Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 173733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 869(@200wpm)___ 695(@250wpm)___ 579(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 173733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 869(@200wpm)___ 695(@250wpm)___ 579(@300wpm)
“You left.”
“Yes,” I say, flipping on the bathroom light. “I left you with your hot, doting husband.”
“You’re home safe?”
“I am. Thank you for checking. Are you doing okay?”
“There is a reward at the end of this, so I’m okay. Thank you for staying with me. And, Cat? He’ll call.”
“What?”
“If Reese feels what you feel, he’ll call. I promise.” She disconnects, and I want to throttle her.
Now if he doesn’t call, it will mess with my head.
I walk to the bathroom, strip down, and take a long, hot bath in my massive tub, which is the best feature in any bathroom. I sit there in the hot, bubbly water, with my phone on the ledge, of course, because now I’m obsessed over the call I might miss. I hate that I’m obsessed. Once I’m in my Victoria’s Secret pajamas, I grab my MacBook and take it to bed with me, where I work on my column that is due tomorrow. My closing statement reads:
If this trial ends in a guilty verdict, it won’t be based on evidence. If the trial ends in an acquittal, don’t blame the system. The system didn’t do this. The prosecution did, by charging too soon. They should have taken the time to back up their case. We all want justice for a woman and her child, but deep down, we all want to believe the monster who did this is no longer free to do it again. If nothing changes, I for one will not leave this trial with the comfort of knowing a killer is behind bars. Until then, —Cat.
I study the page and have second thoughts about the content. If I point the finger at new suspects, as I did in the first part of this column, what happens? I believe that, yes, it puts attention on suspects other than Reese’s client. Maybe it puts those suspects on edge. But after tonight, Reese may prefer to sideswipe those people on the stand. I need to find out or just write another version of my column in the morning to have options.
I glance at the clock. It’s two in the morning. Reese isn’t going to call tonight. I shut my computer and lie in bed, in the darkness. Alone. He might not be able to call. He might be in hell right now. God, I want to know what is happening. I want to hear Reese’s voice. I want to know he’s safe. But I don’t need Reese to call for some kind of validation, and he has no obligation to call. It’s not like I’m married to the man.
I just wish he would call.
As if I’ve willed him to do just that, my phone starts to buzz. I register Reese’s number. I grab it with a relief that says I wanted this call more than I want to admit. “Hello,” I answer.
“Hey, sweetheart. Were you asleep?”
“No. I’ve been too worried about what was happening there.”
“You were worried?”
“Yes. Very much. What’s happening?”
“Well, he was at his house, as we hoped, and so was his wife, Kelli. I’m calling you from the rental car, while Blake and his wife each question the husband and wife one on one. I’ve spent the last hour talking to them myself.”
“And?” I prod.
“Kelli supposedly got spooked by the press, or rather ‘suffocated,’ as she called it. She needed out of town. He followed.”
“She was suffocating, so she left her husband to fend for himself the weekend before he learns his fate? That doesn’t sound like a loving wife who believes her husband is innocent.”
“No, it does not, but then, we all think she did it.”
“Lauren showed me the images they took of the two of them fighting.”
“Yes, there is trouble in paradise for sure. The question is, did that trouble originate from the trial pressure, or is it long term?”
“I know you stated in your opening statement that the baby is not his and he adamantly denies ever sleeping with the victim. Do you still feel that is a truthful statement?”
“I do. I was afraid I wouldn’t after tonight, but nothing has changed.”
“Why didn’t he call you before he did this?”
“He knew I’d tell him not to go and he wanted me to have deniability,” he says.
“Does his wife believe him?”
“Yes, which she says she will state in court.”
“Is it safe to let her testify? What if she sets him up?”
“It’s a risk that I have to take to try to get a confession from her, because I damn sure don’t have any evidence. Hell, it might be the boyfriend. I am flying blind.”
“The prosecution has no evidence either,” I say. “You’re going to create reasonable doubt. You have already. When are you coming back?”
“As soon at Blake and Kara finish up, we’ll all fly back, including Nelson and Kelli, in the Walker plane.”