Justice For All, page 30
“Where did he get the gun?”
“Probably from Ernie. the kid wouldn’t have lied so boldly about the gun coming from Wu if he thought the true source would ever be tracked down.”
“So Joe killed Gomez, then killed himself, trying to end the trail. He knew that after a big dramatic scene and confession, everyone would blame all the murders on him. He must’ve realized Ernie was the murderer. He was protecting the kid he believed was his son. And no one would be able to get him to crack under pressure. Because he was dead.”
Dan snapped his fingers. “That’s why he made a public spectacle of it. He wanted everyone to know. To see. To blame him. To save Ernie.” He turned his head. “Probably would’ve worked. If a crack researcher named Garrett Wainwright hadn’t been on the case.”
“Aw shucks,” Garrett said. Dan noticed that as he did, he squeezed his teddy bear.
“Ernie probably thought he’d done all he needed to do,” Dan continued. “Until that last day in court. After Jenny’s brilliant cover reveal. Once he saw that, he knew there was a strong chance Wu would be declared the creator of King Kaiju. Which meant Ernie would get nothing. At least not until Delia died. And by that time there would be no money left.”
“So he dressed up like Mickey Mouse and tried to take Wu out. Thank God you stopped that.”
“Yeah. Don’t tell Disney. I doubt they would appreciate how he appropriated their IP.”
“What matters is that we stopped him,” Maria said. She wrapped her arm around Wu and gave him a hug. “And now the whole world knows who created King Kaiju. And you’ve—you’ve—” She stopped for a moment. “Excuse me. Pregnant woman. Bathroom break.”
Dan smiled. “Ben, do we know who’s going to represent Ernie?”
“Well, I do.”
“Because you hired them?”
There was a brief pause before Ben answered. “I didn’t think it should be you. Nothing personal. Wu may need you to smooth out the various legal matters that will inevitably arise in the aftermath. But I can promise you . . . he will not be abandoned.”
“Thank you.”
“But here’s what I want to say before I sign off. You all did a bang-up job and I’m very pleased.”
“Thanks. One more thing before you go. Not to tell you what to do or anything. But I know you’ve been watching Kenzi Rivera. You should hire her.”
Ben laughed. “Already tried. She’s not interested. She wants to build her father’s firm into something bigger than a divorce shop. And she has the right stuff to do it.”
“Understood. Give my best to Christina.”
“I will. She wants to know when you’re dropping by for another road trip.”
“Never. But give her my love.”
Chapter 46
He disconnected the line. Wu left a few minutes later.
“Well,” Dan said. “That solves all the mysteries. Except one. Jenny.”
She looked up and fluttered her eyelids. “Yes?”
“Why Jenny? I mean, why did you choose that name? You said it wasn’t a comic book character. Childhood friend? Mother’s middle name? I can’t remember you ever mentioning a Jenny, but—”
Garrett—the least likely suspect—interrupted. “Oliver & Company.”
Jenny clapped her hands together. “You knew!” She tucked in her chin. “I always knew that crusty exterior was a sham. You love me. Deep down.”
Dan squinted. “Oliver & Company?”
“It’s a Disney animated movie.”
He pondered a moment. “Is that the one with the dogs?”
“Yes,” Jenny replied. “But more importantly, it’s the one with the adorable rich girl named Jenny. Who has everything but still feels like something is missing . . . until she adopts Oliver. Or he adopts her, depending on how you look at it.” She drew in her breath, fanning herself as if she were suddenly boiling. “That’s exactly how I used to feel. Like something was missing. Till I met you people. My new family.” She looked up, her eyes watering. “I don’t think I’d have had the courage to make this transition without you. You’re my Oliver!”
Maria appeared in the kitchen doorway. She leaned against the side of the door with one hand. The other was pressed against her tummy. “Dan. I think I need you.”
“Kitchen assistance from a gourmet chef?”
“No, you dunderhead. I need a ride to the hospital. My water broke.”
He leaped to his feet. “What? When? Are you sure? How do you feel? Should you be standing up?”
She took a few steps toward him. “Get me to the hospital. As quickly as possible. I’m not an expert, but I don’t think this is going to be a long labor.”
Jenny and Garrett both started running around in circles.
“What do you need me to do? Hot water bottle? Wheelchair? Popsicle stick?”
“For God’s sake,” Maria said. “Just take me to the damn hospital.”
Garrett emerged from the back office. “Where’s the bag? I can’t find the hospital bag.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “I’m holding it!”
“Okay, okay.” Dan patted her on the back. “Let’s go to the car.”
“Fine. My car.”
“But—”
“I’m not going to the hospital in your Bentley. Everyone will hate us.”
“Okay, okay.” He took her arm and steered her toward the garage. “It’ll be fine.”
She shrugged him off. “I can still walk, idiot. Just drive the car so I can have this baby of yours.”
Even though it was the exact opposite of what she was saying, he stopped. “I’m sorry. I wish we’d gotten married first.”
“I don’t,” she replied, waddling toward the garage. “I’d rather do it later.”
He squinted. “You want to get married . . . after the baby is born?”
“Exactly. That way . . . we can all do it together.” She saw Jenny and Garrett hovering behind her. “Which includes you two. And this about-to-be newborn. All of us together. As a family.”
It occurred to Dan that he had never loved anyone more in his entire life. “That’s the sweetest . . . silliest thing I ever heard. The baby won’t even know what’s going on.”
She held his face in her hands and looked deeply into his wide watery eyes. “I will.”
Afterword
Thank you for reading Justice for All. If you enjoyed it, please post a review where you bought the book. And check out William Bernhardt’s other spellbinding legal thrillers.
Register to receive the free William Bernhardt e-newsletter. To learn more about the author and his books, click here to visit his website. Or you can email him at: willbern@gmail.com.
About the Author
William Bernhardt is the author of over sixty books, including The Last Chance Lawyer (#1 National Bestseller), the historical novels Challengers of the Dust and Nemesis, three books of poetry, and the Red Sneaker books on writing. In addition, Bernhardt founded WriterCon Programs to mentor aspiring authors. He co-hosts an annual writers conference (WriterCon), small-group seminars, a writing cruise, a magazine, and a bi-weekly podcast.
Bernhardt has received the Southern Writers Guild’s Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (University of Pennsylvania) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (Oklahoma State), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." In 2019, he received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
In addition Bernhardt has written plays, a musical (book and score), humor, children stories, biography, and New York Times crossword puzzles. In 2013, he became a Jeopardy! champion. He has edited two anthologies (Legal Briefs and Natural Suspect) as fundraisers for The Nature Conservancy and the Children’s Legal Defense Fund. In his spare time, he has enjoyed surfing, skiing, digging for dinosaurs, trekking through the Himalayas, paragliding, scuba diving, caving, zip-lining over the canopy of the Costa Rican rain forest, and jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet.
In 2017, when Bernhardt delivered the keynote address at the San Francisco Writers Conference, chairman Michael Larsen noted that in addition to penning novels, Bernhardt can “write a sonnet, play a sonata, plant a garden, try a lawsuit, teach a class, cook a gourmet meal, beat you at Scrabble, and work the New York Times crossword in under five minutes.”
Also by William Bernhardt
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Getting his client off death row could save his career . . . or make him the next victim.
After his courtroom career goes up in smoke, a mysterious job offer from a secretive boss gives Daniel Pike a second chance but lands him an impossible case with multiple lives at stake . . .
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• Trial by Blood (Book 3)
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• Final Verdict (Book 6)
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The Splitsville Legal Thrillers
A struggling lawyer. A bitter custody battle. A deadly fire. This case could cost Kenzi her career—and her life.
When a desperate scientist begs for help getting her daughter back, Kenzi can’t resist . . . even though this client is involved in Hexitel, a group she calls her religion but others call a cult. After her client is charged with murder, the ambitious attorney knows there is more at stake than a simple custody dispute.
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The Ben Kincaid Novels
“[William] Bernhardt skillfully combines a cast of richly drawn characters, multiple plots, a damning portrait of a big law firm, and a climax that will take most readers by surprise.”—Chicago Tribune
Ben Kincaid wants to be a lawyer because he wants to do the right thing. But once he leaves the D.A.'s office for a hotshot spot in Tulsa's most prestigious law firm, Ben discovers that doing the right thing and representing his clients' interests can be mutually exclusive.
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• Dark Justice (Book 8)
• Silent Justice (Book 9)
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• Death Row (Book 12)
• Hate Crime (Book 13)
• Capitol Murder (Book 14)
• Capitol Threat (Book 15)
• Capitol Conspiracy (Book 16)
• Capitol Offense (Book 17)
• Capitol Betrayal (Book 18)
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Other Novels
• Plot/Counterplot
• Challengers of the Dust
• The Game Master
• Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness
• Dark Eye
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• Double Jeopardy
• The Midnight Before Christmas
• Final Round
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The Red Sneaker Series on Writing
• Story Structure: The Key to Successful Fiction
• Creating Character: Bringing Your Story to Life
• Perfecting Plot: Charting the Hero’s Journey
• Dynamic Dialogue: Letting Your Story Speak
• Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters
• Powerful Premise: Writing the Irresistible
• Excellent Editing: The Writing Process
• Thinking Theme: The Heart of the Matter
• What Writers Need to Know: Essential Topics
• Dazzling Description: Painting the Perfect Picture
• The Fundamentals of Fiction (video series)
Poetry
• The White Bird
• The Ocean’s Edge
• Traveling Salesman’s Son
For Young Readers
• Shine
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Edited by William Bernhardt
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