Backlash

by Rachel Dylan

  Viv took her hand. “Whatever I can do, just name it.”

  Izzy decided it was best to just spit it out. “The sergeant who assaulted me was murdered three days ago, and Arlington PD wants to talk to me.”

  Viv’s mouth dropped open, and she didn’t immediately respond.

  “Yeah, that’s how I felt too.” She wasn’t surprised by Viv’s reaction. Izzy had kept this secret so closed off that there was no way anyone would have had any suspicion.

  “Do they think you could have something to do with this?” Viv’s voice cracked.

  “I haven’t talked to them yet because I need to get a lawyer. You know Aiden’s dad, Jay, the one I worked with before? He’s the one who told me. He’s also the one who urged me to get help initially when I was struggling.” She took a breath. “But he’s not the reason I need a lawyer.”

  “Then why?”

  “I think I know why the police want to question me.”

  “All right. Before you say anything else, I need you to request me to represent you.”

  “What?” Izzy didn’t understand what was happening.

  “It won’t be a long-term representation, but given the legal implications of what I think you’re going to say, I want this conversation to be protected by attorney-client privilege.”

  Izzy wasn’t sure how this all worked, but she trusted Viv. “Okay. I’d like you to represent me.”

  “I accept. Please continue.”

  “About a month ago, I ran into the sergeant at a coffee shop in town. He invaded my personal space. Tried to touch me.” A chill went down her back as she recounted the story.

  “Oh no,” Viv said.

  “Yeah. It shook me. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. About two weeks ago, he showed up on my jog. There’s no way it was a coincidence. Then he started texting me.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Yeah. I sent some texts back that could be misconstrued, especially if taken out of context.”

  Viv sighed. “Did you threaten him directly?”

  There was no doubt. “Oh yeah. I was pretty clear on that point. I was livid and afraid, but I didn’t want him to see my fear. I wanted to face him down and wanted him to know that I wasn’t going to let him touch me ever again.”

  Silence hung in the room. Izzy knew her admissions could make her look like a suspect.

  “You need a top-notch defense attorney,” Viv said.

  “I can’t really pay top-notch rates.” She had a little savings put away, but given lawyer rates, she wasn’t sure that would do the trick.

  Viv’s eyes lit up. “I have someone in mind who might take on your case pro bono. Of course I’d defend you in a heartbeat with everything I had, but that would be doing a huge disservice to you, since I don’t practice criminal law. We have to do much better than what I could provide in terms of representation, but one thing I can do is find you an attorney.”

  Izzy felt her eyes fill yet again with tears. “I didn’t do it, Viv.”

  Viv squeezed her hand. “I know that, Izzy. I know you and your heart. No matter what was done to you, you believe in the justice system to right wrongs, not in vigilantism.”

  Izzy shook her head. “But that’s the thing you don’t understand.”

  “Tell me. Help me understand.”

  She needed Viv to see where she was coming from. “I have wanted to kill him. To make him pay for what he did to me. For the torment and pain he put me through every day of my life since the attack. I’ve felt unsafe around men ever since this happened to me. I’ve lived through so many sleepless nights, ongoing nightmares, fears, and insecurities. All because he attacked me. So when I sent those texts, there were moments when I felt like I could’ve acted on them. If he had tried to hurt me again.”

  Viv’s eyes met hers. “It’s completely natural for you to feel that way, and if he had tried to hurt you, then you would have been acting in self-defense. But you didn’t do it. Yes, you may have wanted to act on those feelings, but you exercised self-control. That’s the truth, and once everything is investigated, the police will see that.”

  Izzy wasn’t so sure it would be that easy. “Someone did kill him, though, and I have no idea who.”

  “How long was he on the force?”

  “A few decades.”

  Viv leaned in. “Hmm. Cops make a lot of enemies. I’m sure they’ll be focusing on a variety of options.”

  “They must have found those text messages, though.” A chill shot down Izzy’s back at the thought of reliving this entire nightmare.

  “I’m going to call my friend. Maybe we’ll get lucky with her availability. Give me a few minutes.”

  Viv left Izzy alone in the living room because she probably wanted the privacy to talk to the lawyer first before Izzy got involved. She closed her eyes. Lord, I’m not strong enough on my own to handle this. Please help me.

  It was a prayer she’d found herself praying ever since she reconnected with her faith months ago. She’d tried fighting her battles alone and had failed miserably. With God, she still felt weak, but there was a sense that she could face her struggles, knowing she wasn’t alone anymore.

  There were days when she was still angry at God for what had happened to her. For her father’s death. For so many things. But she’d also felt His mighty hand guiding her through the dark nights. His gentle voice coaxing her to open her heart to Him and to others. He’d brought amazing people into her life just when she needed them most. Seeing Him work in her life in real time had a tremendous impact on her.

  So yes, she still had her doubts, but God’s love was more powerful than anything. It had pulled her out of a dark abyss when she hadn’t even wanted to live anymore.

  Viv rushed back into the room, her face flushed. “I got her. She’s coming over.”

  Izzy blew out a breath in relief. “Thank you. Words aren’t even enough.”

  Viv insisted that Izzy eat something while they waited, because she hadn’t had anything but coffee and water all day. When the doorbell rang, Izzy prepared herself to meet the attorney.

  The door opened, revealing an auburn-haired woman with brown eyes.

  “Piper Alexander, meet Isabella Cole.”

  Izzy offered her hand to Piper. “Please call me Izzy.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Piper then gave Viv a big hug.

  “Okay, Izzy. Now that you have an experienced criminal defense lawyer, I’m going to turn over the representation to her and let you two talk alone in here.” Viv led them into the kitchen. “I’ll be upstairs in my bedroom if you need anything.”

  “Thank you again for everything.” Izzy squeezed Viv’s hand before Viv left her alone with Piper.

  As she sat across the table from this woman she’d just met, Izzy realized she was putting her trust in Viv. If Viv vouched for Piper, then that would have to be enough for her.

  Piper pulled a legal pad from her bag and set it on the table. “Izzy, you should know that I am a criminal defense attorney, but that I also have experience doing pro bono work representing victims of domestic violence.”

  “I’m not a lawyer, but isn’t it odd to work both sides?”

  “It is a bit unorthodox, yes, but I’m never adverse to any of my clients on the criminal side, and lawyers are encouraged to do pro bono work. Criminal defense is my specialty, but I wanted to bring up my other experience because, from the little Viv told me, I thought it would be helpful for you to know.”

  Izzy nodded, not sure what to say.

  “We’ll take this nice and easy. Instead of starting with the difficult experiences of your past, why don’t you tell me exactly what you know about the case.” Piper’s pen was at the ready.

  “Not much. The person who was killed is Sergeant Henry Tybee.” Saying his name made her want to vomit.

  “All right. How would you like us to refer to him?”

  “You can tell that I don’t like saying his name?” Was she that transparent?

  Piper
leaned in. “It’s actually very common in these circumstances. So whatever you tell me is what we’ll go with, but I should warn you, the police will most likely refer to him as a victim.”

  Izzy had thought about that, because she knew police procedures like the back of her hand. Having to deal with it in her own life was another experience entirely, though. “I’m pretty good at compartmentalizing. I’m just going to have to use those skills here. Between us, let’s just call him the sergeant. I can’t control what anyone else is going to call him.”

  Piper made a note. “What can you tell me about the sergeant’s death?”

  Izzy took a moment to explain who Jay and Aiden were and then described the phone call from Jay.

  A deep frown pulled down on Piper’s lips.

  “What is it?” Izzy sensed something was really wrong.

  “I’m just trying to figure out the lay of the land here. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I have to think about all the possibilities. Is it possible that either of them could be under the microscope too?”

  Izzy’s stomach clenched. “Why would you say that?” She didn’t see what the two of them could have to do with this.

  “Given what you’ve told me, it’s possible that Jay and Aiden are also going to be questioned. My top priority as your attorney is you, but my years of experience tell me that your top priority may not be you. It might be Aiden or Jay or both of them. So we need to get all that out on the table right now.”

  Izzy’s pulse quickened at the implications. “There’s zero chance that either of them murdered the sergeant. I can promise you that.”

  “They love you, right? You basically said that Jay is a father figure in your life. He’s the one who convinced you to seek help. You also said that you think Jay previously confronted the sergeant, then the next thing you know, the guy takes early retirement. You have to admit that looks suspicious at the very least.”

  Izzy lifted her hand. “You don’t know Jay. He’s a man of honor. A Green Beret. An Army CID agent.”

  Piper shook her head. “Actually, with each word out of your mouth, he sounds more and more interesting to the police. It’s possible that Arlington PD wants to question you because they think Jay’s the guilty party.”

  The thought of them going after Jay almost felt worse than having them come after her. He’d had such a positive impact in her life and had helped her so much. There was no way she would do anything to put him in jeopardy. And that was why she had to fess up to Piper. “I don’t want you to talk like that. I appreciate what you’re doing here, especially taking this on pro bono, but I am loyal to these guys, and I will have their backs no matter what.”

  Piper arched an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t testify against them?”

  “Absolutely not.” There was zero chance that would ever happen.

  “You believe they’re innocent?”

  “With every fiber of my being, and that’s why I also need to share some things with you that might explain why the police want to question me.” Izzy steadied herself and continued to recount to Piper what she had told Viv about the text messages and the encounters she’d had with the sergeant.

  Piper ran her hand through her hair. “I’m not going to lie to you. This does make things more complicated.”

  “How do I handle the questioning? Do I tell them about this up front, assuming that they already know or will soon find out?”

  Piper tapped her pen on the table. “We need to be careful with how we play this. I want you to be honest if asked. But I’m not sure I’m at the point where my legal advice is for you to just spill your guts.”

  She had to put her trust in Piper right now. Izzy wasn’t an attorney, but she realized that these facts didn’t look good for her.

  Piper took a sip of water. “Let’s get back to the details. You know he was killed, but nothing else?”

  “Nothing. Jay wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Okay, don’t go investigating. Let’s get through the interview in the morning. I have a feeling you’re not going to know the answers to most of their questions anyway, but it’s time for some ground rules.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Don’t answer any question immediately. Give me a second to make a determination about whether you should answer it. There’s a tendency to want to get your story out there. Don’t do it. Answer just the question asked. I think our discussion on the text messages shows you how important this can be.”

  “Should I be taking notes?”

  “I’d prefer you just listen. Any notes you take could potentially be discoverable in any litigation.”

  “Okay.” She hoped she could keep this all straight. She’d never been on this side of questioning before. “How much detail am I going to have to go into about the attack?” That was one of the biggest things bothering her.

  “The attack is your motive. I’d prefer to minimalize the discussion as much as possible, but I have to be forthright with you and say that’s probably not going to happen. They’re going to ask for details. The worse the attack was for you, the stronger the motive you would’ve had to kill him. They know that. It won’t be any type of secret strategy.”

  Izzy bit the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know how I’m going to handle that.”

  “Just do the best you can. And while we’re on the topic, you’ll need to walk me through it. That way I can know best when to cut off the questioning.”

  For the next half hour, Izzy powered through and told her story in painstaking detail—going to the sergeant’s office, what started out as a friendly career discussion, and then when he first touched her. She’d immediately backed off and tried to pass it off as a misunderstanding, but he would have none of that. The violence that ensued was as vivid today as it was when it happened. She didn’t sanitize anything. She told every detail exactly as she remembered it, including how violent he had become and how much he had hurt her. As she finished up, she realized fresh tears were flowing down her cheeks.

  But what surprised her was seeing the tears in Piper’s eyes. Then Piper took hold of her hands. “When Viv told me the basics of your story, I knew you had been through a lot, but hearing it in your own words is compelling. And the events that have transpired with him coming after you recently and harassing you adds to the situation.” Piper looked away.

  Something even more was bothering Piper. “What are you really thinking?”

  “You have the perfect motive for murder.”

  CHAPTER

  TEN

  On Wednesday afternoon, Layla waited for Scarlett’s arrival at her condo. They were going to have coffee before Layla met Viv and Izzy for dinner. They’d been texting each day, with Scarlett checking in to make sure Layla was safe.

  After getting her college degree, Scarlett had gone straight to the DEA and quickly risen through the ranks by proving herself in the field on dangerous ops time and again. She’d worked with the Agency multiple times, and Scarlett had confided in Layla that the Agency had recruited her hard. But Scarlett had other ideas. She loved the thrill of fieldwork, but she also had diplomatic ambitions. Being at State opened different doors.

  While Scarlett had never come out and said it, Layla thought that she might even have political ambitions down the road. And working in high-level diplomatic jobs at State was a great résumé builder. Layla had even considered whether State might be a good fit for herself initially, but the Agency needed her skills a lot more than State did, and Layla desperately wanted to serve her country in the best way possible.

  When the doorbell rang, Layla went to tell the Agency guard that it was okay to let Scarlett in.

  “Thanks for breaking away from work for coffee.”

  Scarlett greeted her with a warm hug. “Of course. I had a few errands I had to run, so it worked out perfectly to swing by here. How’re you holding up?”

  They walked into the kitchen. “Considering all that’s happened, I’m doing okay. Each new day, things seem to
get more complicated.” Layla picked up the coffeepot and poured them each a big cup. “And you see my security detail is in full force.”

  Scarlett sat down at the table. “Well, that’s actually a great idea. I’m sleeping better at night knowing you’re not here all alone. Those guys are highly trained and ready for anything.”

  Layla scoffed. “Including monitoring my every move.”

  Scarlett didn’t seem fazed by Layla’s sarcasm. “On that point, have you heard from the IG’s office yet?”

  Layla shook her head. “No. It seems they’re operating on their own timetable, and that only adds to my already high stress level.”

  Scarlett picked up her yellow coffee cup. “I know I sound very suspicious about this, but I can’t help it. What I haven’t told you yet is that I’ve lived through this process.”

  “Really?” That came as a surprise.

  “Yes. I was a young DEA field agent. An investigation was opened on my entire field team. They put us through the wringer, but I never, not once, showed weakness. In the end, they folded, we were all completely cleared, but that put a bad taste in my mouth forever when dealing with internal investigations. So if it seems like I’m coming in hot on this, I am.”

  It was just like Scarlett to lay it all out there. It was one of the things that made their friendship work so well. Layla didn’t like passive-aggressive types. “Thanks for sharing that. At least I’m in good company.”

  Scarlett smiled. “I did make some informal requests from my side to Langley.”

  “And?”

  “They’re being tight-lipped. Usually I can call in a favor and get what I need, but not on this one.” Scarlett sighed. “And that’s what really concerns me. Everything about this screams to me that they think they have something big on you, but they don’t have quite enough evidence yet to act on it.”

  Layla groaned. “But I’m telling you, there’s nothing.” She had spent countless hours thinking about this, and absolutely nothing came to mind. She was a rule follower through and through. She had memorized Agency protocol from day one and had never broken it.