by Linda Warren
She’d call Lucas and tell him. She sat with the phone in her lap. By morning she was still sitting there, no closer to picking up the receiver than she’d been hours ago.
Lucas, what should I do?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
WHEN LUCAS SAW Blair in court the next morning, she seemed worried and looked as if she hadn’t had any sleep. The trial and the harassment were taking their toll on her; he had to get the trial over with as quickly as possible—for her, for the Logan family and for himself.
As people were settling in the courtroom, Lucas caught Blair’s arms and pulled her to one side. “You okay?”
“Sure.” She tried to smile and failed.
“Has Roger found anything on the harassment?”
She shook her head. “No.” She didn’t want to think or talk about the harassment. Looking into his eyes, she added, “You’re doing a wonderful job.”
“Thanks, ma’am.” He smiled, and her heart fluttered wildly. “If we weren’t in a courtroom, I’d kiss you.”
Unable to help herself, she smiled in response—a genuine smile. “If we weren’t in a courtroom, I’d let you.”
They stared at each other for endless seconds, then Lucas said, “Hold that thought for the next few days.”
As Lucas walked to his desk, she felt like the biggest fraud who’d ever lived. She should have told him. She knew that, but the words wouldn’t come.
CARL CALLED ETHAN RAMSEY to the stand. He was a tall Texan who wore boots and a Stetson hat. He walked with a slight limp, but with his proud stature it was hardly noticeable.
Carl went over everything with him—from the time the Davis family had hired him, to getting Blake to submit a blood sample for DNA testing.
Ethan reminded Lucas of Jacob. He was down-to-earth, straightforward and honest to a fault. There was only one way to handle Ethan Ramsey.
“You found four other boys who’d been outside the party with Todd Easton and Bonnie Davis?” Lucas asked, reviewing testimony he’d already given.
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you ask for their DNA?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What happened?”
“They refused.”
“So you flew to London to talk to the fifth boy?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell the court what happened next,” Lucas invited.
“I went to the magazine where Blake Logan worked and I waited for him. When he came out, I asked if I could talk to him. He asked what about and I told him we needed to talk in private. We went to a small courtyard. I told him I was hired by the Davis family to find the other boy involved in their daughter’s murder.”
“How did my client respond?”
“He just stared off into space with a kind of shattered look.”
“What happened then?” Lucas asked.
“I told him he was identified as one of the boys who’d been with Easton and Davis at the party.”
“How did my client respond to that?”
“He didn’t. He just kept sitting there.”
“What happened next?”
“I asked if he’d be willing to give his DNA. He thought about it for a minute, then said yes.”
“He said yes?” Lucas repeated.
“Yes, sir. He did.”
“He didn’t try to run away. He didn’t curse or threaten you. He just said yes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lucas paused for a second, trying to word the next question just right. “Were you surprised by his answer?”
“Yes, sir, I was.”
“Why?”
“Because a guilty person doesn’t do that.”
A smile endangered Lucas’s demeanor, but he quickly curbed it. “Thank you, Mr. Ramsey. Thank you very much.”
It was more than Lucas had hoped for, but it was definitely what he needed.
“Your Honor, may I redirect?” Carl asked.
“By all means, Mr. Wright.”
“But Mr. Logan is guilty,” Carl threw at Ethan.
“Mr. Logan’s DNA matched,” Ethan countered.
“Your Honor, please instruct the witness to answer the question.”
Before the judge could do so, Ethan spoke up, “I don’t know if he’s guilty. All I know is that his DNA matched.”
Carl studied him for a moment, then took another approach. “You’ve been a lawman for a number of years. You’ve been with the FBI and now you’re a private investigator. We’ve already established that.”
“Yes, sir.”
“So you know a great deal about criminals?”
“Yes, sir.”
“In your experience, when a defendant’s DNA is found on the victim in a murder case, what does that tell you?”
Ethan considered the question for a minute. “Most of the time it tells me he’s guilty.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ramsey.”
Lucas stood up. “Your Honor…”
“Go ahead, Mr. Culver,” the judge said in a tired voice.
“Mr. Ramsey, you said most of the time. Does that mean sometimes the defendant is not guilty?”
“Yes, sir—sometimes.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Ramsey.”
Carl got to his feet again. “Your Honor…”
“Enough, Mr. Wright,” the judge declared. “This is your witness and he has made perfectly clear how he feels. So let’s move on.”
Thank you, Ethan Ramsey, Lucas thought. Since he was a well-known lawman, the jurors were listening to him and his unwillingness to condemn Blake. They were mulling it over in their minds, thinking, Maybe the tall Texan’s right. Maybe… That was what Lucas wanted them to think.
Lloyd Easton was next on the prosecution’s witness list, as was a friend of Todd’s. Lucas and Derek spent most of the evening planning questions, studying details.
BLAIR WAS STILL BATTLING with her conscience. She knew she had to tell Lucas, but things were going so well in court that… She couldn’t justify such thoughts. She had to talk to Lucas. She slept with the phone again, trying to gain the courage to do what had to be done.
By dawn, the courage still eluded her.
LLOYD EASTON ENTERED the courtroom, much calmer than the time he’d appeared in Lucas’s office. He was dressed in a suit and tie, and his irrational behavior was nowhere in sight. But Lucas knew that could change with the right questions.
Lloyd told a story that portrayed his son as a saint who’d been manipulated by Sam Logan to save his own son. He went on to say that Todd had large sums of money and he didn’t know where it was coming from, so he followed him one day and Todd went to the Logan house.
Derek took the first round of questions on cross, and it didn’t take long to get Lloyd rattled and angry. The judge called for a recess and Lucas took the second round. Lloyd had never actually seen Sam give Todd money, and Lucas got him to admit that Todd could have gone to Sam’s house simply because Sam was his attorney.
Lloyd’s face turned red and the veins in his neck bulged out—just the way Lucas had seen before. When Lucas finished his questioning, Lloyd jumped to his feet and pointed a shaking finger at Sam. “Sam Logan killed my son just as sure as if he personally took a gun and shot him,” he screamed. “Now his son will pay. He has to pay.” He turned to the jury. “Make him pay. My son is dead. Make him pay.”
“Your Honor,” Lucas protested, and two guards had to forcibly remove Lloyd from the room. All the while he was screaming curses at Sam.
Judge Seton was instructing the jury, but Blair didn’t hear a word. She sat very still, the scene chilling her to the bone. Roger slipped into the seat beside her and patted her arm. “It’s all right, Blair. I’m here.”
It wasn’t, and Blair knew it. Nothing would be right until she’d talked to Lucas. Lloyd Easton knew someone had given his son money and he thought it was Sam. That had fueled his pain and anger for years, and it was clear the man was close to a nervous breakdown. All because of her mother. If her mother hadn’
t intervened, Sam would’ve gone with Blake to the police—made him tell the truth, made Blake face the consequences of his actions. That was why her mother hadn’t told him about Blake’s involvement. Now…Blair had to tell Lucas that money had changed hands—her mother’s money. She couldn’t keep putting it off because of her fear of what might happen. Fear had controlled her too many times in the past, and it wasn’t going to control her now. She loved Lucas and hoped they’d have a future together, but they had nothing until she told him the truth. She knew she was risking so much, but she had no other choice. She finally saw that.
Lucas handled Todd’s friend the same way he’d handled Easton. The friend testified that he’d gone with Todd to the Logan mansion and Todd had come out with money, but there was no proof and Lucas was able to discredit his testimony.
LUCAS WAS BUSY after court, so Blair had to wait until he was alone, which would not be until later in the evening. She went home, planning to call him after dinner. The phone rang, startling her. She picked it up and a muffled voice said, “Blair?”
“Yes,” she answered, trying to identify the caller.
“Carl has gone through your father’s financial records trying to locate the money he’d given Easton. He didn’t find a thing. Now he’s going after your mother. Thought you should know.” The phone went dead in her hand.
She stood frozen in shock. The voice was familiar. A woman’s, she decided, and she felt it was someone from her old office—someone giving her a warning. The reality of the words hit her and she quickly went in search of her mother. She and Blake were in the den, and Blair suspected that Ava was applying gentle pressure—pressure Blake wasn’t even aware of.
“How much money did you give Todd Easton?” Blair asked her mother.
“Darling.”
“How much?” Blair persisted.
Ava shrugged. “About ten thousand, I suppose.”
Blair swallowed the retort on her lips. “Where did you get it?”
“I used the money I got from your grandparents’ estate.”
“Did you write a check or withdraw the money in cash? How did you do it?”
“I withdrew large cash amounts.”
“Don’t you realize that can be traced?”
“How? It was cash. There’s no proof of what I did with the money.”
Blair took a deep breath. “All Carl has to do is prove the money was there and that it was withdrawn at the same time Todd had money. The jury can fill in the blanks.”
“Oh, no,” Ava moaned.
“I just got an anonymous phone call saying that Carl’s checking into your financial records.”
“Oh, Blair, you can’t let this happen,” her mother begged.
“This is about to blow up and there’s very little I can do to stop it,” Blair said. “But I have to tell Lucas. This is going to come down on him like a ton of bricks. He thinks he knows the whole story, and I can’t let him go on believing that.”
“I’ll go with you,” Blake said, trailing after her. “This is my fault.”
Blair whirled to face him. “Yeah, Blake, this is your fault,” she said angrily. “So it’s time to stop hiding behind Mom and stop hiding behind me and take responsibility for your actions.”
Blake paled. She’d never talked to him that way before, but suddenly she’d had enough. “I’m trying, sis,” he muttered in a hurt voice.
Blair didn’t let it reach her heart. She couldn’t be swayed by emotion. She looked at her mother. “Tell Dad as soon as he gets here. Tell him everything.”
Ava twisted her hands nervously. “Darling, I…”
“Tell him, because it’ll be much better coming from you than from me.” With that, she walked out the door and Blake slowly followed.
BLAIR KNEW exactly where to find Lucas—in his office. He was working so hard to win this case she almost didn’t have the heart to tell him. But she refused to let Carl hit him with this out of the blue. Lucas had to be prepared.
She had confronted fear in her life, but what she confronted now could completely destroy her. If Lucas hated her… She couldn’t even complete the thought. He had to realize she’d never intentionally hurt him.
She drew a deep breath and entered his office. Blake was a step behind her.
Lucas looked up, surprise on his face. The sleeves of his blue shirt were rolled up to his elbows and he was writing on a legal pad. His dark hair was tousled as if he’d been running his hands through it—as she’d often seen before.
He stood up and smiled, and her stomach turned over. She loved him and he was probably never going to know that. As she stared into his dark eyes, she knew that Lucas wouldn’t forgive her. He trusted her and her family; he didn’t deserve this duplicity. And she didn’t deserve Lucas.
“Is anything wrong?” Lucas asked, feeling uneasy at the pained look on Blair’s face.
“I need to talk to you,” she said in a strained voice.
“I’ll tell him.” Blake spoke up. “It’s like you said. It’s time I took responsibility and sorted out my own life.”
That uneasiness spread through Lucas’s whole body, and he knew he was about to hear something unpleasant. He braced himself.
In his halting fashion, Blake told about the secret he and his mother shared, about the money, and finally that Carl was investigating Ava’s financial records.
Lucas sank into his chair. “Oh my God,” he murmured as everything began to take shape in his mind. Through the secrets and the lies, he needed to ask one question. He glanced at Blair. “How long have you known about this?”
“I told her a few days ago,” Blake answered for her.
“Why didn’t you come to me then?” Lucas asked, his eyes never leaving Blair.
She raised her eyes to his. “I wanted to. I—”
“Mom forced her not to,” Blake cut in. “Mom thought it was best to forget about this, but Blair couldn’t.”
“I’ll bet not,” Lucas said sarcastically. “Especially since Carl’s close to uncovering the truth.”
“Lucas,” Blair appealed, unable to endure that tone of voice.
“No.” Lucas shoved out a hand as if to keep her away. “I put my career on the line for you—for your family. God,” he said bitterly, “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you’d do this to me.”
“Don’t take it out on Blair,” Blake mumbled. “It’s my fault.”
“Yes, it probably is,” Lucas agreed. “And Blair’s chosen who she’s going to stand by. I said I couldn’t work with people I can’t trust, and I meant it. You’ll have to take your chances with Derek and your father, because I’m off the case.”
Lucas was so angry he was about to explode. He swiftly rolled down his sleeves and buttoned the cuffs, then picked up his jacket and walked around the desk.
“Lucas,” Blair appealed again, reaching out to catch his arm. “Don’t do this.” Tears glistened in her eyes, and he tried to ignore them.
But her touch was almost his undoing. Her skin was warm through the fabric of his shirt, and he remembered what it was like to touch her, to hold her—and it had all been a lie.
“I trusted you and you broke that trust,” he said with quiet emphasis. “There’s nothing left to say.” He removed her hand and walked out the door.
Blair’s heart shattered into a million pieces. She couldn’t breathe with the pain. She sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands. She didn’t want to cry, but the tears poured unheeded from her eyes. Blake fell down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She cried until there were no tears left. Then Blake helped her to her feet and took her home.
LUCAS DROVE straight to his house, his anger consuming him, controlling him. He tore into his house and changed quickly into jogging shorts, then he hit the front door at a run. He ran until he couldn’t breathe. He ran until his whole body ached, but he couldn’t outrun her face, her memory. He fell onto his sofa, tired, exhausted and hurt beyond anything he’d ever imagined.
She had betrayed him in the worst possible way. She hadn’t trusted him enough to confide in him and she’d left him hanging.
The look on her face when he’d walked out of the office was still with him. She was hurting, too, but it didn’t change anything and it didn’t make the pain go away. He’d thought they shared something special, but it was tainted with lies and with secrets.
He got up and paced around the living room, then he did what he always did in a time of crisis—he called Jacob.
“Lucas.” Jacob’s familiar voice calmed him. “I’m glad you called. I just talked to Howard and he told me what’s going on with his sister.”
“Howard called you?”
“Yeah, he wanted me to persuade you to stay on the case.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him you were over twenty-one and made your own decisions, but if you asked for my help, I’d talk to you.”
Good old Jacob. Lucas smiled inwardly. No pressure, no control, just love—straight from the heart. How he wished….
“What are you planning to do?” Jacob asked.
“I quit earlier but now I’m not sure,” Lucas admitted.
There was a long pause. “Is this more about Blair than about Blake’s defense?”
“Maybe,” he said reluctantly.
“Don’t lose something special because of your pride, and that’s all I have to say.”
“I’d better go,” Lucas said. “I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.”
“Whatever you decide, I’m with you.”
“I know that, Jacob, and thanks.”
His anger dissipated as quickly as it had come. Lucas was struggling to keep his pride from ruling his emotions, but he was hurting like hell and he couldn’t seem to get beyond that.
THE NEXT MORNING Blair sat up in bed, staring at the wall, not seeing anything but feeling so much pain. She wondered how many times you could feel this kind of intense pain before it destroyed you. The last time the wounds had healed, but she knew that these wounds—to her heart—would never heal. And it was her own fault.
She should’ve gone to Lucas when Blake first told her, but she’d let her mother persuade her otherwise. Now it was too late. Too late for her and Lucas. Too late for Blake and her family. How would they survive this? She didn’t know. She only prayed for strength.