Broken (Endurance) (9 page)

Makayla knew he’d overheard, but didn't know how much. "Tamarius, she just came out of a coma." She walked around the bed and came to stand beside him, stopping short of touching him. "Let’s go outside. She needs her rest." She slid her hand over his and gently led him out of the room.

They walked out onto the back patio where there was a small pool and a set of steel pan drums.

"Look, I heard what she said. What does she mean, you’re in danger?" He pulled her close to him.

"I honestly don't know," Makayla replied. "We need to go to that orphanage first thing in the morning."

"I think you should stay here and watch over your cousin."

"I need to go, Tamarius. I have to know what happened to her. The only way I will know is if I go there." Makayla wrapped her arms around him, gently caressing his back. Through her fingertips she sent him soft electric vibrations of warm loving energy. She new it always drove him wild.

"I know what you’re trying to do," he said

"Yeah? Is it working?" Makayla smiled as her fingers continued to work across his back.

"I don't want you getting hurt. Please just stay here and let me go check it out first," Tamarius argued.

Makayla leaned her head on his chest. She knew he would do his best to keep her away from the orphanage.  While he held her in his arms and murmured vague reassurances and soothing words in her ears, she devised a plan.  She would have to slip out of the house when everyone was asleep. With the orphanage only a block away, she could easily walk there.

"Okay, you win. I'll stay here and watch over Tia." Makayla pulled away and folded her arms across her chest in a show of frustration. "I'm tired and it's late anyway." She offered him a quick hug and kissed him goodnight.

Tamarius watched her walk away and chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not falling for that one," he muttered under his breath.

Maxwell

Cressida flipped through the papers in her file as she waited for her client to enter. It took a lot for her to be in the interrogation room that morning and the only thing that kept her going was the reoccurring images of Maxwell's beautiful body lying naked next to her after they’d made wild love.

Cressida was jolted from her thoughts when the door to the interrogation room opened and two guards walked Blake Carter in, slamming him down in a solid metal chair that had been bolted to the floor. Cressida looked across at her client and steeled herself to remain professional despite the disgust she felt at his presence.

I'm going to need another dose of Maxwell after this, she thought.

Blake ignored the guards and concentrated on Cressida.  He nodded at her and smiled wanting to remark on the unprofessional look of disdain on her face. He’d requested her specifically and Charleston had had no choice but to abide to his demands. Pleased with himself, Blake took in Cressida’s shapely legs and the tight curve of her rear.  He assessed and appraised every curve as if she were a piece of meat and he was starved. His tongue snaked out to lick his famished lips.  He straightened himself in the chair and set his cuffed hands on the table.

"Mr. Carter..." Cressida said.

"Please, call me Blake."

"Mr. Carter, I will be representing you in court..."

"As I requested." He grinned with heartfelt pleasure and anticipation of the shock he knew would follow.

"What?" Cressida said, shocked by what she just heard.

"I personally and specifically requested you, Cressida. Oh, dear. Daddy didn't tell you?" His laughter echoed in the small room.

"Tell me what?"

"I guess there is a lot Daddy dearest wouldn't want his baby girl to know." Blake laughed

Annoyed, Cressida struggled to maintain her cool as she realized her father had lied to her. What else had he lied about? she wondered. "As your attorney, I need you to be completely honest with me." Cressida stared into Blake’s eyes with all the intensity she could muster. "Is it true?  Did you in fact commit these crimes?"

Blake leaned back in his chair with a smug smirk on his face. He stared back at Cressida. His body language said it all. Blake Carter was as guilty as sin. He then leaned forward, resting his shackled hands on the cold metal table. "I remember a scared little girl... and, a very protective mother," he growled.

A vision of that night made its way to Cressida’s mind with startling speed.  She could hear her mother’s screams and see her as she fought off the attacker who had broken into their home.

She knew this vile man sitting before her was the attacker, no matter how many times her father tried to convince her otherwise. Cressida took a deep breath and a firm control of her nerves.  She needed to get this interview over with. "Is that a yes or a no?" she asked, looking at her watch.

"Somewhere you need to be?" Blake asked with a slow sly smile.

"Answer the question!" Cressida yelled, losing her temper.

"Mmm, feisty. Okay, little lady. These charges are bull,” he said in a calm voice that promised of a violent storm to come. “They’re just trying to pin cold cases on me. Not one of them can prove that I did any of these!" Losing his temper, he shouted out his last words, accentuating them with a firm pounding of his fists on the metal table.

"So original." Unimpressed, Cressida chuckled and glanced at her manicure.

"I'm telling the truth," Blake yelled.

"Sir, the forensic team found DNA on each and every one of the victims." Cressida pulled out the forensic reports and held it up to him.

"It ain't mine.  It ain't mine. When that test comes back, you will see. Those stupid bastards don't know what the hell they’re doing. They’re just trying to pin cases on me so they can just close the book. Meanwhile the real killer is out there."

Cressida took a closer look at his case file. The DNA results had not come back yet. She was convinced this would be an easy case, the only obstacle being Blake claiming insanity. Apparently he was many things, but not insane. Cressida flipped through the case files, quickly scanning through the paragraphs of police statements.

"You were convinced that I’ve
done it, uh? Open closed case, you thought." Blake laughed. "Now you're confused, right?"

"I don't understand how you can find any of this funny, Mr. Carter.  You are looking at some very serious charges. If you are found guilty, you will get a death sentence and we all know not all dogs go to heaven," Cressida retorted.

"Roof, roof." Blake laughed. "See everyone is so convinced they got the right man, when the results come back... I will be a free man." He continued with his grating laugh.

Cressida shuddered to think he would be let out in the world, but he was right about the tests.  If they came back and his DNA didn’t match what had been found at the crime scenes, they would have to let him go. Cressida knew he had committed those crimes and couldn’t shake the sense of wrong that accompanied the thought of Blake Carter going free. Surely there was something she was missing.  There had to be something else that would help send him away for life.

No matter how it bothered her, she forced herself to accept the role she had in this case.  She was on the defendant’s side of the fence with this case, not the prosecutor’s. At that very moment, she would have given her career to be on the prosecutor’s side, working diligently to put him away for life.

"I'm finished." Cressida slammed her folders closed and nodded at the two police officers.

They walked forward and each grabbed a hold of Blake's arms, yanking him up and out of his chair 

Busy putting her files away, Cressida glanced up to see him glaring at her.

"I will be seeing you soon," he said.

"Look. Mr. Carter, there is a lot more involved in this case besides DNA. They can still implicate you in these crimes. You may get out for a short time, but everything done in the dark will come to light," Cressida growled. She grabbed her things and walked out of the room. She felt so much rage boiling up inside of her and she had so many questions and so many people she needed to talk to. She pulled out her cell phone and called her secretary to set up a meeting with the prosecuting attorney for the Blake Carter case.

When she reached her car, she got in and simply sat there for a while as she tried to assimilate what had just happened.  Her father had lied to her about taking the case. The thought clung to her and fostered a growing frustration.  "That bastard knew from the very beginning," Cressida grumbled as she started her car and drove off.

***

Maxwell looked at his watch. He and Cressida had agreed to meet for lunch and, she was already twenty minutes late. He sat in her office reading the morning newspaper and drinking a bottle of water.

Cressida's secretary had been busy all morning accepting calls and sending faxes. When Cressida had called in what seemed to be a very rushed and angry tone, it completely slipped her mind to tell her that Maxwell was waiting for her.

He had taken care of his business meetings early that morning and was free for the rest of the day, and while he didn’t mind waiting, he repeatedly glanced at his watch, a habit, he thought. Forty-five minutes later he heard the office door burst open. Cressida stomped through the door and headed to her desk where she broke down and wept.

Maxwell sat up and folded the newspaper, flopping it down on the coffee table as he stood. Cressida was unaware of his presence and he hesitated a moment, sensing he was violating her space.  But when her shoulders shook with pain and grief, he came to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

Cressida jumped and turned to him, her red eyes wide with surprise.  “Maxwell.” Relief softened her eyes and she leaned into him. "I'm so sorry. I know I’m late. I got wrapped up in this case." She swiped her hands across her cheeks, wiping away her tears.

"You're upset and that’s understandable. It’s a wonder you made it here at all. He tilted her chin up so she would look him in the face. “How did the interview go?"

"Oh, Maxwell, I can't do this.  I can’t," Cressida cried. "This man is evil. Everything about him is just nasty and vile. I feel filthy just having been around him."

Maxwell held her close. "I know this is hard for you."

"No, you don't even know the half." Cressida pushed him away and started pacing before her fireplace.

"What did you learn?" Maxwell said.

Cressida stopped and rested her hand on the mantle. "My father lied to me. Blake requested me. He wanted me to be his lawyer and my father agreed."

"What the hell are you telling me?" Maxwell said, walking towards her.

"That's not all." Cressida took a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest. "The results of the DNA tests haven’t come back yet. Blake seems certain that it’s not his.  He claims they are trying to pin cold cases on him."

"Cressida, I can't believe..."

"How do you think I feel? If those tests come back saying it's not his DNA, he is going to walk."

Maxwell was speechless. Something just wasn't adding up. He could sense that Blake had a lot more tricks up his sleeves. It was times like this that he really missed his brother. Tamarius would be able to psychically see beyond the normal circumstances and relate back to him what was really going on. Well, he is only a phone call away, he thought as he pulled out his cell phone.

Charleston Dash suddenly entered the room and Maxwell slipped his phone back into his pocket.  He glanced at Cressida and could see the rage building.  Her eyes were hard and her cheeks flamed with anger.

Charleston looked over at Maxwell and smiled. "I'm sorry, I see you have a client." He turned to walk out of the door.