Murder One (48 page)
Authors: William Bernhardt
Ben looked away. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m right, aren’t I? You did it on purpose.”
“Christina, just leave it alone.”
“You did. I know you did.”
“Christina, if the bar committee thought I’d intentionally revealed a client confidence, I could be disbarred. Let it be.”
“Okay.” She tried, but it was impossible. “But I’m right, aren’t I?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His eyes drifted to the bay window. The sun was setting, giving the rolling hills of Tulsa a crimson patina. “Believe it or not, I’ve been thinking about Sergeant Matthews.”
“That blowhard?”
“That blowhard was right. So tell Loving not to punch his lights out, okay? Wouldn’t seem right, somehow, given the circumstances.”
“True.”
“You remember what he said? When he arrested me?”
“I remember a lot of nasty things he said. What did you have in mind?”
“What he said when he snapped the cuffs on me, back at the office.” Ben continued looking toward the window, but his gaze seemed to turn inward. “Justice is never simple.”
F
IRST, I WANT TO
thank my friend and editor Joe Blades. My life and work have been enriched by his editing genius and continuous support.
Also at Ballantine, I thank Gina Centrello, Kim Hovey, and Cindy Murray, as well as Tamu Aljuwani and the rest of the trade show and library folks—and Brenda Conway and everyone else in Ballantine’s fabulous sales force.
My appreciation also goes out to my agents, Robert Gottlieb and Matt Bialer, for their guidance and their enthusiastic efforts on my behalf—and to all the booksellers who have been so generous to me: Scott Perry, Dee Hausam, Steve and Joanie Stephenson, Cynthia Jackson, Kristin Ferguson, Ann Thrasher, and many others at bookstores all across the country.
Special thanks should go to my criminal law expert, Arlene Joplin, for reviewing the manuscript, advising me on many issues, and making me aware of several real-life instances of “end-runs” around the Constitution’s double jeopardy protection not unlike the one portrayed in this book. I also thank my friend Dave Johnson for keeping me up-to-date on the latest developments and techniques at the police department. And I must thank my wife, Kirsten, who also read the manuscript and advised me to take out all the boring parts.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
copyright © 2001 by William Bernhardt
cover design by Jason Gabbert
978-1-4532-7720-1
This 2012 edition distributed by MysteriousPress.com/Open Road Integrated Media
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WILLIAM BERNHARDT
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