Beyond Innocence (22 page)

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back in to do the work I’ve been assigned to do. Skye, call me after your meeting.” As she turned to leave, the mix of hurt and anger on Serena’s face brought back memories of her passion, a completely different kind, from the night before, but she shook away the reflection. She had a plan, and passion wasn’t part of it.

*

Serena bored holes into Cory’s back with her eyes, to no effect. She stood, fixed in place, as Cory marched into the clinic offices without a backward glance. After several silent seconds, she realized Skye still stood next to her and she felt silly for arguing with Cory in front of her. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

Skye’s voice was gentle and kind, but she was dead wrong. She had a lot to be sorry about. Letting her guard down, succumbing to her feelings for Cory. The list was long, but it no longer mattered. She’d be on her way home today if she had to sit at the airport all day waiting for a seat on standby. “I appreciate the work you’re doing, and I’d like you to keep me posted on your progress directly. Is that okay?”

Skye looked puzzled. “Sure. I’ll report everything I learn to both you and Cory. Is there a problem?”

“No problem, but I’m leaving and I just want to make sure that even though I won’t be here, I’ll be in the loop.” She’d sent Paul an e-mail late in the night, a cursory explanation about her planned departure. He’d asked her to stop by before she left, and she decided she owed him a face-to-face, even if she dreaded having to explain in person. She’d prepared a list of reasons to give Paul about why she was leaving, all purposely vague: family, work, pressing needs at home. She’d planned to make the meeting short and quick and any follow-up discussion could take place on a long distance call. Bottom line, she’d made up her mind. She had a list of possible afternoon flights in her purse, and once she packed, she’d plant herself at the airport until a seat opened up. She did feel guilty about abandoning her promise, but she couldn’t face the idea of working in such close proximity with Cory after they’d crossed the line.

“Why are you leaving?”

Serena hadn’t expected the blunt question from Skye, and she sensed Skye would see through her “pressing needs” excuse. She stared at her feet, but she couldn’t admit the real reason she had to go. What would she say? That the heat of Cory’s closeness threatened to burn through the layers of protection she’d worked her whole life to build? That Cory was obviously a player, and she couldn’t protect her heart? Both things might be true, but she didn’t feel comfortable sharing either of these reasons with Skye, no matter how much she trusted her. She settled on something innocuous. “I don’t think my presence is adding anything. I’m on my way in to talk to Paul and let him know my plans.”

“Let me buy you breakfast.” Skye shot a look at the clinic building. “You’re due for a change of atmosphere, and I happen to know Paul’s super busy right now. If you still want to talk to him in an hour, then it’d probably be a better time.”

Serena hesitated for a second, but then gave in. She could use the time to find out what steps Skye had planned, since Cory had obviously back-burnered Eric’s case.

Ten minutes later, they were seated in a crowded diner. Serena marveled at the crowd still present even though it was almost nine o’clock. “Popular place.”

“Dallas has a ton of diners, but in my opinion, this is the best one for breakfast. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.”

“I wish I were more hungry, but frankly, I’m feeling a little drained.”

“I bet. But don’t lose hope. Eric has a good attorney. She’ll fight hard for him.”

Serena started to say that wasn’t the reason she felt drained, but she quickly realized how that would sound. Of course she was worried about Eric. The thought of his death pierced her, but right now she was still focused on her own shaken vulnerabilities. Seeing Cory so soon after last night had only heightened the loss she felt. She was now committed, but with no one to commit to. She couldn’t help but feel foolish for thinking Cory could be that person, a lover, a trusted confidant.

“I guess so.”

“I can tell you’re concerned. Talk to me. Maybe I can help put your mind at ease.”

“How well do you know Cory?”

“Personally, not well. At least not anymore. When she worked—”

Skye stopped abruptly, but Serena urged her on. “I know she works for the other side. That secret is out of the bag.”

Skye cleared her throat and resumed. “When she worked for the DA’s office, we spent quite a bit of time together. We worked some pretty gruesome homicides. When you spend that much time together, you necessarily get to know a little about their personal life.”

Okay, so Skye was a great source for all things Cory, but now Serena wasn’t even sure where to start. She considered for a moment, then blurted out, “Is she honest?”

“Wow, you don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

“When you’ve had the life I’ve had, you figure out what really matters.”

“And by honest you mean?”

“Seriously, is honesty really that difficult to define?”

“I’d say no, for the most part. But if you’re asking about what I think you’re asking about, what you really want to know is does she do the right thing. Because if she did what she got suspended for, I’d bet my Harley, which I love dearly, that she did it because she thought it was the right thing to do.”

Serena noted the “if she did” part of Skye’s declaration, and filed it away for future reference. “So it’s okay to do the wrong thing for the right reason? What if the reason turns out not to be so right after all? I mean, who gets to judge?”

“All good points. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, and I may not be the best one to ask about this particular subject.” Skye suddenly couldn’t seem to look her in the eye, and her change in demeanor piqued Serena’s curiosity.

“Well, you can’t just make a remark like that and then let it drop. Spill.”

“I hid evidence once because I was sure I had the right guy and I didn’t want the defense to be able to muck up the case. In my case, I was dead wrong. I arrested the wrong guy.”

“Oh my God. What happened?”

“The truth came out. I eventually realized maybe I don’t know everything and my detective skills aren’t perfect. I told the defendant’s attorney what I’d done and they were able to get the case dismissed.”

“Bet that made you pretty popular around the police department.”

“They waited a respectable amount of time and then allowed me to either resign or be dismissed. I quit, but it was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.”

“And now?”

“Now, I work for the other side and I do my best to keep my head clear about the difference between the process and the result. I have to tell you, it’s not always easy. When you see what you’re sure is an injustice, you don’t always want to take the careful route to right it.” She stopped to take a big swallow of her coffee. “I’m willing to bet Cory got herself in trouble for that very reason.”

“So if her motives were pure, she shouldn’t suffer any consequences for putting an innocent man in prison?”

“I didn’t say that. Truth is, neither one of us know the whole story.”

“I wish I did.” Serena whispered the words, a personal reflection. She wanted to know the whole story. Good or bad, the truth might allow her to either detach from or embrace the strong attraction and powerful arousal Cory elicited. If she knew more, would she have compassion, be able to forgive what she perceived as global slights? Didn’t matter. The only person who could tell her the truth wasn’t interested in having anything to do with her. Cory had made that clear during their curt exchange this morning.

Wait a minute. Surely someone besides Cory could give her details, at least enough to give her more of the picture instead of the partial glimpse the press had provided. Serena stared at Skye, chowing through a plate of pancakes, and realized she might have already found what she was looking for. “You ever do any work that doesn’t directly involve a criminal case?”

“Huh?”

“I want to hire you.”

“You already did.”

“No, I mean I want to hire you, not on behalf of someone else, I want to hire you to find out the rest of the story.” She grew frustrated at Skye’s puzzled look, but mostly it was directed at herself. “You know, with Cory.”

Skye pushed her plate aside. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No.” Serena spoke the single word with more confidence than she felt. She shouldn’t care. She certainly shouldn’t spend the money. What she should do is get on the next plane and return to her life in Florida. Her stale, boring, sequestered life. No passion, no problems, no Cory Lance.

But what if she left hope behind? She braced herself for a battle and faced Skye. “Will you do it? Don’t you want to know more? Surely, you still have the connections to get some answers?”

“I still have some connections, but I don’t think many of them would be willing to talk to me about Cory. Law-and-order types tend to close ranks when it comes to one of their own.”

“I’m not asking you to implicate her in anything. I only want to have some peace of mind. Maybe you’re right. Maybe the situation wasn’t as simple as the media made it out to be.”

“What if I find out that isn’t the case, that Cory broke the law to put Nelson away?”

“Then we’re back to the status quo.”

Skye shook her head, and several beats of silence passed between them. “I can’t believe I’m saying yes, but yes, I’ll see what I can find out. You don’t have to pay me.”

“That’s sweet, but I’m paying you. Whatever you find out belongs to me. Fair?”

“Okay, fair, but on one condition.”

“What?”

“You stay in Dallas, like you planned.”

“I don’t see why that’s necessary.”

“Maybe you don’t, but I do. Stay here and I’ll find out what you want. Leave and I’m off the job.”

“Blackmail.”

“Yep.” Skye didn’t try to hide her evil grin. Serena shook her head. “Fine. I’ll stay, but you have to keep me updated on both cases you’re working. Directly, not through Cory.”

“What’s going on between you two?”

“Nothing.” Serena faced Skye’s probing look with what she hoped was a mask of indifference. She could tell Skye didn’t believe her and she didn’t blame her. There was a lot going on between her and Cory, and a whole lot of nothing she could do about it.

Cory, along with the rest of the staff and volunteers, stared at the clock on the clinic wall. Five minutes past six p.m. By law, the warden had from six p.m. until midnight on the scheduled execution date to carry out the sentence. Liz Martin, the staff attorney who had worked Michael Young’s case from the moment the clinic had taken it on, was down in Huntsville, waiting to be ushered into the room where she would watch her client be put to death. While she waited, she talked to Paul and the rest of the clinic staff through the speakerphone, second-guessing every decision she’d made as lead on the case. There was still time for the governor or the court to intervene, and the warden had been informed that a writ seeking a stay of execution was pending before the Supreme Court at that very moment.

Everyone in the room was silent, and the only sounds were Paul’s gentle voice on the speakerphone, reassuring Liz that she’d done everything she could, and the play-by-play offered by the
Execution Watch
radio show. The host of the show echoed what they already knew. The warden wasn’t legally bound to wait to carry out the death warrant, but it was customary to give deference to the slow moving legal system. To a point. Liz told them the warden had been particularly receptive in Michael’s case. Michael had been a model inmate, content to sit in his cell and draw and read and reread the same two picture books without complaint. The guards had treated him with respect on his final day on earth, but respect didn’t mean they held back on carrying out their execution day duties. Hours ago, he’d been taken from his cell at the Polunsky unit to shower, change, and ride in the back of a secure van to the Huntsville unit where he sat in a room waiting with a prison chaplain and his attorney until the guards collected him for his final walk to the death chamber. He was likely strapped to a gurney right now, waiting for the execution team to place the IV lines that would be used to put him down.

Only five of the nine Supreme Court justices had to vote for a stay for it to become effective. Of course, a stay only meant a delay to allow the courts to consider the evidence they’d either ignored or hadn’t had the opportunity to consider up to now. A win tonight could mean that Michael might have to go through this entire ordeal in a month or a year. Cory couldn’t imagine the toll that kind of uncertainty would have on Michael. On anyone.

She thought of Eric. So young, so vibrant. How had he managed to stay hopeful while counting the days until he met the same fate as Michael Young? Because he believes in you, in the work the clinic does. He believes the truth will set him free. If only the truth was a concept Cory could believe in. She’d given up thinking she could nail down that concept long ago. All she could do was trust her instincts and believe they would lead her in the right direction. She’d never questioned her convictions. Not until Nelson. Now she had no idea if Eric was innocent or guilty, but she wanted him to have the benefit of her doubt. She’d file the motion on his case first thing in the morning, no matter what Skye found out from Bolton. She would fight as hard as she’d ever fought to give him a chance at a fair trial. If he was really guilty, the truth would bear out.

As for truth, she owed Serena the truth too, not the brush-off she’d delivered this morning. The truth wouldn’t win her any points, but Serena, who’d trusted her enough to share her most private thoughts and feelings, didn’t deserve the cold morning after Cory had served up. She hadn’t had any business kissing a client’s family member in the first place, no matter how attractive she was, no matter how she made Cory shiver with pleasure whenever she was near. She was the professional, and it was time for her to act like it. As soon as she filed the motion tomorrow, she’d go see Serena, tell her she was sorry, and throw herself into the work she’d promised to do.