Page 19 of The System

“I’m a little nervous,” Kieran admitted, and it was only then that Carina really got a good look at her.

This woman was identical to Marin in all of her facial features, but everything about her screamed different than the mug shots Carina had seen of Marin. Kieran wore a tan blazer but had a band T-shirt on underneath it as if she was normally a casual dresser and had attempted to dress up a little just for the meeting. Her brown hair was down to her shoulders, and her green eyes stood out more than Marin’s had in the photos Carina had seen. She also looked healthier than Marin, and Carina smiled at her without being able to stop herself. Kieran smiled back at her, and a second later, Diego cleared his throat, interrupting their silent exchange.

“What questions do you have for my client?”

“Again, she doesn’t need to be a client, but I mainly need to hear from her what she told Lieutenant Easton in her own words, and we’ll go from there.”

“But I already told her,” Kieran pointed out. “She even wrote it all down.”

“Yes, but if you’re called as a witness, either by me or the defense, I need to know what you’ll say or what they might ask based on your statement.”

“You just said I’m not a witness.”

“You’re not a witness to the crime, no, but they might still call you as a witness,” Carina explained. “Cases with twins are difficult, Miss Hart.”

“Kieran,” Kieran requested and then looked over at Diego, which was interesting.

“Kieran,” Carina repeated, acknowledging the request before she proceeded. “Identical twins have identical DNA or, at least, a strong enough match that a defense attorney might–” She stopped herself when she realized it. “Actually, Mr.Hart, I need to understand something before we begin. Are you representing Marin as well?”

“Probably. I’ll at least be consulting with her when she arrives. If she decides to let me represent her, I’ll be taking the case pro bono.”

“Then, I’m not sure what I can discuss here with you in the room.”

“I’m not her attorney yet, Miss Whitlock,” he argued.

“I’m aware. But anything I discuss with Kieran here could be used by you if you do end up representing Marin, and I don’t believe privilege would apply here since I’m in the room, and it’s not a private discussion between client and attorney.”

“You’re worried I’ll use whatever you say in here against you in court.” He nodded. “And you should be. I would.”

“Diego,” Kieran admonished him softly.

“What? I would, too,” Carina replied. “It’s how this works. And this is what I meant when I told you that he’d have a conflict of interest, Kieran. It’s up to you how you want to proceed here, but you get what I’m saying, don’t you?”

Kieran nodded.

“Kieran,” Diego began, turning to his ex-wife a little now. “I’m perfectly capable of separating your concerns here from what Marin might need.”

“Are you?” Carina asked him. “You might be put in a position where you need to accuse Kieran of this crime to get your client off. We both know that’s what we’re talking about here.”

“The fingerprints don’t match,” Diego tried to argue.

“Yes, but you and I both know that you’ll just say the house burned and evidence was lost or that–”

“She wore gloves,” he interrupted.

“Exactly,” Carina replied, deciding that he would be a worthy opponent in a courtroom.

She’d never heard of him before, but she suspected he wasn’t entirely local, and his suit was at least three thousand dollars, if not more. He probably worked for a high-powered firm, and that was especially true if he was taking this case pro bono as part of the firm’s annual charity offerings and not just because his ex-wife needed his help. They did look like quite the couple, though. Kieran, with her band shirt, jeans, and with that cute blazer, trying to appear a little more professional than she might otherwise have been outside this meeting, and her ex, with his expensive suit, shoes, and briefcase, looking every bit the super lawyer trying to show off his skills today.

“Actually, now that I think about it… I might need to call you as a witness, too, Mr.Hart.”

“Me?”

“Him? Why?”

“Well, Kieran, I’ll need to know your alibi for the night of the murder, and my guess is that your husband would probably provide that or be able to verify it for you. I might need to call him to the stand to support that. He’d also be able to testify that you’ve never even mentioned having a sister or known she existed.”

“Ex-husband,” Kieran corrected. “And by that definition, you’d call my mom, too.”

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