complete waste of time by driving up without calling ahead, but I knew
from experience that surprise confrontations were my best chance of
getting information from the uncooperative. Susan was the link. She
was Clarissa's best friend. She was connected to Carl Matthews and the
MTK Group through her husband. And she had been helping Townsend raise
money for the hospital wing. It couldn't be a coincidence. She had to
know more than she was telling. But, once again, she was protecting
her friends and maybe even herself.
I circled the block to steel my resolve. I wasn't going to accept any
lame stories about shielding Townsend in his grief or defending
Clarissa's memory. It was time for someone involved in whatever this
scheme was to flip, and the someone was going to be Susan. If I had to
haul her into a grand jury tomorrow, I'd find a way to do it, Duncan be
damned.
I'd gotten myself good and pumped up and was ready to home in for the
kill when I registered a faint buzzing sound. It stopped, then started
again. My cell phone. I must have forgotten to turn the ringer on
after I had silenced it during court.
It was Chuck.
"Hey, sweetie. Can't talk right now. I'm in the zone."
"The zone for what? Ignoring everyone close to you?"
I looked at my watch. How did it get so late? "I'm sorry. I
completely lost track of time."
"I've been trying to call you all afternoon. I think I scared the be
jesus out of your father. I called him freaking out about where you
were, but I guess you'd just left there before I talked to him. You
all right?"
I looked at the tiny screen on the face of my cell phone and, sure
enough, saw a little envelope indicating unchecked messages.
"I'm fine. The day's just been a little crazy."
"More than a little crazy, babe. I was running around all day on a
rape out in Rockwood, but when I got back the guys were in a tizzy
about something that happened at the Jackson prelim."
"Really, it's fine. Roger got pissed about something that happened,
Duncan took me off the case "
"What? No one told me that. You're not fighting it?"
"No. Look, Chuck. I promise I'll explain everything to you later.
Tonight, even, if you're willing to come over." I realized as I was
extending the invitation how nice it would be to curl up with him and
finally relax tonight. "I'll call as soon as I'm out of here. I
promise."
"And where exactly is here?"
"Nothing important. Just an interview, something I've been meaning to
take care of." I didn't have time for the riot act he'd surely read me
if he knew my errand related to the Jackson case. I could tell him the
full story after I saved the day.
"Fine," he conceded. "It'll give me time to call your father and
apologize for getting so freaked out."
"One quick flip of a witness, and I'll be done in time for Mexican take
out and margaritas?"
"Ooh, now that sounds good."
"It's a plan. I'll call you in probably thirty minutes."
I flipped the phone shut, turned the corner, and parked next to Susan's
Mercedes, still in the zone.
I rang the doorbell, and Susan peeked out through a small window at the
top of the door before opening up.
"Samantha," she said, looking at her watch, "what a nice surprise. Come
on in." She stepped aside so I could enter.
I started to turn right toward the sitting area where we'd met last
time, but once the door was shut she led me in the other direction,
through the kitchen at the back of the house. "Have a seat," she said,
gesturing toward the padded stools surrounding a generous island at the
center of the room. "Can I get you something? I'm terrific with
take-out leftovers."
"No, I'm fine. Thank you."
"You sure? Tuna nicoise salad from the Pasta Company. It's my
favorite, and there's still half a salad left."
"No, I'm sure."
"Suit yourself," she said. "So what happened in court today? I tried
talking to Townsend a few hours ago, but he wasn't saying much, and
quite frankly what he had to say wasn't making much sense. The defense
is arguing that Clarissa took a bribe?"
"More than just an argument. The Attorney General's Office is going to
look into the possibility."
Her dismay appeared genuine. "Townsend didn't say anything like that.
He said something about a continuance on Jackson's case because of what
happened today in court, but nothing about an Attorney General
investigation."
"Did Clarissa ever mention Larry Gunderson or Gunderson Development to
you?"
She shook her head.
"It looks like Clarissa had some kind of arrangement with Gunderson on
an appeal he had before her."
"I can't believe Townsend didn't tell me this. He probably knew I'd go
ballistic at the mere suggestion of such a thing."
"I think you might know more about this than you've been willing to
admit, Susan."
She looked at me as if I were kidding. Then, in case I missed the
look, she said, "You're kidding me, right?"
"Nope. No more kidding, Susan, and no more protecting Townsend and
Clarissa or even yourself. I know what's been going on, and it's time
for people to start owning up. If you were involved somehow, we'll
work something out. I can help you. But you'll be a lot better off
telling me what you know before someone else beats you to the punch."
"Samantha, honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Well, I do. I know, for example, that a woman named Jane Wessler was
helping developers get special-use permits for projects in the Railroad
District. And I know that when Wessler left and Gunderson found
himself without a permit, Clarissa made sure he got one. And I know
that in exchange for all this help, developers were contributing to
Townsend's hospital wing, the project you were helping him with."
"If Townsend convinced Clarissa to do something like that, he certainly
didn't tell me about it."
"Come off it, Susan. I know how much you've helped him with the
fund-raising. You told me you'd never heard of Larry Gunderson, but
who's Diane Curtin? And what's the MTK Group?"
She clearly wasn't used to being confronted this way. I was reminded
of days back in law school, when students would come under fire by a
probing professor. But like any good student, Susan regained her
composure and presented a rational, coherent response.
"That's what this is about? The MTK Group? That's a company run by