Oliver squinted at me and then broke into a half grin. “It’s your neck, kid.”
He opened his bottom desk drawer and took out a disposable cell phone encased in a large plastic shell. He ripped apart the packaging and dropped the phone, a battery, and the power cord onto the desk blotter. After he popped the battery into the phone and closed the casing, he plugged the phone into a charger then turned to his computer, typing furiously. Then he reached into another drawer, pulled out a card, scraped the back like a lottery ticket, and punched some numbers on the phone screen. “What’s your cell phone number?”
I gave him my digits, he dialed, and my phone rang in my purse. I answered, amused and curious. “Hi, Oliver.”
“See the number on the screen?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the number you call me at. Don’t give it to anybody, okay? Hear me? Don’t give it to anybody. Not to the police, not to your lover, not to your priest, family, or friends. Only you can call me on this phone. Did Pratt give you her business card?” I nodded, dug in my purse, and then slid her card across his desk. Oliver read the card and said, “Okay, good. I’ll e-mail her tonight. If she calls you, all you say is ‘Contact my lawyer’ and give her my regular office number. Got it?”
“Sure,” I said. “But why the intrigue with the phone?”
“There are people I want to talk to and people I don’t. You’re my client. I will always take your calls, but no one else needs to know how or when. After the case is over, you fire me, or I quit, this phone and the number disappears. That’s the deal. All right?”
I liked his style.
Chapter Fifteen
On my way out of Oliver Paul’s office, I bumped into a mountain of a man in a turquoise warm-up suit. He backed up to open the hall door for me and I squeezed past with a polite grin, eyeing the outline of a gun stuck in the waistband under his jacket. Bet he had a secret phone number from Ollie, too.
I dialed my parents from the lobby.
“I’m glad you called,” Mom said. “Did you hear from Jarret today? He’s not answering my calls.”
“His phone is probably off. Is Dad home?”
“Your father is at the store picking up a can of creamed corn for me. I’m making my cornbread for dinner with salad and turkey chili. There’s enough food for an army. Would you like to come over?”
Army? Perfect. “Can I bring Nick, Dave, and Robin? I need to talk to everyone about something important.”
“Of course, but—”
“What time do you want us there?”
“Seven.” Mom hesitated. I could almost hear her brain whirring. “Elizabeth, what is going on? Did you and Nick get engaged? Is that what you’re coming over to tell us?”
“No, Mom. We’re not engaged. I—”
“You’re pregnant. I knew it. I told your father you were putting on weight.”
Weight? I touched my belly. That did it. I’ll be hitting the gym every day for the rest of forever.
“I’m not pregnant,” I said, crossing through the parking lot. “I’ll explain everything at dinner. I can’t talk now. I have to round up Dave and Nick.”
Using the hem of my dress like a glove, I opened the scalding car door handle. I put the car windows down and cranked up the AC, then phoned Nick.
“I need you. Can you pick me up at my place at six-thirty for dinner with Robin and Dave at my parents’ house?”
“Sure. I thought your dad’s party was Saturday,” Nick said.
“It is. I’m calling a summit tonight. Carla Pratt came up with a ridiculous theory of jealousy and revenge to accuse me of murdering Laycee. I have to prove she’s wrong.”
“I’m in,” Nick said.
I turned out of the bank lot onto Victory then made a right to Van Nuys Boulevard. While I crept along Auto Row in rush-hour traffic, I made my second call.
“Sam Collins’ office. This is Robin.”
“I need your help.”
“You got it. What do you want me to do?”
“Find Dave and be at my mom’s house at seven for dinner. Nick and I will meet you there.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “I just left a meeting with a lawyer.”
“Well, I’m glad you took my advice,” Robin said.
“A little too late. I’ll fill you in on the details tonight when we’re all together.”
Nick and I pulled into the driveway of my parents’ Encino ranch home at exactly seven P.M. He turned off the ignition and said to me, “I wonder what Viv’s reaction will be when she hears Jarret threw suspicion on you by telling the cops you hated Laycee.”
“Me, too. I didn’t want to tell Mom on the phone and give her time to consult her tarot cards. She’ll find some way to rationalize his idiotic thinking. Possession, maybe?”
“I’m with her if I can do the exorcism. I’d like to spin Jarret’s head around.”
“I wouldn’t go in too cocky if I were you. Right now, Mom’s convinced we’re here to announce you got me pregnant.” As I got out of the car, Nick sat frozen behind the wheel, staring through the windshield. I leaned in and said, “Are you coming?”