Love's Verdict

by Carsen Taite

  Landon’s tone was defensive, and Carly’s first instinct was to tell her to suck it up, but then she remembered Landon’s encounter with her father at the Cowboys game. Landon had probably spent her whole life defending her choices to her well-respected, dominating father. Carly decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. “I guess you’re used to people thinking you have it made because of your family name.”

  “I don’t know that I ever get used to it. It was better in Austin. Totally different scene there, and big business isn’t revered the same as it is here. I could actually go to a party and have no one there assume I was an heiress to an empire.”

  “Is that why you moved to Austin?”

  Landon reached for another square, a move Carly now recognized as a stall tactic. People had worse food habits, she supposed. She reached for one too, figuring she could wait Landon out because she really wanted to know the rest of the story.

  “I moved to Austin partly for anonymity, but mostly for a girl. She was going to UT Law School, so I chucked the offer from Harvard that my father had worked so hard to obtain and headed down south.”

  “Really?”

  “You sound surprised. Haven’t you ever done anything impulsive because you thought you were in love?”

  Carly was surprised, though she wasn’t sure why. And as for Landon’s question, she couldn’t recall an instance where she would have sacrificed a significant opportunity for a personal relationship, a fact about which she’d once been proud, but now felt some shame in admitting to Landon. She replayed Landon’s words because you thought you were in love and found a way to dodge the question. “So, this love wasn’t the real thing?”

  Landon placed her hand under her chin and appeared to consider her answer carefully. “I thought so at the time, but looking back, it was more about an escape route than a path toward something lasting. Apparently, she thought so too, since she wound up moving to Chicago after our first year. Turns out my father pressured the admissions committee at Northwestern to recruit her for their new human rights clinic, which he paid for with a generous endowment. His way of proving everything has a price.”

  “Did she know he was behind the move?”

  “Yep. She said she couldn’t pass up the opportunity, even if it was his way of trying to tear us apart. She even promised we could make it work, but once she left, I never heard from her again.”

  “That’s rough,” Carly said because it seemed like the kind of thing people said in these situations, but what she was really thinking was that Landon probably did better in school without the distraction of a girlfriend, especially one that didn’t have a sense of loyalty. Thankfully, Ian entered the room again before Landon could turn the conversation back around to her.

  He set down two loaded plates and described the food in glowing terms. “What’s the verdict on the first course? Too much on the bourbon or just right?”

  “Just right,” Carly said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had food this good.”

  “She doesn’t get out much,” Landon said with a grin.

  Carly started to protest that Landon couldn’t possibly know that, but as she watched Ian play slap Landon, she realized Landon’s playful banter was vastly different than being made fun of—a pleasant distinction. “Food like this definitely inspires me to get out more. Maybe if I can get Landon to do her fair share of the work, I could find the time.”

  Landon leaned back and narrowed her eyes. “Touché.”

  Ian raised his hands in the air. “Not to worry. I’m out of your hair. Beckett will be back in to check on you. By the way, is Beckett the most hipster name you’ve ever heard? I mean it can’t be his real name because how would his parents have known that one day he and his skinny jeans and love of all things artisanal would merit such a moniker? Like oracles of the hipster generation.” He shook his head and started to back away. “I’m gone. Enjoy!”

  When he cleared the door, Carly stabbed her fork into the pan-fried Gulf snapper and tasted it. “Every time I think I’ve tasted the most amazing food ever, he tops it. What is it with your brother?”

  “I know, right?” Landon cocked her head. “You sure you don’t want to date him?”

  “I don’t want to date anyone.” She saw the question in Landon’s eyes and plowed on. “Not right now anyway. Not with this case and the partnership at stake.” She stopped abruptly, feeling like she’d over-shared, but Landon’s own openness left her feeling she had to qualify her definite no dating remark.

  Landon merely nodded and pointed at the rémoulade. “Did you try this? It’s amazing.”

  Carly dipped her fork in the sauce and brought it to her lips. “Delicious,” she murmured. Everything about being with Landon heightened her senses, which made her feel excited and fearful at the same time. She turned to her usual solution when the personal became uncomfortable. “At some point don’t you think we should talk about the case?”

  “I suppose. I mean, I’ve resisted the urge to tell you again how crackpot I think your idea of having Trevor testify in front of the grand jury is, but if you really want to ruin this fabulous meal by having me say it again, I’m happy to oblige.”

  “How do you do that?”

  “What?”

  “Back at the office you were pissed off, but now you’re smiling and sharing a wonderful meal with me like we’re old friends, and when I bring up the case again, you actually sound like you’re teasing me.”

  “It’s not personal. The case, I mean. We can disagree about something at the office, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right?”

  Intellectually speaking, Landon was right, but Carly wasn’t accustomed to marking the difference between personal and professional in such bold terms. Still, she could sense that saying so would make Landon give her that funny look again, so she merely nodded and dove back into where she felt most comfortable. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Trevor. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about football, but I do know that a large measure of his success isn’t his pure skill. It’s his ability to influence the people around him to be better than they think they can be. He’s not just charming, he’s influential. Think about it. People in Dallas love football. Trevor’s a hero. When the NFL issued the statement about the suspension, people went crazy defending him. No one wants to believe he’s guilty of killing someone, let alone a woman he was in a relationship with, especially when a judge determined the suspension was unjustified. The grand jurors will be predisposed to believe in him. All he has to do is go in there and answer honestly that he doesn’t know a thing about what happened. He can admit to disagreements with her, like any couple has, but maintain that he’s not capable of the kind of violence it would take to do her physical harm.”

  “And what if he is?” Landon asked. “What if the Trevor you’ve seen isn’t the real deal, and he has some low simmering anger that Donna Wilhelm is able to coax out of him right there in front of all the grand jurors?”

  Carly started to respond, but Landon held up a hand to stop her. “And there’s more. All you need is one woman on the grand jury who has hashtag #MeToo on her social media profile, and Trevor is toast. The headline will be Trevor Kincade told his side of the story, and they indicted him anyway. Everyone will think he’s guilty, and most won’t bother parsing out how a grand jury proceeding is different from a jury trial. His entire career will be over.”

  “The same thing could happen at trial, but at least this way we’ll get two shots at winning.”

  “We could put together a grand jury packet without him having to testify, and include letters from people that know him, respect him, know the nature of his relationship with Meyers.”

  “Dull, lifeless. I would’ve expected you to be more of a gambler,” Carly said.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know.” Carly considered. That wasn’t entirely true. Landon’s entire personality evoked a sense of living on the edge, taking risks. Why was she playing things so
close to the vest in this case? “Maybe I’m off base here, but someone who shirks Harvard to chase after love seems like the kind of person who doesn’t play things safe.”

  “Ah, but that was personal and this is professional. Even someone like me can tell the difference between the two.”

  Carly wondered why it seemed so easy for everyone else but not for her.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day, Jane sat at the head of the conference room table and explained the pros and cons of testifying before the grand jury to Trevor. Shelby was seated on Trevor’s right and Carly on his left, and Landon sat across the table, feeling like her presence was superfluous.

  “I hate to come off like a dumb jock,” Trevor said, “But I could really use an explanation about what exactly a grand jury does.” He turned toward Carly. “How is it different from a trial? Do I get both?”

  Jane nodded at Carly, who appeared eager to jump into the conversation. “Before the police arrested you,” Carly said, “they presented evidence to a judge to convince him that there was probable cause to believe you committed the crime. In Texas, whenever someone is arrested on a felony, the prosecutor is required to present evidence to a grand jury—a panel of twelve people—to let the grand jurors determine if the arrest should stand and if there is indeed probable cause to keep the charges in place. The prosecutor can present the same evidence as what the police gave the judge to support the warrant, or they might have new evidence. Sometimes, we present evidence to the grand jury to get them to no bill, or decline to indict. If you were to testify, your testimony would be the bulk of our evidence. We would also prepare a packet for the grand jurors with letters in support of your innocence.”

  “Do you get to pick who is on the grand jury?” Trevor asked.

  “No,” Carly replied, her tone gentle and even. “Unlike a trial jury, the grand jurors are selected by the chief judge of the county courts. These jurors don’t just hear your case. They hear lots of cases over the course of several months, so they will be fairly savvy when it comes to reviewing the evidence, but they will also likely have a good rapport with the prosecutors because they’ve been spending lots of time with them.”

  “If the grand jury…” Shelby paused. “What’s it called when they decide to throw out the case?”

  “No bill,” Jane said. “And that doesn’t mean the case is thrown out. It just means they’ve decided there is not probable cause to support the charges at this time.”

  “Meaning they could charge me later?” Trevor asked.

  Landon heard the trepidation in his voice. She couldn’t blame him for being a bit on edge since Jane had decided to let him make the call about whether or not to testify. If the decision had been left up to her, she would’ve been a bit more heavy-handed when it came to managing the client, basically telling him this was the way it was going down.

  “The prosecutor could try to indict you again, but without some new evidence, she’d be facing an uphill battle.”

  Landon coughed into her hand to cover her grunt of disagreement, but Shelby perked up and focused on her. “What? You don’t agree? What do you think will happen?”

  Landon ignored Jane’s pointed stare and scrambled for an answer that would be authentic but would also keep her out of trouble with the boss. “It’s a gamble all around. The only thing that wouldn’t be a gamble would be if Trevor wanted to take a plea to a fixed prison term, and I think we can all agree that’s not up for debate?” She held Shelby’s gaze until Shelby nodded that she understood. “Okay, then we should explore all of Trevor’s options. This is just one of them.”

  “Right,” Shelby said. “That makes sense. What would you do if it were you?”

  Ah, the classic question every criminal defense lawyer had to tackle multiple times in their career. Landon looked around the table to see if anyone else wanted to weigh in, but it was clear Shelby had meant the question for her. Her stock answer, the one she gave at cocktail parties—it depends—would only beg the question, and Trevor deserved better than a theoretical discussion since his life was on the line. Maybe Carly was right. Maybe this was the time to take some risks. She folded her hands and focused first on Shelby, but then turned to Trevor and spoke directly to him.

  “If I were accused of something I didn’t do, something this unthinkable, I’d take every opportunity I could find to proclaim my innocence. I’d have a press conference telling everyone who wanted to know that I didn’t do it. I’d show up for the grand jury and demand to tell them in my own words that I am innocent. If they indicted me, I’d demand a speedy trial so I could put this travesty behind me, and when the judge at trial asked me to stand up and enter my plea, I’d be out of my chair in a flash to say that I’m innocent of the charge.”

  Trevor nodded, his eyes bright and flooded with confidence, and Shelby smiled broadly. Out of the corner of her eye, Landon caught sight of Jane, who stared at her like she’d grown another head, but Carly’s astonished expression was the one Landon lingered on, taking time to flash a grin her way before returning her attention to Trevor.

  “Now, that said—” she started to say, but Shelby cut her off.

  “Yes!”

  “Excuse me?”

  “That’s the spirit we’ve been waiting to hear,” Shelby gushed. “I’m so glad you’re on the team. Trevor, don’t you agree?”

  “Absolutely,” he replied. “Sounds like we’ve got a plan. I’m going to testify. What do we do next?”

  Shit. Apparently, she’d been a little too heavy-handed, but in the opposite direction. Landon bit her bottom lip, considering whether she should counterbalance her impassioned speech, but then decided screw it. She and Carly could prep Trevor well enough, and if he crumbled in front of the grand jury, they’d deal with the fallout.

  “We prepare,” Jane answered for Landon. “Carly and Landon will work out a schedule with you. The key is to be ready for any question they might throw at you, but still appear natural.”

  A few minutes later, they all filed out of the conference room. Before Landon could reach the door, she felt a light tug on her arm and looked back expecting to see Carly ready to give her an earful about the sudden change of heart. But Shelby was standing behind her, crooking her finger to motion Landon back into the room. Landon cast a look over at Carly who shook her head and kept going. When she and Shelby were the only ones left in the room, Landon asked, “What’s up?”

  “I like your style.”

  A simple phrase, and it could have been innocent, but Landon wasn’t getting innocent vibes. Sensing that asking Shelby what she meant would only invite extra, unwanted attention, Landon simply said, “Thanks.”

  “Who do I need to talk to to make sure you’re the lead on Trevor’s case?”

  Shelby moved closer as she spoke, and Landon tried really hard not to run for the door. Normally, she welcomed being the focus of a good-looking woman, but Shelby’s aggressive approach turned her off. It shouldn’t. She should welcome a chance to have the client, or at least the client’s representative ask Jane to have her take the lead. Carly wouldn’t be able to fight the client’s choice, and it would give Landon an advantage in their race for partnership.

  But it felt off, like Shelby was going to want something from her in exchange for the favor. Again, not normally something she’d mind from a gorgeous woman, but a voice in her head told her Carly would think less of her for it. To her surprise, she cared more about what Carly thought of her character than taking advantage of this opportunity. She backed toward the door. “No lead here. Trevor has a team of good attorneys, and we’ll all work hard to make sure justice is served.”

  Before Shelby could respond, Landon ducked out of the room and walked swiftly down the hall, not caring about rudely ditching a client. When she walked through the door of her office, Carly was leaning against her desk. Landon broke out into a smile. “Hey, you—”

  “When did you change your mind about the grand jury?”

 
; Carly’s question was more like an accusation than a casual request for information, and it took Landon off guard. “What’s up?”

  “What was with the rousing speech about proclaiming innocence? You sounded like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men. You know if we really are going to work as a team, it makes more sense that we get our act together ahead of time.”

  “Wait. You’re mad at me for agreeing with you?”

  “No, I’m annoyed that suddenly my idea became your idea served in a brighter package. It’s like you swooped in and took all the credit in hopes you’d win the client into thinking you’re taking the lead on his case.”

  Landon started to protest but couldn’t deny that was exactly what had happened. But hey, that was what was supposed to happen, right? They were in a contest. If she just so happened to come around to Carly’s way of thinking about the case, and it bought her brownie points with the client, then bonus for her. “Maybe I actually just realized that you were right all along.”

  “And this flirting thing you have going on with Shelby had nothing to do with your sudden change of heart?”

  “It didn’t.” Too late Landon realized she hadn’t denied the flirting. “It’s a good idea.”

  “I know it is. Maybe I just wished you’d given me some credit when you decided to jump on board.” Carly stalked toward the door. “I’m going back to my office to work on another good idea. I’ll let you know when it’s ready for you to reject and then embrace.”

  She was out the door before Landon could respond. Carly was right. The whole thing had been Carly’s idea, and Landon had as much as called her crazy for it. If she was going to change her mind and jump on board, it was only right to give Carly credit for coming up with it in the first place. The best thing she could hope for right now was that Trevor’s case got kicked by the grand jury to put an end to this stupid contest. It couldn’t happen fast enough.

  Chapter Twelve