Fatal Accusation

by Rachel Dylan

  “What’s even better than the cushy office are all the resources we have at our disposal. I spoke with Chet again and briefed him on the current state of the case. He’s all in as far as getting me whatever we need to defend this thing. So we should spare no expense.”

  “Got it. I know we’re still in the process of trying to develop the defense—and get evidence to substantiate that Dan was framed, but can we also start thinking about themes?”

  “Yes, but I have to say, that will depend somewhat on what the investigation turns up. I have to keep reminding myself, though, that this is a criminal case not a civil one. As the defense, we don’t have to prove Dan’s innocence. The burden of proof is on the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt all the elements to the embezzlement claim.”

  “Right, because our system in America is innocent until proven guilty, but what about the tax fraud allegations?”

  “We have to start with embezzlement. If we win on that claim, then there’s no tax fraud because he wouldn’t have had the money and withheld it from his tax returns.”

  “True. We need to be able to present a plausible alternate explanation for all of this.”

  “I think we have to be more direct with the jury than that. We have to push for it being a frame job from the start. There is no innocent reason for that money being taken out of the church account and put into Dan’s accounts. We need to be able to show that he didn’t move the money. Someone else moved that money and subsequently spent the money.”

  “If this was a civil case, then you’d depose Beverly, but the criminal rules are different. I think the only way you’d be able to depose her is if you could demonstrate that the deposition would be needed to preserve testimony, but I don’t think you have that ground here. She’s going to be around for trial.”

  “Yeah, I agree with you. She’s my prime suspect. I plan to try to break her. If I can’t do that in a deposition, then it will just have to be when she takes the stand.”

  He smiled. This was the Olivia he knew.

  “Why’re you smiling?’

  “Because the old bulldog trial lawyer is back. I like seeing you in your zone.”

  “Much better than the woe is me look, huh? I guess we all have moments of weakness, but right now I’m one hundred percent focused on proving Dan’s innocence. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking after our talk the other day, and you were really right. About everything. The spiritual battle is taking place all around us, but my job, first and foremost, is to advocate for Dan in the criminal case against him.”

  “I think that’s the best course of action.”

  “But I still can’t turn a blind eye to everything that is going on at church. I want to try to get through to Chris. Dan was much more sympathetic to Chris’s position than I am.”

  “Once again, though, you win the case, you clear Dan’s name, then people will return to the church.”

  “And what if there has been too much damage in the meantime?”

  “I’m not saying to stick your head in the sand but to realize there are some things that are out of your control.”

  “But they are not out of God’s control.”

  “I honestly don’t know how you do it, Olivia. Always so steadfast, regardless of the circumstances.”

  “If I lose my faith, Grant, then I lose everything.”

  And in those words, he realized how much of a gulf there still was between the two of them. He didn’t know if he’d ever have that kind of unrelenting faith.

  “You look like you’re deep in thought.”

  “Just thinking that I’m a long way from you in the faith department.”

  “We’ve had this discussion before. You’ll come to grow into your faith, Grant. Just give it time and put in the effort.”

  “I’m trying. This whole thing feels like it has set me back a bit though.”

  “Setbacks are normal. That’s no need to question everything or beat yourself up over it. Talk to me, Grant. Tell me what’s really bothering you.”

  He ran his hand through his hair and wondered how he could try to explain himself to her. To a woman that never questioned her beliefs, but then he realized that she had understood him from the start and listened to him when he was a total skeptic. “My mind is all jumbled up. Right when I felt like I started to gain my footing, I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under me.”

  “Is it the fact that Dan was accused of this or that you have doubts about his innocence?”

  “I don’t even know. At first I was just caught completely off guard by the allegations. I’ve looked up to Dan since I got to know him. So it was a real kick to the gut to have this happen.”

  She stood up and walked around the desk. Then she took his hand and pulled him up out of his seat. “You’re stronger than your realize, Grant. Don’t let doubt and fears overtake you at this point. That’s how the devil works. His schemes are intricate and well-played, but you have truth and the power of God on your side. I know this has all been so much to take in, but the biggest travesty of all would be if you step away from God because of it. That would destroy Dan. And even more than that…”

  “What?” He waited a few seconds for her to respond.

  “It would destroy me.”

  It felt like something wrapped its hands around his heart and squeezed as he processed her words. She did care about him—he knew that, but did it go beyond her desire to bring him to God? “Olivia, don’t say things like that. I would never want to hurt you.” He grabbed onto her waist and pulled her closer to him.

  She looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes, and he could no longer think of anything else to do but the one thing he’d wanted to do since the moment he first met her.

  He leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against hers. This wasn’t a simple peck. No, if he was going to make this leap, he wanted her to know that he had real feelings for her that went beyond the strong friendship they’d forged.

  There was fear streaking through him—a fear of rejection, that she would push him back and say that she cared for him, but only as a friend. But it never happened.

  She kissed him back just as fervently, her lips warm and soft against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and then he understood just how far he had fallen. He was invested like he’d never been with another woman before.

  When he ended the kiss and pulled back from her, she was smiling.

  “I’m glad you’re smiling and not hauling off to punch me in the face for overstepping.”

  She laughed. “I just have one question.”

  “Okay.” He held his breath waiting for her to ask.

  “What took you so long?”

  Chapter Eight

  She looked into Grant’s blue eyes and smiled. Her heart fluttered and she waited for him to speak.

  “Believe me, Olivia. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time, but I’ve been worried about how you would react. Or whether it will ever be the right time for us given all the obstacles that keep popping up.”

  She took his hands in hers. “You’re right. It’s never going to seem like the right time, and we could always make excuses, but I think there’s something special between us. Something that I couldn’t deny even if I wanted to.”

  “But it sounds like you don’t want to deny it?”

  “No, but we still need to take it slow. I’m probably different from most of the women you’ve dated.”

  He smiled. “You are completely different, but in the best possible ways.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not so naïve as to realize that you probably have a different set of expectations for a relationship.”

  He shook his head. “Olivia, I know where you’re going with this, and you should know I’m committed to taking things at whatever speed you want. Even if that means there’s no speed at all.”

  Her heart opened up to this man. They’d already experienced things together that most people never would, but there was so much mo
re to go on their journey together. “Thank you for that,” she said with a brief hug. However, before he could reply, she pulled away slightly leaving her hands in his while looking up and saying, “But we also can’t let what is happening between us affect our work.”

  “I agree one hundred percent.” He squeezed her hands.

  Her office phone rang, and she reached over to pick it up. Her assistant told her that Abe had arrived. “Please bring him back to my office.” She placed the phone back down.

  She looked at Grant. “Abe is here.”

  “I can’t wait to hear all about his meeting with Nina Marie.”

  A couple of minutes later, Abe was escorted into her office by her assistant. He greeted them both with pleasantries and handshakes.

  “Good to see you again, Abe,” she said. “Please have a seat and make yourself at home.”

  “This is an impressive office,” he said.

  “Thanks. It’s all brand new. My firm is very excited about starting a branch in Chicago.” She sized up the man sitting in front of her. He was undoubtedly handsome—jet black hair, dark eyes, a hint of stubble. But she didn’t have an ounce of attraction to him. Her heart was held by the man beside him. She had to wonder, though, what Nina Marie would think of Abe Perez. Maybe she was about to find out.

  “So we’re anxious to hear how everything went with Nina Marie,” Grant said.

  “Well, I tracked her from her office to the mall where she went on quite the midday shopping spree. I ran into her and managed to talk her into having coffee with me.”

  Ah-ha. Her initial instinct was right. Nina Marie would’ve never had coffee with the guy unless she had some level of interest. “What did you learn?”

  “I tried to ask as many questions as possible without tipping her off. She clearly believes in her company and the work that they do. She has a big hang-up about Christianity. She didn’t go into details, but someone who was a Christian hurt her before. I think she is using her current work as a way to combat those old feelings.”

  “Did you bring up Dan?” she asked.

  “Yeah, and she was quite happy about his arrest. Like I said, I couldn’t pry too much, but I think I laid the groundwork to be able to find out more. I’m going to call and ask her to dinner.”

  “And if she says no?” she asked.

  Abe smiled. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “So you laid on the Perez charm?” Grant asked.

  Abe laughed. “I tried my best. Told her I was in the construction business. I didn’t want her to think I was a corporate guy. I’ve got a cover built up if she decides to try to track me down and do some research.”

  “Your cover is all part of your PI business?” she asked, intrigued by it all.

  “Yeah. I have a couple of different aliases and businesses set up in case I need them. I use the same first name but different last names. So she thinks I’m Abe Smith.”

  “She didn’t try to convince you to get exposed to her New Age beliefs, did she?” Grant asked.

  “No. She wasn’t pushing it at all, but I’m sure she’d tell me more if I seemed interested. I tried to set that up by telling her that I was skeptical of Christianity. I opened the door, and she walked right through it.”

  Olivia didn’t want to freak out Abe, but she also needed to go a little deeper into the situation than she’d done at their first meeting. It wasn’t fair to keep him in the dark if he was going down this road. “Abe, given that you’re going to be spending more time with Nina Marie, I think I need to tell you something else.”

  “What?” Abe asked.

  She looked over at Grant, but he didn’t say a word. “Nina Marie believes she has spirituals powers.”

  “Like a witch?”

  “Something like that, yeah.”

  “You don’t really believe in all of this New Age stuff, do you?”

  “These groups use New Age as a cover for even more sinister activities,” Grant said.

  “You don’t think it’s all a gimmick to try to get people to buy all of their products?” Abe asked.

  “Grant is right, Abe. It’s a lot more than some of the trendy New Age beliefs that are in pop culture. These groups go way beyond that. I’m a believer in the word of God. So I do believe there are forces of evil at work in this world. I also have seen Nina Marie in her element, and it’s not pretty. So I couldn’t let you go in without being prepared for that.”

  Abe turned his attention to Grant. “And what’s your take on all of this?”

  “I used to be a skeptic—a complete atheist. But I lived through some really scary experiences last year during the trial I told you about between the two companies, and I found God through that process.”

  “Wow,” Abe said. “The two of you are really deep into all of this.” He rubbed his chin and looked at her and then back at Grant.

  “We aren’t trying to push any of this on you,” Olivia said. “I just wanted you to know all that is at work here—especially from Nina Marie’s side, and not knowing what your beliefs are, I wanted to put it all out there.”

  “I grew up in the church. My family is from Venezuela, so religion was a big part of my upbringing. My grandmother spoke of spiritual warfare, but I never took any of that too literally. I thought it was all just cultural traditions passed down in my family.”

  Relief flooded through her. At least Abe would have some frame of reference for all of this.

  “Well, my friend,” Grant said. “You may just get to experience it firsthand now, depending on how this case goes. Are you okay with that?”

  “Like I told you both before, I will be fine, and I can definitely handle a delusional woman.”

  “We didn’t want you to be caught off guard,” Grant said.

  “And I do believe in God, don’t get me wrong. Although for the past few years, I haven’t been an active churchgoer for a variety of reasons.”

  That had her antenna going up. What was Abe’s role going to be in all of this? Maybe his involvement was going to serve a greater purpose.

  “But all of this New Age stuff is far out there for me,” Abe said.

  She could sense he was still skeptical about Nina Marie’s abilities, but now he would at least have be prepared in case something does happen. She did think it interesting that he was able to put on a front for Nina Marie. Usually she was quite good at ferreting out someone’s beliefs. “I get that you may not buy into all of this, but I urge you to keep your guard up. Stay in character with her. Because she’s very attuned to where people’s religious feelings lie, and that could put you in jeopardy.”

  “I’ve got this, you two. Don’t worry about me. Focus on developing your legal case. In addition to the angle with Nina Marie, I’ve started digging into the electronic paper trail on the financial side.”

  Her heartbeat sped up at the mention of that. “And?”

  “So far everything looks like a clean transfer from the church account to a savings account in Dan’s name. Then the trail gets dicey because the money is transferred to an offshore bank account. I’m having a hard time getting information on that account given all the privacy and international issues, but there’s no evidence that Dan is tied to it. It still looks bad though.”

  “Dan says he didn’t even monitor that savings account. He set it up years ago, but it wasn’t his primary account so he didn’t check it.”

  “It’s true the account in question isn’t his primary one, but as it stands now, the evidence shows the transfers being made from the church to him and then large sums being transferred offshore. I’m going to try to find out where the money went, because that is the key question. Although I have to tell you, the whole ‘I never monitored my account’ thing may not be too convincing to a jury. So just putting that thought out there for you to chew on.”

  “I’ll try to get more details from Dan on why that was exactly,” she said. There had to be a good reason, but Abe brought up a great point. They needed t
o be able to present a logical story to the jury. One that would make sense to the average person. She wrote herself a note to discuss these details with Dan at their next meeting.

  “I’m also looking into Beverly Jenkins as you requested. So far the initial background check came up entirely boring,” Abe said. “Not a single red flag of any type. But I’ll keep working.”

  “Thanks for all your work on this,” she said.

  “You’re more than welcome. Guess I’ll hit the road, unless you need anything else?”

  “I think I’m good. Grant, anything from you?”

  “Nope. Just keep us posted on how it goes with Nina Marie.”

  “Of course. I’ll try to get the dinner set up as soon as possible. I didn’t want to come on too strong, but I realize time is of the essence here.” He walked out of the office, leaving her alone with Grant.

  “What do you think?” she asked him.

  “I don’t think he really has any idea just what Nina Marie is capable of. But at this point we have the element of surprise. She’s interested in him romantically and doesn’t see him as a threat.”

  “Let’s hope he’s good enough to keep her thinking that way.”

  **

  As Tony’s GPS spouted out the notice that he had arrived at his destination, he looked over and blew out a breath. “Wow,” he said out loud as he looked at the house.

  As he turned into the long driveway, he couldn’t believe it. There was a valet service. He knew Layton had money, but he had no idea it was at this level. Making these types of connections could be vital to his career, so he was glad he hadn’t blown off this opportunity.

  He pulled up to where the valet stood and provided him with the key. His grey Durango was out of place amongst the luxury brands, but he had to remind himself that he was a prosecutor. No one expected him to be riding around in a Maserati.

  He walked up to the door and rang the bell. A moment later, he was greeted by a smiling Layton.