Mickey Haller 4 - The Fifth Witness

ridiculous. Whoever said that is a liar.”
    It was time for me to test Herb Dahl’s work as a double agent.
    “At the time Mr. Bondurant sent you that letter, was he aware of your secret dealings with LeMure?”
    Opparizio’s answer should have been “I don’t know.” But I had told Dahl to send back word through his handler that the Trammel legal team had found nothing on this key part of the defense strategy.
    “He knew nothing about it,” Opparizio said. “I had kept all of our client banks in the dark while negotiations were ongoing.”
    “Who is LeMure’s chief financial officer?”
    Opparizio seemed momentarily nonplussed by the question and the seeming change in direction.
    “That would be Syd Jenkins. Sydney Jenkins.”
    “And was he the leader of the acquisition team you dealt with on the LeMure deal?”
    Freeman objected and asked where this was going. I told the judge he would know shortly and he allowed me to continue, telling Opparizio to answer the question.
    “Yes, I dealt with Syd Jenkins on the acquisition.”
    I opened a file and removed a document while asking the judge for permission to approach the witness with it. As expected, Freeman objected and we had a spirited sidebar over the admissibility of the document. But just as Freeman had won the battle over presenting Driscoll with the internal investigation report from ALOFT, Judge Perry evened the score, allowing me to introduce the document subject to his later ruling.
    Permission granted, I handed a copy to the witness.
    “Mr. Opparizio, can you tell the jury what that document is?”
    “I can’t tell for sure.”
    “Is it not a printout from a digital daybook?”
    “If you say so.”
    “And what name is on the top of the sheet there.”
    “Mitchell Bondurant.”
    “And what is the date on the page?”
    “December thirteenth.”
    “Can you read the appointment entry for ten o’clock?”
    Freeman asked for a sidebar and once more we stood in front of the judge.
    “Your Honor, Lisa Trammel is on trial here. Not Louis Opparizio or Mitchell Bondurant. This is what happens when someone takes advantage of the court’s goodwill when given leeway. I object to this line of questioning. Counsel is taking us far afield of the matter this jury must decide.”
    “Judge,” I said. “Again this goes to third-party guilt. This is a page from the digital diary turned over to the defense in discovery. The answer to this question will make it clear to the jury that the victim in this case was involved in subtly extorting the witness. And that is a motive for murder.”
    “Judge, this—”
    “That’s enough, Ms. Freeman. I will allow it.”
    We returned to our places and the judge told Opparizio to answer the question. I repeated it for the sake of the jury.
    “What is listed on Mr. Bondurant’s calendar for ten o’clock on December thirteenth?”
    “It says ‘Sydney Jenkins, LeMure.’ ”
    “So would you not take from that log line that Mr. Bondurant became aware of the ALOFT-LeMure deal in December of last year?”
    “I couldn’t begin to know what was said at that meeting or if it even took place.”
    “What reason would the man leading the acquisition of ALOFT have for meeting with one of ALOFT’s most important bank clients?”
    “You would have to ask Mr. Jenkins that.”
    “Perhaps I will.”
    Opparizio had developed a scowl in the course of the questioning. The Herb Dahl plant had worked well. I moved on.
    “When did the deal on the sale of ALOFT to LeMure close?”
    “The deal closed in late February.”
    “How much was it sold for?”
    “I’d rather not say.”
    “LeMure is a publicly traded company, sir. The information is out there. Could you save us the time and—”
    “Ninety-six million dollars.”
    “Most of which, as sole owner, went to you, correct?”
    “A good portion of it, yes.”
    “And you got stock in LeMure as well, correct?”
    “That’s right.”
    “And you remain president of ALOFT, don’t you?”
    “Yes. I still run the company. I just have bosses now.”
    He tried a smile but most of the working stiffs in the courtroom didn’t see the humor in the comment, considering the millions he had taken out of the deal.
    “So you are still intimately involved in the day-to-day operations of the company?”
    “Yes, sir, I am.”
    “Mr. Opparizio, was your personal take in the sale of ALOFT sixty-one million dollars, as reported by the Wall Street Journal?”
    “They got that