Bad idea, a little voice whispered in the back of his brain. She already hated his guts, and this portended a very bad ending. He knew how much she loved her sister; he assumed that for the last couple of years she’d been more mother than sibling to the young girl. He’d be a fool to involve himself in the whole mess.
“Has Hope been questioned by anyone?” he heard himself ask. He knew he was going to get involved whether he wanted to or not, because it was Grace, because she needed him.
“I don’t think so. When I left the hospital a little while ago, she was still unconscious. Dr. Dell promised me he wouldn’t let anyone in to see her until I returned.”
“Good.” There was nothing worse than a suspect running off at the mouth with a seemingly friendly officer. Often the damage was so great there was nothing a defense attorney could do to mitigate it.
“Does that mean you’ll take Hope’s case?” she asked.
“Whoa,” he said, and held up both his hands. “Before I agree to anything, I need to make a couple of phone calls, find out exactly what’s going on and where the official investigation is headed. It’s possible you don’t need me, that Hope isn’t in any real danger of being arrested.”
“Then what happens now?”
“Why don’t I plan on meeting you at the hospital in about an hour and a half? By then I’ll know more of what’s going on, and I’d like to be present while anybody questions Hope. If anyone asks before I get there, you tell them you’re waiting for legal counsel.”
She nodded and rose. She’d been lovely a year and a half ago when he’d last seen her, but she was even lovelier now.
She was five years younger than his thirty-five but had always carried herself with the confidence of an older woman. That was part of what had initially drawn him to her, that cool shell of assurance encased in a slamming hot body with the face of an angel.
“How’s business at the dress shop?” he asked, trying to distract her from her troubles as he walked her back to her car. She owned a shop called Sophisticated Lady that sold designer items at discount prices. She often traveled the two-hour drive into Oklahoma City on buying trips. That was where she and Charlie had started their relationship.
They’d met in the coffee shop in the hotel where she’d been staying. Charlie had popped in to drop off some paperwork to a client and had decided to grab a cup of coffee before heading back to his office. She’d been sitting alone next to a window. The sun had sparked on her hair. Charlie had taken one look and was smitten.
“Business is fine,” she said, but it was obvious his distraction wasn’t successful.
“I’m sorry about William, but Zack West is a good man, a good sheriff. He’ll get to the bottom of things.”
Once again she nodded and opened her car door. “Then I’ll see you in the hospital in an hour and a half,” she said.
“Grace?” He stopped her before she got into the seat. “Given our history, why would you come to me with this?” he asked.
Her gaze met his with a touch of frost. “Because I think Hope is in trouble and she needs a sneaky devil to make sure she isn’t charged with a murder I know she didn’t commit. And you, Charlie Black, are as close to the devil as I could get.”
She didn’t wait for his reply. She got into her car, started the engine with a roar and left him standing to eat her dust as she peeled out and back down the driveway.
© Carla Bracale 2009
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
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First published in Great Britain 2009
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© Doranna Durgin 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4089-1690-2
Sentinels: Jaguar Night Page 23