Hear No Evil by James Grippando Read Free Book Online Page B

the table, waiting for her answer. “Lindsey, I told you at the outset: I don’t want to represent Brian’s mother if it looks like she killed Brian’s father.”
    “Does that mean you’re not going to represent me?”
    “Your father-in-law gave me some troubling information. Seems Oscar had a trust fund worth seven figures. It kicked in when he was thirty-five, but he was career military. He thinks you killed him to get off the base and get your hands on the money.”
    “That is so typical of him,” she said, her voice taking on an edge.
    “Did Oscar leave you his trust money in his will?”
    “Yes.”
    “How much?”
    “Two million and change.”
    “So it’s in your name now?”
    “No. The estate won’t release the funds to me. Not until it’s established that I didn’t kill him.”
    “Damn it, Lindsey. Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
    “Because I didn’t want you to take on my criminal case just to get a big fat contingency fee in the probate matter. I’m more than happy to pay your usual criminal retainer, but mostly I want you to do this for Brian.”
    “Oh, come off it. This is crucial to your criminal case. Two million dollars is plenty motivation for you to kill your husband.”
    “Sure it is. If I’d known about it. But I didn’t know anything about it until after Oscar was dead.”
    “Oscar never told you?”
    “No.”
    “I find that hard to believe.”
    “It’s true. The Pintado family is a strange one. They are very, very protective of their own. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m Lindsey Hart . Not Lindsey Pintado . Do you know why? Because Alejandro Pintado wouldn’t let his son give me his name. That man never liked me, and for one reason: I’m not Cuban. And when I couldn’t get pregnant and at the very least give him a half-Cuban grandchild, well, then I was truly worthless.”
    “I’m sorry about that. But before you start railing against Cubans in general, I should warn you. I’m half Cuban.”
    “Yeah, right.”
    “It’s true. My mother was Cuban. I wasn’t raised Cuban, but—”
    “Then you’re not Cuban. Kid yourself all you want, but if you weren’t raised in that community, you are not part of that community. I spent my entire marriage trying to fit in, and as far as that man Alejandro is concerned, I might as well be from outer space.”
    “Lindsey, let’s not get off track here. I’m talking about me representing you.”
    “That’s exactly what I’m talking about, too. You’re afraid to represent me. You’re afraid of Alejandro Pintado. You’re afraid that if you defend the woman who is accused of murdering his beloved son, it will push you further and further away from being a part of a community that you can never be a part of.”
    “That is totally unfair.”
    “Don’t talk to me about fairness. Ask my husband how fair this is.”
    Jack took the blow, though Lindsey seemed to regret having said it. “Believe me,” he said, “I couldn’t be more sorry about what happened to your family, and I am committed to doing what’s best for your son.”
    “That’s very nice to hear. But let me tell you something about commitment. It’s a lot more than words.”
    Now there was a speech he’d heard before. “I’m not just saying it to appease you. I mean it. The most important thing here is Brian.”
    “And to hell with Lindsey,” she said, scoffing.
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “You didn’t have to. So why don’t you just go to hell yourself, Jack.”
    “What was that for?”
    “Because you’re acting as if I have no one else to turn to. I’m not some know-nothing wife who followed her husband around the world from one military base to the next. I’ve met some very interesting people—people I would call friends.” She pulled her cell phone from her purse and started scrolling down the list of names in the address book feature. “Look, right here,” she said, showing the names and numbers to Jack. “I could