Wrongly Accused

by Erin Wade

  “I just wanted you to know what was waiting for you,” Niki teased. “I mean, with the warden taking you to dinner and giving you cell phones, a girl has to bring her A-game to hold your attention.”

  Dawn moaned as she scanned the low-cut dress Niki was wearing. Full breasts rose and fell seductively as Niki breathed. She knew how beautiful Niki’s breasts were, but she had never touched them. My stupidity.

  Niki leaned forward, giving Dawn a better look. “You like?”

  Dawn licked her lips and nodded. Her mouth was too dry to talk. She tore her eyes away from Niki’s exposed skin and looked into her eyes. “God, I’ve missed you.”

  Niki squeezed Dawn’s hands tighter. “I want to kiss you, but I know they will throw me out if I do, so tell me about your day. How did the interviews go?”

  Dawn told her the sad stories they had listened to all morning. “He molested so many of these women,” she said. “But let’s talk about something happy. Let’s talk about you.”

  “I wanted to ask you what you thought about me getting an apartment,” Niki said. “Nothing fancy, just a small one-bedroom apartment close to the school.”

  “Is it crowded living with my family?”

  “No. They, uh, just keeping asking me about my relationship with you. I think they know we’re a couple.”

  “We are a couple,” Dawn said as the realization finally hit her. “I can’t keep this stupid grin off my face. I’m just so happy to see you.”

  “I know,” Niki murmured. “Believe me, I know.”

  “Niki, a friend is living in my home. She’s basically house-sitting for me until I get out of this place. You can live there if you’d like. There’s plenty of room, and it would make me happy knowing you were there. My folks can be a bit inquisitive. I understand you wanting to live where no one is constantly questioning you. Jacey works nights, so you’ll probably only see her on weekends.

  “I have . . . had a new car in the garage. You can use it. The keys are . . . I’m not sure where the keys are. Ask my mom if the police returned my belongings to her. They took my purse and briefcase the night they arrested me. The keys to the house and car were in my purse.”

  “Thank you,” Niki whispered. “I just wish you could walk through the door with me the first time I enter.”

  “I could carry you over the threshold,” Dawn said breathlessly, her eyes locked on Niki’s.

  They were interrupted by the squawking buzzer, signaling their time was over.

  “No,” Niki whimpered. “I just got here.”

  Dawn took one last look at Niki’s cleavage and moaned. “I’ll see if I can get some kind of pass. The way I feel, I should surely qualify for a hardship pass or something.”

  Niki giggled and refrained from tiptoeing to kiss her love. “Call me tonight,” she whispered.

  ##

  Dawn returned to Val’s office as another inmate was brought in to talk with them. At the end of the day, they had worked through seven of Dr. Merrick’s victims.

  Val kicked off her heels, leaned her head back against her chair, and closed her eyes. “He definitely had a mode of operation,” she mumbled. “Every story is the same. The acts he forced them to do varied, but everything else is by the script.”

  “You look tired,” Dawn observed.

  “This stuff gets to you after a while,” Val muttered. “But you’ve been unusually chipper this afternoon. I guess a visit with your family does put you in a better mood.”

  For the thousandth time, the vision of Niki floated across Dawn’s mind, forcing her to smile. “Yes, it does help me, knowing that my life outside prison still exists.”

  “What will you do when you get out?” Val asked, keeping her eyes closed against the memories of the pitiful women they had talked with today.

  “I don’t know. I was on track to become the chief surgeon in my hospital before the accident. Now I don’t even know if I’ll be able to get a job in any hospital.”

  “Reynolds wants to retire,” Val volunteered. “You could have his job if you want it.”

  Dawn cocked her head and studied the woman who had destroyed her life. “I think not.”

  Val opened her eyes and raised her head to look at Dawn. She hoped the hurt she felt didn’t show in her eyes. “Let’s go get some dinner. We both skipped lunch, and I’m starving.”

  ##

  “You drink a lot of coffee,” Val noted as Dawn ordered the caffeinated brew with her dinner.

  “A habit I formed in med school,” Dawn said. “I love a good cup of coffee—something that is missing at your establishment.”

  “I have it every time you work with me, but you don’t consume much of it.”

  “As I said, a good cup of coffee is missing at your establishment.”

  Dawn’s emphasis on the word “good” wasn’t missed by Val. “Coffee is coffee to me. Do you have a favorite brand?”

  “I love Italian coffee. Segafredo is my favorite.”

  “Hmmm. I’ll have to try it.” Val cocked a brow and smiled.

  Chapter 23

  They worked ten-hour days, interviewing women and studying reports and complaints. Dawn was pleasantly surprised to find a fresh pot of Segafredo coffee waiting for her every morning. Val showed her appreciation in little ways, like serving the coffee and Dawn’s favorite Danish with breakfast every morning.

  “When this project is over I’m going to miss our breakfast together,” Dawn said as she refilled their cups.

  “There’s no reason for that to change,” Val said with a smile. “It would be a good idea for you to give me a report on the hospital activities at the beginning of each day. If you’d like to.”

  “I’d love to.” Dawn grinned as she settled onto the sofa in Val’s office. “How many more do we have to interview?”

  “If we work ten-hour days for the next three days, we’ll be finished by Friday. I can put my report together over the weekend and have it ready for my meeting with the DA on Monday.”

  “I . . . uh . . . don’t forget my Wednesday visitor’s meeting.”

  “Surely you can miss one visitor’s meeting,” Val snapped. The look of disbelief on Dawn’s face made her realize how important seeing her family was to her.

  Val moved quickly to repair the damage she had done. “Look, if you’ll work through Wednesday visitation, I’ll arrange a weekend pass for you.”

  “You can do that?” Dawn’s excitement was contagious.

  Val grinned. “Of course! I’m the warden.”

  They shared a laugh. Dawn was learning that Val was indeed autonomous in running the prison.

  “I’d like that very much,” Dawn said.

  ##

  Dawn stood in the shower, letting the hot water run down her body. Without Niki there she could stand under the soothing stream and enjoy the warmth of the water longer. She smiled as she thought of telling Niki about her weekend release from the prison. Suddenly she couldn’t wait to tell the beautiful redhead they’d have the weekend together.

  She towel-dried her hair, slipped on her T-shirt, and climbed into bed. She held the cell phone in her hand, prolonging the anticipation of hearing Niki’s voice. She touched the screen, bringing Niki into her life.

  “Hi, honey,” Niki cooed into the phone. “I thought you’d never call. Long day?”

  “Yes. We’re still interviewing Merrick’s victims, and I wanted to wash this place off me before I called you.”

  “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.” Niki’s sultry voice made heat run through Dawn’s body.

  “Umm, about tomorrow—”

  “Don’t you dare tell me I can’t see you tomorrow because the warden needs you.”

  Dawn tried again to tell her about the arrangements she had made. “Baby, I can’t see you tomorrow because—”

  “Dammit, Dawn Fairchild, I live from Wednesday to Wednesday. I—”

  “Because I traded it for a weekend pass,” Dawn blurted.

  “That upset
s me so . . . what did you say?”

  “I said I traded our one hour on Wednesday for the entire weekend. I can leave at five Friday night and return by six Sunday evening.”

  “You’re not teasing me? You shouldn’t tease about something as wonderful as that.”

  “No, baby, I’m not teasing,” Dawn murmured.

  “Oh Dawn!” Niki sighed. “I can’t believe Old Ironsides is letting you do that. How did you pull that off?”

  “She’s like a dog with a bone, Niki,” Dawn said. “She’s a woman on a mission. She’s determined to see that Merrick gets the needle for Terry Shipman’s death.

  “She said if I’d work through Wednesday so we could wrap up the interviews by Friday afternoon, she would give me a weekend pass.”

  Niki was silent for several seconds. “Does she know about us?”

  “Right now, there isn’t anything to know,” Dawn countered. “We’re no more than the best of friends.”

  “I plan to change that this weekend.”

  Niki’s provocative voice filled Dawn’s mind with arousing images. “I plan to let you,” she whispered.

  After a long silence, Niki spoke. “Your mom said she never received your belongings from the police. Do you want me to see if I can get them?”

  “That would be wonderful. I’m not sure they’ll give them to someone unrelated to me.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment filled Niki’s voice.

  “I’ll speak to the warden and see if you can pick up my things. I bet she can arrange that.”

  “I bet she can,” Niki grumbled, fighting to keep her dislike of Val from showing. She was afraid Dawn would think her ungrateful.

  “What time do you get out of class tomorrow?” Dawn asked.

  “One.”

  “I’ll call you and let you know what to do.”

  “I’ll do whatever you want,” Niki whispered seductively.

  “Are we still talking about picking up my things?” Dawn teased.

  “What do you think?”

  ##

  Dawn closed the file on another case and shook her head in disgust. “How could this go on so long and with so many women?”

  Val shrugged. She felt like a fool. She watched Dawn as the blonde relaxed against the back of the sofa and rested her coffee cup on her leg. She looked like she was sharing afternoon coffee with a friend. One would never know she was an inmate in a women’s federal prison. She looked like a pampered socialite—a gorgeous pampered socialite.

  “I honestly thought I was doing a good job,” Val said, cringing. “I was only fooling myself.”

  “You have to move among them,” Dawn noted. “You must listen to them.”

  “I know that now—now that you were almost raped and a woman has died. That pitiful little excuse for a woman was more effective at keeping you safe than I was.”

  “Pitiful . . . I don’t know who—”

  “Niki,” Val rasped “Her name was Niki. I released her last month.”

  “Oh,” Dawn exclaimed. “Niki. I forget that she was such a waif when I first came here. She looks so different now.”

  “Yes, I suppose she does look different now,” Val muttered. “I give her a year and she’ll be back in here.”

  Dawn shot an angry glance toward Val. “You truly don’t know people at all, do you?”

  “I know drug addicts,” Val huffed. “They always go back to the stuff.”

  Chapter 24

  “I’ll give Bobby a call and let him know someone will drop by his office tomorrow to pick up your things,” Val said as they wrapped up Wednesday’s marathon interviewing of molested women.

  “I’d appreciate that.” Dawn’s amiable smile was the bright spot of Val’s day.

  Val called Bobby and explained what she needed.

  “He’s up to his neck in a multiple murder, but he’ll call your mother next week and get your things to her.”

  Dawn nodded. “Thank you. Is it okay if I call my mom to let her know Detective Jones will be calling her?”

  “Sure.” Val grinned as Dawn pushed a button on her cell phone.

  “Hello, darling,” Niki drawled, stretching out the two words as seductively as possible.

  Dawn struggled to keep the excitement out of her voice and the pleasure from her face. “Mom, Warden Davis has arranged for you to pick up my belongings from the police. Detective Bobby Joe Jones will call you next week. They still have my purse with all my keys, cell phone, and wallet. They want you to bring my attorney, Libby, with you so she can sign the receipt.”

  “Oh my God,” Niki said breathlessly. “This is really going to happen. I’ll have you all weekend.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll see you this weekend. I love you too, Mom.”

  “Want to get out of this place for dinner?” Val asked as Dawn ended her call.

  “Do I ever say no to that?”

  “I have a new place for us to try,” Val said.

  ##

  Val had always considered herself asexual. Neither sex had ever appealed to her enough to sidetrack her ambitions. Then she met Dr. Dawn Fairchild. The gorgeous blonde had destroyed every barrier Val had built. Not only was she beautiful, Dawn was genuinely nice—a good, caring person.

  Val had been amazed at the transformation of Niki Sears, and it was all because Dawn had taken an interest in the poor pathetic creature. Val had to admit that Niki was now one of the most breathtaking women she had ever met. If she were truthful, she’d admit that she’d been delighted to release Niki just to get her away from Dawn.

  She had no reason to believe that Dawn might be a lesbian. Dawn had been engaged to a male doctor before the accident and had vehemently protested when Madonna had assumed she was Val’s lover.

  Val looked forward to every day, because at some point during the day she would talk with Dawn Fairchild. She searched for unique dining spots the two of them could share. She trusted Dawn’s judgment and often had her sit in on an inmate’s interview. Dawn had become the bright spot in her day. Val knew she was falling in love with the beautiful doctor. She turned out her night-light and let dreams of Dawn fill her head.

  Chapter 25

  “That’s the last one.” Val stretched as Dawn carried her coffee cup to the sideboard. “How can you drink that much coffee?”

  “A bad habit I developed during my residency,” Dawn chuckled. “We worked horrendous hours. Twenty-four-hour shifts were the norm, not the exception.”

  “I never did my residency,” Val volunteered. “I have degrees in law and medicine from Harvard, but law is my passion.”

  “I can tell.” Dawn smiled. “Just as medicine is mine.”

  “I thought I’d find you two here,” Lance Reynolds said as he entered the office. “Are you finished with your witch hunt?”

  Val frowned at his choice of words. “It’s not a witch hunt, Lance. It’s an honest effort to end the crime in our own prison.”

  “Whoa,” Lance said as he held his hands up in front of him. “I was just kidding, Warden. I’m behind you every step of the way. What Merrick was doing is unconscionable.”

  “I’m sorry,” Val said, shrugging. “The things Merrick got away with gall me. I blame myself as much as my predecessors. He committed appalling crimes and dealt drugs right under my nose.

  “He had guards working with him. Relatives of prisoners would pay Merrick to get drugs to inmates. Merrick would give the drugs to the guards, who would deliver them to the inmates—for a cut, of course. I can’t believe the corruption going on with my closest staff members.”

  “What alerted you to his operation?” Lance asked as he settled on the sofa beside Dawn who was still making notes on her pad.

  “Dr. Fairchild and Niki Sears. Merrick tried to rape Niki during her exit interview session. Dawn caught him.”

  “Good Lord,” Lance groused. “Are you going to testify against him, Dawn?”

  “Of course,” Dawn said.

  “Her testimony is a vital par
t of our case,” Val added.

  “Back to my original question,” Lance said as he got to his feet. “Are you finished?”

  “We’ll wrap it all up Friday,” Val replied. “Why?”

  “We have a patient who needs heart surgery.” Lance looked at Dawn. “I’d like to schedule it for next week, if that is agreeable with you.”

  “Let’s set her up for an evaluation,” Dawn said. “I’ll need time to interview her and look over her records to make certain it’s an operation I feel qualified to do. In the meantime, I’ll need some tests completed and the results.” Dawn jotted several lines on her notepad, tore of the sheet, and handed it to Lance.

  “Works for me.” Lance gave a Boy Scout salute. “You ladies have a nice evening.”

  “Dinner?” Val raised a questioning brow once the door closed behind Lance.

  “Always,” Dawn said, laughing.

  ##

  “I want to run an idea by you,” Val said as the waitress walked away with their order.

  “Go for it.” Dawn was euphoric. Her good mood extended to the warden. After all, Val was giving her a weekend pass.

  “I love your enthusiasm.” Val laughed. “I . . . I’m thinking about setting up a self-defense school for some of the inmates. The sane ones who are in here for nonviolent crimes like fraud, theft, drug use, that sort of thing.

  “If they learn to defend themselves, they’ll be less likely to become victims of prison bullies. What do you think?”

  Dawn applauded. “Where do I sign up? That is a great idea. How soon can you make it happen?”

  “I have two women who have been at Carswell almost a year. They are model prisoners and former owners of a self-defense training center for women.”

  “What’s their crime?”

  “Income tax evasion,” Val said with a snicker.

  “That’s about as nonviolent as you can get,” Dawn noted. “If Niki had received some self-defense training it might have saved her a lot of agony.”

  “You do know she has some mental problems?” Val’s expression became serious. “Just because she’s every woman’s walking wet dream right now doesn’t mean she’s compos mentis.”