No Way Out by David Kessler Page B

their sheer surprise value, but can never be repeated.
    But all of this was still way down the line. First they had to resolve the issue of trial venue. That was the big question that was going to come up at the pre-trial in two weeks time. And that was what Andi had to focus on now.
    Gene was lying on the bed in her underwear in the dimly lit room, watching the wall-mounted TV, when Andi entered. Andi took off her street clothes in the walk-in closet by the door and then shuffled back into the bedroom barefoot and in her underwear, expecting Gene’s usual warm welcome. But this time Gene, lying on her side, didn’t even turn to look at her, leaving Andi hurt and confused. Gene was never cold like this, even if she was in a bad mood.
    “Where have you been?” asked Gene, her eyes glued to the TV.
    Andi was still perturbed by the fact that Gene was only presenting her with her back. She sensed that Gene had had a bad day as she climbed into onto the bed behind her lover, gently massaging Gene’s raised shoulder.
    “At the office. I had a lot of paperwork to clear up. I’ve just started on a major case.”
    “I know. I had a visit from a process server.”
    Andi stopped massaging, but left her hands in place. She knew now what this was about.
    “I was going to tell you. I didn’t think they’d serve it that quickly.”
    “Are you angry?”
    Gene turned round, brushing off Andi’s hands in the process. There were tears of anger in Gene’s eyes. This surprised Andi. It was very rare for Gene to cry.
    “What do you think? I quit my job in the Big Apple and crossed the continent with you ’cause you couldn’t make it in New York and now you stab me in the back by getting them to serve me with an injunction so I can’t even do my job and help a rape victim?”
    “It wasn’t my idea to get the injunction. I tried to use you as an excuse to refuse the case.”
    “Use me as an excuse?”
    “Conflict of interest. But they wouldn’t buy it. They said you could step aside.”
    “You think maybe I didn’t want to step aside?”
    “It wasn’t my decision.”
    “ You could have stepped aside! No one forced you to defend a rapist!”
    “It’s my job,” she snapped, leaping off the bed. “And it’s alleged rapist!”
    With these words, Andi stormed out of the room. With tears now streaming down her own cheeks, Andi went downstairs to the living room. She crossed over to the alcove that housed a desk and bookshelves, which they had set aside as a study and office. On the desk was a laptop PC, a docking station and a large monitor. Andi switched on the computer and waited for it to boot up.
    When it had gone through its start-up routine, she clicked on an icon to launch an E-mail program and then clicked on a menu item to download her E-mail. It took a few seconds more for the computer to connect to the broadband and download the eMail. There were five messages. Four were from old, distant friends wishing her luck in her new job. But it was the fifth message that startled her. It read:
    That rapist scum-bag Elias Claymore is unworthy of your assistance and deserves everything he gets. Make sure that you are not around when justice is finally delivered or you will only have yourself to blame.
    Lannosea
    An alarm bell went off inside her head, and the words “hate mail” flashed across her mind’s eye. But who sent it? And from where? Maybe they could be tracked down via their service provider. She scrolled up to the “From” field, and saw that it had come from a webmail address. It could have been sent from a public library or an Internet café. There would be no way to trace it to a person.
    A range of emotions swept over her like a quick succession of waves. The first was a wave of fear; the second, anger. But if the first was a surfer’s tube-ride, the second was a tsunami.
    And who the fuck was Lannosea?
     

Monday, 15 June 2009 – 10:25
    “What’s she doing here?”
    Elias Claymore’s reaction