For the Defense

by Maggie Wells

  With a jerk, Simon dragged himself from the doorway and followed the other man into his office. He wanted to press harder, find out exactly what Masters County’s law and justice departments had run into with Coulter before he’d been retained, but frankly, he was more than ready to deal with a case that didn’t involve his biggest client.

  Hayes pulled a file from his briefcase and flipped it open.

  “Timothy Showalter. Seventeen years old, first offense. Charged with possession with intent to distribute,” Hayes recited without looking down at the page once. “Deputy Schaeffer says he was holding the bag in his hand and showing it to some friends when he approached. When he spotted Mike coming, Timmy shoved it back into his backpack. He tried to tell the deputy he’d need a search warrant to look in there.”

  The two men shared a chuckle. Simon made a mental note to tell Timothy Showalter not to take TV legal dramas too seriously. He needed a civics lesson on the basics of search and seizure.

  “He says he has no idea how it got into his backpack, and he was showing it to his friends to ask if they put it there.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” the DA hummed. At last, he dropped his gaze to the file and skimmed the police report. “If your client agrees, I’m willing to go with a plea of nolo contendere under the First Time Offender Act.”

  “We’d ask the judge for a conditional discharge of probation plus community service in lieu of jail time,” Simon countered.

  Hayes nodded and closed the file. “I can agree to those terms.” Sighing, he dropped heavily into his chair. “I hate sending kids to jail for being stupid.” He looked up at Simon, his expression hard. “You tell him this is his one get-out-of-jail-free card. People around these parts are pretty edgy when it comes to any kind of drug dealing. They may look the other way if I let one of their own slide on some weed, but if he’s busted again, I will come after him before the townsfolk can come after me with pitchforks. We clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  Hayes nodded, then reached up to shake Simon’s hand. “I hate starting the day this way. Timmy Showalter lives down the street from me. His mama called my house at least three times last night begging me not to send her baby to prison. Apparently, Timmy sleeps with a scrap of his old security blanket.”

  Simon nodded, keeping his expression carefully neutral. “I will make sure he is aware that if there is a next time, he will feel the full weight of the law and his mama. I’ll also threaten to leak the information about his blankie.”

  The two men exchanged wary smiles.

  “I’ll talk to my client, speak to his parents and get back to you by the end of the day,” Simon promised.

  “I’m surprised Barb Showalter isn’t blowing up your phone already. She says he’s been giving her nothing but trouble ever since he went to work at the Reptile Rendezvous, and everyone knows you’re Coulter’s guy.”

  “I am not ‘Coulter’s guy,’ and I keep my phone on silent mode,” Simon said gruffly.

  “Probably wise.”

  Unease crept up Simon’s spine as he made a mental note to ask Mrs. Showalter exactly what kind of trouble young Timmy had become since taking the job at the refuge. “I’ll, uh, I’ll speak with her about her concerns when I call to talk about the plea.”

  “Good.”

  There was a note of finality in Hayes’s response, and it jerked Simon from his thoughts. He eyed the DA warily, but found he was in no hurry to leave. Frankly, he was tired of talking to himself...and Dora. He wanted to make some friends in this town, and what better place to start than with the man across the desk. After all, there was nothing wrong with being friendly adversaries. If he won the district attorney over to his side, maybe he could get beautiful Lori Cabrera to stop giving him the stink eye each time their paths crossed.

  Rubbing his cheek, he ventured out onto the limb. “I was thinking of inviting some people over to watch the game Saturday. I’ll fire up Wendell’s old Weber grill and all.” He made a vague, all-encompassing gesture. “I’d like you to come, if you’re free.” Hayes looked up, his surprise evident. Simon tossed off a nonchalant shrug. “I was going to invite Sheriff Kinsella and Marlee Masters, whoever’s not on duty across the hall...”

  He prayed Mike Schaeffer would be on shift at kickoff time. Not because he had anything against the guy, but he was more anxious to see Lori again. It occurred to him she might not be available. He hadn’t spotted a wedding ring. A lack of jewelry didn’t mean anything. For all he knew, she could be involved with Hayes.

  “Hey, I didn’t even ask,” he blurted. “Are you married? Seeing someone? Either way, you’re welcome to bring a plus-one or something.”

  Hayes looked taken aback by the question. “Yeah, uh, no. I’m not married. Sure, I’ll come over to watch the game. Need me to bring anything?”

  Simon’s mind raced and he started to panic at the thought of throwing an impromptu party together. Then he remembered Dora. For the first time since he’d arrived in Pine Bluff, he blessed his grandfather’s longtime secretary’s almost compulsive need to assist him. She could help him pull this together. And Miss Delia, Wendell’s mostly retired housekeeper.

  “Uh, no. I don’t think so. I was going to keep it simple—burgers, dogs and stuff.”

  Hayes nodded. “Cool. I’ll bring some soft drinks and beer. Maybe some chips.”

  “That would be great.” Simon began to back out of the room. “I need to double-check the schedule. I think we have a six-o’clock kickoff.”

  “It is.”

  Simon stifled the urge to chuckle. This was Southeastern Conference football country. He wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in town had the Georgia Bulldogs football schedule memorized whether they were fans or not.

  “I’ll have the charcoal ready.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Great.” Simon nodded enthusiastically. “See you Saturday.”

  “Yep.” Hayes smirked and fired up his laptop. “The sooner you talk to your client about the deal, the better. I don’t keep my phone on Silent, and I get annoyed when helicopter parents try to land on my head.”

  “Gotcha.” Simon beat a path out of the man’s office. He had a party to plan.

  Chapter Five

  Deputy Steve Wasson of Prescott County called to give her a heads-up. An Amber Alert was being issued. Fourteen-year-old Kaylin Bowers had been reported missing by her parents when they woke up to find their daughter’s rumpled bed empty. Lori stared at the computer screen, studying the photos the girl’s parents had collected. Most were the usual posed shots taken at school, but the one Steve sent through was different from the others. This was a selfie pulled from a PicturSpam account Kaylin’s parents had no clue she’d opened.

  One in which fourteen-year-old Kaylin claimed to be an eighteen-year-old model and actress. In the photo unearthed by the techy deputy at the Prescott County Sheriff’s Department, she looked every day of eighteen.

  “Like waving a red cloth to a predator,” Lori murmured to herself. “Was I that trusting at that age?”

  Lori didn’t ponder the question long. Her parents had been strict with her—something she remembered chafing against, but was now thankful for in retrospect. Teenagers in general were given to poor impulse control, something she’d had to bite her tongue to keep from pointing out when Steve told her Kaylin’s parents didn’t monitor her social media accounts closely because they didn’t want to “invade” their daughter’s privacy. Lori would bet her badge they were regretting not being nosier now.

  She was pulling up her own PicturSpam account to do some stalking when the door to the sheriff’s office opened and Simon Wingate walked in. Minimizing the window, Lori watched in amazement as Julianne, their normally unflappable dispatcher, flittered and fluttered, practically cooing her hellos to the man. Their determined flirtation was so painful to watch, Lori felt the need to put one or both�
�or all of them—out of their misery.

  “Don’t you have any work to do?” she demanded, glaring at Wingate. “I can call fire and rescue. Maybe they’ll let you chase an ambulance around for a while so you can stay in business.”

  Her snark cut through Julianne’s excitement like a hot knife.

  Simon didn’t fluster easily. He simply smiled and said, “Great idea! I’ve been looking for a good gym around here. I guess y’all make your own CrossFit, huh?”

  Lori was still coming up with a retort when he raised a hand in greeting to Ben, who was lounging in his chair, watching them go at each other. “Hey, Sheriff, how’s it going?”

  “It’s going well as can be expected,” Ben answered laconically. “What brings you in, Counselor?”

  Simon smiled so wide a boyish dimple appeared in his left cheek. “Call me Simon.”

  Lori wanted to sneer at him and his stupid dimple, but she couldn’t. She wanted to touch it, which might explain why the mere sight of the flirty dent made her agitated.

  “I come in peace.” He raised both hands high in surrender. “I was across the hall talking to the DA, and I realized I hadn’t socialized with anyone since I moved here.”

  Lori scoffed. “I’m sure you think we were all feeling the loss keenly.”

  He aimed the full wattage of his charming smile on her, and she almost fell back in her seat. “Well, the thought had crossed my mind, so I thought I’d put you all out of your misery and let you get to know me.”

  Julianne laughed out loud. “You’re every bit the rascal you were when you were twelve years old,” she cooed. “You remember the time your grandmama paid me to keep an eye on you for a couple of hours so she and your granddad could go to the spaghetti supper at the church? Your granddad was a deacon, and you were the devil incarnate.”

  “Remember?” Simon dropped a wink at the dispatcher. “I had the biggest crush on you, Miss Julianne.”

  “Liar,” she purred.

  “No.” Simon shook his head vehemently. “No lie. I was twelve and you were seventeen, and I thought you were the prettiest thing I’d ever seen in my whole life.”

  Julianne went back to her keyboard, a primly pleased smile twitching the corners of her mouth. “I’ll let you go on thinking I was only seventeen to your twelve.”

  Simon guffawed. “There is no way on earth I’m going to believe there’s a bigger gap between us.”

  Lori almost growled. Julianne was at least ten years older than Simon Wingate. She was twelve years older than Lori herself, and Lori was fully capable of doing the math.

  “Anyway,” Simon said, interrupting her thoughts, “I came by to invite you all over to watch the football game on Saturday night. Granddad left his grill on the patio, and I’m capable of scorching some hamburgers.” He added a winsome smile to the assault. “If y’all would come by, I’d be much obliged. It gets pretty quiet in the old house on the weekends.”

  Lori felt a pang of pity for the man, and it irked her. Pity was exactly what he’d been counting on. He was new in town, and he probably was lonely. She wasn’t a fan of being cajoled into anything, and this whole barbecue setup reeked of manipulation.

  “I’ll speak to Marlee and see if she has any plans for Saturday night,” Ben answered.

  “Do that,” Simon implored. “I ran into her at the Piggly Wiggly the other day. She was in a rush, so we didn’t do much more than exchange hellos. I’m sure she has her hands full with Timber Masters now that her daddy is semiretired.”

  Semiretired. Lori noted the terminology. Henry Masters, Marlee’s father and the man who practically ran the whole town, had had a debilitating stroke in the spring. Marlee had stepped in to take over the reins at the lumber company that kept many residents of the county employed.

  “She does, but I’m making sure she takes time off. A cookout sounds great,” Ben said agreeably.

  “Great!” Simon’s expression sobered, and the shine in his blue eyes seemed to dim a shade. “Marlee, Jeff and I used to run around together when we were kids, see what trouble we could find. Hard to believe Jeff is gone.”

  Lori ducked her head. In the past year, Pine Bluff had lost some of their best and brightest to a wannabe drug kingpin’s power play. One of those men had been Marlee’s brother, Jeff. The man Lori had been falling for. The one who had died in a tragic tangle of unsavory circumstances. She could feel Ben staring at the back of her neck and held herself still. She refused to let her discomfiture show.

  Oblivious to the undercurrents, Simon blathered on. “I look forward to getting reacquainted with Marlee. And yourself, of course.”

  Lori wanted to chuckle at the man’s attempt at a save, but the mere mention of Jeff Masters dampened her ability to laugh. Instead, she drew a deep breath when she lifted her head again. Big mistake. Simon Wingate was staring at her.

  “I realize some people see us as being on opposite sides...” Only a fool would miss the tiny smirk that twitched his lips. “I don’t believe we are. Sure, we have different functions within the judicial system, but at the end of the day, we’re all after justice.”

  Lori opened her mouth to make a scathing comment, but Ben cut her off.

  “You’re absolutely right. I’ve been on the other side of the table, and all too aware of exactly how important it is to have someone sitting by your side when people are coming after you.”

  Lips thinning into a line, Lori studied her boss. Ben’s expression remained open and inviting. She couldn’t help but marvel at his perspective. Ben had once been an undercover agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, but his cover had been blown in a bust gone horribly wrong. He’d been doubted, questioned and practically tossed away by the agency he’d given years of his life to serving. If such a thing were to happen to her, Lori doubted she’d be philosophical about it.

  “I’ll speak to Marlee, and give Dora a call to let you know if we can make it,” Ben said evenly. “Can we bring anything?”

  Simon inclined his head. “Cool. Uh—” he pointed toward the office across the lobby “—Hayes is bringing drinks. I’m not sure...” He trailed off with a shrug. “Whatever else you think we might want.”

  “We’ll swing by the bakery and bring some dessert. Marlee’s always up for something sweet,” Ben offered.

  “Awesome. Great.” Simon clapped once and pivoted toward Julianne. “You in?”

  She shook her head sadly. “I’m afraid we can’t. My mother-in-law is doing poorly and we’re going up to Macon to check in and spell Dylan’s sister off for a couple of days.”

  “I’m sorry. You’ll be missed,” Simon replied, and oddly enough, he sounded sincere.

  Lori clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, physically willing herself to stop thinking the worst of this man. He was right; he wasn’t doing anything wrong. If his clients were the scum of the earth, that didn’t mean he was. Did it?

  She opened her eyes to find Simon staring at her. “Deputy Lori?”

  The way he drawled her name both excited and annoyed her. She opened her mouth to say something smart, but all she said was “Saturday is my day off.”

  To her horror, she realized that rather than coming across as an excuse, it sounded like she had unlimited availability. She hastened to correct the impression.

  “I plan to spend the day with my younger sister.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. The thought had crossed her mind that she needed to spend some quality time with Lena, and when she saw the photographs of Kaylin Bowers, she’d vowed to make it happen.

  “The game doesn’t start till six, and you’re welcome to bring anyone along. I assure you we will keep things family friendly. My first soirée back in Pine Bluff can’t be some kind of Roman orgy.”

  Lori’s cheeks heated with a fiery flush. Julianne hooted and Ben let out a snort of laughter. A part of her couldn’t believe he’d actually utte
red the word orgy out loud. The devil on her shoulder told her it was completely on brand for Simon and the people he chose to defend.

  “I’ll keep the invitation in mind,” she replied, enunciating each word carefully. Then she tacked a belated “Thank you” on, but it tasted grudging on her tongue.

  Ben shot her a look, but she couldn’t be bothered wasting the niceties on Simon Wingate. Not when the man made her feel so knotted up inside.

  “Great, well, I’ll see whoever can make it.” He backed away. “Oh, and I assume Deputy Schaeffer will be on duty, but would you make sure to tell him to swing by to check on the score? We’ll load him up with something to eat.”

  “Will do,” Ben answered with a nod.

  Simon lifted his hand in farewell. “Y’all have a nice day.”

  The door shut behind him and Julianne whirled on her. “Girl, are you blind? What the devil is wrong with you?”

  Bristling, Lori glared back at her. “I’m not blind, and there’s nothing wrong with me.”

  “There must be, because a gorgeous man walked in here specifically to ask you to come over to his house for a get-together and you... Ugh! What am I going to do with you?” Julianne cried.

  “You do not have to do anything with me, and he did not come in here specifically for me. He invited everyone,” Lori shot back. Behind her, Ben chuckled. Swiveling in her seat, she glared at her boss. “What?”

  “I’m gonna have to side with Julianne on this one. I’m pretty sure she and I were not his target audience.”

  Lori splayed her hands. “He said he invited Hayes.”

  “Okay, so maybe it’s a toss-up between you and Harry,” Julianne said tartly. “Get in there and fight, girl. You think handsome single guys plop themselves down in friggin’ Pine Bluff, Georgia, every day?”

  “It’s not a toss-up,” Ben said. “Harry is an excuse, and Marlee and I are cover. Though, now that I think about it, he may have been counting on you for a covered dish or something, Julianne.” Ben zoomed in on Lori. “How are your baked beans?” he teased.