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Archer's conviction exonerates them of any wrongdoing – ergo, no payday for my client.''
    ''I told you not to talk like that,'' Collin snapped. His directive was so quiet that Josie barely heard him; he sat so still she wasn't even sure he had been engaged in the conversation. Jude didn't blink an eye as he corrected himself.
    ''There will be no settlement for my client. If Archer is responsible for Tim's death we can file a civil suit against him but - and I mean no offense - I doubt the settlement would make up for Colin's loss of both Tim and the bail money he put up.''
    Jude smiled apologetically as if sorry to have to point out Archer's financial failings with such brutal honesty. Archer, however, didn't seem to mind. He had heard a lot in his day as a beat cop and then a detective. He had mastered the poker-face; he just hadn't mastered it well enough to keep Josie from knowing exactly what he was thinking. She hoped he wasn't going to share those thoughts with the rest of table.
    ''You must be expecting a helluva settlement if you're willing to write off a hundred grand for me. I can't imagine anyone being so greedy,'' Archer said quietly, exhaustion getting the best of him. His hand was on his side, his eyes went to Jude. ''You're telling me that I'm just an alternative, that Pacific Park would like to see me convicted in order to protect their reputation and their bottom line.'' His gaze rested on Colin Wren. ''You are telling me that the finest woman I've ever known willfully kept you from your son. You'd like me to believe that you would have bent over backwards to be a good father to that boy if only Lexi had given you the nod.
    ''God, you are both so sick. I quit the force so I wouldn't have to listen to crap like this anymore and now, here it is, on my own back step. This all stinks so bad I can barely breathe.''
    Archer pushed his chair back. He stood up, swallowed some pain, turned around and walked out the door without another word. Josie started to follow but Jude was quick. One hand was on her arm, in the other hand was his card.
    ''You know this thing is going forward. Come see me. I've got some documentation that will help you get a head start if they go to a preliminary hearing instead of the grand jury,'' he said.
    ''So you think he's innocent?'' Josie asked, desperately wanting an ally who believed. She wasn't going to find it in Jude.
    ''I don't care if he isn't. I just want to get on with my business. To do that, I need you to do yours fast and right. It's as simple as that.''
    Jude's fingers tightened, squeezing Josie's arm as if they had reached some agreement that brought them closer, made them somehow intimate. She shook him off. Josie smiled ruefully. She had been a lawyer like Jude. Thank God she'd come to her senses. Luckily, she hadn't lost them completely. Josie took the card.
    ''I'll follow you. I can pick up whatever you have now.''
    ''Nice as that sounds, I have a dinner engagement.'' Jude looked at his watch. His smile was mega-watt and flashed the signal that it was time for him to play. ''We'll have to make it in the morning since the day is almost gone''
    ''Almost gone?'' Josie breathed. ''Oh, my God. Hannah!''

CHAPTER 5

    Josie didn't bother with the garage. The tires of her Jeep Wrangler squealed as she turned into the driveway, threw it into park and jogged around the corner praying that Hannah was safely inside the house. Part of her was frantic with worry because she hadn't been able to reach the girl, the other part was angry that Hannah had forgotten to turn her cell phone back on after school, and all of Josie was awash with shame that this day – of all days – she had forgotten Hannah.
    Josie's step slowed, her fear abating when she saw Billy Zuni sitting on the low wall that surrounded her side patio. One of his long legs hung over the side, the other was bent so that he could lean his chin on his knee. His blond hair fell across his perpetually tan brow and Max the Dog