Blow Out
Page 61
“No,” Sonya said. “Danny really liked Eliza, he looked up to her. He wasn’t interested in her that way. He was going out with Annie Harper, you know, the girl he met over at the Department of the Interior.”
Sherlock asked, “Bobby, did you see Danny go into Justice Califano’s office?”
Bobby shook his head.
Tai Curtis said, “I wasn’t anywhere close that day. You guys weren’t either, were you?”
Dennis and Sonya shook their heads.
Ben said, “Bobby, did you see Danny at any other time on Friday?”
Bobby thought a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I saw him and Fleurette go out to lunch. They had their heads together, talking real low, about what, I don’t know. I didn’t see Danny again. What did he have on the murderer, Agent Savich? What could he have possibly known, found out?”
“We don’t know yet, but we will soon.”
Callie said to Sonya McGivens, “Could I come with you to the kitchen, Ms. McGivens? I need a glass of water.”
“Sure.” Sonya shrugged, tugged her lacy white top over her bare stomach, where it hovered for perhaps two seconds before slipping back up, and wandered out of the living room. She’d been here before, Callie thought. Why? Certainly not to hang out alone with Bobby.
“None of us are stupid, Detective—I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name?”
“My name’s Callie Markham.”
Sonya stopped dead in her tracks, stared up and down at Callie. “I thought you looked familiar. You’re Justice Califano’s stepdaughter. I was thinking maybe you’d given me a parking ticket or something, but that’s not it at all. You’ve visited your stepfather before in his chambers, haven’t you? And you’re not a cop, you’re a reporter—for The Washington Post, right?”
“Yes, I am. But I’m not here to do any story, Ms. McGivens. I’m on leave from the paper. I’m here because I think I can help with this investigation, a sort of an inside eye, someone who knows many of the players. I really want to find out who killed my stepfather. Can you tell me what you nearly said out there about Justice Wallace?”
Sonya rolled her eyes. “Please keep this quiet, Callie. Can I call you Callie?”
“Of course.”
“And call me Sonya. Okay, I’ll tell you, not that you’ll believe it—Justice Wallace tried to come on to me once, in a subtle sort of way. I must have looked so horrified, he tried to laugh it off as a joke. He looks at me sometimes, I’ll see him from the corner of my eye, looking. I have a good figure and I like to show it off, but to have a Supreme Court Justice staring at you, well, it’s enough to put you off your feed. But who really knows what old guys are thinking anyway?”
“I don’t even know what young guys are thinking most of the time,” Callie said.
“That’s easy. It’s always sex. That detective you’re with, Ben Raven, now you look in those sexy dark eyes of his, and he’s transparent as water. He might as well be wearing a neon sign: Wanna have sex with me, Callie? He’s a hunk. You guys dating, right?”
Ben the hunk wanted to have sex with her? Nah, he barely liked her, although he had been looking at her butt. And he liked her butt, even if it was civilian. She cleared her throat, aware that Sonya was smirking at her. “No, we’re not dating. I’m not lying, dammit. Listen, really, we’re paired up on only this investigation. Since I’m not a cop, he isn’t too pleased about me tagging along.”
“Oh boy, are you ever blind. Polish up your eyesight, Callie. He likes you, I can tell. And you know what? He didn’t look below my face once, not once. That’s fortitude. Yeah, the man wants you.”
Callie smiled, since this notion clearly astounded Sonya McGivens. “I’m curious, Sonya. You’re not going to show off your body when you’re out in the real world, are you?”
“Probably not, but it would be a temptation. Some guys on the jury wouldn’t hear a single word out of the other lawyer’s mouth. They’d be looking at me and agreeing with whatever I said.” She sighed. “But professionalism has its place. I do wish guys and their libidos would remember that. Hey, since you’re a reporter, you must have problems with men who think because you’ve got different equipment you shouldn’t be allowed to play in their sandbox.”
Callie grinned. “Tell you what. Let’s go for drinks some evening and try to solve that problem. Right now, we’ve got to focus on this. Do you know if Justice Wallace may have behaved inappropriately with any other female law clerks?”
Sherlock asked, “Bobby, did you see Danny go into Justice Califano’s office?”
Bobby shook his head.
Tai Curtis said, “I wasn’t anywhere close that day. You guys weren’t either, were you?”
Dennis and Sonya shook their heads.
Ben said, “Bobby, did you see Danny at any other time on Friday?”
Bobby thought a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I saw him and Fleurette go out to lunch. They had their heads together, talking real low, about what, I don’t know. I didn’t see Danny again. What did he have on the murderer, Agent Savich? What could he have possibly known, found out?”
“We don’t know yet, but we will soon.”
Callie said to Sonya McGivens, “Could I come with you to the kitchen, Ms. McGivens? I need a glass of water.”
“Sure.” Sonya shrugged, tugged her lacy white top over her bare stomach, where it hovered for perhaps two seconds before slipping back up, and wandered out of the living room. She’d been here before, Callie thought. Why? Certainly not to hang out alone with Bobby.
“None of us are stupid, Detective—I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name?”
“My name’s Callie Markham.”
Sonya stopped dead in her tracks, stared up and down at Callie. “I thought you looked familiar. You’re Justice Califano’s stepdaughter. I was thinking maybe you’d given me a parking ticket or something, but that’s not it at all. You’ve visited your stepfather before in his chambers, haven’t you? And you’re not a cop, you’re a reporter—for The Washington Post, right?”
“Yes, I am. But I’m not here to do any story, Ms. McGivens. I’m on leave from the paper. I’m here because I think I can help with this investigation, a sort of an inside eye, someone who knows many of the players. I really want to find out who killed my stepfather. Can you tell me what you nearly said out there about Justice Wallace?”
Sonya rolled her eyes. “Please keep this quiet, Callie. Can I call you Callie?”
“Of course.”
“And call me Sonya. Okay, I’ll tell you, not that you’ll believe it—Justice Wallace tried to come on to me once, in a subtle sort of way. I must have looked so horrified, he tried to laugh it off as a joke. He looks at me sometimes, I’ll see him from the corner of my eye, looking. I have a good figure and I like to show it off, but to have a Supreme Court Justice staring at you, well, it’s enough to put you off your feed. But who really knows what old guys are thinking anyway?”
“I don’t even know what young guys are thinking most of the time,” Callie said.
“That’s easy. It’s always sex. That detective you’re with, Ben Raven, now you look in those sexy dark eyes of his, and he’s transparent as water. He might as well be wearing a neon sign: Wanna have sex with me, Callie? He’s a hunk. You guys dating, right?”
Ben the hunk wanted to have sex with her? Nah, he barely liked her, although he had been looking at her butt. And he liked her butt, even if it was civilian. She cleared her throat, aware that Sonya was smirking at her. “No, we’re not dating. I’m not lying, dammit. Listen, really, we’re paired up on only this investigation. Since I’m not a cop, he isn’t too pleased about me tagging along.”
“Oh boy, are you ever blind. Polish up your eyesight, Callie. He likes you, I can tell. And you know what? He didn’t look below my face once, not once. That’s fortitude. Yeah, the man wants you.”
Callie smiled, since this notion clearly astounded Sonya McGivens. “I’m curious, Sonya. You’re not going to show off your body when you’re out in the real world, are you?”
“Probably not, but it would be a temptation. Some guys on the jury wouldn’t hear a single word out of the other lawyer’s mouth. They’d be looking at me and agreeing with whatever I said.” She sighed. “But professionalism has its place. I do wish guys and their libidos would remember that. Hey, since you’re a reporter, you must have problems with men who think because you’ve got different equipment you shouldn’t be allowed to play in their sandbox.”
Callie grinned. “Tell you what. Let’s go for drinks some evening and try to solve that problem. Right now, we’ve got to focus on this. Do you know if Justice Wallace may have behaved inappropriately with any other female law clerks?”
