Burden of Truth (Cass Leary Legal Thriller Series Book 1)

by Robin James

  Ms. Larsen cast a nervous glance toward the jury box then out at the gallery. “No,” she answered.

  “No, you don’t recall scheduling it, or no, the meeting didn’t happen?”

  It was such a small thing. A tremor in her hand. Then Karen Larsen’s upper lip started to sweat. The roller coaster crested one more hill.

  “I didn’t schedule it,” she said.

  “Did a meeting happen between Danielle Ford and Mr. Sydney in his office?”

  She dropped her head. “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry, can you speak up?”

  “Yes. Danielle Ford met with Mr. Sydney in the spring of 2012. And I didn’t schedule it.”

  My heart pounded so loud I could barely hear myself think. “Ms. Larsen, if it was your normal practice to schedule all of Mr. Sydney’s meetings, and you recall one taking place, why didn’t it make it into your records?”

  She pursed her lips. “Because I was asked not to put it there.”

  “By whom?”

  “By Mr. Sydney.”

  “Okay. Do you know what the substance of that meeting was?”

  “Objection. Calls for hearsay?” Jack called out.

  “Your Honor, I’ve asked if she knew the substance of it. So far, that’s all.”

  “Overruled, the witness may answer.”

  Karen adjusted the microphone. “No.”

  “Moving on. Do you recall whether Mr. Sydney ever took a meeting with students Lindsey Claussen or Chelsea Holbrook?”

  “Yes,” she answered. “He took meetings with both of those girls. The Claussen meeting took place four years ago on September 24th. He met with Chelsea Holbrook the following January on the 14th.”

  “Were those meetings recorded in his electronic calendar?”

  She leaned forward. “They were not.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because Mr. Sydney asked me not to.”

  “And how is it you’re so specific about the dates of these meetings seeing as how they weren’t officially recorded?”

  “Because he’d never asked me to do that before. I thought it was strange. And because I did record them in my day planners. I brought them with me if you’d like to see them.”

  My heart lifted. I wanted to kiss this woman. “I would very much. But first, did you ask Mr. Sydney why he didn’t want them recorded?”

  She looked on the verge of tears. “You have to understand. You don’t ... you don’t ... I didn’t know for sure. I still don’t. I didn’t want to get fired. If I had any inkling …”

  “Objection,” Jack said. “Could we have some guidelines here? This witness is not responding to questions.”

  “Ms. Larsen, please answer my question. Do you know why Mr. Sydney instructed you not to record those meetings with Danielle Ford, Lindsay Claussen, and Chelsea Holbrook?”

  “No.”

  “Were you aware of the substance of those meetings?”

  “No,” she said. “The girls wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Did you ever become aware of the substance of those meetings later?”

  She hesitated. Karen Larsen’s face changed color, going to a pale gray. “I heard rumors. I understood it had to do with Coach Drazdowski.”

  “Objection. This entire line of questioning calls for hearsay and innuendo. But more than that, none of this is relevant.”

  “Your Honor, Kevin Sydney has made some shocking allegations about conversations he had with the victim about the defendant. His credibility is absolutely at issue.”

  “Sustained in part,” Judge Castor said. “The jury will disregard the witness’s last testimony about what she heard about the substance of those meetings. As far as whether those meetings took place? I’ll allow it.”

  I knew I was pushing the envelope. But the jury had heard the most important part. To the extent Sydney claimed he’d never met with these students, he was toast. Karen Larsen had no reason to lie.

  “Your Honor, I’d like to move for the admission of Ms. Larsen’s scheduling records and day planners into evidence.”

  Jack was seething, but I had him.

  “They’re admitted as exhibits thirty through thirty-six. Let’s move on,” Castor said.

  “I have nothing further for this witness except to thank her for her time,” I said, quitting while I was ahead.

  “Your witness, Mr. LaForge.”

  Jack rifled through his notes. He made a noise that made me think he was merely going to dismiss Karen. At the last second, he changed his mind.

  “Ms. Larsen, do you personally have any knowledge about the circumstances surrounding Larry Drazdowski’s murder?”

  “I … no. I’m afraid I don’t.”

  “Do you even know the defendant, Ms. Ames?”

  “Not well. No. I was acquainted with her prior to this trial when she was a student at the high school. I made it a point to try and get to know all of the students, at least to say hi in the hallway.”

  “Thank you. You’re free to go as far as I’m concerned.”

  Karen Larsen stepped down and Judge Castor adjourned trial for the weekend.

  Chapter 36

  Dan Ames paced like a caged tiger. Aubrey looked as exhausted as I felt. I’d asked them to meet me in my office conference room to talk about our plans for Monday morning. It was getting late. Joe waited for me downstairs. He wanted answers about my new shadow, Corwin.

  “It’s good, right?” Dan asked, tearing a hand through his hair. “That secretary, she pretty much proved that fucking Sydney is a liar. Those girls. He knew! The bastard knew this whole time. And he did nothing. He covered for that piece-of-shit Drazdowski.”

  “Yes,” I said, striking as calm a tone as I could. Jeanie sat beside Aubrey. She put a maternal arm around her.

  “So, we’re good. This is good.”

  I met Jeanie’s eyes. Her grim expression matched my own.

  “It’s good in this sense,” I said. “People are starting to question whether Larry Drazdowski was the hero they thought he was.”

  “But those girls, Lindsey Claussen. You can subpoena her. You can make her tell the truth about what happened with that monster,” Dan said. His words came out rapid fire.

  “I could try,” I said. “But there’s still the issue of relevance. Whether we like it or not, Larry Drazdowski isn’t the one on trial. Aubrey is.”

  “Do you think they believe me?” she said, her voice thin.

  I let out a hard breath. Jeanie rubbed her back. There was no easy way to say any of this. “Aubrey, I don’t know. Like I said, I think they are starting to question Larry’s character. They are certainly starting to question Kevin Sydney’s. That crack about Coach D telling him he was afraid of you was a total lie.”

  “But … that still doesn’t mean they’ll believe I didn’t kill Coach D.”

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Jeanie chimed in. “But you’ve got it.”

  Dan threw a chair across the room. It bashed into the wall, making the whole building shake. There was some commotion downstairs as my brother heard it all. Miranda once again earned her salary ten-fold by keeping him down there.

  “It comes down to one thing,” I said. “If the jury believes Aubrey’s story, they’ll acquit her. If they don’t, they’ll convict.”

  “They already know I lied once.”

  That was the grim truth. Aubrey, for her part, seemed willing to accept it. Her father wasn’t.

  “I can’t believe this. I can’t stomach it. That asshole ruined my little girl. Ruined her life. And he’s going to get away with it?”

  I bit my lip past the obvious answer. Larry Drazdowski was done getting away with anything. But I knew what he meant.

  “Dad,” Aubrey said, her voice soft. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve only made things worse. I shouldn’t have tried to get Coach D to admit to it on tape. I shouldn’t have gone to the park that night. And I shouldn’t have gone to the police to try and protect you. This is all my fault.”

>   Dan crumpled into the seat opposite her. “Baby, don’t ever say that. You’ve been so brave. You’ve been trying to protect me when I’m the one who should have been protecting you.”

  “But you didn’t know. How could you?” She looked back at me. “Cass … if I go … if they find me guilty. Can you promise me something?”

  It was in me to blurt out “anything,” but I couldn’t. I sat down at the end of the conference table and waited for her to finish.

  “Promise me that you won’t stop trying to get the truth out about Coach D. If they send me to jail … if people find out the truth. I mean … all of it … then at least this won’t feel like it was for nothing.”

  I reached across the table and took her hand. “That I can promise you, Aubrey. No matter what happens, I’ll do my best to try and get the truth out. You’ve already opened the door. Kevin Sydney is lying. He covered it all up. I’ll try and track down the Holbrooks. Danielle Ford’s family. Others will come forward. I feel it.”

  Aubrey gave me the first genuine smile I’d seen since I first met her. Tears rolled down her father’s cheeks, but it wasn’t just sorrow. I knew he felt pride.

  “So that’s it,” he asked. “Monday morning, you rest your case?”

  “Maybe,” I said. “I need a night to sleep on it. I may yet have a trick or two up my sleeve.”

  “Put me on the stand,” he said. “Let me tell the jury what Aubrey told me.”

  “I could,” I said. “But the trouble is, you’re a biased witness.”

  “I don’t care! Let me say what I have to say so the whole damn town can hear it.”

  I gave him a grim nod. “We’ll all have fresher heads in the morning. Okay?”

  With that, I left Dan and Aubrey the room. Jeanie and I walked down the stairs together.

  “Well,” I whispered to her. “What do you think?”

  She shrugged. “I think if Jack offers a deal, she’s got to think long and hard. They give her second degree, it’s twenty to life. She could be out in less. She’s twenty years old. She could still have a life.”

  I let out a hard sigh. Twenty years in prison and Aubrey Ames would never be the same. But Jeanie had a point. Still, I wasn’t kidding about needing a fresher head come morning. We rounded the corner and nearly ran headlong into Miranda. She was carrying a huge bouquet of white roses.

  My throat ran dry. There was only one person on the planet who sent me white roses. These were Killian Thorne’s calling card. Joe stood in the doorway of the office, fuming.

  “These just came for you,” Miranda said. She pulled a card out of the massive bouquet and handed it to me. The envelope had already been torn open and my eyes shot to Joe. Of course he’d bullied Miranda and already read it.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Your man in the big black car came up with the delivery guy. Your brother answered the door before I could.”

  “It’s all right,” I said, taking the card from her.

  Ask and you shall receive. There’s a present waiting for you back at your house. K.T.

  God. He worked fast. Too fast. It had been a mere eight hours since I called him. I shuddered, realizing he’d had the means to grant me this favor all along. What had I done?

  “Come on,” Joe said, reading the card over my shoulder. “No way in hell I’m letting you go back there alone.”

  Resigned, I handed the flowers back to Miranda. “Well, let’s get going then,” I said. I felt terrible for leaving Jeanie in the dark, but this was now a family matter.

  As I left with my brother, I hoped to God I was wrong about what I’d find back at the house.

  Chapter 37

  Joe peppered me with questions I wouldn’t answer. “I’m so sick and tired of this,” he said. “How long are you going to keep me in the dark? I see that guy following you. He’s been on you for days.”

  He pulled up my gravel driveway, unsettling one of the sand cranes that fished on this side of the lake. It took off in a graceful arc, its gray wings flapping as it looked for a more hospitable resting place.

  Corwin had beat us to the house. A second, identical black SUV was parallel parked in front of my neighbors. The living room light was on and my pulse jackhammered. This was either going to go poorly or disastrously.

  “What the actual fuck is going on?” Joe got out just ahead of me. He reached beneath his front seat. He had a concealed carry license and he was going for his Nine.

  “Joe, don’t!” I shouted. Corwin stood beside his vehicle, his eyes stone cold. My brother was a skilled hunter and one hell of a shot. But he was no match for one of Killian Thorne’s trained bodyguards.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “He’s not here to hurt me.”

  “It’s the opposite,” Corwin said, slightly amused.

  I grabbed my brother’s arm. His muscles tensed into granite. But he let me pull him toward the house. He was ready to launch into another tirade. But the moment we stepped inside, his words died on his lips and my heart dropped to the floor.

  My sister Vangie sat cross-legged on the couch, staring out at the lake. She was like a statue, an apparition. She was exactly the same and yet completely different. I hadn’t seen her in over six years. Then, she’d been a skinny eighteen-year-old girl with hair down to her waist that she’d dyed pitch black with a homemade rinse. Now, she was thin, not skinny, her hair back to its normal blonde. She stared straight through me with those luminous green eyes. She was beautiful. Stunning, even. And she looked exactly like the mother she could barely remember.

  Joe let out a choked sound beside me. He took a faltering step. I knew what he felt. We were both scared to take a breath or blink. Would Vangie vanish into thin air again if we did?

  She was real. She was here.

  “I hate you for this,” she said.

  “Vangie,” Joe gushed. He went to her. He dove to the cushion beside her, throwing his arms around our little sister. Vangie’s eyes flickered. Just as quickly, she put her mask back in place as she let Joe hug her. She kept her cold gaze fixed on me.

  “When did you … where … how?” Joe was dumbstruck. “Jesus. Vangie. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?” He sat back, giving her space again.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said. Her cold façade slipped a bit and her eyes glistened with tears she was trying so hard not to shed.

  Vangie ran a finger beneath her eye, fixing the black eyeliner that threatened to smudge. She rose from the couch and came to the big bay window, looking out at the water. The sand crane was back, swooping low to catch a tiny bluegill with expert precision.

  “Place looks nice,” she said. “Quite the coup getting Gramps to leave it to you, Cass. But I’m guessing Matty threw a fit.”

  “He got over it,” I said. “He knows he’s welcome here whenever he wants. So are you.”

  “Right. But it’s a pretty big step down for you, huh? She ever invite you to her fancy penthouse on Lakeshore Drive, Joe? You could get a nosebleed just stepping off the elevator in that place.”

  “Vangie,” I started. She turned to me, whipping her hair behind her shoulders.

  “You didn’t really get out from under that life though, did you?” she asked. “Still got his thugs at your beck and call. They sure rattled my cage this morning. What’s the price for dragging me back here? I hope it was worth it.”

  Joe stepped between us. “What the hell are you talking about? Cass? Who dragged you? Did they hurt you? Was it that asshole outside? You did this?” He turned to me, his eyes accusatory.

  “Joe …”

  “No,” he said. “Enough secrets. This is me you’re talking to. What are you involved in? And what the hell did you do to get Vangie in the middle of it?”

  “Nothing,” I said. “I just need to have a conversation. That’s all. I was worried about her. Vangie … I’m not the only one with secrets, am I?”

  Her armor was cracking and I hated that I was causing it. But Joe had one thing absolutel
y right. We’d kept our secrets long enough.

  “Tell him,” Vangie said. “Tell Joe what you did.”

  “Vangie …”

  “They found me at work. Two men. The one out there parked in front of the Fletcher’s drove me all the way here. Four hours. All the way from Indianapolis. At work. Did I say that? Do you know how hard it’s been for me to rebuild my life? After everything I’ve tried to push behind me. And you want me to what?”

  Joe looked dumbstruck from me to Vangie. “Everything that happened. Vangie, you took off. Disappeared. I’ve been trying for years to get a hold of you. You cut yourself off from Dad. From Matty even. It gutted him. He needs you. He’s been drinking.”

  “That’s not on me!” she snapped.

  “What men, Cass?” Joe asked. “Who the hell are those guys?”

  I dropped my chin. If I was going to ask my sister to tell me her secrets, I had to tell her some of mine.

  “They work for Killian Thorne,” I said. “He was … he was a client of the firm I worked for.”

  “The Thorne Group,” Joe said. “Killian Thorne. Sounds like more than just a client.”

  “It’s his brother Liam’s firm. Killian runs the family business,” I said. “We parted ways. It’s complicated, okay? And most of it I can’t talk about anyway. Attorney-client privilege and all that. But … let’s just say we ended up at crossed purposes.”

  “How does he make his money, Cass?” Joe asked.

  “He’s … he’s an exporter. Like I said, it’s complicated, Joe. But it’s over. I’m out.”

  “But you asked him to find me,” Vangie said.

  “Did they hurt you?” Joe asked, his eyes wild. “Jesus. What kind of people are these?”

  “They didn’t hurt me,” Vangie said. “And they told me I didn’t have to come with them but …”

  “But what?” I said. My sister was like a coiled snake ready to strike. She was angry with me. But there was something else brewing.

  “Why?” Vangie squared off, meeting my stare. She was tiny, my sister. Barely topping five feet. She was fine-boned but had a natural tone to her arms. She’d been a gifted athlete at one time. Swimming. Gymnastics. Track. I could see her pulse racing from the little tremor near her temple.