Defenseless

by Adrianne Byrd

  “Hello, Mrs. Durden,” he said, extending his hand. “My name is Dwayne Hamilton.” Her soft, chilled hands escalated his protectiveness. “Your sister has hired me to defend you.”

  Laura nodded in understanding.

  Dwayne took his seat and prepared to take notes. Yet at his client’s unnerving silence, he put down his pen. “Perhaps you should begin by telling me your version of what happened, Mrs. Durden.”

  “I killed my husband.”

  Dwayne flinched at the emotionless confession. When she didn’t continue, Dwayne tried again.

  “Did you tell anyone else this?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Good. I suggest that you don’t.”

  A lone tear streaked down her face.

  “Your sister has, of course, given me a different scenario. May I ask which I am supposed to believe?”

  Laura’s bottom lip began to tremble as she attempted to dry her face. She didn’t answer his question.

  “Mrs. Durden, I can’t help you if you don’t help me. You refused to post bail. I doubt your sister knows that. Do you mind telling me why?”

  “Because I feel so guilty.”

  “You don’t remember killing your husband, isn’t that correct?”

  Laura hesitated again, then slowly nodded her head.

  “Then you have no reason to feel guilty,” Dwayne reasoned, reaching out to take her hand.

  Laura quickly pulled back. “I have every right to feel this way,” she began. “I am guilty. I may or may not have physically killed him, but in my heart…I wanted to.”

  Dwayne leaned away from her and watched fresh tears roll down her face.

  “I loved him. I always thought that I could make this marriage work. He made me feel as if everything that was wrong was my fault. I wanted him to love me.”

  Dwayne’s jaw tightened as he listened to her confession. Her whole body shook as she wept. “I understand what you’re going through, Laura. There is no way we can change what has happened. It’s okay to feel this way—”

  “No,” she interrupted, shaking her head. “It’s worse than that. I don’t know when I stopped loving him and started hating him.”

  Dwayne shook his head, not believing her words. “Laura, this man hurt you. He took your love, your trust and anything else you had to offer and just threw it away. I think you know exactly when you stopped loving him.”

  Laura closed her eyes and laughed softly to herself. “You sound like my sister.”

  “Your sister is right. You deserve better.”

  Laura fell silent again and nodded her head. A long pause hung in the air between them.

  Dwayne again noticed the purple and blue bruises across her face and felt his own anger mount at the animal who could inflict such brutality on his own wife. “Mrs. Durden, should I come back?”

  She shook her head.

  “First, I’m going to arrange your bail,” Dwayne said.

  Laura looked neither happy nor disappointed at the news. She just sat there as if she was lost in a trance.

  “Mrs. Durden?”

  More tears rolled down her swollen cheeks. “I feel very confident about your innocence, and I know that your sister does, too.”

  “Yeah,” Laura answered, dropping her head down to stare at her feet. “Good ole Sonya coming to the rescue.”

  Dwayne frowned at the sarcasm in her voice.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as if reading his mind. “It’s just that I’m so scared.”

  Dwayne nodded his head in understanding. “I’ll get you out of here. I’ll talk to your sister about your bail.”

  Laura shook her head. “I don’t want you going to my sister about my bail money. I have some money in the bank. I insist on using it.”

  “Do you know how much your bail will be?”

  “I don’t care. I’ll use the house if I have to,” Laura answered, looking up to stare at him.

  Again Dwayne nodded. He didn’t quite understand what was going on, but if this was what she wanted to do, then so be it.

  A prison guard entered the room, and both Dwayne and Laura stood up. Dwayne remained watching Laura as she departed. He tried to absorb what had just happened. He sat down in his chair and let his mind drift to what he would’ve done had it been his sister behind these bars. Hell, if he even thought that James lifted a finger to his sister, it would’ve been him waiting to stand trial for murder. He reached for his pen as he wondered, what if it had been Bridget? His anger quickly returned and his pen snapped in half as he entertained such a thought. The ink oozing from his pen brought his attention back to reality. “Damn!” he cursed, jumping to his feet. He didn’t expect to feel so emotional about this case. Another rule he was breaking. What was it about these sisters that kept him on the edge?

  He left the small holding room to call his office.

  “Hamilton, Locke and Associates.”

  “Hello, Carmen. This is Dwayne. Did you get hold of Anthony for me?”

  “Yes, and I was right. He wasn’t too happy about cutting his trip short.”

  “Never mind that. Was he able to get any information?”

  “He hasn’t checked back in with me.”

  “Well, give me a call the minute he has something.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “Oh, Dwayne?”

  “Yes?”

  “Miss Walters has called, looking for you.”

  “Did she call from the hospital?”

  “No. She’s at her office downtown. Would you like the number? She has already called here three times.”

  “No, just give me the address. I think I’d like to pay her a visit in person.” Dwayne took down the information and hung up. What in the hell was she doing at work?

  Sonya sat uninterested in the proceedings that surrounded her. She kept watching the clock on the wall. Why hadn’t she heard anything by now? She had called Dwayne’s office three times this morning, and still there was nothing.

  The hospital had released her at nine o’clock this morning. She couldn’t take staring at those dull white walls in the hospital. By ten o’clock, she was home and was bored. When she remembered that she had a financial status meeting scheduled for eleven-thirty, she rushed to the office.

  She could tell by the many shocked faces at her office that they didn’t expect her to be in today, especially Sharon. She’d walked into her office to find Sharon’s legs kicked up on her desk and barking orders at her employees. Sonya laughed as Sharon nearly fell out of her chair, trying to get up. Now stuck in this meeting, she prayed that Dwayne would call her soon.

  “Excuse me,” she said, getting up from the table in the middle of one of her chief accountant’s speeches. She slipped quietly out of the conference room and rushed down to her office. She ignored the large stacks of paper on her desk as she reached for the phone.

  “Hamilton, Locke and Associates,” came the familiar chirp from Carmen.

  “Yes, is Mr. Hamilton in yet?”

  Carmen’s voice lost its merry tune as she replied, “No, Miss Walters, he’s not in. Would you like to leave yet another message?”

  “Miss Walters?” Tina interrupted.

  “Not now, Tina,” Sonya scolded without turning to look at her secretary. “As for you, Miss Deaton, I think that I’ve had just about enough of your attitude today,” Sonya continued into the phone. “You will either talk to me with the proper respect or—”

  “Miss Walters, I’m afraid there is a Mr.—”

  “Not now, Tina!” Sonya screamed, turning to face her secretary, but was shocked to see Dwayne towering behind Tina’s five-foot-two frame. Sonya instantly hung up the phone with an angry Carmen shouting on the other end.

  “As I was saying, Miss Walters, there is a Dwayne Hamilton here to see you.”

  “I can see that, Tina. Thank you. You may leave now,” Sonya said, going to sit in her chair. She knew her flushed cheeks gave away her embarr
assment. “Won’t you please have a seat?” she offered, gesturing to a chair in front of her desk.

  Dwayne took a brief look around her spacious office, nodding his head. “Nice,” he said casually as he took his seat.

  “Thank you.”

  “I thought you were supposed to stay in the hospital for twenty-four hours?” he asked. His voice held concern.

  Sonya glanced away from his probing eyes. “I was, but I was beginning to feel the walls closing in on me.”

  “I see,” Dwayne answered, standing up to walk toward her.

  Sonya’s eyes widened in alarm as his hand reached up to feel her head. She started to pull away, but she felt the firm hold at the back of her neck.

  “Be still. I just want to examine your bruise.”

  “Are you going to tell me that you’re a doctor as well as a defense lawyer?”

  Dwayne let out a deep chuckle. “Are you always so defensive when someone is trying to help you?”

  Sonya flinched when his hand caressed her tender bruise. “Maybe you should have stayed a little longer at the hospital.”

  Sonya wanted to pull away again. Dwayne’s nearness was playing havoc on her emotions. There was a wondrous fragrance that surrounded him that held her prisoner. “Have you gone to see my sister?” she managed to ask in a low voice, while focusing her eyes on a loose thread that hung from her fuchsia pantsuit.

  Dwayne returned to his chair satisfied with his inspection. “I have, and I’ve gotten her bail arranged. She’ll be released by three o’clock today—”

  “Whatever it takes, I’ll pay it,” Sonya cut in.

  “Your sister wants to post her own bail,” Dwayne said matter-of-factly.

  Sonya swirled her chair to face the long wall of open windows. She stared at the beautiful skyline of downtown Atlanta. She was hurt by her sister’s decision. She only wanted to help, but once again Laura saw this as an opportunity to declare her independence.

  How many times had Laura claimed that she didn’t need or want any help from her? Laura always saw Sonya’s concern as an act of interference. “Does she have enough money?” she finally asked in a low voice.

  “She wants to put up her house.”

  Sonya squared her shoulders, gathered her courage and stood up from her chair. “So are you here to also tell me that you’re no longer working for me?” Sonya asked, her sarcasm sharp enough to cut through the thickest glass. She didn’t want this man to see how much her sister’s decision affected her.

  “No, Miss Walters. I’m simply saying that Laura desires to pay her own bail.”

  “But not her own lawyer?”

  Dwayne shrugged his shoulders.

  “Okay, so she posted her own bail.”

  “I only came over because you wanted me to keep you informed,” Dwayne answered.

  Sonya walked from the window. “So what’s next?”

  “Next I begin working on your sister’s defense. I’ll compile the police reports and go over the crime scene. Which brings me to my next subject, which I hope you can help me with. Personally I prefer it if you keep a close eye on your sister. She has a very bad case of the guilts, and I want her heavily watched. Do you think that you could do that?”

  Sonya crossed her arms. “Of course I can. She’ll stay with me.”

  “It may not be as easy as that. There might be a slight chance that she doesn’t want to stay with you.”

  “Are you telling me that my sister doesn’t want to stay with me, either?” Sonya asked, this time unable to hide her hurt expression.

  “I’m not saying that. I just got the impression that she may be a little resentful right now.”

  “Resentful? About what?”

  “I don’t know. I’m telling you what I picked up from her attitude.”

  “Now you listen here. My sister will want to stay with me. We’ve always been close and she…she would tell me if…if I’ve done anything to upset her. Now, in ten minutes, you’ve told me that she doesn’t want me to pay her bail and that she may or may not want to stay with me!”

  Dwayne let out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t mean to upset you. What I need for you to remember is that your sister may not act like herself. She’s going through a lot. What you think is helping her may not be.”

  Sonya’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She knew what Dwayne said made perfect sense. “Okay, I’ll back off.”

  Dwayne flashed her a breathtaking smile, causing Sonya to shift her weight nervously on her heels.

  “I must be going,” he said, pulling his eyes away from hers.

  Sonya watched as Dwayne began to say something else, then stopped. “I’ll talk to you later.” He got up from the chair. Just as Dwayne reached for the door to leave her office, Sonya stopped him.

  “You know, don’t you?”

  Dwayne turned back around to face her. “Excuse me?”

  “My mother. You know, don’t you?”

  Dwayne nodded his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his eyes leveling with her own.

  Sonya took a deep breath, then walked over to stand in front of him. “Would you have taken the case if I had told you that mother was serving time for the exact crime my sister is charged with?”

  Dwayne’s expression told her the answer to that question. “But you knew I would find out.”

  “Maybe I was just trying to buy some time,” she said, looking away from his intense stare.

  “Time for what?” Dwayne asked as she walked back to the window to look out at the tiny people below.

  “I knew if you met my sister that you would know the kind of person she is, and that this is really two different cases.”

  The room was silent. Sonya was too afraid to turn around. She didn’t want this man to see her tears. She had already let him see her cry before, and she refused to let that happen again. Sonya inhaled his fragrance and knew that he was now standing behind her. Suddenly it became difficult to breathe and her stomach was doing those funny tricks again.

  “You’re right,” she heard him say, his breath warm against her neck. “I can’t turn down this case now.” Sonya’s knees grew weaker by the seconds. Slowly she turned around to face him. He was standing closer than she thought. Their eyes held each other spellbound, and Sonya couldn’t pull away if she had tried. She noticed how curly his lashes were. He was leaning closer, and Sonya’s heart felt like it was about to explode in her chest. He was going to kiss her. Sonya knew it as she tilted her face upward in anticipation, her eyes closed.

  “Miss Walters?” Tina said, bolting through the door.

  Sonya jumped away from Dwayne and looked away toward her desk. She could feel her cheeks flame from embarrassment.

  “I must be going,” Dwayne said, his own voice cracking. “I’ll talk with you later, Miss Walters.”

  Sonya nodded in response, refusing to look at him. When she heard the door close behind him, she released her breath that she had unconsciously held. She looked over at Tina, who was smiling from ear to ear. “This better be important.”

  Chapter 7

  One week later…

  “Daddy, time to get up!” Bridget yelled.

  Dwayne peered up at his clock, which read five-thirty. Does that girl ever sleep? He couldn’t fathom ever having so much energy. He heard Bridget’s stereo blasting well past two o’clock this morning, and now she was waking him up. Aging is such a cruel joke.

  Finally Dwayne mustered up the strength to throw one leg over the edge of the bed and then the other one. He appreciated the fresh aroma of coffee brewing downstairs. The girl did have her good qualities, he thought, smiling.

  After his morning shower, he made it down the stairs dressed in his blue Father’s Day robe. He poured his ritual cup of coffee and turned on the nine-inch TV that sat on the kitchen counter.

  “Today in local news, Sergeant Freeman of the Atlanta Police Department announced the department’s new plan of affirmative action to help prevent crime.”


  Dwayne sipped at his coffee as he watched the graying sergeant take the podium.

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Atlanta Police Department, I’d like to address our current problem with the alarming number of homicide cases. In May, we had a record high of fifty-two cases. And already for the first week in June, we’ve had fifteen cases—”

  “What’s the department’s plan, Sergeant?” a reporter butted in.

  “To enforce tougher sentences on these horrendous crimes and put more officers on patrol,” came his confident reply.

  “Sergeant Freeman, Sergeant Freeman…” the reporters chanted in unison.

  Dwayne switched off the television. “Law and order at its best,” he mumbled. Dwayne agreed that crime in Atlanta was at an all-time high, but Sergeant Freeman’s suggestions wouldn’t do much to stop it. It was just the department’s way to let the public know that they were aware of the situation. Nothing else. Who was going to follow up to see if there were more men patrolling an area than there were last month? Nobody. Just a lot of talk and no action. “Hold it right there, young lady!” Dwayne bellowed, catching a glimpse of his daughter sneaking down the stairs. “Just where do you think you’re off to dressed like that?”

  “Like what?” Bridget asked, her innocent face carefully in place.

  “That dress is to short and too tight, for starters. And you have on entirely too much makeup.”

  “Daddy, this is the style—get with it. Besides, it’s the last day of school. All the girls are going to be dressed like this.”