Straight from the Heart

by Linda Warren

  The door opened and her mother walked in, dressed in a cream-colored suit. “Darling, you’re not up,” Ava said as if nothing was wrong. “We have to be in court in a little while.”

  “How do you do it?” Blair shook her head. “How do you pretend that nothing’s wrong?”

  Ava paled slightly, unable to completely hide everything. Blair had heard raised voices until the early hours of the morning and she knew her father wasn’t pleased with this new revelation. But her mother had gotten around him as she always did, with her subtle manipulation. Blair suddenly remembered all the times Blake had gotten into trouble and her mother had interceded with her father. Sam never disciplined or punished Blake, because her mother wouldn’t let him. Blake was now thirty-two and Ava was still doing it. Except that now things had gone beyond even her manipulation.

  Ava sank onto the bed and Blair smelled her perfume and it brought back memories of all the times her mother had been there for her, how much love she’d given her and Blake—maybe too much.

  “Darling, I wish you’d try to understand.”

  Blair didn’t answer and Ava went on. “I was frantic to keep Blake out of jail. I would have done anything to accomplish that. You won’t understand until you have children.”

  Blair drew her knees up to her chin. “That’s not likely to happen now, is it?”

  “Oh, darling, I’m so sorry about Lucas. Once he cools off, I’m sure he’ll—”

  Blair stopped her. “Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

  Ava brushed away a tear and bit her lip. “Yes, I’ve ruined everything,” she muttered. “Your father’s upset with me, and you and Blake are, too. I can’t take much more. I was only trying to keep Todd from destroying Blake. I went about it the wrong way. I can see that now and…”

  Blair said nothing.

  Ava glanced up. “What do you think Lucas will do?”

  “I don’t know,” Blair admitted with a catch in her voice. “But promise me something.”

  “What?”

  “Let Blake handle this. Let him make his own decisions. Stop pressuring him.”

  Ava twisted her hands. “He’s always needed me much more than you ever have.”

  That was probably true, Blair thought. Their personalities were so different. Blair never wanted help with anything and Blake always needed help with everything.

  Blair was suddenly seeing things she’d never seen before. Blake’s main problem was his mother. Blair wondered if Ava even realized that.

  “Mom, do you know that you’re the barrier between Blake and Dad?” she said softly. “They don’t know each other because you’ve never let them.”

  Ava squeezed her lips together tightly, as if to keep from crying out.

  “I didn’t say that to hurt you,” Blair quickly added.

  “I know, darling,” Ava replied. “Sam always wanted a son and when Blake was born I hoped he’d be everything Sam wanted. I tried to make it happen, but nothing worked. Your father had such a temper, and Blake was a timid, sweet kid who needed lots of love.”

  “Why couldn’t you let Blake be himself? He didn’t have to be a clone of Dad.”

  Ava started to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks into her lap. She made no attempt to brush them away. “Why is this happening to my family?” she cried. “Why does my family have to suffer so much?”

  Blair reached over and hugged her mother, loving and forgiving her at the same time. Blake had to face his life and deal with it—without his mother’s manipulations. If Lucas bailed on them as he’d said he would, then Blake was going to need all the strength he possessed and then some. And like Blake, Blair had to face the future on her own—without Lucas.

  LUCAS FELT BETTER after his talk with Jacob. He’d put a lot of time and hard work into this case and he wasn’t going to walk away. He wasn’t a quitter and he wasn’t starting now. He didn’t know exactly what made him change his mind—Jacob, Blair’s tears or his own stubborn pride. But the next morning he marched into his office ready for battle. He stopped short as he saw that the room was full—Sam, Blake, Howard, Derek, Frank and Theo were all there.

  Lucas walked purposely to his desk and sat down, not saying a word. Blair wasn’t here. Why wasn’t she here? No, he had to stop thinking about her.

  Sam was the first to speak. “I have to apologize for my family,” he said. “I didn’t know. If I had, I would’ve done something long ago.”

  Despite it all, Lucas believed him. That was why Ava had never told her husband. She knew Sam would make his son take responsibility instead of pampering and protecting him.

  “Lucas.” Howard spoke up. “Please stay on the case. It’s Blake’s only chance.”

  “We all want you to stay,” Derek said. “This just about blows us out of the water, but I also know you can find a way to rectify things.”

  Lucas fiddled with a pencil on his desk. He’d already made his decision, but it felt good to finally get this kind of support. His eyes kept straying to the door, waiting for her to walk in. Just as well if she didn’t, he told himself. Things were never going to be the same between them.

  Blake had been standing toward the back, letting everyone else do the talking as usual, but he suddenly stepped forward, a somber expression on his face.

  “I didn’t tell you the whole truth,” he said gravely, “and for that I’m deeply sorry. Whatever you decide, I’ll understand, but please don’t blame Blair—that’s all I ask.”

  Absolute silence followed his words and Lucas studied the paperweight on his desk with intense interest. Blake was slowly taking control of his life, his emotions, and Lucas admired that. Lucas wasn’t blaming Blair. He was just—God, he no longer knew what he was feeling. But he had a knot in his stomach the size of a baseball and it was growing. Somehow, this whole situation had to be corrected. Time for some damage control.

  He stared at Blake. “Is there anything else you’re not telling me?”

  “No, sir,” Blake said sincerely.

  Lucas took a long breath, then said, “I figured Carl was going to rest his case today, but now I’m thinking he’s got a last-minute trick up his sleeve.”

  His words meant he was still on the case. A sigh of relief echoed around the room. But Lucas didn’t waste any time; he got down to business.

  “Brad and Greg will continue to prepare Blake to testify, and Frank and Theo, I want you to get Ava ready.”

  “You want her to testify?” Sam asked cautiously.

  “I sure do.”

  “How do you plan to approach it?” Sam wanted to know. That surprised Lucas. He’d been sure Sam would fight the idea; instead, he’d apparently accepted the necessity of calling Ava to the stand.

  “I plan to let her tell the story in her own words.”

  “If she says she paid Easton to keep quiet, that’ll destroy Blake’s case.”

  “We have to trust a jury to hear her testimony for what it is—a mother’s misguided attempt to shield her son out of love. We have to hope for a little compassion and understanding from each juror.”

  “I’m not questioning your judgment,” Howard said. “But Ava’s pretty distraught and I’m not sure she can handle it.”

  “She’ll handle it,” Sam said with force. “She created this mess and now she has to clean it up.”

  There was a brittle silence, then Howard said, “For once, Sam, I agree with you.”

  “Let’s get to work,” Lucas instructed. “Derek and I have to be in court in an hour, and I’m hoping against hope that Carl doesn’t have any surprises for us. If he does, we’ll have to take it from there.”

  Carl didn’t, but he asked to speak with the judge. He said he had an important witness his investigator was trying to locate, and he wanted to reserve the right to call him at the appropriate time. Lucas didn’t object, because he knew what Carl was trying to do. He was trying to get the goods on Ava, but Lucas planned to unearth the whole mess before that happened.

  Carl r
ested his case, and Lucas began his defense. Three witnesses from London testified to Blake’s character. One he went to school with, one he worked with and the other was his neighbor. They all testified that he was a moral, upstanding young man who never showed any signs of violence.

  Carl asked a few additional questions and Lucas could see that his mind was somewhere else—on evidence that could secure a conviction. Lucas knew he had to beat him to the punch and he planned on calling Ava first thing in the morning. It was a gamble, but he didn’t have many options open to him. The secret was going to come out, and it was better coming from him than from the prosecution.

  Lucas didn’t sleep much. So many thoughts were clamoring in his head, but one kept overshadowing everything else. Blair hadn’t been in court today. He wondered where she was. He had to talk to her. His anger had subsided, and her friendship meant a lot to him. Friendship? Was that all it was? Yes—that was all it could ever be now. And who had made him judge and jury of Blair? He was acting irrational, and he was hurting her—something he’d sworn he’d never do. God, he didn’t like himself for feeling the way he did. He didn’t like himself at all.

  BLAIR LAY CURLED in bed, willing the phone to ring, but she knew it wouldn’t. Lucas wasn’t going to forgive her; she couldn’t forgive herself, so she couldn’t expect it from him. She was just glad he was still on the case.

  She hadn’t been in court today because she couldn’t face him. But tomorrow she’d be there to support her mother; so would her father. Ironically, they were pulling together as a family now, the way they should have years ago. However, the price had been too high and she hoped they could survive the final tally.

  “WHAT IS THIS?” Evan demanded of Carl. He threw a piece of paper on his desk. “Why is Culver calling Ava Logan as a witness?”

  Carl shrugged. “Surprised me, too.”

  “There’s a goddamn leak in this office. I know it! Culver somehow found out you’re checking into Ava’s finances.”

  “I don’t see how that can possibly help his case. If she gave Easton money, that’s going to be very damaging.”

  Evan took a seat. “How are you coming with her financial records?”

  “We found out she has some money left to her by her parents. It’s in a personal account, but the records from sixteen years ago aren’t on a computer. It’s taking a while to dig them out.”

  “Goddammit, put a rush on it,” Evan roared.

  “I have, but now it’s a waiting game.”

  Evan shook his head. “We don’t have any time left. Culver’s up to something. You just be ready.”

  “Don’t worry, I will.”

  “Yeah, like I wasn’t supposed to worry about Ramsey’s testimony and look how that turned out.”

  “Evan…”

  Evan stopped him. “Just be prepared.”

  AVA WAS on the witness list and everything was set. Lucas met with Ava and Sam briefly before court started. He looked directly at Ava. “Whatever I ask you today, I want you to answer truthfully. Do you understand?”

  “Of course,” she said.

  “Even if I ask your hair color. Tell me the truth.”

  Ava glanced worriedly at Sam. “Why would he want to know that?”

  “You’re not listening to me Ava,” Lucas said. “It’s not about your hair. It’s about the truth. No matter how much you dislike answering, or how distasteful the questions, you have to tell the truth.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly.

  “Because if you lie, I will know it and the jury will know it and Blake won’t have a chance in hell.”

  “Okay,” she said again, and Lucas felt he was finally getting through to her.

  AS THEY FILED into the courtroom, Carl sent him a dark scowl, and Lucas prayed his plan would work. His attention was diverted for a second when Blair walked into the room, but he quickly got his thoughts under control.

  Lucas called Ava to the stand.

  After she was sworn in and had stated her name, Lucas asked, “How are you related to Blake Logan?”

  “I’m his mother.”

  “Do you love your son?”

  “Yes, very much.”

  “Your Honor,” Carl objected, “where is Mr. Culver going with this?”

  “Move on, Counselor.”

  Lucas asked Ava to tell in her own words what she knew about the Davis murder. In a hesitant fashion, she described finding Blake sick and crying, then talked about Todd coming to the house, his threats, and finally about giving Todd money to stay quiet. She looked directly at the jury and said she’d done everything to keep her son safe, as any mother would. It was wrong, she could see that now, but a mother’s love wouldn’t allow her to do anything else. Her words were heart-wrenching and sincere, and Lucas could see the jurors were listening to her. That was more than he’d hoped for.

  “Now, Mrs. Logan,” Lucas said, glancing at his notes, “you said that Blake had vomit all over him and you helped clean him up.”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you remove all his clothes.”

  “All but his underwear.”

  “Were there scratches on his body?”

  “No.”

  “Was there blood on his clothes?”

  “No.”

  “Was there blood on his body?”

  Ava swallowed. “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  “There was a smear of blood on his right forearm.”

  “A smear of blood?”

  “Yes. I asked if he was hurt and he said no.”

  “Did you ask Blake about it?”

  “Yes, he said that Bonnie Davis had caught his arm when he checked her pulse to see if she was…dead.”

  “And you believed him?”

  “Yes. My son’s not violent. He never has been.”

  “Even when he was on drugs?”

  “Even then.”

  Lucas paused for a second. “Mrs. Logan, how long has Blake been off drugs?”

  “Since that awful night.”

  “He stopped cold turkey?”

  “Yes, and it wasn’t easy. He had tremors, shakes, sweats and severe withdrawal. He had nightmares, and he’d cry. But he endured through all the anguish. I held him and bathed his face, trying to help. I was so afraid he was going to sneak out and get drugs.”

  “But he didn’t?”

  “No, he was finally able to break the hold that terrible stuff had on his body.”

  Lucas paused again. “Did you tell your husband what was happening?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Ava gripped her hands tight. “Because I knew what he’d do. He would’ve made Blake go to the police and I couldn’t stand—” She swallowed. “I couldn’t stand the thought of my son in jail. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and I—”

  After a brief pause, Lucas asked, “Did you eventually tell your husband?”

  “Yes. When Todd Easton almost killed our daughter, Blake was beside himself, taking the blame for everything. I told Sam because I couldn’t handle it anymore.”

  “Did you tell him everything?”

  Ava twisted her hands. “No, I didn’t tell him about giving Todd money.”

  “Why not?”

  “I didn’t know what he’d do. We didn’t know if our daughter was going to live and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing both my children. I couldn’t…” She choked, then said, “I’m sorry. I made some really bad decisions, but my son never hurt anyone except…himself.”

  “Mrs. Logan, are you telling me the truth?”

  Ava glanced at the jury. “Yes, finally, I am.”

  “Thank you.”

  Blair had to fight back the tears and she ached for what her mother was going through. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Evan enter the courtroom. That meant only one thing—he wanted Carl to go after Ava. He wanted him to tear her testimony to shreds. And Carl did just that. He went after Ava with a vengeance, but she didn’t crack. She
kept answering the questions, consistently and truthfully. Carl demeaned Blake, calling him a momma’s boy hiding behind her skirts. Ava was teary-eyed, but she still didn’t crack. He couldn’t get her to admit that she knew Blake had murdered Bonnie Davis. He couldn’t get her to admit that Blake had attempted to rape Bonnie Davis. He couldn’t get her to admit to anything except shielding Blake and giving Todd money, which was bad enough.

  Frustrated, Carl asked, “Mrs. Logan, why are you coming forward now?”

  Ava looked directly at him. “To be honest, I wanted to sweep this information under the rug and leave it there. It wasn’t going to help my son. It was only going to hurt his defense. But my son told his sister and she said I had to tell Mr. Culver everything.” She paused and stared down at her hands for a moment. “I refused because I knew it would hurt Blake. I’ve been protecting Blake for so long that I couldn’t stop. Faced with my stubbornness, Blair finally told Mr. Culver and…and—” she looked back at Carl “—that’s why I’m here today. Mr. Culver believes in the truth, and my daughter believes in him.”

  “That’s a bunch of bull and you know it, Mrs. Logan,” Carl fired at her. “The only reason you came forward now is that you’re afraid of getting caught.”

  Ava’s voice was matter-of-fact. “I’ve been afraid for sixteen years, so it’s time, don’t you think?”

  “Your Honor,” Carl asked irritably, “please instruct the witness not to ask me questions.”

  Everything after that went right over Lucas’s head. It was the first time he’d lost his concentration in a trial, but Ava’s words kept tormenting his mind.

  Mr. Culver believes in the truth, and my daughter believes in him.

  God, he’d been a fool. He had messed up the only relationship that had ever meant anything to him. But he couldn’t allow himself to dwell on it now. He had to focus on Blake and his defense.

  He became aware that Ava was leaving the witness stand. Sam met her and they embraced. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured into his shoulder.

  “It’s all right, darling,” Sam assured her, and led her to a seat.