Pennies on a Dead Woman's Eyes Read Online Free PDF Page A

and sold it so he could buy a surfboard.
    â€œJoey sounds like a sentimental fool.”
    â€œOh, he’s been in the running for village idiot all his life, but I love him anyway. To get back to Lis Benedict—her tough shell took quite a beating this afternoon.” I told him about the graffiti. “Did you know she’s also received phone threats telling her to get out of town?”
    â€œI had no idea, and I’m sure Judy doesn’t either.”
    â€œShe wouldn’t have told me about them except for the graffiti. I’ve got Tony Neuva working on that, trying to let a line on the kid who did it. There’s a possibility somebody hired him.”
    â€œWhy do you think that?”
    â€œBecause the phone caller used the same words that were painted on Judy’s house. This sounds like a campaign of harassment rather than a kid acting on a whim.”
    Jacked rubbed his chin. “Poor Lis. Why would anyone want to harass her now?”
    â€œWell, people don’t forgive, I guess. Or forget, given the recent publicity. What about the McKittridge family? They kept blocking her parole.”
    â€œHarassment’s not their style. And most of them area dead now, except for Cordy’s brother, who lives in England.”
    â€œTell me about them. All I know is that their money went back to the Nevada silver boom.”
    â€œThe McKittridges were once the cream of San Francisco society: mansion in Pacific Heights, country estate in Hillsborough, ranch in the Napa Valley. The old man was a member of the Pacific Union Club. Cordy was your classic tall, aristocratic blonde, went to the right school—Katherine Delmar Burke—and came out at the Winter Cotillion at the Sheraton Palace. But then everything went haywire.”
    â€œShe rebelled.”
    â€œUh-huh. Refused to go to college, started running with a wild crowd. Affairs with married men, dabbling in the bohemian culture, lots of booze and marijuana. Sign of the times, I guess: in fifty-four, the insulated little world of our social circle was falling apart. The war had changed everything.”
    I was silent for a moment, toying with the stem of my wineglass. The German shepard wandered over and rested his head on Jack’s knee. Jack fed him a taco chip.
    â€œJack,” I said after a moment, “do you really believe Lis Benedict is innocent?”
    â€œI do.”
    Why was he so definite? I wondered. Certainly not because he was in love with Judy. Jack was a good criminal lawyer, and in the course of his career he’d heard even more lies and bullshit than I had. He wouldn’t allow his emotions, however strong, to blind him to the facts.
    â€œYou sound as if you think otherwise,” he added.
    â€œI’m not sure.”
    â€œRead the transcript.”
    â€œJack, I have to warn you, I feel a tremendous resistance to this case.”
    â€œI told Judy you would. And frankly I don’t blame you. But how much trouble would it be to go over the transcript?”
    â€œNot much. I suppose I could look at it this weekend. And I do want to find out who’s responsible for those phone calls and the graffiti.” I glanced at my watch. “What’s keeping Nueva, anyway? He said he’d report by five, and it’s almost six now. I’ve never known him to come up empty-handed on something this simple—much less pass up an extra ten bucks.”
    Rae came up next to me. “Shar, I’m going to run some errands before I go over to your house,” she said, “Can I have a spare key in case you’re not home when I get there?”
    â€œSure. Ask Ted for his.”
    She nodded and headed for the door.
    Jack raised his eyebrows.
    â€œI’ve acquired a temporary roommate. Her garret’s open to the air until the skylights are installed, so I offered her the use of my guest room.”
    â€œSkylights—Jesus. I don’t know why Hank’s