Spin Control

“Her name is Suzannah Ryder, Your Honor.”

She heard herself whisper, “No,” like a child pleading with a nightmare in the dark. Then she shook herself, determined to keep some semblance of poise.

Judge Taylor stared at Justin in disbelief. Then he slowly turned his gaze toward the audience. “Are you saying the infamous Suzannah Ryder is here with us today? Excellent. Join us, won’t you, Ms. Ryder?”

A dozen or so people turned to stare at her, and she realized they recognized her from the unfortunate interview she’d given after news of her successful appeal had hit the airwaves. She hadn’t said more than a few words—mostly No comment and Judge Taylor is one of our finest judges—but she imagined it had been memorable, if only because of her futile attempts to duck the cameras.

She knew she had to do something fast to salvage this situation, so she took a deep breath, pasted a confident, slightly bemused smile on her face and stood up. Thankfully her legs held her weight, so she walked slowly toward the bench, ignoring the piteous stares of the attorneys she passed, including Tony, who winced expressively.

Justin Russo, on the other hand, was ready with an encouraging smile, which actually helped Suzannah a little because it allowed anger to surpass embarrassment as her dominant emotion. This was all his fault. And she was going to find a way to pay him back just as soon as she got beyond the contempt zone.

“So,” Judge Taylor said with a drawl. “The victorious appellate warrior in person. What an honor. I didn’t think you’d be here today. Did you change your mind about handling Mr. Driscoll’s resentencing?”

“No, Your Honor,” she assured him, her voice hoarse but steady. “Tony Moreno is taking over. I’m just here as a spectator.”

“According to Agent Russo, you’re his new attorney.”

She grimaced. “I assure you, Your Honor, that’s a misunderstanding on Defendant Russo’s part. I barely know him and I certainly never agreed to represent him. It would be malpractice for me to even try. I just don’t have the experience.”

“You had enough experience to get me reversed on appeal. Are you saying my ruling was so wrong any attorney could have gotten it reversed? Even an incompetent one?”

“No, Your Honor.” She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “What I meant was, I don’t have much trial experience and absolutely no criminal trial experience. I have a corporate practice. Contracts, mostly. E-contracts, actually. It’s all transactional, except for the occasional hearing, and even those are few and far between—”

“Fascinating,” Judge Taylor interrupted with a growl, “but would you mind if I talked for just a moment?”

“Sorry, Your Honor.” She forced herself to maintain eye contact with him despite the smoke visibly pouring out of his ears. “I’m just pointing out that I’m not a trial attorney. This situation with Agent Russo is all a big mistake.”

“That is abundantly clear,” the judge agreed. “Agent Russo? Could you enlighten the court on this bizarre motion of yours?”

Justin nodded. “I trust her, Your Honor. She’s smart, she’s got class and she’s got guts. And quite frankly I don’t trust the lawyers the Bureau supplied for me. They’re nice guys, but I’m concerned they’ll put the government’s reputation and interests ahead of mine. I’m hoping Ms. Ryder can devote herself to my case without dividing her loyalties. Especially because she’s on vacation this week—”

“Wait!” Suzannah sent him a death glare, then told the judge, “It’s a working vacation. I’ve got a very important presentation to prepare for. On electronic signatures and Internet contracting. I’m attending a conference in Hawaii next week and I have to be fully prepared. I don’t have time to do anything else. And I don’t have the skills either! I’ve never handled a jury trial—”

“Counselor?”

“Yes, Your Honor?”

“Are you familiar with the concept of a gag order?”

The audience laughed at the play on words, knowing that a gag order involved statements about the case made outside the courtroom, not in it. Still, there was no misunderstanding Taylor’s meaning.

He was saying that Suzannah was babbling. And it was true, but she couldn’t seem to make it stop.

“That’s pretty funny, Your Honor,” she admitted. “I’ll be quiet now. I promise.”

“Thank you.” He arched a stern eyebrow. “The last thing I want to do is interfere with your little junket to Hawaii, but some of us have real work to do. Did you happen to take a criminal-law course when you were in school?”

“Of course, Your Honor. But—”

He held up his hand to silence her, then continued. “Did you take criminal procedure?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Evidence?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“And last but not least, did they teach you anything about your ethical obligations? To this court, for example? Are you aware that I have the power to appoint you to represent Agent Russo?”

She nodded, too miserable to argue. “May I ask what he’s charged with, Your Honor?”

A hint of a twinkle invaded Taylor’s green eyes. “That would be murder.”

“Oh, God…”

“I didn’t do it, Suzy,” Justin assured her. “I swear I didn’t.”

“Suzy?” The judge’s scowl had returned. “Just what is your relationship with the defendant, Ms. Ryder?”

“I don’t have a relationship with him, Your Honor.”

“Well, you do now.” Taylor turned his attention to the two defense attorneys who had been hovering nearby, clearly too intimidated to speak. “I want you gentlemen to assist Ms. Ryder, since by her own admission she’s borderline incompetent. But she’s Russo’s choice, and I’m going to respect that. At least for the moment. Agent Russo? Are you comfortable allowing these men to remain involved?”

Justin pursed his lips, then nodded. “As technical advisors, sure. But I want to be able to talk to Ms. Ryder in complete confidence. And I want her to make all the decisions about my representation.”

“Agreed.” Judge Taylor squared his shoulders. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have other cases on my docket. Unless Ms. Ryder wants to regale us with more irrelevant tidbits about her vacation plans, I suggest we move on to the issue of bail.”

“Your Honor?” The assistant district attorney, a petite brunette in a severe black suit, spoke for the first time, her tone guarded. “The People strongly feel that Agent Russo represents a flight risk.”

“A flight risk?” Suzannah rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding? Look at him. He’s too cocky to run.”

“That’s a novel defense,” Taylor muttered. “Care to throw in any traditional arguments, just for fun?”

Suzannah shrugged. “Obviously, Your Honor, the fact that he’s standing here right now shows that he intends to cooperate fully. I mean, he could have gotten away from these two clowns any time he wanted.” She grimaced in quick apology toward the defense attorneys, then continued. “It’s not like my client could get out of the country even if he wanted to. As an FBI agent, there has to be a file on him a mile thick. Prints, DNA, photos, and a list of all his relatives, friends—assuming he has any—and travel patterns.”

The prosecutor was shaking her head. “The fact that he’s a federal agent doesn’t lessen his flight risk, Your Honor, it contributes to it. You’ve seen his file. Working undercover—in disguise—is one of his specialties! In fact, he has made a career out of seducing and conning people.”

“He did all those things for his country,” Suzannah reminded her. “And this is the thanks he gets? Just because of one little…well, misunderstanding?”

“A second-degree misunderstanding,” the prosecutor retorted.

“Forgive the interruption, ladies, but could I get a word in here?” Judge Taylor fixed a stare in the prosecutor’s direction. “I can understand Ms. Ryder’s exuberance, because she’s obviously still giddy over her appellate triumph.” He paused as the audience laughed nervously, then he growled again. “From you, Ms. Armstrong, I expect better. In fact, I demand it. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” The brunette slunk backward until she was flush against the counsel table.

“Agent Russo?”

“Yes, sir?”

“This is your lucky day. Thanks to Ms. Ryder’s innovative arguments on your behalf, I’ve decided to place you in her custody.”

“Thanks, Your Honor.”

“Wait!” Suzannah shook her head frantically. “I never consented to that. My custody? I don’t even know what that means. I mean, I know what it means generally, but in this context—”

“It means you’re vouching for him,” the judge explained. “And I don’t need your consent. This is still my courtroom, is it not? Which means I’m in charge. And from now on you’re going to listen, not talk, while I walk you through this, step by baby step. Is that clear?”

She nodded.

“I want you to spend some time with your client today. Listen to his story. Evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. Consult with his former counsel as appropriate. Then come back here—all of you, Ms. Armstrong included—tomorrow morning. I’d like an update at that time.”

“And at that time, if it’s clear I can’t effectively represent Agent Russo—”

“My God, Ryder! Do you want me to hold you in contempt?” The judge snorted. “I’m starting to believe your claim that you’re incompetent.”

“Your Honor?” Justin interrupted. “I’m going to have to insist that you treat my attorney with respect.”

Oh, God… Suzannah stared down at her hands, silently warning him that he was only making things worse.

When Judge Taylor finally managed to respond, his voice was soft with anger. “In case you’re not clear on the rules, Agent Russo, you’re not supposed to talk unless I instruct you to. Ms. Ryder will do your talking for you from now on, and according to the Court of Appeal, she’s a legal genius. So be quiet and let her work her magic. Unless you’d prefer to represent yourself, because that can definitely be arranged.” His green eyes flashed. “What’s it going to be?”

“My client understands now, Your Honor,” Suzannah assured him, concerned that Justin was hopelessly prejudicing himself in Taylor’s eyes by his misguided hero routine. Didn’t the agent understand that this angry jurist was going to decide his fate on a murder charge? They didn’t dare alienate him more than they had already done.

So she added with a respectful smile, “Thank you for your patience, Your Honor.”

The judge exhaled slowly, eyeing each of them in turn. “We’re all clear, then? We’ll meet back here tomorrow for another round of fun and games? Fine. You’re dismissed. Bailiff? Next case, and make it snappy. We’re already running behind, thanks to Suzy the e-lawyer.”

She clenched her fists at her sides, forcing herself to give the judge one last humble smile before she turned and stalked past a wide-eyed Tony and down the aisle, bursting through the double doors to the hallway before the guard could open them for her. She knew she was being trailed by Justin and his former lawyers. She just hoped they had the good sense to keep their heads down and their mouths shut indefinitely.

But as soon as the doors had closed behind them Justin dared to address her. “Hey, Suzy! Wait up.”

She spun around and stuck her finger in his face. “Not a word. Not—one—word. Is that clear?”

“Ms. Ryder?”

She sent Justin’s former attorney her most frustrated glare. “That goes for you, too. All of you. Just be quiet and let me think.”

“But—”

“Do you have a freaking death wish?” she demanded. But it was clear the government lawyers weren’t going to back down, so she assured them soberly, “We’ve got a huge problem on our hands. That judge has it in for me, which means we can’t possibly get a fair shake from him. But we don’t dare piss him off any more either. At least not until I’m sure how to handle it. So give me a little time. And space. I’ll get in touch as soon as I figure a few things out.”

“We can help,” the attorney insisted.

“Really? Because so far you’ve been a big fat zero.” She pressed her fingers to her temples. “I’ve got to talk to my senior partner. Maybe he’ll have some ideas. And at least my secretary can start drafting up a fee agreement, because believe me, Russo, you’re gonna pay through the nose for this.”

“No problem,” Justin replied. “I’m just glad to have you on my team.”

“Cut the crap. I’m not in the mood to be conned. Or seduced. Those are your two specialties, right?”

“I have more than two,” he assured her with a playful smile.

She folded her arms across her chest to stop herself from reaching out and strangling him. Then she told the attorneys, “Give me a number where I can reach you later today. Will you be available?”

“Anytime, anyplace,” the dark-haired one assured her, handing her his card. “Good luck.”

“Yeah, good luck,” the blond man echoed. “Here’s my card, too. We’ll be waiting.”

When they had hurried away, Suzannah gave Justin a weary sigh. “Are you staying in a hotel?”

“Yeah, the Charlton. They’ve got a coffee bar in the lobby, if you want to meet there. Or if you want me to come to your office, that’s fine, too. Whatever you say.”

Suzannah hesitated, imagining the commotion if she showed up at her dignified law firm with a sexy, swaggering FBI agent when she was supposed to be on vacation. The women would be impressed. Her senior partner? Probably not so much. At least not without some well-executed preparation.

“The coffee bar sounds good. I’ll meet you there. Take a few minutes to gather up whatever you need to brief me. And to change out of your suit if you want.” She arched her eyebrow for emphasis. “If you’re smart, you’ll cooperate with me. If I’m lucky, you’ll run, and I’ll be off the hook.”

“I’m not a flight risk. Not just because I’m cocky,” he added with a wink, “but because I’m innocent.”

Biting back an expletive, she told him between gritted teeth, “Just do what I say, okay?”

“I need to tell you something first. Something important.”

“Fine. Make it quick.”

His smile warmed. “I’m honestly grateful to you for taking this on. I know it’s not how you wanted to spend your vacation, but I really need your help. Those two guys Justice found for me are probably fine lawyers, but they can’t possibly be one hundred percent on my side. That’s why I need you. So…thanks.”

She closed her eyes and sighed in exaggerated martyrdom. “Fine. You’re welcome. Whatever. Now let’s just go to the hotel so you can freaking brief me.”

“Sure, Suzy,” he said fondly. “Whatever you say. You’re the boss.”

“This is S-3. Please identify yourself.”

“Essie? It’s me. Got a minute?”

Spinner Kristie Hennessy smiled with relief at the sound of Justin’s voice. “I was hoping you’d call. How did things go in court today? Are you comfortable with the attorneys the government supplied? Director McGregor says they’re the best.”

“It went great, but not because of those stiffs. I hired a new lawyer this morning. That’s why I called. I was hoping you could check her out for me.”

“You hired her on the morning of your court appearance?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Luckily she’s a quick study. Her name’s Suzannah Ryder. Every bone in my body tells me she’s clean, but if you could run a check—”

“I’m on it.” Kristie’s fingers flew across her keyboard.

“I drew a hard-ass for a judge,” Justin was explaining, “so I figured I’d better call in reinforcements if I wanted to stay free pending trial. Suzy just won a big victory against this particular judge, so I figured she could come through for me. And she did.”

“Suzy?” Kristie grimaced. “I’m guessing she’s attractive?”

“Are you jealous?” he said, his tone teasing. Then he added more seriously, “It’s her attitude that sold me, Essie. She effing radiates confidence, but with enough vulnerability to keep things interesting.”

A recent photo of Suzannah Ryder flashed across Kristie’s computer screen. Honey-blond curls, huge blue eyes and cheekbones so striking that Kristie made a note to incorporate them into one of the composite pictures she sometimes built for SPIN ops.

“She’s darling.”

“Yeah,” Justin confirmed. “But I hired her for her guts. My question to you is, is she as good as I think she is?”

“Her reputation’s spotless, at least on the surface.” Kristie scanned Suzannah’s credentials, noting that she had graduated at the top of her undergraduate class at Notre Dame, then came out comfortably in the middle of her law-school class at Princeton before landing a job at a well-respected civil law firm. Again Kristie made a note to use Suzannah’s profile in a fake ID some day soon. She had just the right blend of excellence and normality, almost as if she had engineered it that way.

“She doesn’t practice criminal law, Justin.”

“Yeah, I know. The win against Taylor was an exception. Something she handled for a friend.”

“That makes sense.” The spinner continued to search her favorite agency and Internet sources. “I’ll keep digging.”

“Okay. I’ll call again tonight.”

“Actually—” The spinner hesitated before suggesting, “If I find something, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, just assume she’s clean, okay?”

There was a long silence, then Justin asked her, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m on probation again. It’s seems like I always am, doesn’t it? But this time McGregor means it. In more ways than one,” she added with a self-conscious laugh.

“Unbelievable,” Justin muttered. “They should be kissing your feet, not trying to control you. Don’t they know how great you are?”

“To be fair, they’ve given me a lot of slack.”

“They don’t deserve you,” Justin retorted with unexpected vehemence. “Maybe we both should just chuck it all and run away together.”

“Huh?” Kristie’s stomach knotted. “Are you that worried about the verdict?”

“Nah. I’m innocent, so it’ll come out fine. But meanwhile…” His tone grew pensive. “The thrill has gone out of this gig for me, Essie. I never thought I’d say that, and it’s probably temporary. So just forget I said anything.”

The spinner bit her lip. Until now, Justin Russo had loved his work more than anyone she knew. He thrived on the danger, the heroic opportunities, the romantic possibilities….

“Obviously I screwed up this time,” he was admitting. “But you haven’t done anything wrong. The fact that they don’t appreciate you—”

“They appreciate me. They just want me to start following protocol. And I’ve decided they’re right. And,” she added, trying for a lighter tone, “I’m not just saying that because I know the monitors might be listening to this call.”

Justin’s chuckle sounded forced. “Don’t get in trouble on my account. I’m doing fine here. Just forget I called. I won’t bother you with this anymore.”

“I’ll keep looking at Suzannah Ryder’s background,” she assured him. “If I find something negative, I’ll call. And if you need anything—anything at all—please let me know.”

“Sure, Essie. But for now I’d better get going. I don’t want to keep my new lawyer waiting.”

“Right. Okay, good luck.”

She winced when he said, “’Bye” and hung up without giving her a chance to say anything further. She was actually tempted to call him back and make him promise to contact her at least daily.

Then a video popped up on her monitor, distracting her completely. It was a recent film of Suzannah Ryder handling—or rather, attempting to politely terminate—a news conference on her recent appellate court success. Even with the graininess of the footage, the attorney’s smile was amazing, just as Justin had described—confident yet vulnerable.

“The Court of Appeal’s opinion is pretty blunt in its criticism of Judge Taylor,” a male reporter was observing. “Do you think there should be an investigation of his heavy-handed tactics? Maybe even a recall?”

“Judge Taylor is one of our finest jurists,” Suzannah assured him. “I don’t think there’s a member of our legal community that doesn’t respect and admire him. The appellate court’s comments are specific to this particular trial and shouldn’t be taken as a general criticism. Or even as a criticism at all. These things are complicated,” she added with another, warmer smile. “It’s the reason I don’t generally practice criminal law. I leave that to the real pros, like Defendant Driscoll’s new attorney, Tony Moreno.”

A barrage of questions erupted, but Suzannah held up her hand and insisted, “That’s all, folks. Have a good afternoon.” Then she dismissed them with a friendly wave, and while a few reporters made halfhearted attempts to ask follow-up questions, most of them cooperated.

Kristie nodded, pleased with what she saw. This Ryder woman had poise as well as brains. In fact, she was the consummate professional in her perfectly tailored suit and medium heeled shoes, not to mention the casual, easy-care style in which she wore her chin-length curls. If the rest of her background check came out as well as this, Justin had definitely picked himself a winner.

Assuming, of course, that he was able to keep his hands off her.

And assuming, further, that he was innocent…

Kristie tried not to think about that, but it was too late. The knot—a cruel blend of spinner instinct and bitter experience—had returned to her stomach.

Chapter 2

They took separate cars to the Hotel Charlton, giving Suzannah a chance to adjust to what had happened. It was obvious that Judge Taylor saw this as an opportunity to punish her for getting his ruling reversed on appeal. If she made any further attempts to resist, he might even hold her in contempt. She had to be very careful, not just for her own sake but for Justin’s.

She knew why the FBI agent had chosen her. He thought she was a great criminal-law attorney because of her success in the Driscoll case. Poor guy—not only was he wrong about that but he simply didn’t understand how much Taylor hated her or how much all that resentment would work against him now, too.

Like it or not, their best strategy for the short run was to cooperate completely with the judge. Hopefully Suzannah’s role in the case wouldn’t be too taxing. She really had only two responsibilities: the first, to make sure the defendant didn’t skip town, which made her a glorified babysitter; and the second, to make sure the government defense attorneys didn’t sell Justin down the river to protect the FBI’s reputation.

She could do both of those things while also working on her Hawaii presentation. The government lawyers could handle the big defense issues, do the footwork and keep her informed so that she could make the final strategy decisions.

It didn’t sound so bad, assuming Justin cooperated. And assuming he was innocent. Not that it really mattered, because if he wasn’t, she was going to strangle him. So either way justice would be done.

Once she reached the hotel, she found a seat in the coffee bar adjacent to the lobby, rejecting any thought of going to his room to check on his progress. There was a slight risk that her new client might ditch her and dash for the border, but in the long run, that would be a good thing, wouldn’t it? In any case, she wasn’t ready to be alone with a suspected murderer who had a reputation as a charmer. Better to stick to public places for the moment.

Keeping one eye on the elevator, she ordered a mocha, then checked her office voice mail to see if any messages had come in. Then she sent some brief e-mails to her colleagues, just in case they heard rumors about what had happened with the Jailor. And finally she attacked the job of reorganizing her obsolete calendar and task list.

Forty things to do in two short weeks, all of them trumped by a murder case. Ugh!

Justin finally appeared, ambling toward her in tan slacks and a sexy black polo shirt. And she had to sigh, right out loud. He had looked so good just two short two hours ago, with his shaggy hair, sexy smile, golden tan and great body. Now he just looked like a pain in the ass.

“That was fast,” she told him, tucking her PDA into her purse.