In Self Defense, Susan Sloan [best classic romance novels txt] 📗

twice before he could even say his name.  Clare couldn’t help feeling rather sorry for him.

“Mr. Lilly, you worked as Richard Durant’s assistant at Nicolaidis Industries, did you not?” Sundstrom began.

“Yes,” James replied.

“Will you tell the jury what kind of businessman he was?”

“Enthusiastic, energetic, brilliant,” James ticked off.  “He took a first-rate company and turned it into an even bigger star.”

“Will you tell the jury what kind of man he was personally?”

James shrugged.  “He was nice enough, I guess.  And charismatic, I think the term is.”

“How did he treat people?”

“He was strict, but fair.  He certainly treated his employees well.”

“What about his personal life?”

James looked a bit uncomfortable.  “His personal life wasn’t any of my business,” he replied.

“Maybe not,” the prosecutor conceded, “but you were in a position to know a lot about what was going on, weren’t you?”

“I guess his personal life wasn’t very exemplary,” the former assistant to Richard Durant conceded, his drawl becoming a bit more pronounced.

“What do you mean?” Sundstrom pressed.

“I mean that he was what I would call a philanderer,” James replied, reddening.

“Had affairs, did he?”

“Yes, sir, you could say that.”

“A lot of affairs?”

“Over the years I worked for him, quite a few, I’m afraid.  At least half a dozen that I know of.”

“And how long would these affairs last?”

“Most of them never lasted very long, maybe a couple of months at best.”

“You said most of them -- were there any that lasted longer than a couple of months?”

“One,” James conceded.  “She was the last, and it was still going strong when he died.”

“And that one?”

“Stephanie Burdick.  He’d been seeing her for a couple of years.”

“What did you know about their relationship?”

“I guess it must have been serious,” James said.  “Mr. Durant asked me to find him a divorce attorney.”

“He said he was seeking a divorce?”

“He said he wanted to know what his position would be in case of a divorce.”

“Did you find him an attorney?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Subsequently, Mr. Lilly, did you happen to overhear a conversation between Richard Durant and his wife?”

“Yes.”

“And will you please tell the jury,” the prosecutor pressed, “the substance of that conversation?”

“Mrs. Durant wasn’t happy,” James replied reluctantly.

“Wasn’t happy about what?”

“She wasn’t happy about Mr. Durant’s affairs, particularly the one with Stephanie Burdick.  She wanted it to stop.”

Sundstrom leaned in.  “And did Clare Durant say what would happen if it didn’t stop?”

It was clear that James Lilly would prefer to be anywhere but where he was.  “She said there were ways of taking care of things that didn’t have anything to do with divorce attorneys,” he said, in a rush to get the words out and over with.

‘Thank you,” the prosecutor said.  “I have nothing further.”

***

“And when Mrs. Durant said that there were ways of taking care of things, Mr. Lilly,” David jumped right in, “did you take that to mean she intended to kill her husband?”

“Good heavens, no!” James exclaimed.

“Well then, what did you think she meant?”

“Objection,” Sundstrom declared.  “Calls for speculation.”

“Sustained,” the judge responded.

“Let me rephrase,” David suggested, without missing a beat.  “Based on your knowledge of the defendant, when you overheard her say that there were ways of taking care of things, what options came to your mind?”

“I thought she would take it to the Board of Directors.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning he could lose his job.  There was a morals clause in his contract.”

“And to your knowledge, did she indeed take it to the Board of Directors?”

James Lilly shrugged.  “No, not to my knowledge,” he said.  “I guess the threat was enough.”

“Enough for what?”

“Well, enough to get him back in line,” James explained.  “Because it wasn’t very long after that when Mr. Durant stopped talking about getting a divorce.”

David glanced over at Sundstrom and then turned back to the witness.  “Mr. Lilly, as Richard Durant’s assistant, you were privy to most if not all of his business dealings, were you not?”

“Yes, I guess so.”

“I mean, he didn’t often make a move without you arranging it, is that right?”

“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that,” James replied with obvious modesty, “but I know he did rely on me to pretty much take care of things for him.”

The defense attorney fixed the witness with a sharp glance.  “At any time on the day of October 19th of last year,” he asked, “did Richard Durant inform you that he was coming home early from his last business trip?”

“No,” James said clearly.  “He did not.”

***

“Did Mr. Durant always tell you when he was returning from a business trip?” Sundstrom asked on redirect.

“Well, he usually did, but apparently not always,” James had to concede.

“So, it’s entirely possible that he might have told his wife he was coming home a day early from his last trip, but didn’t think it was necessary to tell you?”

“Yes, I suppose that’s possible.”

“Thank you.  Now, after Mr. Durant decided to stop pursuing a divorce, did he stop seeing Ms. Burdick?”

“No, James replied.  “He went right on seeing her, same as always.  It was kind of weird, actually.”

“What was weird?”

“The one thing not tracking with the other.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the more he talked about his marriage being back on track, and everything being just fine at home, the more time he was spending with Ms. Burdick.”

***

Erin Hall’s responsibility in the Durant matter had been discharged.  Once she completed the investigation, arrested the suspect, finished off the paperwork, and testified in court, her involvement was officially over.  Yet she made a point of reading the newspaper accounts of the trial every morning, and listening to the television reports every evening.  She couldn’t help it.  There was still something about this case that didn’t add up, and she was still hoping she could figure out what it was.  She wished the trial was being televised, as so many were these days, so she could hear every word for herself, but it wasn’t, and she had to rely on secondhand accounts.  It was frustrating, it was distracting, and it was making her irritable.

“You haven’t had a vacation in ages,”