Purple Knot

by Raquel Byrnes

  “His heart,” I whispered and reached for him.

  The force with which he grabbed me knocked the breath out of me. He buried his face in my hair and I could feel the sobs rock through his body.

  His friends edged away.

  The coach walked out of his cabin with the cordless phone still in his hand. He’d just heard the news.

  “I’ll be taking Jimmy home, now,” I announced.

  Jimmy was in a daze. I told him to get in the car and motioned for one of his friends, Mike, to come over. “Can you grab his stuff for me?”

  Mike was back in a few minutes and I loaded it in my car.

  Halfway down the hill Jimmy stopped staring blankly and reached for my hand. He held it in his big hands and stared at it like he was reading my future.

  “Are you OK, Jimmy?”

  Jimmy nodded silently. He laced his fingers through mine, rubbed my inner wrist with his thumb, and sent my heart racing. It was the first time he’d held my hand. His voice was low, calm. “How’s Summer?”

  “She’s got her hands full. Mona’s, well….”

  “Yeah,” he muttered.

  I looked at him in his uniform, all banged up and my heart broke.

  “Thanks for coming all the way out here to get me.”

  “Sure.”

  Jimmy looked out the window. He kept my hand in his, but he was lost in thought. I started to worry. He was too quiet.

  “Rain,” Jimmy said suddenly.

  The tone of his voice startled me and I took my eyes off the road.

  His gray eyes were intense.

  “Yeah Jimmy?”

  “Will you stay for a while…after we get back?”

  “Sure, Jimmy,” I promised.

  I stayed for years before I left him.

  ****

  I realized Jimmy was talking and I turned to him, confused. “I’m sorry, Jimmy, what did you say?”

  “I asked if you were OK.”

  “Oh.”

  “Things keep piling up and I’m worried you think you have to shoulder this alone.” He reached over, laced his fingers through mine, and rubbed my inner wrist with his thumb.

  “No, I know that Jimmy, really. I just keep wondering what the big picture is. I mean the physical attacks back home on my office and condo are one thing, but I have no idea what is in store at the deposition. I feel a little like one of those metal bears in a carnival shooting gallery, like I’m running one way only to turn tail and run the other.”

  “You’re so colorful, Rain.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

  We made it through the morning traffic and pulled in front of Sierra Hopkins’ law office. The building, also home to a small art gallery, and an income tax business, was styled after the Victorian painted ladies. It was yellow with mossy green filigree woodwork along the steep roof, and the veranda had been enclosed in glass to serve as a lobby.

  Sierra Hopkins stood in the doorway tapping her foot as we climbed out of the SUV. A lithe African-American woman, she had the most striking honey-colored eyes I’d ever seen.

  “Well that’s much faster than I expected,” she said with knit brows.

  “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Ms. Hopkins.”

  “Mrs. Hopkins,” she corrected and held up her left hand. Her braided metal wedding ring looked new.

  “Mrs. Hopkins, I’m not quite sure what this is about. I mean, I got a call from…”

  She put her hand up, and then looked sternly at Jimmy.

  I followed her gaze.

  He was standing against the SUV, hands in his pockets, looking uncomfortable.

  “Ms. Cruz, please understand that you and Mr. Corbeau do not share Spousal Privilege. I’d prefer that we speak in my office, alone.”

  I realized why he’d hung back. He could be called as a witness and his presence would render my conversations with my lawyer admissible. I gulped against the lump in my throat. I guess I would be doing this on my own after all.

  Jimmy waved us on.

  “I wanted to go check out the art gallery, anyway,” he said with false cheer.

  I followed Hopkins in to her office. Everything about the room said warmth. The earth tone colors, her overstuffed couch and armchair, even the pen and ink drawings of a lake scene, all set me at ease. I felt more like I was in a shrink’s office, than a lawyer’s.

  Hopkins motioned for me to sit on the couch. She chose the overstuffed armchair opposite me. A file with my name on it sat on the coffee table between us.

  “Ms. Cruz, I’m going to ask to reschedule the deposition until I understand what is happening.”

  “What is happening?”

  “I had an interesting conversation with your boyfriend’s lawyer, Mr. Bennet.”

  I stifled a smile. I hadn’t thought of Jimmy as my boyfriend since senior year of high school.

  “You just happened to run into him?” I asked, instead.

  “Yes.” Hopkins leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow. “Apparently Bennet is a big fan of orchids. Or so he professed to be when he ran into me at the orchid show yesterday evening.”

  “Orchid show?” It was my turn to raise my eyebrows, although I couldn’t do just the one.

  “Yes, my husband William is a botanist for the university and he enters shows with his hybrid orchids.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Anyway, I look up from my table and lo, and behold, Mr. Bennet himself is standing right there. Before I could even greet him, he sits next to me and launches into a hypothetical problem.” She made quotation marks in the air with her fingers. “Well, he knows how I am!” She made a face like I was privy to her personality quirks.

  I nodded knowingly.

  “I couldn’t help myself,” she continued. “I told him exactly what I’d do if this poor individual was my client.” She clicked her tongue and smiled. “Well played, yes?”

  I nodded again. Bennet was a good guy. He’d sought out the best lawyer he could think of, dangled a juicy problem in front of her, and then gave me her number.

  “So, the hypothetical problem?” I asked.

  “Let’s say a lawyer representing two clients, comes into the knowledge that one client is going to blame the other for a crime. He also is privy to the evidence one client plans to use on the other. He can’t represent both, and since he’s already heard the incriminating information, he drops the one whom he is not tied to financially.”

  I made a face. Financially? Oh, the retainer. Jimmy’s family kept Bennet’s firm on retainer. I was the odd man out. I should have gone with the jowly bull dog lawyer Salem picked out. I nibbled on my pinky nail.

  “OK, so Mona is going to drop some sort of bomb on me today.”

  Hopkins nodded and leafed through the file. “Since no one has given their deposition, yet, I would imagine that Mrs. Corbeau’s lawyers are gearing up for a mock cross.”

  “I’m sorry, a what?”

  “They want to gauge your reaction, see what kind of buttons get you riled. That sort of thing. Whatever their evidence, it must seem pretty air tight for them to bring it out so early. Or, maybe they want something else….” Her voice trailed off and she jotted something down on her pad of paper. “Have they read the will yet?”

  “Uh, no, not yet. I think they’re reading it on Wednesday.” I stammered. That caught me off guard.

  “Hmm. So they’re bringing out the big guns for a reason.” Hopkins stood up and paced between her chair and the coffee table.

  I stood and paced with her. I didn’t know what else to do and I didn’t want her to have to stop to talk to me. It seemed to help her think.

  “I don’t think this has anything to do with Summer’s will. I mean, I wasn’t even going to go to the reading. Especially since…” I stopped myself. The codicil Warren mentioned. Was this supposed bombshell part of a ploy by Mona and Parker to get me to remove myself as Autumn’s co-executor? I explained the codicil and my conversation with Warren.

/>   “This could be what Mrs. Corbeau and Mr. Evans are angling for. It would explain why a lawyer as experienced as Bennet would make such a rash move this early.” She nodded and her honey colored eyes narrowed. She poked her pencil in my direction, punctuating her words.

  “Wait, if they are so sure of their evidence though, wouldn’t convicting me of something do just that…remove me?”

  “Not necessarily. I mean, on paper the whole question of timing seems like it would be critical, but in real life…judges are aware of what families go through.”

  “But Warren said…”

  Hopkins put a finger up, stopping me. “He’s not wrong. Parker could have a case, but the whole brain death question would come up in trial. This deposition bombshell, it’s something else; something they’re confident will make you turn tail and run.”

  “OK, if it’s not the argument that I kept Summer alive so I could control her baby, then what could Mona and Parker have on me? I mean what could be worse?” My stomach churned at her imagery. The thought of cowering from Parker and Mona made my blood boil. There was no way I would do that. No way.

  “I don’t know, but they seem to believe they have leverage on you. They most likely intend to use it as a threat that would go away if you declined the executor position…that would be better for them.”

  “No, Mona and especially Parker would want to prosecute me if they could. The two of them hate me.”

  “What’d you do to them, honey?” Hopkins eyed me suspiciously.

  “I don’t tolerate their bad behavior.” I folded my arms across my chest, suddenly angry.

  “Well, good for you!” Hopkins burst out laughing. She reached across the table and lightly slapped my elbow.

  Surprised by her reaction, I smiled and shrugged.

  Then Hopkins was back to serious lawyer mode. “OK, so what I’m getting here is that they have information they think will scare you into refusing the executor gig, but that evidence is not necessarily strong enough to convict you in court.” She shook her head and sat back down. She leafed through my file again and then sighed heavily. “Any idea what that could be?”

  “My only idea is that someone mentioned records. I don’t know what’s in them. I have no idea what doctors write during something like what Summer went through, but I did what I thought was best. I listened to Dr. Banfield and did what he advised. Do you think Parker could use the hospital records against me?”

  Hopkins sat back in her chair. She touched the pencil eraser to her lips, thinking. “That’s what we need to find out. I’ll get a call in to Mr. Evan’s lawyers and tell him that we’re pushing back the deposition for a few days.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “Did Bennet tell you how he knew who I was?” Hopkins smiled and patted my elbow again.

  “No. How do you know him?”

  “I used to see him almost every day across the aisle.”

  “He was a trial attorney?”

  Hopkins smiled and nodded. “I worked for the public defender’s office and he was in the district attorney’s office.”

  “Really? I never pictured Bennet as a hard-nosed prosecutor. What happened? Why did he go into private practice?”

  “Because in three years, he never won against me.” Hopkins winked.

  ****

  I looked around and saw that Jimmy was still in the gallery. I peeked through the door. He was chatting with a guy over by the sculptures. They were animated, and Jimmy looked genuinely interested in the piece. Something occurred to me, and I turned to face Hopkins. “How is it you knew who Jimmy was when we first got here?”

  “My husband knows of him, actually.”

  “Really? William the botanist knows Jimmy?” I looked at Jimmy and then back at Hopkins.

  “Mr. Corbeau invited the staff at the university to the opening of the animal preserve three years ago. My husband’s entire department went for a two day stay at the lodge there. It’s quite magnificent, have you been there?”

  “No, actually. I only know that the Corbeau family bought a lot of land and that Jimmy lives on it.” The preserve was something Jimmy’s family had done while I was in San Francisco. I only knew about it from Summer. She’d been so proud.

  “From what I understand, Mr. Corbeau bought the land himself. The preserve is his. He funded a grant to the engineering department out-of-pocket to make the facility there as green and sustainable as possible. Most of the materials used in the lodge and office building are recycled. My husband and many in the agriculture, and botany department, as well as the entomology guys go out there to do studies.”

  “Wow, really?”

  “Yup. The name’s really weird though. I think it’s Spanish.”

  “What is it?”

  “Olividad, or something like that.”

  “Olvidar?” I suggested.

  “Yeah, Olvidar.”

  She shrugged, unaware that my heart had stopped. I looked at Jimmy through the window and blinked back tears. I guess I wasn’t the only one who’d been hiding. I wondered how oblivious I had been of Jimmy’s pain back then, and now.

  Olvidar…to forget.

  Purple Knot

  22

  Salem’s flight was due in at noon, so we decided to catch an early lunch. Jimmy wasn’t due at his appointment until one in the afternoon, so I suggested we eat in the airport because I liked to people watch. On the way, I tried to tell him about my conversation with Hopkins but he stopped me. When I tried to tell him about the hospital records, he stopped me again.

  He became more and more brooding.

  Finally, I gave up and stared out the window. I had a million questions in my head and I couldn’t talk to the one person who could make me feel better. I swallowed against the lump in my throat and chewed on my thumb nail.

  Jimmy wouldn’t talk. He didn’t even look at me. Instead, he ground his jaw and fiddled with the radio. Every minute we spent in silence sent my stomach churning.

  We parked and crossed the street to the SeaTac airport. Beautifully landscaped, like so many of Seattle’s buildings, it seemed designed to blend man with nature.

  Jimmy and I walked into the terminal, and made our way to the first floor coffee shop. Once seated in a booth, I couldn’t stand his silent treatment anymore. I didn’t know what I’d done to upset him, but I didn’t want to spend all day like this. I reached across the table and scooped up his big hand in both of mine. “I’m sorry for whatever it is I did, Jimmy. I know you feel caught in the middle here…”

  He looked hurt, and shocked.

  I stammered another apology, but he took his hand from mine and used it to rub his eyes.

  My stomach flopped. Was he tired of all the trouble that constantly seemed to follow me? I bit my lip, waiting for him to talk. But when he looked at me, his eyes were tired and sad, not angry.

  “Rain,” he said softly. “I’m not mad at you, and I definitely don’t feel caught in the middle of anything. I’m frustrated that I can’t help you with your questions and your case. My family keeps delivering blows to you that I can’t seem to anticipate or prevent, and I’m worried that you’ll come to see being with me as something that’s painful. To top it off, your lawyer just pointed out that I could be a liability to you in court. I feel like my hands are tied.”

  He was right; Mona and Parker were making my life miserable at the moment.

  “Jimmy, I don’t see you as part of the problem. That you share a last name with Mona doesn’t make you at fault. As for Parker, I have my own score to settle with him.”

  “You need to be careful, Rain. This isn’t someone you’re watching for a client…”

  “I know that.” I scowled.

  “Most people you investigate are unaware that they’re being watched. That’s not the case here. They’ve attacked you at both your business and your home. Your home, Rain.”

  The implication that I was in over my head stung. Did he still see me as the scared girl in high school
who needed his protection? Hadn’t my successful practice in California proved that I could survive, no…flourish on my own? “Well, they’ll think twice about coming after me next time,” I said with an edge.

  Jimmy raised his eyebrow. I hadn’t told him everything about my conversation with Detective Wicket this morning. I hadn’t told him about the blood.

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning Wicket said one of my rounds went clean through the guy and into the wall. Probably just a flesh wound, but still.”

  I should have anticipated that Jimmy’s reaction would not be congratulatory. What I hadn’t expected was for him to flip out.

  “What!” He stood up and flapped his arms like he was trying to take off in flight. I noticed with morbid fascination that a vein I hadn’t seen before bulged out of his neck while he tried to find words.

  I saw Salem lope towards us with his laptop bag slung around one shoulder, his carry-on case on the other. Salem took one look at Jimmy’s reaction and a huge smile spread across his face. “Reyna’s up to the usual, I see.”

  Jimmy turned to Salem and nodded a little too enthusiastically for my taste. They shook hands. “You must be Salem.”

  “Jimmy, I see you’re living the dream,” Salem said while smirking at me.

  Great, two people to make me crazy instead of just one.

  “Finally, the face to the name,” Jimmy answered and looked at me. “I never had the chance to thank you for your call.”

  I remembered the reason I’d almost shot Jimmy through my office door was because Salem had mutinied and told him about the threatening message and phone call. I stifled a frown. Salem was like a little brother, always trying to help, but not always getting it right.

  We left the airport. It occurred to me that I didn’t know where Jimmy expected Salem to stay.

  “Where are we going?” I asked once I was buckled in.

  “I still have to meet with Parker’s lawyers and give my deposition.”

  My stomach twisted. I didn’t like the idea of going to the law office, even if I wasn’t being questioned. Still, I didn’t want Jimmy to have to go alone. I was about to say so when Salem spoke up.