Page 127 of The 1 Lawyer
I acknowledged the statement with a stiff nod. Keep talking, I thought.
“I figured you’d find some way to contest those texts. They didn’t sound like you, did they? That was intentional.”
I opened my mouth to speak. Changed my mind, shut it.
He was babbling, talking so fast it was hard to keep up. “I wanted to represent you myself—I offered to do it. Hell, I knew where the holes were; I planted them. Could’ve cruised to an acquittal without any problem. But you didn’t want me, you batted my offer away like a pesky damn fly in your face. You could’ve hired anyone—the best damn lawyer in the country—to handle your defense. Problem is, you still think you’re the king, you wouldn’t entrust your defense to anyone else. And then”—Mason was gasping for air; he looked like he was going to pass out—“then you decided to throw effective trial practice right out the window. Act like a lunatic in court. You were blowing it! This is all on you, Stafford Lee!”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “All on me? You committed the crime.”
“But it wasn’t a crime!” His voice had risen to a shout; he caught himself. He dropped it to a hoarse whisper. I walked around the desk and stood by his chair.
He said, “It was an accident, honest to God, I swear it. I thought that after she was divorced, we’d be together. I was crazy about her. I’d have done anything for her. You want to know why it was a secret? Because she said it had to be! Said we couldn’t tell a soul, nobody, not even you.”
His nose was running. He swiped it with his sleeve. “Then she texts me one day and calls it all off. The divorce, the relationship—canceled. All over. No reason.”
I leaned back against the desk. “Iris breaks up with you by text, so she ends up dead?”
He shook his head, rubbed his face with his hands. “I went to her house to talk with her. Told her I deserved an explanation. She said her husband was suspicious. Daniel had figured out something was going on. She said she’d taught him a lesson. Can you believe that? She’d let him know how it felt, gave him a taste of his own medicine. And then she told me again it was over.”
His shoulders were hunched. He gave me a pleading look.
I said, “So who killed her?”
“Nobody killed her! It was an accident. Didn’t I say that already? She told me to get out, but I followed her upstairs. She’d made me nuts. I was out of my mind. I asked her to give our relationship a shot, that was all I wanted. She wouldn’t listen. I guess I grabbed her, and it scared her. She pulled away from me, fell, and hit her head on the table by her bed. She was screaming. I just wanted her to quiet down. I took the pillow off her bed.”
He broke into a sob. “I never meant to hurt her. I was crazy about her.” He drew a ragged breath. “It was an accident, Stafford Lee. Swear to God.”
He bowed his head. His shoulders shook as he wept. “When I realized what had happened, I couldn’t believe it. She was gone. I flipped out. I panicked. I never should’ve aimed it at you. I thought I could use Rue as a distraction. Rue was accused of stealing from her; she was already on their radar. But it didn’t seem credible enough. And I knew if they came after you, you’d beat it. Shit—you’re Teflon, Stafford Lee, nothing sticks to you. You’re the luckiest guy alive.” He said it like maybe he resented my supposed good fortune.
He rubbed his wet eyes on his sleeve. “But it’s all going to work out. We’ll wait and see what Gordon-James does next. I think we’re all gonna walk away from it, just like I hoped. I found that damned diamond necklace in my front seat at the car wash—how about that? It must have slipped off when Iris and I were messing around. We’ll come up with a cover story for Rue, something that sounds reasonable. The DA has got to drop the charges. The whole town will rise up against him if he takes you to trial a second time. You and Jenny are legends now.”
He looked at me, his eyes pleading. I had to harden my heart. “I don’t want to wait, Mason.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
It was time. No more games.
“I’m wearing a wire.”
The door to the conference room creaked open. We heard the tread of footsteps making their way to my office. Detective Sweeney appeared in the doorway.
CHAPTER 102
DETECTIVE SWEENEY stepped into the office, followed by two uniformed officers of the PD. Jenny lingered outside the door with Henry Gordon-James. Her face was red; she’d been crying back there.
Sweeney stepped over to Mason. “Mason Burnett, you are under arrest for the murder of Iris Caro.”
Mason didn’t respond to the detective. He swung to me, his face contorted with righteous fury. “I can’t believe you’d do this! After all I’ve done for you? When you were a drunk, I pushed your sorry ass into rehab, remember?”
One of the uniformed cops pulled Mason’s hands behind his back and cuffed him as Sweeney said, “You have the right to remain silent.”
Mason shot me an accusing look. “This what you want, Stafford Lee? You happy now, seeing them drag me away?”
My gut was sour; I felt like I was going to vomit. “Happy? Are you kidding? This is killing me. Tearing me apart.”
He snorted. Sweeney ushered Mason into the lobby. A cop pulled open the front door. The other cop grabbed Mason’s arm as Sweeney continued to recite the Miranda language: “You have the right to an attorney.”
Mason was still focused on me. “My heart bleeds for you, Stafford Lee. It must be so goddamn tough to be you. Always landing on top.”