Andrews followed, shaking his hand. As Teddy started for the front door, he remembered the dismantled plumbing and turned back to Andrews.

“What was with the sinks and toilets?” he asked. “What were you guys looking for?”

“Her skin,” Andrews said quietly. “We tore everything apart. We did the same thing at his place downtown. We couldn’t find it.”

“What do you think he did with it?”

Andrews repeated the question, then paused a moment, mulling it over as he stared back at him. “Don’t you get it, Teddy Mack? It’s the reason we let you in this afternoon. The reason you’re going to the prison tonight. Your client’s from the planet Neptune. He cut the girl’s skin away, and then he ate it.”


 

 

 

 

FIVE

 

 

 

Teddy drove back into the city with the windows open and the heat off. The digital temperature gauge on the dash pegged the night air at a crisp thirty-five degrees. It may have been cold, but Teddy couldn’t feel it.

He found a space in the garage at One Liberty Place, turned the ignition off, and sat for a while taking in the view of the concrete wall through his windshield. He listened to the silence, the stillness, the sound of his breathing. After a moment, he glanced at his watch. It was after seven and he thought he’d skip dinner tonight. He was numb, but he was also angry.

This was more than a favor for Barnett. More than shit duty.

He checked his cell phone and realized it was dead. Digging through his briefcase, he found a fresh battery and snapped it in. When he checked his messages, there were only two. The first was from Jill Sykes, his friend at the firm, updating him on how Brooke Jones made out in court this afternoon. Judge Brey had been disappointed by Teddy’s absence, but it sounded like they won the ruling. Capital Insurance Life hadn’t made a decision to settle though, probably due to the change in attorneys, and the case was scheduled for trial in two weeks. At least for now. The second message was from Jim Barnett, recorded one hour ago. Barnett was on his way home and repeated that they should talk later tonight, then meet first thing in the morning. Barnett must have spoken with the district attorney at some point because he agreed that Teddy should follow Holmes to prison, though not for the same reasons as DA Andrews. Apparently Holmes wasn’t cooperating with Barnett. Instead of talking about a possible deal with Andrews that might include avoiding the death penalty, Oscar Holmes wanted to plead not guilty and take his chances in court. Barnett said he wanted Teddy to meet with Holmes tonight and try to talk some sense into him....

Teddy switched his cell phone off and slipped it into his pocket. He knew that if he returned Barnett’s call right now and spoke his mind, he’d be fired.

“Talk some sense into him,” he said aloud.