Segal leaned across his desk to loom over him. ‘You killed my wife.’
He blinked up at Segal. ‘I did, yes.’ He gave his wrist a shake and the blade he’d hidden in his sleeve came sliding into his hand. With a flick of his thumb, he opened the switchblade and jabbed it within a centimeter of the jackass’s snarling face. ‘With this very knife. Are we done now?’
Segal paled and took a step back, hands fisted at his sides.
He had to admit to reluctant admiration. He’d expected the judge to go running. The man was not a coward.
‘That was not our agreement,’ Segal gritted out.
Conscious that Patton had crept close enough to rip Segal away if necessary, he regarded the judge soberly. ‘You would have had me murder a young man instead? The best friend of your son? A young man whose only crime was to believe your wife when she promised him a fairy-tale ending?’
Segal’s jaw clenched. ‘That was our agreement.’
‘No, that was your agreement. Our agreement was that if you provided me with information with which I could discredit Thomas Thorne, then I’d refrain from reporting your judicial indiscretions to the bar.’
‘But you were never supposed to kill my wife!’
He lifted his brows. ‘You want me to believe you loved her? Truly?’
Segal swallowed hard. ‘She was drinking herself to death. She didn’t need your help.’
For a split second, he had some sympathy for the man’s loss. Then he remembered with whom he was speaking. ‘So you would have been fine with your wife killing herself and possibly someone else’s loved one when she drove drunk?’
The judge looked away, swallowing again. ‘No.’
‘Because you weren’t going to be able to hide her DUIs forever, Judge Segal.’
‘I know that.’ Segal’s gaze returned, his eyes blazing. ‘But you didn’t have to rape her too,’ he whispered hoarsely. ‘She didn’t deserve that.’
His mouth fell open. ‘What are you suggesting?’
Segal’s mouth twisted. ‘I’m not “suggesting” anything. I’m telling you what was on the autopsy report. She was sexually assaulted. And I know it wasn’t by the kid, because I know where he was all evening. He was waiting for her in the fucking park, which was where you were supposed to collect him.’
He sat back in his chair, horrified by Segal’s accusation. Horrified by what – according to the ME – had happened. ‘You think I did that?’
‘Who else could have done it?’ Segal pointed to the knife he still held. ‘You carved her up just like . . .’ He cut himself off, looking away again.
‘Like what, Judge Segal?’ he asked quietly. ‘Like her brother was carved up by his killer?’
Segal jerked a nod. ‘She didn’t deserve that.’
‘Probably not. But she was unconscious at the time. She didn’t suffer. Unlike her brother.’
‘I don’t care!’ Segal cried, his eyes filling with what appeared to be honest tears. ‘She was a horrible wife. She was a horrible mother. But she did not deserve to be raped. Again. And she did not deserve to die that way. I had to tell my son what had happened to his mother, because I knew the media wouldn’t keep quiet. I had to tell my son that his mother was raped.’
A glance from the corner of his eye showed Patton to be as confused by the news of the sexual assault as he was. ‘Must have been Harrelson and Schwab,’ he said quietly. ‘They brought her to me already drugged up.’
He sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Judge Segal. This was not done on my command. If it helps, the men who abducted your wife are dead.’
Segal closed his eyes, sending the tears streaking down his face. ‘Of course it doesn’t help. Patricia’s still dead. My son is still grieving.’
He tilted his head, considering. He’d been following Segal’s career for years. The man was canny, never doing anything without a damn good reason. ‘Your wife has been dead since late on Saturday. It is now Wednesday. Why did you wait more than three full days to confront me?’
‘Because I’ve been busy,’ Segal snapped. ‘My son has been a wreck. I’ve had to reschedule my court calendar and arrange a funeral, on top of dodging cops and reporters.’ His throat worked as he swallowed yet again. ‘It was the autopsy report. I was furious that you’d killed her, but when I was told that she’d been raped too, I just . . . I had to do something.’
‘This time, you mean?’
‘Yes,’ he hissed. ‘This time. But just like before, there isn’t anything I can do.’
‘I understand that helpless feeling,’ he said coldly. ‘I felt it when my wife died after my son was incarcerated. And when my son was murdered in prison.’
Segal shook his head. ‘That was not my fault.’
‘That is still debatable, sir.’ He steepled his fingers, considering what he’d do with the man. Segal had contacted him through Margo, and Patton had blindfolded him when he’d brought him here. That Patton had done so without his approval was a separate topic, and his assistant would be dealt with severely. ‘I could kill you right now, you know,’ he said to the judge.
‘I know.’ Segal lifted his chin and met his gaze squarely. ‘But I wasn’t completely stupid. I left a document in my safe deposit box, detailing what I’d done and the deal I’d made with you. And that I planned to see you tonight.’
Well, if he was bluffing, he was good at it. And there was really no reason to believe he wasn’t telling the truth. The man had very little to lose at this point.
If I kill him, I risk being linked to Patricia’s murder. Of course, Thorne already suspected as much, but the man had no evidence. There was no tangible connection. The police hadn’t even sniffed his way. And he would know. He had resources in BPD, at all levels of the organization.
If I kill him, I lose a valuable resource on the bench. And those were alliances that took much longer to build.
If I let him live, he is a loose thread. Unless he is discredited for something entirely different before he can begin pointing fingers. Which I can do. Easily.
Decision made. ‘You came to avenge your wife’s honor,’ he said finally. ‘I can respect that. I won’t kill you.’
Segal’s laugh was darkly sardonic. ‘Thank you ever so much.’
He bit back the temptation to bury his blade in the man’s throat and kept his expression coolly neutral. ‘You’re welcome. Now, if you ever try to contact me again, by any means, you will regret it.’
Segal’s nod was disrespectful. ‘Same song, second verse. You kill me, I release my documents. It’s called leverage.’
He smiled, the chilling smile that usually made men quake in fear. He was happy to see Segal was not immune. ‘You still have someone to lose, Mr Segal.’
Segal paled. ‘No. You wouldn’t dare.’
‘Dare? That is the wrong word to use.’
‘My son is not part of this.’
‘Everything that is dear to you is part of this. You upped the stakes. You can’t whine when the house wins. Because the house always wins. If you ever contact me again, or if I hear the slightest whisper of my name in connection to yours, the boy dies. But first I will tell him exactly who he is. Are we quite clear?’
Segal ground his molars. ‘Crystal.’
‘Good.’ He gestured to Patton. ‘Please see that Judge Segal is returned to his vehicle, and make sure he goes directly home. It’s late and the streets are dangerous. I’d hate for something to happen to him.’
Patton looked stunned, like he’d expected to be told to kill him. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘And then come back here.’
Patton swallowed. ‘Of course.’
He watched Patton blindfold Segal and lead him away, none too gently, then picked up the phone and dialed Margo.
‘It’s late,’ she said sharply. ‘Benny is asleep.’
‘I apologize,’ he said stiffly. And he was sorry. In his anger, he’d forgotten about his grandson. ‘But this is urgent. Segal has papers in his safe deposit box implicating me. I’d like you to get them.’
‘That’s not so simple, Papa,’ she said doubtfully.
‘But it is crucial that you do it. Use whatever resources I have at my disposal.’