Page 106 of Precise Justice

“Wait a minute, I have a question,” Marc said.

“Okay, shoot,” Butler said.

“What do you make of the fact that Priscilla, Robbie’s mother, appears to be the first victim and she was suffocated with a pillow while the others had their skulls split open with a hammer?”

“I thought the cops believe it was a burglary gone wrong,” Butler replied.

“I don’t think they do. Wait until you read the diaries.”

“Why, what will it tell me?”

“Robbie’s pretty angry with his mother. And she’s also pretty angry with everyone involved with this trans affirmation. She did not want it and Robbie blames everyone involved. Thinks they pushed her into it,” Marc said.

“Motive,” Butler replied.

“A lot of it,” Marc agreed.

“I don’t want to say anything about it. We didn’t get into any of that. I’ll call you after next week’s session.”

“Okay, later,” Marc said.

“Kellie, do you have a couple minutes to see me?” Marc asked. He called the office law clerk after speaking to Lorraine Butler.

Fortunately, after Robbie was arrested, both the personal life policy on Priscilla for two million and the key-man policy were paid to Blake. Chris Grafton, Marc’s officemate, directed Blake to a reputable financial advisor. Blake paid Marc a six-figure retainer.

There was a soft knock on Marc’s door then Kellie Johnson, a student at Marc’s law school alma mater came in.

“How busy are you?” Marc asked.

“I don’t know, busy enough. What do you need, Marc?” she asked. Kellie was in her final year of school. She was a single mother and would join the office upon passing the bar exam. She was also very smart and an outstanding legal researcher.

“I have a project but it’s not a priority. A couple weeks?”

“Okay, no problem,” Kellie said.

“I need a very brief, informal report on Minnesota’s insanity and diminished capacity laws. Short, sweet, distinct and right to the point. Basically, I need an update,” Marc said.

“You’re thinking about Robbie Craig?” Kellie asked.

“It’s a possibility, it’s also a long shot but I want to be ready. Keep it to yourself.”

“Have you ever done one?” Kellie asked.

“No. Despite what the media leads people to believe, they are very rare and almost never work. But…”

“I know,” Kellie said. “I’ll put it on the pile.”

“How’s school going?”

“Good. On schedule,” Kellie replied.

“And you want to work here?” Marc asked.

“If I can and if I can get enough business to make a living,” Kellie answered.

“We’ll keep you busy. In fact, we could use another lawyer now.”

“Are you going to…”