Scene of the Crime

by M. J. Williamz

  “Thank you, but I don’t think that would be necessary.”

  “Okay, but the offer stands.”

  “I thought my attendance was being closely watched,” Cullen said. “I mean, I appreciate what you’re saying, but wouldn’t there still be a risk I’d be let go?”

  Samantha smiled sweetly.

  “I’m saying I’ve got your back and, as head of HR, I’ve got a lot of pull. So you just do what you need to to take care of yourself.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. Now, if there’s nothing else, I really should get going.”

  “Oh, yes, okay. Good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  Cullen followed Samantha down the hall to the elevators. She had no idea why Samantha was being so nice to her, but she was glad she was. Maybe Cullen would take some time off when the trial was over. Maybe she and Julia could get away for a day or two to celebrate, assuming Sara was convicted.

  She arrived at Robert’s office just before ten. She was tired from working three hours already, she was perplexed at Samantha’s impromptu visit, and she really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Robert or say nice things about Sara. Yet here she was.

  Robert came out to take her back to his office. He was wearing a black suit with a charcoal tie over a white shirt and looked impeccable as always. Did nothing ruffle this guy?

  “Cullen, thank you for coming. Let’s go into the conference room, shall we?”

  “Sure.”

  “Would you like some coffee? Tea? Water? You need to relax. You look like a rubber band wound too tight. Trust me, everything is going to be fine.”

  Cullen wasn’t sure how to respond to that last statement.

  “I’ll have some coffee, please.”

  “Coming right up. How do you take it?”

  “Lots of cream, no sugar.”

  “Excellent.” He smiled at her and he picked up the phone and told the person on the other end what she wanted. He hung up and motioned for Cullen to sit. She did and he sat across from her.

  “I saw Sara this morning,” he said. “She doesn’t look good. She says jail is wearing on her. Cullen, we need to get her out of there. And just think, once she’s released, the two of you can pick up where you left off. We just have to establish her innocence, and I think you’re going to help paint a picture of what she’s really like instead of the ugly images the prosecution is going to try to smear her as.”

  Cullen kept her mouth shut. Sara was a murderer. She couldn’t get off. There was no way. But she couldn’t say that in front of Robert.

  “So first things first, Cullen, and I need you to be honest. If she gets out, will you be there waiting for her?”

  Cullen’s stomach burned. Hell, no, she wanted to say, but played it cool.

  “Honestly? I don’t think so.”

  Robert raised his eyebrows.

  “Why not?”

  Cullen chose her next words carefully.

  “She’s never going to change, Robert. She loves her cocaine more than she ever cared about me.”

  Robert looked relieved at her answer.

  “Besides,” Cullen blurted. “She ran. Why would an innocent person run?”

  “To avoid being framed. She knew that detective…I can’t think of her name right now…that she would stop at nothing to pin those crimes on Sara. So she ran away to avoid going to prison. And now that detective,” he said it like it was a bad word, “is in the driver’s seat. We need to make sure Sara gets a fair trial. That’s where you come in.”

  Cullen clasped her hands on the table. Her knuckles went white. She didn’t want to help Sara or Robert.

  “I don’t know if I can do what you’re asking me to do,” she said.

  They paused their conversation as Cullen’s coffee was delivered.

  “All you have to do is answer my questions,” Robert said when they were alone again. “Just be honest. I’ll ask you about when you first got together. I’ll ask about her demeanor and behavior and that sort of thing. You just have to be honest and talk about the beginning of your relationship. Do you think you can do that?”

  Cullen nodded.

  “Good. Now, after I ask you questions, the prosecutor will ask you some. Just focus on the good times you had, okay? You never saw her sell drugs, did you?”

  “No.”

  “And can you imagine her killing someone?”

  “No.”

  “Great.” He flashed his pearly whites at her. “You’re going to be fine. Just remember to stay calm and focus on the good times. I’ll warn you right now Sara doesn’t look good so you’ll want to brace yourself for that. It won’t be easy for you to see your girlfriend bedraggled.”

  Cullen’s attitude shifted. Suddenly, she wanted to testify. Not to help Sara, but to hurt her. She wanted to hurt her like she’d been hurt. To betray her in front of everyone but rather than point out Sara wasn’t her girlfriend, she just nodded.

  “The important thing to remember is to tell the truth,” Robert said. “Always tell the truth, okay? Do you have any questions?”

  “When will the trial take place?”

  “We’re pushing for it to happen sooner rather than later. The sooner we get her to trial, the sooner she’s free.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to come down here and meet with me. We’ll see you at the trial.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “I’ll let you know when it is.”

  “Thank you.”

  * * *

  Julia was at her desk going over the O’Hara case when her phone rang.

  “Detective Stansworth.”

  “Detective, it’s Mike. I think you should come down to the lab.”

  “On my way.”

  Shit. It better not be bad news. She was close to closing out three murders at the moment and she didn’t need anything to fuck that up.

  “What’s up, Mike?” She found him looking into a microscope. “Tell me you’re not going to blow a hole in my O’Hara case.”

  Mike straightened and turned to face her, smiling.

  “Au contraire. I just started going over the evidence from items brought it from the House of Good Fortune drug case. Remember that restaurant in Bidwell that was busted for drug trafficking?”

  “I remember that. What’s that got to do with me?”

  “Well, take a look.”

  Julia bent to look into the microscope.

  “What am I looking at?”

  “On the left is the gun we found and traced back to the owner of the restaurant.”

  “And on the right?”

  “The bullets that were shot into Montague and at Donovan’s house.”

  “They’re a match.” She stood up and smiled at him. “So that restaurant was involved in the dealings that killed that college kid.”

  “Looks like it to me.”

  “So that’s where Donovan must have gotten her drugs.”

  “That would be my bet.”

  “And they shot up her house to warn her to keep quiet.”

  “Bingo again.”

  “I could hug you, Mike.”

  “Please don’t.”

  “I won’t.” She grinned.

  Julia hurried upstairs to get her coat and called the jail to have Sara brought to an interview room. By the time she got there, Robert Allen had arrived and was in the room with her.

  Sara looked like crap. She had bags under her eyes, and her face was pale and swollen. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days and Julia knew it would only be rougher in prison. She felt no sympathy for her. She’d made her bed, now let her lie in it.

  “What is this about, Detective?” Allen said.

  “New evidence has told us who your supplier was,” Julia said. “Now we just need you to confirm it, testify against them, and we’ll try to get you a lighter sentence.”

  She saw a look pass between them. What was it? It almost looked like Allen sent her a war
ning look of some sort.

  “I’m not a rat,” Sara said.

  “We’ve got the evidence against them, for Christ’s sake, woman. They tried to kill you. Doesn’t that call for some action on your part?”

  Sara looked to Allen again, and she saw Allen barely shake his head.

  “You can’t prove that.”

  “Ah,” Julia said, “but we can. Look, we’re going to nail them. It would just be quicker and easier if you helped us.”

  “Go fuck yourself.”

  Julia rose.

  “Suit yourself.”

  She motioned for the guard to take Sara back to her cell. Allen walked with her to the parking lot.

  “She’s not a snitch,” Allen said.

  “She’s a murderer and she’s going to do life without parole. You’d think the opportunity to maybe get out sometime would be enough incentive. But you seemed pretty dead set against it. What are you hiding, Mr. Allen?”

  “Watch yourself, Detective.”

  Julia had no intention of watching herself. She could only surmise that Allen was defending the owners of the House of Good Fortune as well, and she was sure they were the ones who paid him to defend Montague. Were they paying him to defend Sara or did they leave her blowing in the wind?

  She didn’t care, not really. It was none of her business. She didn’t give a rat’s ass who paid for whom at this point. All she knew was that Allen had a reputation as one hell of a defense attorney and she wanted to be sure her case could stand up to him

  At four o’clock, she called it a day and texted Cullen.

  Are you coming over after Leslie’s?

  You know it.

  Excellent. Can’t wait to see you.

  Me, too.

  She drove home and poured herself a glass of wine and climbed into the tub. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and reveled in the feel of the hot, scented water caressing her skin. She closed her eyes and woke to the sound of her phone ringing. It was the DA.

  “Hello?” She sounded groggy so cleared her throat and tried again. “Detective Stansworth here.”

  “Detective, just got word we go to trial Wednesday. Will you be ready?”

  “I sure will.”

  “I want you there every day of the trial. I don’t know when we’ll call on you to testify.”

  “I understand. I’ll be there.”

  “Excellent. See you then.”

  Julia tossed the phone back on the floor and rinsed off before slipping on sweats. It was cold and getting colder. Her house was comfortable but could be warmer. Maybe she’d make a fire.

  She heard Cullen pull up and opened the door when she was on the front step.

  “Come on in, handsome,” she said.

  “You smell divine.”

  “Thank you.”

  Cullen stepped inside and nuzzled Julia’s neck.

  “I love that smell.”

  “Thank you again. It’s lavender vanilla. It soothes me.”

  “It does anything but soothe me.” Cullen ran her tongue over the base of Julia’s neck.

  “Easy, tiger. Come in. Come in now.”

  Julia closed the door, but the late afternoon chill had already crept in and Cullen rubbed her hands.

  “We need a fire,” she said.

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “Will you grab me a glass of wine while I get one going?”

  “Of course,” Julia said.

  She came back to the living room to find a blazing fire.

  “Nicely done,” she said.

  “Thanks.”

  “No, thank you.” Julia handed her a glass of wine. “How was Leslie?”

  “Good. We talked about the trial a lot.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You met with Allen today. How’d that go?”

  “I’m excited about testifying,” Cullen said.

  “You are? That’s a switch.”

  “I guess I didn’t realize the prosecutor would also be questioning me. So even if I paint a rosy picture from Robert’s questions, I may be able to paint a more accurate one by answering theirs.”

  “That’s true,” Julia said. “So, you’re not worried about the pressure anymore?”

  “Not really. All I can do is tell the truth. You guys have enough to convict her with or without my testimony.”

  Julia leaned in and kissed Cullen.

  “What was that for?”

  “For being you. Because you’re wonderful and I want you to know I know that.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Julia spent Wednesday at the courthouse watching jury selection. They’d found a good group of jurors, those who hadn’t read the news of the murders. Julia was surprised, as always, how many people simply didn’t follow the news.

  It took all day, but they finally found fourteen people both sides agreed on. So the jury was set and they had two alternates. They were ready to start presenting evidence the next day. Julia was certain it would be a quick trial. She knew they had enough evidence to nail Sara’s coffin shut. Of course, she didn’t know what Allen had up his sleeve, but she couldn’t worry about that. The prosecutor was the assistant DA and she was good. She wanted to be DA some day and her record showed that. She had a propensity to win.

  Julia felt relaxed as she walked out to her car. Day one was often not that easy. Day two would be harder, but she was ready. She texted Cullen.

  Want to meet for dinner or come to my place?

  I’ll stop by your place. I’m heading out now.

  What do you want for dinner?

  Chinese. Go ahead and order for me.

  Will do. See you soon.

  Julia slid her phone in her pocket and drove to a store to stock up on beer. She wasn’t in the mood for wine. Then she drove home and ordered dinner. She got off the couch to go change when she heard Cullen pull up.

  She opened the door for Cullen, took her hand, and placed something in it. Cullen opened her hand and looked at it.

  “A key?” Cullen said.

  “Yes, there’s no reason for you to knock when you come over. That’s ridiculous. Now you can just let yourself in.”

  “Thanks, baby.”

  She kissed her hard on her mouth, and Julia almost forgot about the cold rain blowing on her. She broke the kiss.

  “Come on in. We can kiss on the couch. But it’s freezing out here.”

  Cullen laughed and followed her in.

  “Would you like me to get a fire going?” she said.

  “Sure, but first I want you to fan the flames burning in me. Kiss me again, Cullen.”

  They sat on the couch and Cullen kissed Julia again. This time, Julia relaxed into it. She leaned back until she was lying on the couch and pulled Cullen on top of her. They were still kissing when her doorbell rang.

  “Shit.” Cullen sat up then stood. “Are you expecting someone?”

  “Yeah.” Julia laughed. “Dinner.”

  “Oh, yeah, I’ll get it.”

  While Cullen went to the door, Julia sat up and tried to catch her breath. When she could trust her legs again, she followed Cullen into the dining room.

  “How was the trial today?” Cullen said. “Anything exciting happen?”

  “We chose jurors. Nothing too exciting.”

  “Ah.”

  Cullen’s phone rang then. Julia glanced down and saw Allen’s name.

  “Shit,” Cullen said. She switched it to speaker then said, “Hello?”

  “Cullen, it’s Robert Allen. How are you?”

  “Good. What’s up?”

  “Sara’s trial should start in earnest tomorrow. Since I don’t think the prosecution has much to present, I’d like you to be at the courthouse all day tomorrow just in case I get to call you.”

  “Okay. I’ll be there.”

  “Great, thanks.”

  She disconnected.

  “He doesn’t think we have much to present?” Julia was incredulous. “He’s seen what we have. He knows what’s coming.
Either he’s delusional or stupid.”

  “He doesn’t know I know that,” Cullen said.

  “True. Okay, let’s eat.”

  After dinner, they sat together on the couch again and silently drank their beers until Julia spoke.

  “You know, we have to act like we don’t know each other at the courthouse.”

  “Huh? We do? Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense. That’s going to be hard.”

  “I know, but we can’t have anything muddling the case.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good. I’m sorry you’re going to have to waste your day at the courthouse tomorrow.”

  “Me, too. Oh, that reminds me, I have to email Samantha.”

  Julia waited, and when she was through, took her phone from her and set it on the coffee table. She placed their beers by it and lay back on the couch. She tugged on Cullen’s lapel.

  “Come here. Let’s get back down to business.”

  They made out until Julia was ready to rip Cullen’s clothes off her. She was on fire and Cullen was the only one who could put that fire out. Cullen seemed to sense where Julia was because she stopped kissing her and stood.

  “I should get going.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, baby, now. I need to get home. You sleep well and I’ll see you at the courthouse.”

  “Remember, you don’t know me.”

  “I’m aware. Though Sara knows otherwise.”

  “True. Still, I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “You got it. I’ll see you here after the trial then.”

  “Okay. That sounds wonderful. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  The courtroom was fairly empty as the trial got underway the next day. Julia had worn a black pantsuit with a royal blue shirt under it. She knew she looked professional and personable all at once, and that was important. She didn’t want anyone to doubt her credentials, but she also didn’t want to seem too standoffish. She needed the jury to be able to relate to her.

  At nine o’clock, just before the judge came in, Cullen walked through the door looking dapper in a gray suit with a kelly green shirt. Julia was sure her eyes were shining like emeralds, but she couldn’t stare. Especially since Cullen was a witness for the defense. Cullen took her seat in the hallway of the courthouse and didn’t look at Julia. Good for her.