Double Jeopardy by William Bernhardt Read Free Book Online Page A

not. I’ll stop at the emergency room on the way home.”
    “See that you do.”
    “Surely you didn’t come down here just to do your Marcus Welby impression.”
    “True.” Dan looked around, then pulled Travis to one side. His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
    The blood drained from Travis’s face. “Not about Staci?”
    “No, no. Staci’s fine. At least, as far as I know. This is about Seacrest.”
    “Tom Seacrest? The attorney who had this dog case before he disappeared?”
    “Right. Except he didn’t just disappear.” Dan gripped Travis by the shoulders. “He’s dead, Travis. He’s been murdered.”
    A cold chill shot down Travis’s spine. We’ve taken care of punks like you before and we’ll do it again. “Who—who did it?”
    “The police haven’t the slightest idea. His body was found on the shore of Lake Palestine—but he didn’t drown. He was killed—in the most god-awful way you can imagine. Someone poured lighter fluid on his face and genitals, then set him on fire with a blowtorch. Then stabbed him with an ice pick about twenty times. Seacrest died slow and horribly.”
    Travis’s mouth went dry. “When did this happen?”
    “They’re not sure. The body’s been rotting for a couple of days at least. My friend at the police station tells me the corpse is all green and bloated, chewed by animals, picked at by birds.”
    Travis’s eyes closed. Someone truly evil was involved in this. Someone—what was the phrase?— someone who’d cut your fuckin’ heart out just to see what it looks like.
    “I want you to drop this case, Travis.”
    “Tempting, I have to admit … but I can’t do that.”
    “I think you should.”
    “Why? We don’t know that there’s any connection between Seacrest’s death and the Moroconi case. Seacrest just happened to be working on it when he was killed. He was probably working on ten other cases, for that matter.”
    “Given the character of your client—”
    “My client has been behind bars for weeks. He couldn’t have had anything to do with it.”
    “Still, I’d feel more comfortable—”
    “I can’t drop the case, Dan. I’ve been appointed by a federal judge.”
    “Let me speak to Charles. I’ve known him since law school. I’m sure I can make him see reason—”
    “No way, Dan.”
    “Just let me talk to him.”
    “Dan—no. I can handle this myself.”
    Dan squared his shoulders. “Travis, I don’t like to pull rank, but last time I looked at the letterhead, my name was above yours. I’m your boss, and I’m telling you I want you out.”
    “Or what? Get real, Dan—I know you’re not going to fire me. I have more respect for you than anyone else in the world. But I can’t drop a client in the middle of a trial.”
    “Travis—I don’t mean to interfere. I’m just concerned about you.”
    Travis did his utmost to sound reassuring. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
    “This from the man who looks like he lost a fight with a refrigerator. I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me what really happened?”
    Travis looked away. “Well …”
    “As I suspected.” Dan stepped toward the doorway. “Take care of yourself, Travis. You have an extremely promising future. Don’t get in over your head.”
    “I’ll do my best.”
    “Mr. Byrne?” Travis heard a voice from the other end of the courtroom. “May we talk to you for a moment?”
    “Excuse me, Dan. Duty calls.” Travis approached a couple, a young woman in a blue print dress and the man in the seersucker suit he had noticed earlier. “Yes?”
    “My name is Curran.” He was a skinny man with no chin. “This is my sister, Sarah.”
    “What can I do for you?”
    “Mary Ann McKenzie is our sister.”
    Oh God, not now. Anything but grieving relatives.
    “I’ve spoken to some people around town about you,” Curran said. “You get high marks, especially for someone who’s only been out of law school for a year. I