressed.”
“Try first-degree murder, Evan. John Ashford died this morning.”
Evan clasped his hands on the table and leaned forward. “I’m sorry to here that.”
“Yea, me too,” Thad said sincerely. Then his smile returned. “But let’s talk about your client. She’s quite a looker, just your type, Evan.”
“Hardly,” Evan replied and then leisured back in his seat.
“I remember the girls we dated in college, chesty cuties with low IQ’s.”
Evan thought about Beth for a minute. He remembered the firm, ripe breasts he held in his hands. A fire ripped through his middle at the thought of her. Shaking off intimate thoughts, he shot Thad a brief smile and responded, “Nowadays I prefer women with more going on for them in the brain department.”
The waiter returned with two glasses of Chardonnay, and when he walked away Thad looked across to Evan and shrugged. “To each their own— I might have dated her, if she wasn’t a murderer.”
“Alleged murderer,” Evan corrected.
“I think when you run discovery you’ll see her in a different light. I may as well tell you, we have her gun in custody. We got ballistics back from the lab this morning. The bullets matched those from the gun that killed Ashford. The weapon was purchased by your client only a few days before the murder. To make matters worse, your client doesn’t seem to have an alibi for her whereabouts that night.”
“But do you have motive?”
“About a million dollars worth,” Thad said with a confident smile on his lips. “It seems Ashford changed the beneficiary of his life insurance policy to a one Ms. Amy Trammel a few days before he died.”
