After he returned, she was still sitting in the same place. “Are you bothered by my plan?”
“No. It sounds like you’re a lot more prepared for this than I am. I guess it just bothers me that I really don’t know you very well.”
“So, I wasn’t always a handyman. How I make a living doesn’t matter that much to you, does it?”
“But, you’re a lawyer, a suit and tie, legal briefs, martini lunch, lawyer.”
“I’d rather have one of your meatloaf sandwich and iced tea lunches,” he laughed. “Don’t believe everything you hear about lawyers.”
“Connor,” Jordan groaned, “you live in a van. No wonder you only charge fifty dollars a week. You’re probably loaded!”
“I’m a little loaded,” he admitted. “Is that a problem?”
“I don’t know if I’m comfortable with you anymore. Your whole family are attorneys. You were probably born in the Taj Mahal.”
“Actually, I was born at Tampa General, and my mother is a retired paralegal. We handle divorces, custodies, and prenups. It’s not like Perry Mason.”
“How much was your allowance when you were twelve?” Jordan asked.
“What?”
“Seriously, I want to know. Did you have to do chores? Did you get grounded?”
“Okay, my brother and I had to do lawn work and wash the cars for ten bucks when we were twelve.”
“Cars, not just a family station wagon. You probably had a riding lawn mower too.”
“I’m just a man, nothing special.” Connor stood and took her hand, pulling her from the sofa. “The only special thing about me is how I feel about you.” He kissed her neck and then her shoulder. “Let me show you how I feel.”
“I’m not sure how I feel right now.”
But Connor didn’t get any resistance as he led her to his room and undressed her. They made love until she was exhausted, and then he found his guitar and serenaded her to sleep. Life was perfect at that moment.
****
The next day Jordan decided run a few errands. The court hearing wasn’t scheduled until Thursday morning. She needed to occupy her mind with other things. She couldn’t stand the thought of being away from Lizzy the whole next week.
After a visit with the Douglases, she and Connor stopped at the store to pick up something for dinner.
“If you’ll be all right, I’m going to run to the post office to pick up my mail.” Connor wore a concerned expression.
“What can happen to me in the grocery store? There are people all around me.”
“Maybe I should stay with you.”
“Go away, Connor. It’s broad daylight and there must be two-dozen customers inside. I can handle this.”
She laughed when he looked back and almost ran into a light pole. After selecting a cart, she headed to the meat section. She intended to make something special that night.
“I thought your bodyguard would never leave,” Bobby Ray said as he rounded a corner in front of her.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” Jordan gripped the handle of the cart to keep him from seeing how badly her hands were shaking.
“Haven’t you heard?” he sneered. “I’ve paid my debt to society, thanks to you. I can go wherever I damn well please. You know prison isn’t a nice place, sugar-boo. I had a lot of time to think about you. I thought about how you repaid me for all I’d done for you.”
“What did you ever do for me? All I remember is a lot of shouting, blood, and bruises.”
“Well that just hurts my feelings.” He stepped closer to her side. “I found you working in that dusty old office. You hadn’t even had a date since you moved to Tampa. I was the only one who saw the potential in you. I gave you a roof over your head and food to eat. I came home to you most nights. But, you had a hard time learning to do what you were told. You had to be punished now and then. I even let you have that baby. You know I could have stopped that if I wanted to. I figured it would settle you down some. Now I finally get out of prison and I find you running around town with another guy. I bet you’re fucking him, too. You know you’re going to have to be punished for that.”
His face was turning red, the way it did when he was angry. “You aren’t my husband any more,” she whispered.
“Till death do us part, sugar-boo, and I don’t plan to die. Things will go my way, if you know what’s good for you.”
“Is that a threat?”
“I don’t need to threaten. If I can’t have you, I’ll at least have my kid. You could come with her and make sure she stays safe. My new girlfriend would get a kick out of you. We could be one big, happy family.”
“If you have a girlfriend, why can’t you just go on with your life and leave us alone?”
“You took away too much of my life. You owe me, sugar-boo. You owe me big.”
He walked out the door. She gripped the cart handle to keep from collapsing.
****
Connor sorted his small stack of mail as he walked out of the post office. He found a card from his mother. He opened it and read…All is well here at home. Your dad is helping Caleb out in the office. Retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you ever decide to come back home, I promise I’ll get him out of the way, maybe with a trip to Tahiti.
Caleb tells me you’ve taken on quite a big project down there. If you need any help, just call. We love and miss you every day. Mom.
Connor always felt homesick when he saw her dainty handwriting. He wished it were that easy to just go home and start over again. She didn’t understand how hard it was for him to see Caleb. He hadn’t spoken to his brother for more than five years. It had been that long since he’d seen his parents as well.
Connor looked across the street to the grocery store. An old, light blue Impala peeled out of the parking lot. It was Doris Pritchett’s car. The one Bobby Ray Butler was reported to be driving. It was moving fast. It had to be him. He’d been in the store with Jordan. Connor sprinted into the street without even looking. A red sports car barely missed him as he crossed.
Jordan was leaving the store without any bags when he reached the door. Connor was alarmed by how shaken she looked. He yelled at a bag boy behind her to bring a cup of cold water. The boy ran to do as he was told. At the car, Connor guided her into the passenger seat.
“Tell me everything he said, every word,” he demanded.
Jordan had a hard time remembering, but she told him enough to make him furious.
“I don’t want you to ever worry about this again. I’m not letting you out of my sight. If we don’t win in court, I’ll get rid of him somehow. I don’t care what I have to do.”
“Don’t say that, Connor. He’s not worth it, and neither am I. If he wins, I’ll give him what he wants. That’s the only way to save Lizzy and everyone else. You didn’t see him. He’s crazy. I could see it in his eyes.”
“It won’t come to that Jordan, I promise you. That man will never lay a finger on your or Lizzy as long as I’m alive.
Chapter Thirteen
The next few days raced by. Jordan went to the Douglas house after work every evening to see Lizzy. She pretended to be carpooling with Charlie in case Bobby Ray or the mystery man on the phone was watching. Once Jordan had informed him about the calls, Connor concluded they were connected. It was his guess the strange voice belonged to Butler’s attorney.
Holly put a hat over Lizzy’s hair and drove her to Mrs. Rogers every morning. Any stranger would think she was just a member of the Douglas family.
With the help of the Donahue twins and Arnold Coleman, the barn had been finished and painted traditional red. Connor and Mr. Coleman decided it would be best if Connor moved his things to Jordan’s room. Coleman would move into the guest room until everything was settled. Jordan agreed.
On Wednesday night the three of them had a quiet dinner together, and then Mr. Coleman excused himself to his room. The house wasn’t the same without Lizzy’s chatter. Jordan was miserable. Connor waited
while she showered and prepared for bed. When she came into the room, he asked her to sit with him.
“Do you know what you’re wearing tomorrow?”
“Just my blue suit and a white blouse.”
“That sounds good. I want you to wear this, too.” He pulled a small ring box from his pocket. Inside was an exquisite diamond engagement ring. “It may help your position to appear to have a partner. The court likes children to be placed with complete families.”
Jordan slid the ring on her finger to admire it. “Where did you get it? It looks real.”
“It is real. I don’t want anyone to have any doubt. As far as they’re concerned, we plan to marry at the end of the month. Can you go along with that?”
“Yes, I just hope I can hold myself together with everything else. I’m a nervous wreck.”
“I know. So am I.”
They lay in bed that night staring at the ceiling, waiting for morning. Their futures hinged on every aspect of this court hearing. Every expression, reaction, question, and answer would be analyzed.
The next morning, Jordan spent two hours locked in the upstairs bathroom. She was careful to copy everything Joyce had taught her about how to do her hair and make-up. The make-up took three tries, but the hair was pretty easy. She looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. Her blue silk suit had a straight skirt that came to the center of her knees. The jacket was waist length with no lapels. Her pumps matched her suit perfectly. The white crepe pullover blouse was a plain, simple style. Her only jewelry was Gram’s pearl earrings and Connor’s diamond ring.
Connor was waiting at her desk in the living room. He snapped his black leather briefcase shut before he turned to her. “You look perfect.”
“Not too shabby yourself.” She eyed him up and down as he stood. His hair was pulled back into a neat braid that could be tucked inside his collar. His face was shaved clean to reveal a strong jaw line and expose his scar. He wore a silver gray suit that looked foreign made and expensive. It fit him perfectly. Over his pearl gray shirt was a blue striped tie that made the blue in his eyes stand out. His black Italian shoes probably cost more than her computer. She felt confident just looking at him. “Surely you didn’t have that suit in your van.”
“Of course not,” Connor tugged his cuffs. “I had it sent from home.”
“You two look good enough to set on top a wedding cake,” Mr. Coleman remarked as he walked in from the kitchen.
“Thanks Mr. C.” Jordan gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck. You’ve got right on your side. The judge will see that,” he grumbled.
“Well, wish me luck anyway, just in case he doesn’t have good eyesight.”
“Okay, I wish you luck. Now, you’d better get going. You’ll want to get a good parking space.”
After a silent drive to the courthouse, they arrived twenty minutes early. They found the appropriate courtroom and sat on a bench outside the door.
“There are a few things I want to tell you.” Connor turned to face her. “This is the day the judge decides if the case is worth hearing. Don’t get your hopes up that he’ll turn it down. Cases involving children are taken very seriously. After today, the judge will hear their side first. That’s just the way it’s done. It may take a long time, but eventually you’ll have your say. Don’t interrupt or show too much emotion. They don’t like distractions. He’ll tell a lot of lies and act totally out of character. He’ll try to make the judge think he’s the injured party and may say some pretty bad things about you. His lawyer may ask you harassing questions to goad you into losing your cool. Just look at me if you need help. I’ll do what I can to get you through this. If it gets tough, just think about the vacation that I’ll take you and Lizzy on when it’s over. We’ll go any place you like, okay?”
Jordan took a moment to gather her thoughts before she spoke. “There’s something I want to tell you. I know we don’t have any guarantee of how this will turn out. Before it starts, I want to say what I’ve been thinking, just so you’ll know that my judgment hasn’t been influenced.” She took a deep breath. “I love you, Connor. Even if this all goes wrong, I’ll still love you. It doesn’t matter if you want to stay working as a handyman or become President of the United States. I’m still going to love you.”
Connor stared at her until Jordan began to think she’d made a mistake by confessing her feelings. Suddenly he took her shoulders and drew her close. “I’ve loved you since the first moment we met, Jordan. You and Lizzy are my heart, the most precious parts of my life.” They had time for one quick kiss before the sound of footsteps stopped before them.
Two men stood watching with wide grins. Both wore dark suits and short clipped haircuts. Connor stood to shake each of their hands, looking embarrassed.
“Jordan, I want you to meet my associates and good friends, John Truman and Ted Newsome.”
“I’m Ted.” The younger, dark haired man shook her hand. “I’ve been following Butler for the last two weeks. I’m sorry I didn’t know you were in that store with him or I would’ve been there in a flash. However, I have info on the girlfriend and the money.” He handed Connor a folder before turning back to Jordan. “You see, we do the leg work while Connor sits around looking pretty.”
“Those days are long gone,” Connor scoffed.
“Not from what I saw coming down the hall,” Ted replied. “You had this beautiful woman stuck to your face.”
“Yeah, I think he’s pretty wonderful,” Jordan blushed.
“You’ve obviously never sat across a poker table from him after an all night game, especially if he’s losing.” The gray haired man held out his hand. “I’m John. I’ve been dredging up Butler’s past. He has quite a history. I’m sorry you had to be part of it.”
“We’d better be going in there now.” Connor looked at his friends with a stern expression. “You two, make notes of anything you hear that I need to cover. Jordan, you do the same. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Jordan walked into the courtroom with Connor ahead of her, John to the right and Ted on the left. Several observers were present, no one familiar. Connor looked straight ahead until they reached the front of the room. She was seated at a short table beside Connor facing the judge’s bench.
“Who are all these people behind us?” Jordan asked.
“Some may be people working on his side, like John and Ted are for us. But, I doubt he has many resources. Then, you have law students who are gathering information for a paper of some kind. There are always courtroom groupies that don’t have a life of their own. And, there may be a few minor news reporters, but this isn’t a high profile case. Just don’t look back there. It may throw you off.”
Movement beyond him caught Jordan’s eye. It was Bobby Ray and his lawyer, taking their seats at the table across the room.
Bobby Ray was wearing an ill-fitting dark blue suit. His smile looked evil. How had she ever been attracted to him? There was no doubt that he was handsome. He could still fool a naïve, young girl like she’d been seven years ago. As she watched, she could still feel the long faded bruises and the knife he’d held to her throat. He winked at her. It made her skin crawl.
Bobby Ray’s lawyer looked more out of place than he did. He was a short, skinny man with thinning hair and large glasses. His suit fit like a little boy who had inherited his big brother’s clothes. His face reminded her of a weasel. Suddenly she realized that she had seen him before. He’d been at the diner, the grocery store, even the gas station. The only difference in him now was the way he was dressed. He’d been spying on her. Anger washed over her. Connor was right. He’d been the stranger on the phone. Remembering Connor’s warning Jordan turned to look straight ahead.
The bailiff called them all to stand as he introduced Judge Roy Bender.
The judge was a tall, elderly, black man with a daunting frown. The observers whispered and mumbled as he sat. The judge banged a gavel. “I
don’t have time for nonsense. If anyone causes a disturbance, they’ll be removed from my courtroom,” his low voice boomed. He glared back and forth between the two tables. “I’ve read the reports by both the attorneys in this case. I didn’t recognize either of your names, and so I looked into your backgrounds. It seems that you’ve both been out of circulation for a while.” He leaned forward toward Bobby Ray’s table.
“Mr. Bennett, I understand that you’ve been incarcerated for two years.”
“That’s correct, your Honor,” the weasel replied. “However, I assure you that my credentials are still in order.”
“Yes, I understand that. I have to tell you, though; I’m not impressed by your list of former clients. I wonder if Mr. Butler is aware of your track record in the courtroom. I wonder if he’s best served by your counsel.”
“I assure you, sir, that I have given this case my undivided attention. You may even call it a labor of love for a good friend. My only priority is to see that Mr. Butler is united with his daughter.”
“We aren’t ready to hear the case yet, Mr. Bennett. You and Mr. McCrae are my focus right now. Please sit down.” He then turned to Connor.
“Mr. McCrae, I understand that you haven’t been in a courtroom for six years. Although your background is definitely impressive, that concerns me.”
“Your Honor, I understand your concern.” Connor straightened confidently. “I was injured six years ago and hospitalized for a considerable length of time. Since then, I’ve been on hiatus, for therapeutic reasons.”
“I’m just not sure you’re ready to give Ms. Holbrook the best counsel after being away for such a long period of time.” The judge looked apologetic. “Another attorney has petitioned the court to assist on Ms. Holbrook’s behalf. I very strongly suggest that you accept his assistance.”
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