Page 100 of Precise Justice

“That was a burglar,” Robbie protested.

“I know, but it still makes the cops suspicious. There’s not much I can do about this. Do you have five dollars?” Marc asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Robbie said then pulled her wallet out of her bag.

Marc took out a one-page document from a desk drawer. He filled out some blank spaces then signed it. Next, he took the five dollar bill Robbie was holding and gave the form to her.

“Sign it down on the bottom where it says client.”

When Robbie finished signing she handed it back to Marc who said, “Good, now I represent you and I have enough money to tip the waitress at lunch.

“Here, fill out the top part of this with name, address and phone,” Marc said handing her an intake sheet.

“Are you getting any money from your mother? From life insurance or her estate?”

“No, my dad gets it all. She had a Will leaving it to him and then me if he dies before her. That’s what he told me. They weren’t divorced yet.”

“Okay. For now, go back to school and try not to worry. I know who to call to find out what the cops are up to. They probably won’t tell me anything, but they will know you are represented.

“If I find out anything, of course, I’ll let you know. If anything happens, call me right away.”

“Here he is,” Melissa said.

Lucy swirled around in her chair to see their boss, Owen Jefferson, go into his office. The two detectives were waiting for him.

“Yes, come right in,” Jefferson sarcastically said when Lucy opened his door and they went in and sat down.

“You in a bad mood today?” Lucy asked.

“I don’t know. Tell me something good.”

“Okay, we heard back from the lab and Dr. Benny. Nothing on the hammer. No blood, tissue, hair, fingerprints, nothing. It looks pristine from a forensic point of view. Looks pristine but it’s not,” Lucy began.

“But,” Melissa said, “Dr. Benny believes and will testify it is the hammer. The one used in every killing.

“The claws match exactly and there are small, barely visible to the human eye, scratches on the claws. The M.E. put the hammer under an electron microscope and compared the scratches on the claws to similar marks on the skulls of all of the victims. Benny says they’re all a match.”

“Get an affidavit from Benny and get your arrest warrant,” Jefferson said.

“There’s a problem,” Lucy said.

“What?”

“The diaries. We’ve read through the most recent one. The ones she wrote on during and after the killings,” Lucy said.

“They all claim Robbie Powell had no memory of where she was or what she did at the time of each murder. It’s either legit or she is setting up some type of insanity or at least diminished capacity defense,” Melissa said.

“Not our problem,” Jefferson said. “Get your supporting documents ready and get an arrest warrant. We at least have probable cause for that.”

“We’re already on it,” Lucy said. “We sent one to Benny to sign and send back. We may already have it.”

Jefferson’s desk phone rang and he picked it up while saying, “Wait a second,” to Lucy and Melissa.

“Jefferson,” he said into the phone.

“Lieutenant, it’s Marc Kadella.”

“How do you keep getting my personal office number?”