CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
air between us was thick with tension as I asked my loaded question and watched as Dax considered the implications. I knew that I was playing a risky game of chicken and that if he decided to back out then I'd be left crossing the road alone.
"What do you want to know?" he asked.
"It's more what I want to tell you," I said as I picked up my drink and sipped. The alcohol was doing its job and calming my nerves, but what I was about to do was going to raise my level of anxiety.
"And what's that?" he said darkly. I watched as his fingers tightened around the glass he was holding and knew that he was waiting for me to drop a bomb.
"I got a hold of the coroner's report," I began. "It said that Lydia Banks was killed by a shot to the back of her skull. I've been around long enough to know that that's an execution, Dax. Why would someone want to execute your lawyer?"
"Don't ask me," he said glumly. "Not a clue why she was killed. Maybe for her handbag? Her car? Maybe it was one of her other clients who had a beef with her? Hell, maybe she was running some kind of underworld empire or something? Why are you asking me about Lydia's private business?"
"Kind of defensive, aren't you?" I asked as I leaned back and listened to what wasn't being said.
"Well, wouldn't you be defensive if some lawyer was grilling you about a murder?" he shot back as he leaned back in his chair and looked at me defiantly. I recognized the look as one worn by clients who had no idea why they were being questioned.
"You think I'm accusing you of something," I said trying to back down a bit so that he wouldn't be spooked. "I'm not, you know. I'm simply trying to get at the heart of what happened to Lydia. By all accounts, she was a damn good lawyer and there's no evidence to suggest that she had any under the table dealings. So, her being executed is something completely off the charts in terms of motive."
"Look, Lydia was a great lawyer and a good friend," Dax said as he looked at me intently. "I liked her and at one time I might have even been in love with her, but she and I were from totally different worlds and it didn't work. I still respected her professionally and I think she respected me."
"You were in love with her?" I said, not able to hide the surprise in my voice.
"Yeah, we were an item years ago, before she got hired by the big law firm and got all those big clients," he admitted. I could see that it was difficult for him to admit this to me, but the honesty of the admission gave me hope that we would be able to trust each other eventually.
"I see," I said taking another sip and carefully measuring my response.
"Oh, don't go getting all jealous on me," he said in a way that unnerved me. He was adept at reading people's responses, so I knew I'd have to be careful of where I tread next. Dax shrugged as he continued, "She was great, but we came from two totally different worlds and, in the end, there was no way to bridge the gap. I loved her, but she didn't love me back and she was honest about that. I wasn't good enough for her."
"So she broke your heart?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that," he smiled. "But she definitely bruised my ego."
"Kind of like I did last night?" I asked.
"Nah, you just totally confused me last night," he smiled again. I knew he was hiding something more, but it didn't seem wise to push harder.
"You do realize what this looks like, don't you?" I asked.
"What? That you left me standing in the doorway of a popular restaurant wondering what the hell had happened?" he replied.
"No, that Lydia has been executed and you're going to be painted as the heartbroken boyfriend who couldn't let her go," I said. It was a risky move, but I knew that if I didn't get to the bottom of this, we weren't going to stand a chance – personally or professionally.
"Jesus, Brooke!" he shouted as he pushed back from the table and stood up. "Why can't you let that go? I was not in love with Lydia anymore! I'd moved on and so had she!"
"But apparently you hadn't moved on far enough," I said. "She was still your lawyer and you saw her regularly."
"I saw her professionally! That's all!" he yelled as he paced the room. "Dammit, what do I need to do to prove to you that I was over Lydia? I wasn't in love with her, and I sure as hell didn't kill her!"