12th of Never

And in the process, he’s taking liberties with Ms. Lagrande’s reputation.”
    Nussbaum said, “Sustained. Mr. Kinsela, this is a murder trial. Don’t do that again. This is your last warning.”
    Yuki sat down hard in her seat and tried to comprehend the bombshell that had just landed in Judge Nussbaum’s courtroom.
    Had she heard it right?
    Floyd Meserve was currently a lieutenant in the police force. A year ago, he had been an undercover cop. He had put a video setup inside his vehicle and interviewed Keith Herman, a thug of a lawyer with a reputation for child abuse and jury tampering and maybe far worse. Herman had sought out Meserve, thinking he was a hit man, a contract killer. And Herman had said he wanted to have his family killed.
    Now this good lieutenant was telling the court that he was dating Lynnette Lagrande, Keith Herman’s former girlfriend.
    How had he met Lynnette?
    And why was John Kinsela asking Meserve about dating Lynnette, anyway? What could that have to do with the case against Keith Herman?
    There was more to come, Yuki could feel it.
    Something big was about to blow.

Chapter 71
    KINSELA STOOD SIX FEET from the witness box with his hands clasped behind his back.
    “I’m sorry, Your Honor,” he said. “I didn’t mean to make light of the proceedings.”
    From the smile in Kinsela’s pale blue eyes, it was clear to Yuki and everyone else in the courtroom that Kinsela was enjoying himself enormously.
    The judge said, “Watch yourself, Mr. Kinsela. Don’t make me angry.”
    Kinsela apologized again, and then he continued his examination of the witness.
    “Lieutenant, were you dating Ms. Lagrande at the time you met with Keith Herman?”
    “You mean at the time when Keith Herman asked me to kill his wife and kid?”
    “If that’s what he actually did. But let me be more precise. Were you dating Ms. Lagrande before February of last year?”
    “I guess so.”
    “Please answer yes or no.”
    “I don’t keep a date book, for Christ’s sake. What do you think I am? A fifteen-year-old girl?”
    Kinsela said, “Your Honor. Please tell the witness to answer the question.”
    The judge spoke to the witness. “Lieutenant Meserve, you will either answer Mr. Kinsela’s questions truthfully or you will be held in contempt of court. You will be fined and jailed. Do you understand?”
    “Yes, sir, Your Honor.”
    “Go ahead, Mr. Kinsela.”
    Kinsela let the moment drag out for a second or two, then said, “Who was the informant who referred Keith Herman to you, Lieutenant?”
    “I can’t reveal my sources.”
    Kinsela put his hand on the witness stand and leaned toward the witness. “Let me help you, Lieutenant. Lynnette Lagrande sent Keith Herman to you for the purpose of arranging the murder of Jennifer and Lily Herman, isn’t that right? Lynnette Lagrande was your so-called confidential informant.”
    “I—I—I refuse to answer on the grounds of the Fifth Amendment.”
    “You’re afraid you’ll incriminate yourself, Lieutenant? Is that because Lynnette Lagrande conspired with you to put Keith Herman up to contracting hits on his family? Isn’t it true that it was
Lynnette
who wanted Jennifer and Lily Herman dead? She wanted to marry Keith Herman for his money, and then Keith would have an accident. The fatal kind.”
    “I take the Fifth. Didn’t you hear me—”
    Kinsela kept going, ran right over what Meserve was saying. “And then, after Keith Herman was in the ground, and Lynnette was a wealthy widow, she could share her life and her new fortune with you. Isn’t that the way it was supposed to go? Isn’t that why you refuse to answer my questions?”
    Meserve’s face was florid and yet the skin around his eyes had gone white. He shouted, “Killing Lily was
Keith’s
idea.”
    “Is that so?” Kinsela said. “You’re saying Mr. Herman wanted his daughter killed, and yet Lily is alive, isn’t she? And Jennifer Herman is quite definitely dead.”

Chapter 72
    JOHN KINSELA WAS in his glory and he was basking in it.
    Yuki shot to her feet, saying, “Objection, Your Honor.”
    “On what grounds, Ms. Castellano?”
    She made sure to modulate her voice so that she didn’t sound as furious as she felt. “On the grounds that Mr. Kinsela brought in this so-called rebuttal witness for one reason—to discredit him and to confuse the jury. He’s confused
me
. It’s absurd. It’s insane. It’s total bull.”
    The judge said, “He’s entitled to question