by Brenda Novak
Ava drew circles in the condensation from her glass. “Why? Why would she go to so much trouble to set you up?”
“I don’t know. All I can tell you is that she was angry when I left.”
“Over what?”
“She wanted me to stay and I wouldn’t.”
“That’s it?”
“For the most part.” He shrugged. “Out of nowhere, she started professing her undying love. It made me really uncomfortable to hear her talk like that. I hadn’t made any promises, but she got so clingy. She was acting as if she expected us to spend the rest of our lives together. I tried to extricate myself, to explain that she might’ve misunderstood, but she refused to hear it. She begged me to stay, kept telling me she’d make me happy if I wouldn’t leave her.”
He tried to read Ava’s reaction, but her face was more shuttered than ever. “It was…awkward, upsetting, odd,” he said. “So I insisted on leaving before it could get any worse. But when I began to dress, she went berserk. She kept saying I’d tricked her into believing I actually cared but that I’d used her the way I use all women.”
“So she’s in love with you, and you don’t feel the same way.”
“This isn’t about love,” he said. “It’s about…infatuation, or obsession, or revenge, but it’s not about love.”
“So what did you tell her when you left?” Ava asked.
“I said I was sorry for the confusion and she could call me later if she wanted to talk about it. Otherwise, I’d see her at work. The next thing I knew, the cops were at my door.”
Ava tapped the side of her cup with one slim finger. “What about the pictures she showed me? The ones where she’s sporting a black eye and a fat lip?”
The police had shown Luke those photographs, too, hoping to elicit a telling reaction. “I can’t explain those. She wasn’t injured when I left.”
Ava remained silent.
“So what do you think?” he asked.
She smoothed those wayward strands of hair again. “I’m not sure.”
“Come on. You believe me now, don’t you? You don’t want me to be telling the truth, but you think I am.”
“I don’t know what to believe.”
“You know something isn’t right with Kalyna. I can tell. That’s got to be part of the reason you called me in the first place. I’m guessing you don’t meet with every man who’s been accused by one of your clients.”
“Not every man who’s been accused by one of my clients has your track record.” She stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Thank you for your time, Captain.”
“Wait!” He wanted to catch her by the wrist but didn’t dare touch her. Fortunately, she turned. “Will you be out there, trying to help Kalyna convict me?” He definitely didn’t want this woman working against him. She was tenacious, methodical, smart and seemed to be investing a lot more hours in this case than his own attorney was.
“No.”
“Because…”
She tossed her nearly full cup in the trash. “I’m going with my gut on this one.”
“And your gut tells you I’m innocent.”
She located her keys in her purse. “My gut could be wrong.”
“Does that mean you won’t help me?” he asked.
“You think I’m going to switch sides?” she said with a laugh.
“I’m the one you should be helping.”
“You don’t need me. Maybe the investigator—Major Ogitani, isn’t that her name?—is gung ho right now. From what I’ve seen, she’s hoping to make an example of you. But I doubt the charges will stick. Anyone who really looks will find exactly what I found—a woman who’s less than credible pointing a finger at a man she desperately wants but can’t have. I doubt they can build a strong enough case to go to trial.”
He was feeling a lot better. This was the first good news he’d received since before E. Golnick wrinkled her nose at him as if he was slimier than pond scum. “What makes you say Kalyna’s not credible?”
“Your defense team should be able to answer that for you.”
“They’re weeks behind you,” he complained.
“But they’re good.”
“McCreedy told me not to meet with you.” Luke flashed her an appreciative grin. “I’m glad I didn’t listen.”
“I suggest you take his advice in the future,” she said as she left.
14
How was she going to do this—for the second time?
Ava sat in her car even after she reached her houseboat. She had the windows down to take advantage of the perfect sixty-five-degree weather and was staring out at the moon. She’d expected to see the Myerses and the Greenleys, the two couples who owned the houseboats that so often docked where she did, back from their fishing trip, but her boat remained a solitary hulk upon the water.
“Where are they?” she muttered, but she knew she was only trying to distract herself from what she needed to do. She’d been going back and forth on the Kalyna Harter case the entire ride home. She wanted to be sure she was dropping Kalyna as a client because she thought Kalyna was lying and not because she was attracted to the accused. But she wouldn’t have had such a positive reaction to Luke if she truly believed him to be a rapist. Everything she’d felt when she was with him told her he wasn’t. So she had her answer, didn’t she?
Bracing herself for Kalyna’s disappointment, she finally picked up her cell phone and dialed. Kalyna wasn’t Bella; this was different. It had to be different.
“Hello?”
“Kalyna?”
“Yes?”
“It’s Ava Bixby.” Calling to sever ties…again.
“Oh, hi.” She sounded surprised and a little wary. “Is…is something wrong?”
“No, not wrong exactly.”
“Then why are you calling?”
Ava’s car door creaked as she opened it. She shoved it wider with her foot, but made no move to get out. “I’m afraid I have some news you probably won’t want to hear.”
There was a brief silence. Then Kalyna said, “What is it?”
“I’ve decided I can’t take your case, after all.”
“What? But…why?” she cried. “Just last night you said you would. You said it wouldn’t be easy but you’d be there for me. How can you break your word?”
“It wasn’t a promise, Kalyna. I was hesitant even then, and you know it.”
“But what changed your mind?” Her tone became accusing. “Did my sister call you back?”
This question made Ava feel even more convinced that she was making the right choice. “No, she didn’t. What would she have said if she did?”
Another pause. “Nothing.”
“Then why’d you ask?”
“She’s afraid she might’ve gotten Mom in trouble because of what she admitted to you last night and she feels guilty about it. She doesn’t want to be drawn into a family feud. She still lives at home, has to put up with the backlash. And she doesn’t like talking about the past to begin with. Neither of us do.”
Except when there was some advantage to doing it, Ava thought. Then Kalyna seemed plenty ready to talk—in great detail. “Kalyna, I have no doubt you had a difficult childhood. I feel terrible about that. But if you’re lying about Luke Trussell, you’d better stop, because you could be prosecuted yourself.”
“I’m not lying!” she snapped. “How can you accuse me of that on top of what I’ve been through? You have no idea what it was like when he attacked me. I thought he’d kill me! I have nightmares about it every night.”
Ava couldn’t help herself; she had to ask. “You honestly feared for your life, Kalyna?”
“Yes! He was so…angry and violent. And the brutal way he held me down and forced my legs apart…”
Ava squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to think of Luke with Kalyna, was glad she wouldn’t have to now that she was taking herself off the case. “You already told me what happened. There’s no need to go into it again.”
/> “But you don’t believe me!”
Ava wanted to accuse her of lying, to demand the truth, but she knew that would only make this call more difficult. The case would get sorted out without her. “I just don’t see how I can be of any value to you.”
“What does that mean? You’re looking for an excuse—any excuse—not to do your job.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then what went wrong? Are you giving up because you don’t like me? Is that it? Is it personal?”
“It isn’t personal at all, Kalyna.” Ava began gathering up her briefcase, purse and the bag of groceries she’d bought on the way home. “It’s a business decision. I have to be careful with the charity’s assets.”
“I’m not good enough for the charity’s assets?” she shouted. “I haven’t suffered enough? You’re useless, you know that? You couldn’t help anyone if you tried!”
Ava was tempted to come right back at her, but if she wasn’t going to be involved, what was the point? It was better to avoid an argument. “I’m afraid we take on only a select number of cases, and there isn’t sufficient evidence here to determine guilt, that’s all.” Proud of her restraint and professionalism, she drew a deep breath. She wasn’t going to let Kalyna get under her skin.
“You don’t know that,” Kalyna said. “We were just getting started. Come on, stick with me!”
“No, definitely not.” Ava’s arms were too full, so she set the groceries back in the seat. “I’ve made up my mind, Kalyna. I’m sorry.”
“What good is a victims’ charity if it won’t help when you really need it?”
“We assist those we can.”
“So what do you expect me to do?” Her voice rose to a whine. “Let him off?”
“That’s not your decision anymore. It’s up to the prosecutor. But there isn’t enough evidence to convict him, so I’m guessing they’ll drop the charges at some point.”
“You’re wrong! He deserves to be punished. And Major Ogitani will see to it.”
Ava considered explaining that unless something else came to light, Major Ogitani wouldn’t have a choice. But she bit her tongue. Sooner or later, Kalyna would find out for herself. “Good luck.”
“That’s it?” Kalyna said. “I come to you, beaten and bruised and crying for help, and you turn me away? What kind of person are you?”
Despite the little voice in her head that warned her to keep her mouth shut, Ava couldn’t resist. “What kind of person are you?” she replied.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Did you call Luke Trussell last night, Kalyna? Did you tell him you wanted to feel him inside you?”
“No!”
“What if I told you part of that call was recorded?” She held her breath, wondering if Kalyna would fall for it.
Dead silence suggested Kalyna assumed she’d been caught.
“And how did you really get those injuries?” Ava asked.
“You’re an evil bitch,” Kalyna screamed. “I hope you burn in hell!”
A click signaled that she’d hung up.
Trembling, Ava turned off her phone. The venom in Kalyna’s parting words had surprised her. She hadn’t expected the call to go smoothly, but such palpable hate was beyond anything she’d ever experienced.
Was this irrational anger what Luke had encountered with Kalyna?
Ava was willing to bet it was.
Luke was in touch with Ava Bixby. He’d called her, or she’d called him. Maybe they’d even met.
Somehow that bothered Kalyna more than the fact that Ava had decided to take herself off the case.
What had happened between Luke and Ava that had made Ava’s decision so absolute? Would it poison Major Ogitani’s good opinion of Kalyna, too? Would the prosecutor drop the case as Ava had hinted?
If so, Luke would get away from her.
Kalyna’s heart thumped at the thought. It felt as if he was slipping away already….
“Hey, there you are!” Tati approached from the other side of the bar, where she’d been playing darts. “Where’d you go?”
“I had to step out,” Kalyna said. “I had a call.” She hadn’t wanted Ava Bixby to know she was partying.
“Oh.” Tati didn’t ask who it was or if everything was okay. She probably didn’t want to know. Since last night, she’d been careful to avoid any topic that might cause friction. Which was just as well. Kalyna was tired of her disapproval.
“Are you ready to play darts?” Tati jerked her head toward the two burly guys, obviously brothers, who were waiting for them in the corner. Their barrel chests were stuffed into Van Halen T-shirts with the sleeves ripped out. Dirty jeans, black boots and wallets attached by chains added to the biker-wannabe effect. They didn’t interest Kalyna, not after someone like Luke. But on the positive side, they were younger than most of the men in the bar. “They keep asking when you’re going to join us,” her sister whispered.
Because they could see she was more attractive, Kalyna thought. Too bad they weren’t good enough for her. “Not right now,” she said. “You go ahead without me.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Knowing Tati was out of her element, Kalyna smiled. “Go. Flirt. Have fun.”
Tati hesitated, but eventually went back and started another game. Soon, she was laughing as if this was the best time she’d ever had. Kalyna was just thinking how pathetic that was when a middle-aged man carrying fifty extra pounds around the middle approached.
“What do you say, beautiful? Will you let me buy you a drink?”
The gray in his whiskers and the lines in his face made her want to tell him to get lost. How dare he think he could hook up with her? He was twice her age. But she was tempted by the free drink. And if he could still get it up, she might be able to use him for something more. The pregnancy test she’d begged Tati to buy for her and taken before coming to the bar had been negative—a bitter disappointment. But if she got pregnant right away, she could still pass the baby off as Luke’s, couldn’t she? She’d have nine months or so before he could prove otherwise. And wouldn’t she look pitiable in court with an extended belly?
Picturing herself pregnant, she smiled as she studied the rest of the men in the bar. Surely someone here had to be virile enough to make a baby with her. And wouldn’t it be funny to have sex with each and every one of them while her sister played darts, completely unaware of it all? If Tati thought these men were taken with her, she knew nothing about the real world. In a mere five minutes, Kalyna could make sure they never looked at Tati again.
“Tell the woman I came in with that I had to take another call,” she said. “Then meet me in the alley. You can buy me a drink later.”
He seemed confused. “You want me to meet you outside?”
“Only if you’re hoping to get lucky.”
His lips parted in surprise, then that gleam of excitement entered his eyes—the gleam that made her feel like the most desired woman on the planet—and her breasts began to tingle with anticipation. It didn’t matter that he was one of the ugliest men she’d ever met. He wanted her with the singular focus she craved. “How much is it going to cost me?” he asked.
Obviously, he was aware of his shortcomings. And she did need gas money to get back to California. “If you’ll send a few customers my way once we’re finished—and if you can do it without my sister catching on—I’ll give you a discount.”
“How much of a discount?”
“I’ll do it for forty dollars.”
“I don’t have that much,” he said. “But I know most of the regulars in here. And I can be subtle. Will you take twenty?”
Twenty bucks was cheap, even for a bargain basement streetwalker. But Kalyna wasn’t doing it exclusively for the money.
She glanced over at Tati, caught her sister’s eye and waved. “Fine, twenty bucks,” she said. “But that doesn’t get you anything kinky. And you can’t wear a condom.”
Distrust dampened th
e man’s eagerness. “You’re not one of them weirdos who try to spread diseases, are ya?”
“Nope, I’m clean.”
“So what’s up?” he asked.
“I’m on the pill. I don’t need to worry about birth control. And I think a rubber ruins all the fun, don’t you?”
He moved close, so Tati wouldn’t be able to see what he was doing, and cupped her left breast. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”
Watching her sister over his shoulder, Kalyna unsnapped her bra and moved his hand inside the collar of her shirt. “Does it matter?” she asked as his fingers curled around her breast.
He didn’t answer.
“Just imagine what I could do to you,” she whispered, and walked out, knowing he’d be in the alley.
On the way home, Luke called his parents and got his mother on the line. “I just wanted to tell you not to worry. Things are looking up for me—I think.”
“Why, what’s happened?” she asked, her voice filled with relief.
“I met with a woman named Ava Bixby tonight.” He adjusted his Bluetooth. “She was actually Kalyna Harter’s victim advocate, but she said she’s going to drop the case. I’m pretty sure she knows Kalyna is lying.”
“Does that mean they’ll be dropping the charges, as well?”
He wished. “Not necessarily. But there’ll be one less person working to put me in prison. And I get the impression she would’ve been formidable.”
“Well, I wish it was more, but I’m happy to hear it, Luke. Your father and I have been so worried.”
“That’s why I wanted to tell you.”
“I can’t believe the nerve of this Kalyna woman,” she fumed. “Your father’s been talking about hiring a private investigator to take a look at her background. Do you think we should? People like this don’t suddenly start lying. They typically have a history of it. If we could prove she’s unreliable, it might help.”
Luke checked his speed and slowed his BMW so he wouldn’t get a ticket. “My attorney will be working with some investigators,” he said.