Robin had plenty she wanted to say, but she restrained herself. “I think it would be interesting to talk to Mr. Powell, but it appears that Mr. Powell has made himself scarce. In any event, I believe that it doesn’t matter when Mr. Kellerman learned what Mr. Goins had to say. Terry Powell works for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office and is an agent of the office and Mr. Kellerman. Mr. Kellerman should be charged with knowing everything Mr. Powell knew on Tuesday. Mr. Kellerman can’t put his hands over his ears and then spring a surprise witness on the defense. As soon as Mr. Kellerman learned about Mr. Goins from Mr. Powell, he had a duty to list Mr. Goins as a potential witness.
“In light of what Your Honor has learned from Mrs. Goins and Mr. Hodges, I think Your Honor should bar Willis Goins from testifying in this case.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Rex Kellerman stared straight ahead to avoid looking at Robin when Judge Wright read the not guilty verdict. Even though losing to a bitch like Robin Lockwood was unbearable, he congratulated her with a broad smile as soon as the jury was dismissed. A mob of reporters was waiting in the corridor outside the courtroom, and Kellerman gave them clichéd answers about the American system of justice before begging off and heading for his office.
Kellerman knew that news of his defeat had reached his fellow prosecutors because people averted their eyes and no one spoke to him as he passed their desks. Kellerman walked with his head up to preserve his dignity, but as soon as he shut the door to his office, the façade disappeared and he smashed his fist into the wall.
The murder of a policeman by a member of a racist prison gang had been headline news, and Rex had counted on a highly publicized win to make him a front runner when the district attorney announced that he was not going to run again. Now the voters Kellerman hoped would make him the county’s district attorney would think of him as a loser.
Kellerman squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head into his hands. Vanessa Cole, the chief criminal deputy, was putting a campaign team together. He imagined the satisfied smile on Cole’s face when she heard the news of his defeat.
When Kellerman opened his eyes, he saw the time on his wall clock and remembered that he would be fucking Douglas Armstrong’s wife in half an hour. Kellerman had arranged to meet Marsha tonight so they could celebrate his victory in the Henderson case. There was nothing to celebrate now, but sex might help him forget his humiliation for a while.
Marsha was good in bed, but more than the sex, Kellerman enjoyed cuckolding her wimp of a husband. Whenever he and Armstrong met at the courthouse, it gave Kellerman great pleasure to remember the way Marsha’s body felt.
Armstrong’s first wife had died unexpectedly from cancer. A year later, he’d married his secretary. Kellerman had met Marsha for the first time at a bar function. She wasn’t very bright, and she seemed a bit lost amidst all the legal brain power. Kellerman knew she wasn’t a lawyer, but he had asked where she practiced and pretended surprise when she said she was a legal secretary. By the time they’d parted, Kellerman had convinced himself that she was attracted to him. He hadn’t made a move during that first meeting, but he’d filed the memory away for further exploration at a date to be determined.
Nine months later, Kellerman had run into Marsha while she was waiting outside a courtroom where Doug was in trial. She seemed sad, and Kellerman sensed an opening. Not really thinking she’d accept, he asked Marsha to meet for a drink in a hotel over the river in Vancouver, Washington, where they were not likely to be seen. He’d been surprised when she accepted.
At the hotel, Marsha had been reluctant to do more than talk. Kellerman learned that her marriage was not working for reasons Marsha would not reveal. He pretended to be sympathetic, and Marsha agreed to meet him at the same hotel when Doug was in Los Angeles, taking depositions. This time, they ended up in bed. Kellerman was pleasantly surprised by how aggressive Marsha had been, and he’d concluded that her husband left a lot to be desired in the sack.
They had not met again for a month, and their next tryst was less satisfying. Still, the combination of conquering a body like Marsha’s and the secret thrill Kellerman experienced from cuckolding Doug Armstrong had made his experience enjoyable.
Imagining Marsha naked and waiting made Kellerman feel powerful. He looked at his watch. Marsha had probably arrived at the hotel by now. He would be at least fifteen minutes late. It would be good to make her wait.
When Kellerman walked into the hotel room, Marsha Armstrong was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room from the bed with her coat on. Kellerman stood in the doorway and frowned. Not only was Marsha dressed but she also wouldn’t meet his eye.
“What gives?” Kellerman asked.
“I’m… I wanted to tell you in person,” Marsha said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
“Tell me what?” Kellerman asked, trying not to sound annoyed and not completely succeeding.
Marsha looked up. He could see she’d been crying.
“What’s the matter, honey?” he asked with faked sympathy.
“I can’t do this, Rex. I… Cheating on Doug… It’s eating me up.”
Kellerman knelt by her side and took Marsha’s hand. “That’s a natural feeling, Marsha. But we both know your marriage isn’t working.”
“It’s not that. That’s not why I agreed to… to do this.” Marsha looked down at her lap. “When we first made love, I was very depressed. I’d…” Marsha took a deep breath and looked up. “I miscarried, Rex. It was our baby and… and the doctor said…” She started to cry again. “He told us I couldn’t have another baby. And after that, when Doug wanted to make love… I couldn’t do it. And I just wanted to see if I made love to someone else, maybe I could have a baby. But I wasn’t thinking straight, and I know you’ve been kind to me, but I can’t do this anymore.”
“I can see why you’re sad, baby,” Kellerman said, not willing to give up, “but you know I care for you, and we’re so good together.”
Marsha shook her head. “I can’t, Rex, I just can’t.”
She stood and Kellerman stood with her. “This is bullshit, Marsha,” Kellerman blurted out. “We agreed to have sex tonight. I paid for the room. You can’t just walk out.”
Marsha’s mouth dropped open, shocked by Kellerman’s callousness. “I can’t believe you just…” She shook her head and turned toward the door.
Kellerman grabbed her elbow. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. You know I care for you. Come on back.”
Marsha wrenched her arm away. “This has been a mistake,” she said. Then she left the room.
Kellerman clenched his fists and cursed. He knew he’d handled the encounter badly, but his sexual frustration piled on top of the humiliation he’d suffered in court had been too much.
Kellerman dropped onto the chair Marsha had vacated. He let his head fall back. First that bitch Lockwood, and now this. No one treated him like this and got away with it. Someone was going to pay.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Doug Armstrong worked late at his office, preparing a case he was hoping to settle in Seattle, Washington. He had plenty of time to prepare, but his work provided an excuse to stay away from home. Until Marsha had miscarried, the Armstrongs’ home had been a joyful place to which he had always been happy to return. But miscarrying had hit Marsha hard, and the doctor’s opinion that she would not be able to have children had driven Marsha into a deep depression.