Catch 31 was a swank restaurant and bar on the ground floor of the Hilton Hotel on the boardwalk. The place had a stone patio outside with chairs gathered around brick fire pits. That night, for the first week of December, was relatively mild. Alex thought they might be less conspicuous outside.
“I can be there in twenty minutes,” Nara said.
“Wear something warm.”***
Nara wore a heavy overcoat with the collar pulled up and a wool cap pulled down to her eyebrows. Alex wore a down jacket and a baseball cap. There were not many people outside by the fire pits since the temperature was hovering around forty-five degrees with a stiff wind from the ocean. The two of them sat close together and propped their legs up on the edge of the fire pit. Alex ordered a diet soda; Nara went for a vodka and tonic.
Alex wanted to put his arm around Nara and keep her warm, but he didn’t know if a telephoto lens might be snapping shots from one of the balconies of the rooms above them or from a hundred other locations with a direct view.
“I hate that woman,” Nara said when Alex asked how she was doing. “She’s always pretended to be so pious and such a woman of faith. Now her affair may well cost my father his freedom.”
Alex couldn’t argue and didn’t really want to. Instead, he let Nara vent until she had poured out all the venom. When she started to softly cry, Alex could no longer help himself. He reached over and put his arm around her, and she placed her head on his shoulder.
“Your father is a good man,” Alex said. “The jury’s going to believe him when he says he never knew about the affair. And even if they don’t, think about it this way-why would Khalid order an honor killing when his own wife was unfaithful and he did nothing but love her for the next thirty years?”
Nara burrowed in a little closer and wiped some of the tears with the back of her hand. “I know,” she said softly. “I’m just so scared.”
“There’s nothing to be afraid of.” But it was lie. He was just as concerned as Nara.
“I may need you to take the stand after all,” he said softly. “Once the jury finds out about what happened to us in Beirut, this case should be over.”
Nara turned her head and looked at him, her moist eyes pleading. “When it’s finished, will you go away with me?”
Alex wanted to say yes. They were sitting by a fire looking at the Christmas lights on the boardwalk and the moon over the ocean. One of the most beautiful women Alex had ever met was leaning against his shoulder with her eyes full of tears asking him to spend his life with her. What kind of man could say no under these circumstances?
“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Alex said, surprising himself with his answer. Was he really ready to leave the beach and Ramona and Shannon behind?
“Okay.” She snuggled a little closer, and Alex could feel the warmth. For several minutes neither he nor Nara said a word. Monday morning was a long way off. For now, Alex would relax, enjoy the fire, and dream about what life with Nara might be like.
91
On Saturday, Nara showed up at the office just before noon to work on her trial testimony. Before leaving Catch 31 the night before, Alex and Nara had agreed to start at ten, but that was before she had downed three vodka and tonics. She looked, Alex had to admit, like she hadn’t slept at all.
“I can’t go back to my parents’ place tonight,” she told Alex during a break in their preparation. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive my mother, but right now, I can’t handle being around her.”
They talked about Nara’s feelings for a few minutes until Nara finally got up the nerve to ask the question she had apparently intended to ask all along. “Could I stay at your place tonight, Alex?”
He hadn’t really expected that question. His heart said absolutely. He cared deeply about Nara. She was hurting. He could help.
But his head told him that this could be one of the dumbest moves he had ever made, especially in the middle of a huge trial. “Why don’t we get you a room at the Hilton and see if Shannon can stay with your mom tonight?” Alex asked.
Nara’s face reflected her disappointment. The dark eyes were downcast, but she immediately tried to recover, forcing a thin smile. “You’re right. I’m sorry I asked. I just need a little space.”***
Alex spent most of Sunday at the Virginia Beach City Jail in a small interview booth, talking to Khalid Mobassar through the sound slits at the bottom of the bulletproof glass. Khalid swore he knew nothing about the affair between Ghaniyah and Fatih Mahdi. He asked Alex how Nara was handling things, and Alex gave him the truth. The dark circles under Khalid’s eyes and the deep wrinkles on his face evidenced his grave concern.
The revelations of the last twenty-four hours seemed to have thrust Khalid into a zombielike state of mourning. His voice had no energy. Alex could hardly imagine putting him on the stand like this. The only time Khalid showed any emotion at all was when he inquired about Nara. Nevertheless, they rehearsed his testimony and practiced cross-examination for nearly six hours, until Khalid was so exhausted that his answers made little sense.
“You’ll do fine tomorrow,” Alex assured him.
Khalid gave him a lifeless look. “Even if we win the case, my family will never be the same.”
He was right about that, and Alex had no response to offer except, “I’m sorry.”
By 9 p.m., Alex, Shannon, and Ramona were still at the office preparing for the final stage of trial. Alex didn’t particularly want to go home. Misery loved company, and right now he liked being around Shannon and Ramona.
Nara had sequestered herself in the Hilton at the oceanfront, a tempting short drive from Alex’s condo, but a drive he had resisted on Saturday night and was determined to resist again tonight. Shannon had arranged for some friends of Ghaniyah to stay with her.
The temperature was hovering in the low forties with a threat of rain, but apparently Kayden Dendy didn’t bother checking weather reports. It was nearly nine thirty when the team heard his Harley pull up and stop in the parking lot outside their building. “That’s got to be Dendy,” Shannon said. “I’d recognize those mufflers anywhere.”
She went to the window and confirmed her suspicions. “Wonder what he’s doing here on a Sunday night.”
Less than a minute later, they had their answer. Shannon looked at Alex when she heard the loud knock on the reception area door. “Just what I don’t need right now,” she said.
“I’ll handle it,” Alex said.
When Alex opened the door, Kayden was there in all of his leather-clad glory, holding his gloves in his right hand. “You got a minute?” he asked.
“Actually, we’re kind of busy,” Alex said.
But Kayden took a few steps into the reception area anyway. “This’ll only take a minute. Is Shannon here?”
He found his way to the conference room, greeted Shannon, and asked if he could meet with the lawyers in private. As Ramona was leaving, Kayden had the gall to ask her if she could get him some hot chocolate.
Ramona stopped and glared at him for a second. “No,” she said, and then turned and walked away.
“I’d fire her,” Kayden said to Alex.
Alex ignored the comment.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” Kayden said. He walked over and closed the door. “It won’t take long. I know you’ve got a big day tomorrow. Which, actually, is the reason I’m here.”
He looked at Alex. “Your partner has been doing a good job on the Mobassar civil case, by the way. But I will say that Max Strobel knows how to push her buttons.”
“Look,” Alex said, “we really don’t have a lot of time.”
“That’s good, ’cause neither do I.” Kayden took off his leather coat and threw it over a chair. He started pacing next to the table. “Do you know what a pen register is?”
“No.” Alex didn’t try to hide the frustration in his voice. He didn’t need this guy pontificating and taking up valuable time the night before a busy day of trial.