“I’m sorry, I can’t help—”
“What?” Julia could barely hear him over the blare of the sirens. She pressed the phone against her ear.
“—I’m in the hallway at the courthouse, about to pick a jury.”
“Can you send somebody else from your office?”
“No, my partner’s with me.”
“Do you know anybody who could help me?”
“Yes, a great criminal lawyer who owes me a favor. I’ll text you the contact info, and you follow up. I’ve gotta go now. Good luck.”
“Okay, thanks.” Julia hung up. Her phone pinged with Daniel’s text. She opened it and read the name: Bennie Rosato, Esq. Julia prayed Bennie was a good lawyer. She called the number, and it rang once before it was answered.
“Rosato,” said the voice, clearly a woman’s, which took her by surprise.
“I’m Julia Pritzker, and Daniel Gross said you owe him a favor—”
“Fair enough, what do you need?”
Thank God.“My best friend Courtney just got arrested for her grandmother’s murder, and that’s crazy. I swear to you, she didn’t kill her grandmother, she’d never kill anybody.” Julia could hear her words running together. “And they arrested her at thefuneral—”
“Excuse me, tell me where you are.”
“Outside of Buckley somewhere. I’m following the police wherever they’re taking her.” Julia sped up when the cruisers accelerated onto a wider road. Trees whizzed by, and billboards for McDonald’s and Parx Casino.
“I’m online and I think you’re going to Weaverton. It’s a bigger police station than Buckley.”
“That sounds familiar.” Julia remembered somebody saying Detective Kowalski worked in Weaverton. “Will you meet me there? I don’t know what to do—”
“I can’t get there till tonight. I’m in Philly and I have a hearing this afternoon.”
Shit!“What do I do until then? We can’t just let them take her! This is a nightmare!”
“Here’s what happens next.” Bennie’s tone remained steady. “They’re going to book her and formally take her into custody. When you get there, tell the police I represent her and give them my number.”
“But I doubt they’ll give her the number, I think they’re crooked. They searched our rooms as payback for—”
“They’ll give her the number. They have to.”
“How do I get bail? Where? I have money, I’ll pay anything!” Julia squeezed the wheel, driving fast. The cops zoomed ahead like a motorcade. Cars pulled over to let them pass.
“Unfortunately, murder is not a bailable offense in Pennsylvania.”
“What?” Julia asked, shocked. “Does that mean what it sounds like?”
“Yes, it means she can’t get bail. She stays in jail until trial.”
“Oh my God!” Julia cried, distraught. “This is wrong, sowrong!She has a job, she has a life!” Suddenly her phone screen showed a call from Gianluca on FaceTime. He’d be with Leni at the pediatrician’s. Her gut wrenched. She had to let the call go to voicemail.
“You can help her.”
“How?” Julia wailed, the sirens scrambling her thoughts. She tried to keep it together, driving too fast.
“They’re going to interview her there. A detective will do the interviewing, whoever’s on the grandmother’s case. Do you know who that is?”
“Yes, Detective Kowalski. Courtney’s been trying to get him on the phone—”