Last Night (31 page)

"
Yeah, right.
"
He shrugged, making a show of not caring. He didn
'
t fool Dana. "I didn
'
t do nuthin
'
. Some guy gave me those pills, but I wasn
'
t going to take them. Then Mom goes and makes a big deal out of it."

She
'
d seen more than her share of youthful offenders who'd begun with pills they claimed they never were going to take, but she resisted the urge to lecture him.
"
You
'
ll have a fresh start here.
"

"
Yeah.
"
He wandered across the room, stopped in front of the bookcase, and pulled out a Stephen King book. "I read this. Way cool.
"

She walked over to him and took
The Stand
off the shelf.
"
I think this one
'
s better. Why don
'
t you take it with you?
"

He accepted the book with a curt nod that again reminded her of Rob when he didn't know what to say.

"
Call me when you finish it,
"
she said,
"
and we
'
ll discuss it.
"

His shocked expression almost made her smile. Evidently he wasn
'
t accustomed to an adult wanting
his opinion on a book. It made her wonder about his relationship with his mother, reinforcing her belief that he
'
d be better off with Rob.

"How did you get here?" she asked to fill the awkward silence.

"Hitched."

She almost gasped. The young were fearless. Terrible things happened to other people—not to them. A corner of her mind always warned her that bad things do happen to good people. She
'
d learned that I the night her parents had been killed.

"I
'
ll drive you back to your hotel,
"
she said.

She drove him to the Waikiki Surf, chattering nonstop about things teenagers did in the islands. Zach listened intently, but said little.

He got out of the car, muttering, "Thanks.
"

Dana watched him disappear into the lobby. Would he ever accept her? Would she even get the chance, or would Rob go back to his ex-wife?

She drove away, quickly checking her rearview mirror to be certain she wasn't being followed. There were very few cars on the street at this hour. The only noise was the throbbing beat of the music coming from the popular night spot Panama Jack's. Her doors were already locked, but she doublechecked them anyway,
recalling that the rapist got
his name for following women as they left the nightclub.

Back home she wearily opened the door and heard the phone ringing. She dashed across the
room, tripping over Molly, who
'
d stationed herself on the throw rug, and grabbed the telephone.

"Dana?
"
came Rob
'
s voice after her breathless hello.

She started to tell him about Zach, but the background noise sidetracked her.
"
Where are you?
"

"In the airport in St. Louis. I
'
m coming home,
"
he said, a smile in his voice.

"What happened?
"
She dropped to the floor beside Molly. "What did you find out?
"

"I drove right to Gompers Bend and found Slade Carter. He
'
s running the Whiz-In Mini Mart. Bald with a potbelly. He
'
s a nice guy. He remembered you and Vanessa.
"

"What did he say about that night?
"

"He drove into the parking lot and found Hank. He was dead, all right—dead drunk. You hadn
'
t killed him. He'd passed out. The knife was stuck in his ribs. It didn
'
t do much damage.
"

Relief so intense it felt like pain centered deep in her chest. She picked up Molly and held the kitty to her breast.
"
I didn
'
t kill him?
"

"No, angel, you didn't.
"
The affection in his voice was unmistakable. If he
'
d been with her his arms would have been around her.

Now she knew what they meant when they said the weight of the world had been lifted from your shoulders. That's just how she felt. As a judge she
'
d stood for law and order. And justice. Yet she had felt like a fraud. Not anymore. She hadn
'
t committed any crime. Thank heavens.

"
Thank God. All these years I thought—
"
She stopped, a warning bell ringing in her brain,
"
Hank. He
'
s here. He told the blackmailer—
"

"
No, babe. Hank Rawlins is in prison for raping a ten-year-old girl.
"

A suffocating sensation tightened her throat, and she clutched Molly so hard that the cat clawed at her.
"
I should have gone to the police, then that little girl would have been safe.
"

"
Dana, you were a child yourself, and you were on the run.
"

"
True, but I
'
m not keeping quiet any longer. When Hank comes up for parole Vanessa and I will testify against releasing him.
"

"
Good idea.
"

"
I can't thank you enough. I don
'
t know what to say.
"
She wanted to tell him she loved him, yet the words eluded her entirely. She needed to say how she felt about him in a nonthreatening way, not wanting him to feel trapped. But she
'
d never said those words to a man and they wouldn
'
t come now.

"
I've got some ideas on how you can thank me.
"

"
Seriously, Rob. This has been hanging over my
head for years. Now I feel…
free."

"
I'm glad I could help. I wanted to do this for you. Just don
'
t make me out to be a hero. Hell, it was incredibly easy. I drove into town and in less than ten minutes found Slade.
"

"
He must have told someone. That
'
s how the blackmailer knows.
"

"
No. Slade thought Hank had been in a fight.
"

"
Really? That
'
s exactly what we wanted the police to think when they found his body. I guess for two teenagers we were pretty smart.
"

"
Slade isn
'
t the brightest bulb in the chandelier. Of course, Hank never admitted raping anyone, so Slade just assumed Vanessa had gotten tired of him and left for California.
"

"Then how could anyone know? It doesn
'
t make sense.
"

Rob was silent for a moment, and she heard a flight announcement.
"
Have you or Vanessa ever been hypnotized?
"

She could see what he meant. Under hypnosis they might have revealed something they wouldn
'
t have otherwise.
"
I never have been and Vanessa hasn
'
t mentioned it, but I
'
ll ask.
"

"
It
'
s a long shot. The blackmailer doesn
'
t have any real evidence. He's just trying to scare you.
"

"
He
'
s doing more than just trying to scare me. Someone
'
s using this to try to ruin my career.
"
She took a minute to tell him about the review, finishing by saying,
"
It begins tomorrow at three.
"

"My plane won
'
t land in time for me to see you before the hearing starts. I
'
ll wait until it
'
s over to see you. Don
'
t worry. The bit with Hank is nothing, but I am concerned about the will. Is there anyone around who really knew Lillian, someone who could back you up?"

"Dr. Winston treated her for thirty-some years. She might have confided in him. She was always bringing him plants and things. I could ask him—
"

"Dana, it's the last call for my plane. I
'
ll see you tomorrow. Just hang tough. This is going to be all right. You
'
ll see.
"

There wasn
'
t enough time to tell him about Zach. She dropped the receiver into the cradle with the odd sensation she
'
d made a serious mistake.

28

B
y the time Rob walked through the metal detector and into the courthouse, he knew that Dana was in Judge Binkley
'
s chambers for the review, so he stopped to call for his messages, hoping Zach had left word. The last time he
'
d checked his messages, Ellen had tersely informed him that she
'
d brought Zach to Honolulu.

"
What in hell is she doing here?" he muttered to the walls of the phone booth. Zach wasn
'
t supposed to arrive until next week. Had she decided to bring Zach for a visit but not allow him to stay? With Ellen you never knew. If she had changed her mind she was in for a fight.

There was only one message on his machine and it was from Garth, saying it was urgent that Rob call him right away. When he didn't get an answer at his son
'
s hotel, he called Garth
'
s office and was told he was in Judge Hamilton
'
s chambers. Makes sense, Rob thought as he rode the elevator up to the third floor. Garth and Vanessa were probably here to give
Dana moral support. He wondered if Dana had remembered to ask her sister if she
'
d ever been hypnotized.

It was a shot in the dark, but he didn't have a better theory. Someone knew something, yet they hadn
'
t bothered to check it out. Or maybe they didn't know where to look. They
'
d tried to capitalize on a kernel of information, which turned out to be misinformation. He walked into Dana
'
s office, still pondering the question.

"
I
'
m looking for Garth Bradford.
"
The secretary inclined her head toward the closed door to Dana
'
s office. He knocked and Garth called for him to come in.
"
What
'
s—
"
He stopped, jarred by the sight of Jason sitting in Dana
'
s chair with Puni on his shoulder.

"
Sue the bastards! Sue the bastards! Sue their asses!
"
the twosome chanted, and Rob couldn
'
t help chuckling.

Vanessa jumped up from her seat beside Garth and gave Rob a hug worthy of a sumo wrestler.
"
Dana told me the news. How can we thank you?
"

She looked so damn happy that he felt guilty. He was getting more
credit than he deserved—but lov
ing it.
"
You and Garth could make me dinner,
"
he said, looking at Garth and noticing the intense expression on his face.

Before Vanessa could answer Garth said to her,
"
Why don
'
t you take Jason and Puni outside and see if Puni has a contribution to make?
"

Vanessa held out her hand to her son, who shook
his head.
"
Puni doesn
'
t have a conbution. He pooed with the pigeons when we came in.
"

"Now, sweetie,
"
Vanessa began, and Jason
'
s lower lip jutted out.

"
What did we agree?
"
Garth asked Jason, his tone kind, yet forceful.

"
I would mind
'
cause there aren't any children here and this is special.
"

Garth beamed him the smile that won over countless juries. Jason hopped down from the chair and followed his mother outside without another word.

"Close the door,
"
Garth said quietly, and the fine hairs across the back of Rob
'
s neck prickled. Christ! What now?

Rob shut the door and took the seat beside Garth. "What
'
s wrong?
"

"
I got a call from one of my sources.
"
Garth hesitated, measuring him for a moment.
"
You
'
re going to be arrested and charged with the Panama Jack's rapes.
"

Fear mushroomed inside him, an emotion so powerful that the force of it staggered him. "That's impossible. Why would the police think I did it?"

A flickering shadow in Garth
'
s eyes sent Rob
'
s stomach into a free-fall.
"
A victim picked you out of a six-pack, Rob.
"

He let out his breath, blowing upward, ruffling the hair on his forehead. Shit! A six-pack was a series of six photographs. Five of them were head shots of policemen, while the sixth was a suspect.

He vaulted to his feet.
"
What was I doing in a six-
pack?
"

"
They
'
re desperate, Rob. They
'
re looking at repeat offenders.
"

"
I was cleared. They don
'
t have any right to show my photo.
"

"Were you at Panama Jack
'
s last Monday night?
"

Rob almost said no, then he remembered. "Yeah. Chuck Mahole at UH ran some tests for me on the blackmail note Dana received. He wouldn
'
t take any money. He wanted to have a drink at Panama Jack
'
s.
"
He raked his hand through his hair. "Hell, I was only there half an hour.
"

Garth patted the seat beside him and Rob dropped into the chair. "I know you didn't do it, Rob. I suspect it
'
s just Big Daddy making trouble.
"

"That son of a bitch. My son
'
s here. He
'
s going to live with me. If my wife gets wind of this she won
'
t let him stay.
"

Garth
'
s earnest eyes shifted, and Rob knew he didn
'
t want to hear whatever else he was going to say. "I understand they have more evidence. What, I
'
m not sure, but I
'
m trying to find out. They plan to arrest you by the end of the week.
"

As if someone had coldcocked him with a knockout punch, Rob gasped, every breath of air leaving his body at once. It was a few seconds before the magnitude of what Garth said finally registered. Numb with shock and anger, he said, "I learned my lesson last time. This time I
'
m fighting the charges —out in the open.
"

"I
'
m with you all the way,
"
Garth assured him, "but this could get real ugly.
"

Rob rose and walked over to the Wyland print, feeling like the tiny rainbow fish about to be devoured by the shark. "My son
'
s at a crossroads in his life. He doesn't need this.
"

"What about Dana?
"
Garth asked quietly.

"Dana,
"
Rob echoed. "The last thing her career needs right now is to have her name linked with mine. Don
'
t tell her anything about this. Let me handle her.
"

D
ana stared at the three men across the table from her. Collis Hwang, head of the state commission on judicial performance, was older than she expected, but had a reputation as a fair man. Adam Pinsky, the young lawyer with him, kept eyeing her and shifting in his seat. Judge Binkley
would pre
sent the charges. She would be given a chance to explain her actions, then the two men from the commission would decide her fate.

"Let
'
s begin,
"
Hwang said, checking his watch. It was almost three-thirty. Judge Binkley had kept them waiting almost a half hour.

"
Sorry to have kept you waiting, but I wa
s expecting more… uh…
infor
mation about this… uh…
problem,
"
Binkley said, and Dana smothered a smile. It wouldn
'
t do to appear too cocky yet, but she knew the
"
evidence
"
he
'
d been hoping to get about Hank Rawlins's murder hadn
'
t appeared.

"
What problem are we talking about?
"
Hwang's
impatience echoe
d through the teak-paneled cham
ber.

Davis Binkley cleared his throat.
"
Let
'
s start with the first charge. If the evidence arrives, my secretary will bring it in.
"
He cleared his throat again, obviously flustered by the missing evidence. "Fran Martin claims that Ms. Hamilton used undue influence to convince her mother to change her will.
"

Hwang scanned the documents that Binkley handed them, then gazed at the golf trophies mounted on the wall, waiting while Pinsky read every word. Dana struggled to remain calm. She knew this charge, although less serious than the other, had more potential to ruin her career. She could prove that Hank was alive; she couldn
'
t prove she hadn't influenced Lillian Hurley.

"
You can see how serious this charge is,
"
prompted Binkley.

Hwang frowned slightly, and Dana had the impression that he
'
d seen far more serious charges.
"
What do you have to say, Judge Hamilton?
"

"
I never discussed Lillian
'
s will with her. Never. She was my neighbor, and we became friends. I had no idea she
'
d left me anything. I—
"

Binkley cut in.
"
Her daughter claims—
"

"
I read the statement,
"
Hwang interrupted.
"
It
'
s Judge Hamilton
'
s turn.
"

Dana stifled a sigh of relief. Binkley was alienating Hwang. She couldn't tell what Pinsky was thinking, but he kept staring at her.
"
Lillian Hurley's doctor is waiting outside,
"
Dana said, praying Dr.
Winston had arrived. "He can tell you more about Lillian
'
s state of mind. He treated her for over thirty years.
"

"
That
'
s highly irregular
,"
Binkley said. "Reviews use written statements. If you don
'
t have a state—
"

"
I have Dr. Winston
'
s statement.
"
Dana reached for her briefcase, silently blessing Rob for prompting her to contact the doctor. "I just thought the seriousness of the
charge warranted a personal ap
pearance.
"

"
Send him in,
"
Hwang said, and Binkley reluctantly hit the intercom.

Dr. Winston was an impressive witness, Dana decided as the older gentleman entered the room. Tall, with an erect posture that suggested military training, he projected self-confidence and honesty.

"
Dr. Winston, there
'
s been some confusion about the changes in Lillian Hurley
'
s will. Had she ever discussed it with you?
"
asked Judge Binkley.

"
No, she never mentioned it,
"
Dr. Winston admitted, and Binkley shot Hwang a look that clearly said,
"
I rest my case.
"
But the doctor wasn
'
t finished. "She did speak about her daughter. Quite often in fact. Fran was a bitter disappointment to Lillian. Her daughter never called, never visited.
"

He paused, and Dana realized he had a flair for drama.
"
And I mean
never.
Not on Christmas, not on Mother
'
s Day, not on Lillian
'
s birthday. I don
'
t know how she could be so cruel to such a sweet old lady. Lillian was quite depressed about it, but she perked up when Dana moved next door.
"