Page 78 of Grave Danger
The fact that Daniela was willing to say even that much only confirmed that she knew nothing about the confidential dossier or the latent fingerprints found on the U visa application. Andie played dumb.
“Homeland Security asked you to prosecute Ava Bazzi?”
“Not Ava. Zahra Bazzi. For submitting a fraudulent U visa application under her sister’s name.”
The State Department had told Andie nothing about the referral for criminal prosecution. She wondered if Jack was aware.
“Was it Homeland Security’s position that Ava Bazzi had no connection to the application?”
“No connection?” she said, seemingly amused. “That’s an interesting choice of words.”
“What do you mean?”
“To put a finer point on it, Homeland Security told us that the application was a fraud because Ava Bazzi is dead.”
Andie froze, the words echoing in her mind.Ava Bazzi is dead.
“What happened to Homeland’s referral for criminal prosecution?” asked Andie.
“It just shut down. Hard stop. No explanation.”
The courtroom doors opened. A junior prosecutor stepped out and hurried toward Daniela. “The judge is back,” he said.
“Gotta go,” she told Andie. “Hang tight. This may be your turn.”
“Sure,” said Andie.
Daniela hurried back into the courtroom.
Slowly Andie returned to her seat on the bench, her testimony the farthest thing from her mind. Instead she was reeling from the pivot from “Ava is dead” to “Ava is alive.” It was like a dust storm of confusion, but as it settled, she was able to break things down to a couple of key questions.
Had they pivoted from “Ava is dead” to “Ava is alive” because they found the latent fingerprints on the application? Or had they “found” the latent fingerprints because—for some other reason—they had already pivoted from “Ava is dead” to “Ava is alive?”
Andie didn’t know the answer. But she knew what Jack would say.
It was after sunset, and an unseasonably hot day in Miami had transformed into a pleasant evening. The noisy blast of her car’s air conditioner was no longer needed to keep cool. Zahra turned off the engine and rolled down the driver’s-side window. She was parked in a metered space on the street outside the hotel. Farid’s hotel.
She’d been there nearly forty-five minutes, debating whether to act on her impulse and go inside the hotel or just put the car in gear and go home.Her meeting at the playground had left her with little hope that Theo would do anything to persuade Jack that she, not Farid, was telling the truth. It was going to take more drastic measures to regain her courtroom warrior. If she couldn’t convince Jack, she had no hope of winning over the judge.
Unless she could get through to Farid, directly.
It was definitely a long shot. But if Farid knew she was willing to do whatever it took to win the case, it might make a difference. If he knew—or at leastbelieved—Zahra was willing to put Yasmin on the witness stand, maybe he would back down. Maybe. She had to try.
Zahra put on her headscarf and checked herself in the rearview mirror. Not as pretty as Ava. Not as young as Ava. But stronger than Ava.
She opened the door, climbed out of the car, and walked toward the hotel entrance.
Chapter 27
Jack hated Monday morning surprises. He was on his way to the criminal courthouse for the arraignment of a new client when Judge Carlton’s assistant reached him on his cell phone. As Jack’sabuelamight have said, it was one heck of achiste mal de lunes,a bad Monday joke.
“Judge Carlton has just issued a digital order directing both parties and their counsel to appear in his chambers at noon today,” she said.
It didn’t sound optional. “My client and I will be there.”
“The attendance of Yasmin Bazzi is also required.”
As of Friday, the judge’s order on a forensic psychiatric evaluation had extended only to Zahra. “Can I ask why Yasmin has to be there?”