by Cara Putman
For each sliver of evidence they had, there were four people ready to discount it. Even Kaydence’s friends’ testimony wouldn’t go far unless the judge was lenient. That would only buy a reprieve before appeal. Reid wasn’t a lawyer, but he knew allowing them to testify would be risky at best. At worst, it could turn Robert’s attention to them, and Reid hesitated to do that.
He pulled out Kaylene’s planners that went back three years. He selected the most recent and flipped slowly through the pages, scanning for anything that would indicate something other than routine. His sister’s neat handwriting swirled in colors. She’d used purple for Kinley and orange for Kaydence. Both girls took piano. What had they liked to play, and who were their favorite composers?
He should have known what his nieces loved without having to scan an old calendar. Why hadn’t he been invited to their recitals?
He kept flipping, and a pattern emerged. One where Kaylene scheduled an appointment at the H every time the girls were at piano.
The Haven? There was one easy way to find out if she’d had weekly appointments there.
He pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket and dialed Emilie.
“Hey. I’m going through a box Robert sent to work today.”
“Does it have anything we can use?” There was a lilt of hope to Emilie’s voice.
“Planners, her Bible, and a few other books. I noticed something in one of the calendars.”
“Yes?”
“Every time the girls had piano lessons, Kaylene has a note for an appointment at ‘the H.’ Is that the Haven?”
“Probably. How often were the piano lessons?”
“Once a week during the school year.”
“I didn’t see her that often. But I know many of her appointments were tied to the girls’ activities.”
Reid had the feeling he got when he knew a stock was the right investment. Sometimes there wasn’t a solid field of evidence to support his gut, but he’d learned to trust it, and that had made his clients a lot of money. He would do the same now. “I think this is important.”
“We’ve known all along she’s been at the Haven.” There was a pause. “Sorry, Jordan was calling again.”
“Jordan? What does he want?”
“He’s left a dozen messages since last night asking me to dinner. He’s got me ready to say yes to a date just to make him leave me alone.”
“Wait a minute. How will saying yes get him to do that?”
“I’ll be the most boring date in history. Won’t take long for him to regret asking.”
“How’d that work for the gal in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days?”
“Terribly, but she doesn’t have my finesse and experience at pushing men away.”
He didn’t like the sound of that, didn’t like it one bit. “And if I asked you?”
“Asked me what?”
“If I asked you out? Would you say yes?”
“I already have.” She sighed, and he gave her a moment to think. “You know, it’s really not a good idea for me to go out with a client.”
“I’m not your client yet.”
“But you will be the moment we file for custody of Kinley.”
“I won’t give up so easily, Em.”
“I didn’t think you would.” She paused again. “I don’t want you to either.”
“Good.” He didn’t fight the grin that came at her quiet admission. “We’re going to see if there’s anything between us, Emilie Wesley. I promise you that.”
After he hung up, he went back to the journals. If there was something there, he’d find it. He owed that to Kaylene. And then he’d explore what the future might hold with his favorite attorney.
CHAPTER 38
The phone on Emilie’s desk rang, but she ignored it as she scrolled through the guts of her legal argument. She’d made good progress outlining the need for a temporary change in custody and an emergency protective order. She still didn’t have the 911 call, and left a message for Detective Gaines asking if he could let her listen to it.
If she could get that call, it might give life to the story. The judge had to see the Adams family as Emilie and Reid had understood them. But without Kaylene and Kaydence here to testify, all she had was hearsay. Robert’s attorney would have a fit and raise all kinds of arguments about the unfairness of allowing testimony that couldn’t be rebutted. Then the attorney would launch into arguments where Robert could testify. But if Emilie had the call, she might not need Kinley to testify.
The thought stopped her cold as her phone started ringing again.
Would she really consider putting a ten-year-old on the stand? There had to be a better way.
The phone continued to ring, stopped, and then started again.
“Fine.” Emilie turned toward her door. “Taylor, do you know who’s calling?”
Her assistant came to stand in the doorway. “Sorry, the calls aren’t coming through me.”
“Can you grab it?”
“Every time I pick up, whoever it is hangs up.”
Emilie twisted her grandmother’s ring around her finger, then puffed out a sigh as the phone started again. “All right. Let’s see who’s so determined.”
After the next ring, Emilie picked up the phone and hit the line. “Emilie Wesley.”
There was silence, and she took a deep breath as her right hand fisted on top of the desk. Something clicked inside. She was tired of feeling on edge all the time. Tired of the sense someone was always watching but never talking.
“Hello? You have one second to talk or I’m hanging up.”
“Really, Miss Wesley?”
“Who is this?”
“Darlene Wright. Robert Adams has hired me as his attorney. We’ve filed an emergency motion that should be waiting on your fax machine. The judge wants to see us in an hour.”
Emilie’s thoughts scrambled. What kind of motion could the attorney be referencing? “I don’t understand. Why would you contact me about something related to Mr. Adams?”
“Have your assistant check the fax. See you in an hour.”
The phone clicked in her ear, and Emilie hung up as her spine slackened. “Taylor, can you check the fax?”
“Everything okay?”
“I don’t know, but supposedly the judge wants to see me in an hour.” Sweat trickled down the small of her back and the room felt overly warm.
Taylor scurried from the doorway and returned a couple minutes later, scanning as she walked. “You’re not going to like this.”
“The bullet’s coming from Wright—of course I’m not going to like it.”
“Here.” Taylor handed over a thin stack of paper, then turned to the set she retained. Emilie sped-read as Taylor continued. “She’s requesting a protective order against you.”
Emilie reread the language. “A protective order for harassment? Against me? That’s crazy!”
“And brilliant. If she wins, you have to leave Robert Adams alone, which means he gets Kinley, no questions.”
“Or Reid finds a different attorney.” It was breathtaking legal finagling. She’d almost gotten the protective order against him filed, but not in time to save Kaylene. Now it felt poetically wrong for Darlene Wright to use that strategy against her. How had they known today was the perfect day to file, and how had they known to file against her?
Emilie turned to Taylor. “Call the court and see what the clerk can tell you.”
“On it.” Taylor spun out of the doorway, and in a few minutes Emilie could hear her quietly talking.
Emilie turned her attention back to the petition for a protective order, something niggling at her mind as she read it more slowly, without the shock of being its target. She knew this law as well as anyone. As she read the facts, she knew the order wouldn’t be granted.
There was no way Robert Adams could effectively argue she had done anything involving an act of violent force or threat that resulted in an injury to him. Neither could he have a fear that
she would do something leading to death or bodily injury.
That was the legal standard. Why file a petition destined to fail?
She glanced at the calendar, tried to think like Wright. Darlene was a good attorney. One who had earned her bulldog reputation. What was Wright really trying to accomplish by filing this? Wright wouldn’t risk angering the judge by wasting her time if there wasn’t a goal to be achieved. What was it?
Emilie leaned back and closed her eyes.
She didn’t have time to waste. Not if there really was a hearing in forty-five minutes.
“The clerk says the judge isn’t happy, but there is a hearing.”
Emilie sat up and looked at Taylor. “Why not wait for motion hour?”
“Wright pushed hard for an emergency.”
“What’s the emergency? What’s happening that I’m missing?” Her thoughts raced as she tried to focus them.
Taylor sank onto the edge of a chair. “What’s happening with Kinley?”
“Haven’t heard from Reid today.” Emilie reached for the phone and a minute later had Reid. “Anything changed with Kinley?”
“The doctors are getting ready to step her out of intensive care with the goal of getting her home early next week. What Melanie Rogers told me yesterday is holding.” His rich voice brought her comfort. “Why?”
“Adams has an attorney, a good one, who is trying some tricks. Did you say anything to Robert that would alert him to our plans?”
“No.” His answer was immediate. “But he may have mentioned you.”
Emilie pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay. How did you learn about the step down?”
“Rogers called me an hour ago with the update.”
“Good to know.” She thought a moment. “Have you talked to Robert?”
“Not since the last time he kicked me out of her room and threatened me. Do you want me to try?”
“No, but I need you to meet me at Alexandria District Court in thirty minutes.”
“It’ll be close, but I’ll do my best.”
“Thanks.” Emilie hung up, surprised he hadn’t asked any questions. Would he really try to come, or was he just telling her what he thought she wanted to hear? She had to keep plowing forward. She turned to Taylor. “I need a copy of the protective order statute. I think I know what Wright is up to.”
AUGUST
She was being difficult, and his patience was wearing thin.
Why hadn’t she acknowledged his care and attention? He’d taken the time to learn what she liked.
The flowers had been extravagant, but something he wanted to give her. They were impossible to ignore, just as his love for her should be impossible to miss.
She had to know who it was who watched her, had kept her safe when that man threatened her. Was she blind or did she willfully choose not to see?
Neither was acceptable.
It was time to force her to decide. Reid Billings couldn’t provide for or protect her the way he could. He was a nice enough guy, but he needed to be reminded of his place. He was a servant, nothing more. And once Emilie understood what he could provide that Billings couldn’t, her affections would settle on him where they belonged.
He picked up his phone. Time to call her again. Maybe this time he could talk to her. With one word, he knew she’d ease the tightness in his chest. She’d free his mind to explore and create, something that had been derailed. She was the key to his returning to the truest form of himself. She would see. He’d make sure of that.
CHAPTER 39
Reid shifted against the stone bench, wondering for the hundredth time why Emilie needed him in court on such short notice. He’d ordered his assistant to reschedule his afternoon meetings, but Simone had been livid to see him leave. You know you must be back by four at the latest. He’d assured her he would, because his presentation was almost ready, but he could use more prep time.
He’d rushed from his downtown DC office to the court in Old Town, only to find he’d beaten Emilie.
A few minutes later he heard Emilie. There was a distinctive sound to her pace, a percussion that telegraphed her determination. She sank onto the bench next to him.
“Hey.”
He glanced at her and stilled. The word had been casual, but the look in her eyes wasn’t. “Fill me in on why we’re here.”
“I got a surprise filing from Robert’s attorney.” She exhaled, blowing a stray strand of hair off her face.
He wanted to lean forward and see if she’d let him tuck it back in place, but instead ran a finger under his tie, loosening the suddenly tight noose.
“A protective order against me.”
“What? Shouldn’t they file against me?”
“Yes.” She turned to him. “That’s why I wanted you here. There must be another point to this motion, because as it is, it’s a waste of the court’s time and resources. Robert is no more terrified of me than he is of a bee sting.”
“Unless he’s allergic.” That earned him a small smile. “Maybe it’s a distraction. Keep you busy until it’s too late.”
“Possibly. I was in the middle of preparing our motions when I got the petition.” She rubbed the top of the ring she wore on her ring finger. “I don’t know if you’ll testify, but let’s ferret out their strategy.”
“All right. I trust you.”
Those simple words drew her startled gaze to his. It was then he noticed how pale she looked. As if she’d been dealt a blow and was waiting for the next to fall, not knowing when it would come or where it would land, just that it was imminent.
He met her gaze and held it. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
“Right now let’s get through this hearing and show the judge how ridiculous this petition is. If she gets annoyed, then we’ll be in a better position.” She sighed as she started toward the door. “It’s possible we’ll be back in front of Judge Robinson for our motion.”
As he followed her into the courtroom, her words rolled around his head. The more he learned about his brother-in-law, the more it seemed like a plot twist the man would generate. Robert liked the unexpected. To drive people to places they hadn’t considered. And this move came right at a point when they needed Emilie’s focus on getting Kinley to his apartment when the hospital released her.
“Here we go.” Emilie’s quiet sentence as she stood yanked him from his thoughts.
He glanced to the front of the courtroom, noticed the small woman moving behind the bench, her black gown billowing around her. Had the bailiff said, “All rise,” while he’d been lost in thought?
Reid hesitated as Emilie moved forward, opening the small gate. She didn’t glance back, so he waited where he was.
Emilie walked toward Judge Robinson, feeling her red sheath with floral jacket become her armor. Her clients had often commented that her statement necklaces and flair were a bright light in the tension of the courtroom. Right now she wished it worked that way for her. The tension in her shoulders made it feel like she’d crack with little provocation.
As Darlene Wright approached, Emilie had all the incitement she needed. The woman wore her dyed black hair in a bob that looked more like a helmet than a hairstyle. Her black suit, hose, and heels made her look like the Black Widow next to Emilie’s colorful uniform. Emilie could imagine how Judge Robinson saw them.
The judge had blazed a unique path in the late nineties and risen to the court at a relatively young age. She didn’t seem interested in moving to a higher court, instead enjoying the swordplay of words and strategy in the district court. She glanced over her rhinestone-rimmed reading glasses at them. “All right, counselors, I’ve got to say this is a unique hearing.” She focused on Wright. “Are you sure this is what you want to pursue, Darlene?”
“Absolutely. My client and I believe we have standing to pursue this protective order to forestall Ms. Wesley’s aggressive tactics.”
Emilie felt heat climb her neck and she bit back the urge to plow right in. One thing sh
e had learned in moot court was to hold her tongue until addressed. That advice had served her well in her legal career.
Judge Robinson jotted a note, then flipped a page on the petition. “Explain your legal position.”
Wright stood taller, looking even more like a tin soldier. “Ms. Wesley is aggressively pursuing my client during his personal tragedy to the point of harassment.”
“How is that grounds for a protective order?”
“Without this order, he fears he will be harassed and pursued until she ultimately wins. He knows that as the former attorney for his wife, she has an agenda.”
“I fail to see how that rises to the standard of the law.”
“We believe it does, Your Honor.”
“Where is the violence, force, or threat of bodily injury?”
“My client believes he shouldn’t have to wait until it rises to that level.”
“Great for him, but I am bound by the constraints of the laws as passed by the Commonwealth.” Judge Robinson looked around the courtroom, then used her reading glasses to point. “Is your client that gentleman?”
Emilie turned to follow the judge’s gesture and then bit back a smile at the realization that the woman pointed at Reid. “That’s my client, Your Honor.”
“And why is he here?”
“I asked him to come in case I needed to present testimony. He is aware of everything that has happened, since I am acting at his request.”
“Good.” The judge nodded with an efficiency of movement, replaced her glasses, and turned to Wright. “And your client?”
“Is unavailable, Your Honor.”
“I’m to believe he wants this protective order enough to waste this court’s time, but not enough to appear, while Ms. Wesley’s client appeared on extremely short notice.”
Emilie felt hope lift inside her. The judge was making her arguments without requiring her to speak. Keeping her mouth shut was the best course.
Darlene Wright opened her mouth, but the judge held up her hand. “I’ve heard enough to make my decision. If your client doesn’t care enough to testify, then I’m denying the protective order.”