Page 52 of Indiscretion

“An elderly uncle, who was about to die, handed youseven-million dollarsin cash?”

“That’s right. He was old school. Didn’t trust banks.”

It went quiet, and a few seconds later, Dawson’s door swung open. He poked his head out and waved to me. “Oh good. You’re still here. Would you mind coming in for a moment, Naomi?”

“Umm…sure.”

I followed Dawson into the office. He put his hands on his hips and spoke to me. “I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like this, but I want to show Mr. Fanning how things are going to go in court next week.” He glanced over at the client. “Naomi was an assistant district attorney. She started here last Monday and knows nothing about your case.”

The client’s arms folded across his chest. “Yeah, so?”

“Naomi, the government found seven-million dollars in an account under Mr. Fanning’s name in the Bahamas. He just told me it was an inheritance, and an elderly uncle gave it to him. In cash. Would you mind playing the ADA role and pretending he’s on the stand?”

“Oh…kay.”

Dawson leaned against the credenza and casually crossed his feet at the ankles. “The witness is all yours.”

“Umm… Okay. Mr. Fanning, can you tell me how you got the cash to the Bahamas?”

“I carried it?”

“In something?”

“Yes, a bag.”

“What kind of a bag? Can you describe it for me, please?”

“A duffle bag.”

“Like the kind you’d bring to the gym?”

He shook his head, like he was annoyed at the antics. “Yeah, whatever.”

“So one duffle bag?” I held my hands about two feet apart. “Maybe this big?”

“Something like that. I didn’t measure it.”

“Mr. Fanning, a million dollars in hundreds weighs twenty-two pounds and takes up a full backpack. Seven million wouldn’t fit in a regular-size duffle.”

His face burned crimson. “Then I must’ve checked the bag.”

“Youcheckedseven-million dollars?”

“I must’ve. Because it got there, didn’t it?”

“Yes, it definitely did.” I started to pace back and forth in the office, finding my rhythm. “I’m not the best at math, but since one million weighs twenty-two pounds, seven million would be roughly a hundred and fifty-four pounds.”

“So?”

“What airline did you take?”

“American, I think.”

I lifted my phone and typed inAmerican Airlines international baggage weight capacity. I turned the screen toward Mr. Fanning. “The maximum a bag can weigh is one hundred pounds. They weigh them when you check in.”

It looked like steam was about to billow from his nose. He jumped up from his chair and flailed his arms around. “What kind of nonsense games are we playing here?”

Dawson pushed off from the credenza he’d been leaning on and stood tall. “I’m trying to show you what the prosecutor is going to do to your story if we go in there with this crap. Naomi doesn’t know anything about your case other than what she learned two minutes ago. How well do you think it’s going to go when a hungry prosecutor has had months to prep?”

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