Secrets So Deep eBook

by Secrets So Deep [Bella] (mobi)

  A warm hand rested on her shoulder and she dipped her cheek to touch it, instinctively knowing who was at the other end. Charlotte somehow sensed each time she let herself get mired in her troubles, and always came forth with a show of support.

  “I’m glad your friends are here.”

  “It was a good idea to invite them. I should have asked Saul and Melinda over too.”

  Charlotte gestured toward the flower arrangement. “They’re here in spirit. That was nice of them to send flowers.”

  Glynn chuckled. “I told Saul I would call him when they started to droop so he could come by and pick them up. Then I wouldn’t have to declare a gift.”

  “You guys are silly.”

  “You say that now. My luck, I survive this trial and get my son back, and then have to face an ethics probe into improper gifts from a lobbyist.”

  Charlotte took a chair next to her at the dining table. “Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

  “Anxious is probably a better word. Michael thinks it’ll be a week before Sebby comes to court to testify.”

  “Looks like I’ll be going on Thursday.” She blew out a breath. “I wish I didn’t have to.”

  “You shouldn’t feel guilty about this, Charlotte. It’s part of your job. Besides, you’re only there to report what Sebby said, not what you saw or felt.”

  “I know. What I really wish is that I could be in the courtroom with you. But since I’m a witness, it isn’t allowed.”

  “At least you won’t miss anything. You can watch every minute of it on TV.”

  “I plan to do that.”

  She looked back over at her guests. “I guess I should go be sociable. Every so often, it occurs to me I could go to prison soon.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “That isn’t going to happen.”

  “You’ll have to smuggle me pizza.” Glynn got up and joined the others near the television. “Anyone saying anything interesting?”

  Tina shrugged. “This one guy is arguing that a credible eyewitness trumps just about anything.”

  “He’s right,” Michael said. “And witnesses like Sebby can be tough to deal with, because they’re sympathetic and fragile. It’s hard to go after their testimony without coming off as a bully.”

  “But you will, won’t you?” Roy asked, looking anxiously at Michael. “Go after him, I mean. You can’t just let him tell that story and not challenge it.”

  “Oh, I plan to challenge it. But I need to do more than cast doubt in the jury’s eyes. I want to cast doubt in Sebby’s until he backs off what he’s saying.”

  “That’s the plan, Roy. And Michael has to do it without hurting him,” Glynn said. “If Sebby doesn’t budge, we’ll come back with the sleepwalking defense.”

  “That’s when your testimony will come into play,” Michael added. “You knew Bas better than anyone, and you spent a lot of time with Bas and Glynn together. That’s one of the reasons Ferrin was so eager to accept Glynn’s stipulation. He didn’t want to have you on his witness list painting a rosy picture of their marriage.”

  Tina muted the television and turned in her seat to join the conversation. “So how do you break down Sebby’s story?”

  Michael gestured toward Charlotte. “That’s where it helps to have a psychiatrist on your team. Charlotte says we keep asking for details until he can’t provide them anymore, or until he starts to contradict himself. That will show the jury that his memory is suspect. We also have to get him to go deeper on why he didn’t tell anyone before.”

  “I thought Charlotte said he suppressed it,” Roy said.

  Charlotte stepped up to answer. “I think he pushed away most of his memories about his father’s death. But the real question is why. Ferrin thinks it’s because Glynn manipulated him into lying to the police, and that’s his whole case. But we all know it isn’t what happened, so there must be something else. Maybe he—”

  Michael cut in. “The other psychiatrist we hired to evaluate it couldn’t break it down either, so I’ll have to keep pushing Sebby when he takes the stand.”

  “But your psychiatrist also said he thought there was more to it than what Sebby was telling. Won’t that be enough?” Tina asked.

  Glynn shook her head. “We don’t get to put our witnesses on until Ferrin finishes with his case. So that means Michael has to cross-examine Sebby before we present our side.”

  “Our hope is that we won’t even have to present a defense, that the prosecution’s case unravels first,” Michael explained. “That’s the best outcome for Glynn, especially if Sebby recants his testimony.”

  Glynn took in the faces of her friends. She knew Tina and Roy well enough to sense their worry. “No matter what happens, I want you guys to know how much I appreciate you standing by me. I’ll never be able to repay that, but I’m going to try.”

  Tina got up and gave her a hug. “I’m just so sorry all of this has happened. You don’t deserve any of it, Glynn.”

  “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

  Roy followed with another embrace. “I know you, Glynn. You’re more worried about Sebby than you are about yourself, but you have to fight this. And I want you to know”—the look he gave her was the most earnest she had ever seen—“I would do anything to help you both.”

  Something about his words jarred her, stirring sadness and guilt that she could never reciprocate his unconditional pledge. “Thank you, Roy. I’ve always known you’d be there for us.”

  “And on that note, I’m heading out,” Michael announced, picking up his coat. “Let me add my thanks to everyone for stepping up. You may not realize it, but keeping everything else on an even keel lets us concentrate on what we have to do. I’m very grateful for your help.”

  Tina and Roy took their cue as well, and Glynn saw each one off with another hug and her heartfelt thanks. When she finally closed the door, she turned to Charlotte and groaned. “I think they’re even more worried than I am.”

  “Given the circumstances, I’m not surprised. They aren’t facing a possible prison sentence, but someone they care about is. You should know from how worried you are about Sebby that it hurts more when things happen to people you love.”

  “I guess.”

  “And I know this isn’t their biggest worry, but Tina and Roy have to be concerned about their future too. If you step down, they’re out of a job.”

  “They’ll be all right, especially Roy. I get calls all the time asking for permission to talk to him about openings. But he won’t even listen to their offers, even when I encourage him to.”

  “That’s because he’s in love with you.”

  Glynn couldn’t help but smile with embarrassment. “I’ve always tried to play that down. He’s never actually forced the issue, thank goodness.”

  “Has that just been since Bas died?”

  “I never noticed it before then. But Roy’s always been there for Sebby and me, and he was really loyal to Bas.”

  “It must have been hard for him to see you with Stephanie.”

  Glynn thought back to when she first told Tina and Roy of their relationship. “I know he didn’t like the idea, but I always thought that had more to do with the political risks. Maybe it was more. I never talked to him about it much.”

  “I’m sure it got to him, but it says a lot that he stuck with you anyway.” Charlotte put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. “What do you say we turn off the TV and try to talk about something besides this trial?”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Anything. Let’s just relax so you can rest tonight. I heard you wandering around last night. You weren’t asleep, were you?”

  Glynn chuckled. “Wouldn’t that be something? No, I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and played solitaire on my laptop for a couple of hours. But then I stayed in bed this morning until nine, so it all evened out.”

  “I think I’m going to change into my pajamas, but I’ll be right back down.”

  “I’ll d
o that too. I just need to make a phone call.”

  As Charlotte disappeared up the stairs to her room, Glynn pulled out her cell phone. She smiled to herself as the number rang through.

  “Hi, stranger. It’s Glynn.”

  “I’ve been thinking about you.”

  She could hear a smile in Chip Cichetti’s voice. “I can tell. Do you have any more surprises up your sleeve?”

  “Whatever gave you that idea?” He laughed.

  “I actually wondered about it when the Baxter video popped up. But when Woodson’s story landed today, I realized it couldn’t be a coincidence, and there was only one guy out there sneaky enough to pull that off.”

  “I’m glad to hear you’ve become such a fan of technology.”

  “How do you like working for Thad Culbertson? Isn’t he a great guy?”

  “He is. I appreciate you pulling those strings.”

  “And I appreciate all you’ve done for me. But I’m worried this stuff might get traced back to you.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said coyly. “I just play with my cell phone once in a while and pick up things.”

  “Just don’t get caught.”

  “I won’t. Good luck to you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Chip. Thanks for everything.”

  Charlotte set her journal aside and watched as Glynn walked down the stairs. “It won’t be long before you can put your flannel pajamas away. We’re supposed to reach the high sixties tomorrow.”

  “I can wear flannel all year ’round, no matter how warm it gets. Bas used to say it was like sleeping with a lumberjack.”

  “Sounds like Bas was a good sport.”

  “He was. We could laugh about anything.” She assumed her usual position at the other end of the couch, but with her feet in Charlotte’s lap.

  Charlotte wrapped her hands around the bare toes and rubbed them gently to keep them warm. “It’s a rare man who endures his wife coming to bed in flannel pajamas.”

  “That was Sebby’s fault, believe it or not.”

  Charlotte enjoyed the faraway smile on Glynn’s face. “Something tells me I have to hear this story.”

  “It might be too much information.”

  “Now I know I have to hear it.”

  Glynn smiled, but didn’t make eye contact as she reminisced. “Sebby was about two-and-a-half-years-old, just old enough to wander around the house by himself, but not old enough to go back to sleep after a bad dream.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Yeah, so one night, Bas and I were making love rather . . . feverishly. We were”—she held up her thumb and forefinger— “this close, and probably making way too much noise. And then all of a sudden this little pint-sized guy in Batman pajamas just waltzes in and climbs into our bed.”

  Charlotte couldn’t help being titillated by the visual of Glynn engaged in feverish sex. “That must have been hilarious.”

  “Oh, yeah . . . hilarious. We, uh . . . stopped . . . obviously. I still remember Bas rolling away and shaking all over trying not to laugh out loud. And Sebby just snuggled right up to me and closed his little eyes. I was lying there naked, sweaty, panting . . . and oh-so-unsatisfied.”

  “And I bet you started locking the door after that.”

  “You can’t lock the doors with little kids. And you can’t let them think it’s wrong to come in your room . . . not until they’re like . . . twelve. Then it gets a little dicey.”

  “So you started wearing your flannel pajamas to bed.”

  “Damn right.”

  “Fortunately, two-year-old brains don’t retain much, and I’m pretty sure he had no idea what you were up to.”

  “Amazing how much more he remembers three years later, huh?”

  Charlotte could have expounded for hours on brain development in toddlers, but she knew Glynn’s was a rhetorical question. “It’s hard to let go of what’s going on, isn’t it? Even for a few minutes.”

  “Three months ago, Sebby and I were so happy. All he could talk about was basketball and how he was going to get a college scholarship. I had so much support back in Indiana that we hardly spent anything in the last election. And Saul and I were riding high on the preschool bill, thinking it might even launch a whole series of education reforms. I can’t believe how fast everything fell apart.”

  “What happened first?”

  “The mammogram.” She stared at her lap, lost in thought for the moment. “Ironic, isn’t it? The thing that triggered all of this is the only thing that came out all right.”

  “It had to.” Charlotte leaned over impulsively and grasped Glynn’s hand. “I know you probably don’t think about it much, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not grateful you followed through the way you did.”

  “What choice did I have?”

  “Some people might have decided to skip the radiation, or they would have screwed around with the schedule when it was inconvenient or uncomfortable. But you saw it through, and I’m proud of you for that. And very glad.”

  “I bet I would have blown it off that one day it was so cold if you hadn’t shown up at my house with your warm car.”

  “It was the least I could do.”

  Glynn scooted closer and pulled Charlotte’s hand to her chest. “I don’t even want to think about what would have happened these last few weeks if you hadn’t stepped up and offered to be my friend. I don’t think I’ve ever needed a friend as much in my whole life, and you knew that before I did.”

  “Being your friend is easy.” She looked down at their joined hands and moved her face toward Glynn’s. “The hard part is being only your friend.”

  In the next few seconds, they locked in a smoldering gaze that confirmed their desires, no matter who objected or why. Then Glynn closed the distance and touched her lips to Charlotte’s.

  Swept up in velvety warmth, Charlotte let go of her reservations, reveling in the growing intimacy of their kiss. She shifted, drawing Glynn into a lover’s embrace. Her mouth opened in a quest for more, and Glynn responded by grasping her head with both hands.

  The rest of their world fell away in this, a stolen moment Charlotte wouldn’t allow to end. With Glynn finally in her arms, she unlocked her heart and let her feelings pour forth. “I’m so in love with you,” she whispered into Glynn’s open mouth.

  Glynn answered with a moan and raked her nails through Charlotte’s hair. Not giving up the kiss, she lifted herself on one knee to press her body closer.

  Charlotte’s hands flowed like mercury over Glynn’s writhing form. With passion spinning rapidly out of control, she boldly slipped inside the elastic waistband.

  Every caress lowered the pajama bottoms another inch, until Glynn broke their kiss abruptly to push her pants to the floor. Naked from the waist down, she straddled Charlotte’s lap. “I need to feel your hands on me.”

  Charlotte pulled off her T-shirt and worked the buttons on Glynn’s flannel top, eager to feel the heated skin against her breasts. The shirt opened to reveal bare breasts, one of which was marred just above the nipple. “So pretty.” Her thumbs brushed both nipples at once as she buried her face into Glynn’s neck. She was hungry to have it all at once, but she slowed her desire to relish every new sensation, fighting not to maul the sensitive breast or bite the tender skin beneath her lips.

  Glynn moaned with pleasure and pulled her by the hair into another kiss, this one searing like a flame. Their fervor unleashed, neither seemed interested in slowing the course.

  Charlotte trailed her fingers from the taut nipples, gliding over curvy hips to cup Glynn’s round bottom. She kneaded with abandon, tugging her closer as their hips thrust seeking contact. With her eyes closed, she tried to visualize the path of her fingers as they began to tickle the damp folds. Finding the source of the wetness, she spread it generously over her fingers and answered Glynn’s silent demand by entering her as she rose and fell in a rhythmic dance.

  “Oh, Charlotte,” she murmured, sl
ipping almost off the fingertips before sliding back down. Each time, she fell with more force, as if to impale herself deeper. Still gripping Charlotte’s hair, she held her close, panting with every thrust.

  Charlotte had been using her free hand to help Glynn move up and down, but when she felt the slickness on her stomach from Glynn grinding against her, she reached around to find her clitoris.

  After only a few gentle strokes, Glynn began to quiver. Then she drew a deep breath and held it as her whole body went rigid.

  Sensing the imminent climax, Charlotte pressed her thumb lightly against the swollen shaft and made small circles, gradually decreasing the speed of her pumping fingers, but not the depth of her reach.

  Glynn suddenly exhaled with a moan and collapsed onto Charlotte’s fingers, her center throbbing a powerful release. She held Charlotte’s head in place against her neck, as if to hide her eyes from the lusty display.

  Charlotte savored the intimate tremors until a hot tear splashed onto her cheek. “Are you all right?”

  Several seconds ticked by before Glynn answered. “I don’t deserve this.”

  She eased her fingers out and wrapped both arms around Glynn’s shoulders. “You do. We both do.”

  “Why does it hurt so much to let go?”

  “It’s just stress, Glynn. All of your emotions are running out through an open door.”

  Glynn answered with a deep sniff and a shaky sigh.

  Leaning back, Charlotte took Glynn’s face in her hands. They had come too far to put the barriers back in place. “Did you hear what I said? I’m in love with you.”

  “I’ve done nothing but take from you.”

  “That isn’t true. I’ve been so much happier inside since we met.” How could she possibly explain the simple joy she drew from their quiet talks? Or how just knowing Glynn was planning to stay the night made her whole day brighter? “The pendulum always swings, and when it does, I know you’ll be there for me.”

  Glynn rested her chin against Charlotte’s forehead. “I want to be so close to you.”

  “You are. Let me be what you need right now.”