Solomon Vs. Lord - 02 - The Deep Blue Alibi

  The Deep Blue Alibi

  Paul Levine

  ALSO AVAILABLE

  JAKE LASSITER SERIES

  "Mystery writing at its very, very best." – Larry King, USA TODAY

  TO SPEAK FOR THE DEAD: Linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter begins to believe that his surgeon client is innocent of malpractice...but guilty of murder.

  NIGHT VISION: After several women are killed by an Internet stalker, Jake is appointed a special prosecutor, and follows a trail of evidence from Miami to London and the very streets where Jack the Ripper once roamed.

  FALSE DAWN: After his client confesses to a murder he didn't commit, Jake follows a bloody trail from Miami to Havana to discover the truth.

  MORTAL SIN: Talk about conflicts of interest. Jake is sleeping with Gina Florio and defending her mob-connected husband in court.

  RIPTIDE: Jake Lassiter chases a beautiful woman and stolen bonds from Miami to Maui.

  FOOL ME TWICE: To clear his name in a murder investigation, Jake follows a trail of evidence that leads from Miami to buried treasure in the abandoned silver mines of Aspen, Colorado. (Also available in a new paperback edition).

  FLESH & BONES: Jake falls for his beautiful client even though he doubts her story. She claims to have recovered "repressed memories" of abuse...just before gunning down her father

  LASSITER: Jake retraces the steps of a model who went missing 18 years earlier...after his one-night stand with her. (Also available in a new paperback edition).

  SOLOMON vs. LORD SERIES

  (Nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber awards).

  "A cross between 'Moonlighting' and 'Night Court.' Courtroom drama has never been this much fun." – FreshFiction.com

  SOLOMON vs. LORD: Trial lawyer Victoria Lord, who follows every rule, and Steve Solomon, who makes up his own, bicker and banter as they defend a beautiful young woman, accused of killing her wealthy, older husband.

  THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI: Solomon and Lord come together – and fly apart – defending Victoria's "Uncle Grif" on charges he killed a man with a speargun. It's a case set in the Florida Keys with side trips to coral reefs and a nudist colony where all is more –and less – than it seems.

  KILL ALL THE LAWYERS: Just what did Steve Solomon do to infuriate ex-client and ex-con "Dr. Bill?" Did Solomon try to lose the case in which the TV shrink was charged in the death of a woman patient?

  HABEAS PORPOISE: It starts with the kidnapping of a pair of trained dolphins and turns into a murder trial with Solomon and Lord on opposite sides after Victoria is appointed a special prosecutor, and fireworks follow!

  STAND-ALONE THRILLERS

  IMPACT: A Jetliner crashes in the Everglades. Is it negligence or terrorism? When the legal case gets to the Supreme Court, the defense has a unique strategy. Kill anyone, even a Supreme Court Justice, to win the case.

  BALLISTIC: A nuclear missile, a band of terrorists, and only two people who can prevent Armageddon. A "loose nukes" thriller for the 21st Century. (Also available in a new paperback edition).

  ILLEGAL: Down-and-out lawyer Jimmy (Royal) Payne tries to re-unite a Mexican boy with his missing mother and becomes enmeshed in the world of human trafficking and sex slavery.

  PAYDIRT: Bobby Gallagher had it all and lost it. Now, assisted by his 12-year-old brainiac son, he tries to rig the Super Bowl, win a huge bet…and avoid getting killed. (Also available in a new paperback edition).

  Visit the author's website at http://www.paul-levine.com for more information. While there, sign up for Paul Levine's newsletter and the chance to win free books, DVD's and other prizes.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #1

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #2

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #3

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #4

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #5

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #6

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #7

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #8

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #9

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #10

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #11

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  SOLOMON'S LAWS #12

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  LIST OF SOLOMON'S LAWS

  Also Available

  About the Author

  To a funny and loving lady, Sally Levine.

  My mother.

  One

  WORLD'S RICHEST LOBSTERS

  "Forget it, Steve. I'm not having sex in the ocean."

  "C'mon," he pleaded. "Be adventurous."

  "It's undignified and unsanitary. Maybe even illegal."

  "It's the Keys, Vic. Nothing's illegal."

  Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord waded in the shallow water just off Sunset Key. At the horizon, the sun sizzled just above the Gulf.

  "In this light, you're really magnificent," he said.

  "Nice try, hotshot, but the bikini stays on."

  Still, she had to admit that there was something erotic about the warm water, the salty breeze, the glow of the setting sun. And Steve looked totally hot, his complexion tinged reddish bronze, his dark hair slick and lustrous.

  If only I didn't have to drop a bombshell on him tonight.

  "It'll be great." He slipped his arms around her waist. "A saltwater hump-a-rama."

  Dear God. Did the man I think I love really say "hump-a-rama"?

  "We can't. There are people around."

  Twenty yards away, a young couple with that honeymoon look—satiated and clueless—peddled by on a water bike. On the beach, hotel guests carried drinks in plastic cups along the shoreline. Music floated across the water from the hotel's tiki-hut bar, André Toussaint singing "Island Woman."

  Why couldn't Steve see she wasn't in the mood? How can someone so good at picking a jury be so oblivious to the ebb and flow of his lover's emotions?

  She pried his hands off her hips. "There's seaweed. And sea lice. And sea urchins." She'd run out of sea things. "We can do it later in the room."

  "Bor-ing."

&nbs
p; "So you find our sex life a big yawn?"

  "I didn't say that."

  She sharpened her voice into cross-exam mode. "Isn't it true that after a few months, all your girlfriends start to bore you?"

  "Not the ones who dumped me."

  "Do you realize you have relationship attention disorder?"

  "Whatever that is, I deny it." He pulled her close, and she could feel the bulge in his swim trunks. "I love our sex life. And the room's fine. Clean sheets. A/C. Nice view. Why don't we go in now and get started?"

  Get started? Makes it sound like cleaning the kitchen.

  "You go. Start without me."

  "C'mon. We can catch the sunset from the balcony."

  She looked toward the horizon, where thin ribbons of clouds were streaked the color of a bruised plum. "We won't make it in time."

  No way she was going to miss the orange fireball dip into the sea. She loved the eternal rhythm of day into night, the sun rising from the Atlantic, setting in the Gulf. Day after day, year after year. What dependability. She doubted Steve understood that. If he had his way, the sun would zigzag across the peninsula, stopping for a beer in Islamorada.

  She had another reason to postpone the lovemaking.

  The bombshell.

  She'd been thinking about it all the way to Key West. A pesky mosquito of a thought, buzzing in her brain. She hated to ruin the evening, but she had to tell him, and soon.

  "Okay, I give up," Steve said. "Coitus postponus. What time do we meet your uncle?"

  She brought her legs up and floated on her back. Looking toward the horizon upside down, the sun floated at the waterline, connected to its reflection by a fiery rope. "Nine o'clock. And I told you—he's not really my uncle."

  "I know. Good old Hal Griffin. Your father's partner, the guy who bought you fancy presents when you were a spoiled brat."

  "Privileged, not spoiled. Uncle Grif's the one who named my mother 'The Queen.' "

  "And you 'The Princess.' "

  So Steve had been listening after all, she thought. "You think the name fits?"

  "Like your Manolo Blahniks."

  She started swimming, heading out to sea, toward the setting sun. Smooth strokes knifing through the water, now glazed a boiling orange. Steve swam alongside, struggling to keep up. "What I don't get is why Hal Griffin called you after all these years."

  The same question had been puzzling Victoria. She hadn't seen Uncle Grif since her father's funeral when she was twelve. Now, without warning, a phone call.

  "All I know, he has some legal work for me."

  "You mean for us."

  "He didn't know about you."

  "But you told him, right? Solomon and Lord."

  "Of course."

  Is this how it begins? A little white lie, followed by bigger, darker ones.

  God, she hated this. She had to tell Steve the truth. But how?

  He was flailing away, kicking up a storm, trying to catch her. Except for swimming—all splash, no speed— Steve was an accomplished athlete. He'd run track in high school and played baseball at the University of Miami, where he was a mediocre hitter but a terrific base runner.

  "Solomon takes off . . . and steals second!"

  A good primer for lawyering, Victoria figured. Conning the pitcher, pilfering the catcher's signs, then stealing a base. Even the word would appeal to Steve. He had been particularly adept at spiking opposing fielders and kicking the ball out of their gloves. But like a lot of athletes, he didn't know his limitations. He thought he was good at everything. Poker. Auto repair. Sex. Okay, he was good in bed, very good once she taught him to slow down and stop trying to score from first on a single.

  A hundred yards offshore, she started treading water, waiting for him to catch up.

  "So where are we eating?" he asked, breathing hard.

  So very Steve. He would plan dinner while still eating lunch. "Uncle Grif made reservations at Louie's Backyard."

  He made an appreciative hmm sound. "Love their cracked conch. Maybe go with the black grouper for an entree, mango mousse for dessert."

  Sex and food, she thought. Did he ever think about anything else?

  "And we'll be back in the room in time for Sports Center," he continued.

  Yes, of course he did.

  Was it his imagination, or was something bothering Victoria? Steve couldn't tell. She'd been quiet on the drive down the Overseas Highway, occasionally glancing toward the Gulf, where red coral heads peeked through the shallow turquoise water. He'd asked how her cases were going—they divided up the workload as his, hers, and theirs—but she didn't want to talk shop. He'd sung some old Jimmy Buffett songs. But she didn't join his search for a lost shaker of salt.

  Now he told himself that nothing was wrong. After all, he was holding Victoria in his arms as they treaded water. In the glow of the twilight, she was stunning, her skin blushed, her butterscotch hair pulled back in a ponytail, highlighting her cheekbones. Small breasts, long legs, a firm, trim body. He felt a pleasurable stirring inside his trunks. The air was rich with salt and coconut oil, and he was with the woman he loved, a woman who, for reasons inexplicable, seemed to love him, too.

  By his calculations, they still had time to hit the room, make love, and meet Griffin at Louie's. Maybe do it in the shower as they cleaned up for dinner, the Solomon method of multitasking. He just wished the sun would hurry the hell up and call it a day.

  Nearby, two windsurfers caught a final ride. Overhead, seabirds dipped and cawed. From the beach, he heard the sound of salsa coming from the bar's speakers, Celia Cruz singing "Vida Es un Carnaval."

  Damn straight. Steve felt his life was a carnival, a sun-filled, beach-breezed, beer commercial of a life. This was better than knocking off a mega-insurance company for a seven-figure verdict. Not that he ever had, but he could imagine. Better, too, than stealing home in a college baseball game. That he'd done, against Florida State. Of course, his team lost. But still, a helluva moment.

  "Steve, we need to talk," Victoria said.

  "Absolutely." He watched a pink sash of clouds at the horizon turn to gray. A slice of the sun nestled into the water. On the beach, the tourists yelped and cheered, as if they had something to do with this nightly miracle. "What do we need to talk about?"

  "Us."

  Uh-oh.

  In Steve's experience, when a woman wanted to talk about us, life's carnival was about to fold its tent. He quickly ran through his possible misdemeanors. He hadn't been rude to her mother, even though Her Highness loathed him. He hadn't left the toilet seat up for two weeks, at least. He hadn't flirted with other women, not even the exotic dancer he was representing in a prickly lewd and lascivious trial.

  "So what'd I do now?" Sounding defensive.

  Victoria put her hands around his neck, twining her fingers, as they treaded water in unison. "You treat me like a law clerk."

  Oh, that. At least it wasn't something that would toss him out of bed.

  "No I don't. But I am the senior partner."

  "That's what I mean. You don't treat me as an equal."

  "Cut me a break, Vic. Before you came along, it was my firm."

  "What firm? Solomon and Associates was false advertising. Solomon and Lord is a firm."

  "Okay, okay. I'll be more sensitive to . . ." What? He'd picked up the phrase from Dr. Phil, or Oprah, or one of the women's magazines at his dentist's office.

  "I'll be more sensitive to . . ."

  You toss around the words when your girlfriend is upset. But it's best to know what the hell you're talking about. "Your needs," he finished triumphantly. "I'll be more sensitive to your needs."

  "I'll never grow as an attorney until I have autonomy."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Don't get all crazy. It's not going to affect our relationship, but I want to go out on my own."

  "Your own what?"

  "I want to open my own shop."

  "Break up the firm?" Stunned, he stopped bicyc
ling and slipped under the water. She grabbed him by his hair and pulled him up. "But we're great partners," he sputtered, spewing water like a cherub on a fountain.

  He couldn't believe it. Why would she want to trash a winning team?

  "We're so different. I do things by the book. You burn the book."

  "That's our strength, Vic. Our synergy. You kiss 'em on the cheek, I kick 'em in the nuts." Peddling to stay afloat, he took her by the shoulders and eased her closer. "If you want, I'll change my style."

  "You can't change who you are. As long as it's Solomon and Lord, I'll always be second chair. I need to make a name for myself."

  He almost said it then: "How about the name Mrs. Victoria Solomon?"

  But he would have sounded desperate. Besides, neither one of them was ready for that kind of commitment.

  "I'm not going to beg you to stay," he said instead, brusquely. "If it makes you happy, go fly solo."

  "Are you mad?"

  "No, I'm giving you space." Another phrase he'd picked up somewhere. "I'm giving you respect and . . ."

  A rumbling, grumbling growl in the distance.

  What the hell's that noise?

  Jet Skis? They ought to ban the damn things. But even as he turned to face the open sea, he realized this sound was different. The roar of giant diesels.

  A powerboat roared toward the beach. And unless it turned, straight toward them.

  From the waterline, it was impossible to judge the size of the boat or its speed. But from the sound—the rolling thunder of an avalanche—Steve knew it was huge and fast. A bruiser of a boat, good for chasing marlin or sailfish in the deep blue sea. Not for cruising toward a beach of swimmers and paddlers and waders.