“Well, he was talking to me as if he were my only lawyer in the world,” she said. “He made me go through the whole story again, and in the greatest possible detail.”

“I’m sorry that happened, but you should not have gone to see him without me.”

“And speaking of you, where the hell were you?”

“Two policemen showed up this morning and dragged me to Sir Winston Sutherland’s office.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure; I think he was fishing for something he could use. He asked a lot of questions about Libby.”

“And what did you tell him about her?”

“The truth, but without the financial details.”

“God, how could you do that?”

“Why shouldn’t I answer his questions? We’ve nothing to lose by telling him the truth about her. Believe me, this is no time to start lying to the local authorities.”

“What did he want to know?”

“Mostly, he wanted to know about next of kin. I think he’s having trouble notifying someone about her death.”

“Well, that’s not our responsibility, is it?”

“I told him where she was from and suggested he get in touch with the nearest American consulate.”

“He couldn’t figure that out by himself?”

“Apparently not.”

“What if he starts talking to her relatives?” she asked.

“What if he does? That doesn’t matter to us, does it?”

She didn’t reply.

“Does it? Allison, is there something you haven’t told me about Libby?”

“No, certainly not,” she said.

“Because this is no time to start withholding information from your lawyer. I need to know everything there is to know.”

“You do. I mean, I’ve told you everything I know about her.”

“I certainly hope so, because I don’t want to get into that courtroom tomorrow and have Sir Winston raise something I’ve never heard about. You do understand the necessity of my being fully prepared, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” she cried. Now she was really getting upset; there were tears in her eyes.

“All right, all right, don’t cry,” he said. He hated it when women cried; he didn’t know what to do. “Everything will be all right, as long as I know everything I need to know.” He put his arms around her.

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” she sobbed. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“I do believe you, really I do,” he whispered. “It’s going to be all right, don’t worry.” He hoped that was the truth, because he was very, very worried himself.

Chapter
35

Having placated Allison, Stone returned to the Shipwright’s Arms to continue working on his opening statement for the trial. As he entered, Thomas beckoned.

“Bob Cantor called you,” he said.

“I’ll call him from my room,” Stone said, then ran up the stairs, let himself in, and dialed the number.

“Cantor.”

“Bob, it’s Stone.”