FiFty Fifty

Chapter Six

sister, Alexandra: tall, tanned, and healthy. It was as if Alexandra had caught every drop of sun, and Sofia had lived all her life pale and hungry in the long, cold shadow of her sister.
'I wasn't trying to kill myself last night,' she said.
I said nothing. It was the most I'd gotten out of her in hours. If she was going to talk, I wanted to listen.
'I told that to the doctor at Saint Vincent's last night. Sometimes pressure builds up – in my head. I have to let it out some way. I'm not suicidal.'
By way of explanation she yanked up her sleeves and let me see her arms.
The inside of her forearms were covered in thin scars. Some remained pink and slightly raised – still in their keloid state – while others were older and an even starker shade of white. The marks were lateral, across the arm, from just below the elbow to the wrist. Both arms. Hundreds of cuts. A few looked as though they had been deeper than others. The bandage on her wrist obscured some of the scarring.
'I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry. Thank you for helping me,' she said. Then she leaned forward, looking past me toward Harper.
'Is she your girlfriend?' asked Sofia.
At first, I didn't know what to say. Sofia had a child's directness – no bullshit
– she told you exactly what she was thinking.
'Ah, no, we're just friends,' I said, suddenly feeling my cheeks flood red.
We were friends, but every now and again I caught myself staring into
Harper's eyes or taking a moment to let her scent linger in my nose. When we hugged, as friends, I had a strange feeling as she put her arms around me. My ex-wife, Christine, was in a new relationship and, judging by what little I could pick up from my daughter, Amy, it was going well. Christine was happy with Kevin. She was in a state of contentment that I could never give her.
I was lost in thought, and the sound of the car door opening brought me straight back. Sofia closed the door, walked around the car and Harper stood to greet her. I got out and tried to make introductions, but I was too late.
'This is—'
'We already did that part, Eddie,' said Harper before turning her attention back to Sofia. 'We're going to get along just fine. I've got Cheetos, candy, frozen pizza and sodas for lunch.'
'Good thing I'm not exactly on a health kick,' said Sofia.
'Oh, that stuff's just for me. I got you celery and fat-free hummus,' said Harper, holding back a smile. Initially, Sofia didn't know how to take that answer. Then she smiled, nervously at first and then more warmly.
At once, Sofia seemed to relax somewhat. Her shoulders fell from a tense,

hunched position. Her expression softened, her eyes opening that much wider and brighter.
'You grab the groceries. We'll see you upstairs. Just got to do a little business with this guy first,' said Harper.
Sofia did as she was asked, and together Harper and I watched her go inside. 'She's hurting,' said Harper.
'She just lost her father.'
'I'm just going to get her settled for a few hours. Make sure she's okay. She
must be in some kind of emotional pain if she's self-harming.'
'A psychiatrist gave her a full evaluation before discharge. They don't think she's a danger to herself. I want you to make sure of that too. Don't go too deep, but try and get a sense of her. We need to know if she'll be able to hold up
during a trial.'
'I'll get her to open up as much as I can. Might as well get a head start on this
while we're waiting for the DA to get his shit together.'
'Agreed, but there's no rush. NYPD won't release the crime scene for at least
another week. See what you make of her. She says she's innocent, and right now I believe her.'
Harper cocked an eyebrow. 'I'm not there yet. I'll let you know what I think.'
'Just go easy on her. Have dinner, talk. Settle her for the night then you can leave.'
Harper was one of the brightest agents in the FBI. Too clever, in fact. She left with her partner, Joe Washington, moved into the private sector and now she was my go-to investigator. We'd been through a lot, and I trusted her judgment. Together we made our way inside, and took the elevator to Sofia's floor. The door to her apartment lay open. Harper knocked as she pushed the door wide.
Inside was a beige and cream themed apartment. A lot bigger than anything I could afford. The grocery bags lay on the kitchen counter. Sofia stood over a coffee table, staring down at a chessboard.
'I don't play,' said Harper.
'Neither do I, really. Not anymore. Look, I'm not going to do anything stupid.'
'Good, Harper will want to talk a little. Just some background. If we're going to defend you, we need to know who you are, so we can show that person to the jury,' I said.
Sofia nodded, said, 'I'm a sucker for candy and old black-and-white movies.' 'That makes two of us,' said Harper, gently ushering me towards the door.
My phone buzzed in my suit jacket pocket. I checked the number. It was the
DA's office.

'I've got to take this call, sorry. I'll see you at Harry's party tomorrow night, but call me later and give me an update.'
Harper said yes, she would call later.
I then turned to Sofia and said, 'Just try and stay level. This is all going to be okay. The press may come around, or try to call you. Don't talk to them.'
'I won't. I might go out later. I'll wear a cap and hoodie. Keep my head down. Thanks, Mr. Flynn.'
'Call me Eddie,' I said as I left the apartment. I answered the phone. 'Mr. Flynn?' said a female voice.
'Yes, if it's about those parking tickets—'
'Excuse me? Um, no, it's not.'
I knew it wasn't about parking tickets, but it's impossible for me not to play with prosecutors. I couldn't help myself. As a defense attorney I spend a lot of my time chasing prosecutors to discuss my cases. They only called me when there was a serious issue, in a serious case.
The voice on the other end of the line cleared their throat and said, 'I'm Mr. Dreyer's secretary, he'd like to see you tomorrow about the Avellino case.'
'What about the Avellino case, specifically?' 'He has an offer he wants to discuss with you.'