Lawfully Freed

by Ginny Sterling

  “I wonder if that boy goes to our school?” she teased, pointing at the car. She saw it was the only vehicle left there in the illuminated parking lot.

  “Or if he is hung up on a pretty cheerleader.”

  “I hope she isn’t stupid enough to crush his feelings.”

  “Or I hope he is smart enough to wait for her to realize it.”

  “Is that what you did?” she asked, shocked. Instead of coming up with an answer or a witty comment, he opened the door and quickly got out of the car. “Wait a second!”

  Rebecca quickly got out as well. She stood there in the open driver’s door staring at him as he walked behind her vehicle towards his. “You can’t just flirt all night and then suddenly shut it off like a light switch.”

  “Who said I was doing that?”

  “Well, I am actually!” she sputtered. “I mean, you talk about making up for lost time and then how you were hung up on a cheerleader and when I ask if that someone was you, you clam up. Why?”

  “I didn’t feel like it needed answering.”

  “Yes, it does!”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “You did what?” she asked pointedly. Was the man dense or playing hardheaded?

  “I waited for you.” He ran his hand through his hair nervously and looked at her sheepishly. “I waited and hoped you’d return someday.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes. Are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?”

  “A first date for us, remember?” she agreed quietly, still surprised by his admission.

  “I will see you tomorrow night.”

  “Hang on!” she suddenly exclaimed again. “Aren’t you going to kiss me goodnight?”

  “Never hurts to wait for something, Rebecca,” he said with a wide grin. He looked ecstatic knowing that she’d asked about a kiss. “Cause when you finally get it? It’s that much sweeter.”

  Two

  Rebecca awoke early the next morning, still smiling from ear to ear at her encounter with Gabriel. She was amazed at the changes in him and felt so many emotions. Shame at how petty she felt. He’d been a really sweet guy back then and still was. But the fact that he was straight up delicious-looking ate at her. She’d never been accused of being shallow. But the complete turnaround she’d done once she set eyes on him, made her feel like she was wearing a ribbon sash to proclaim it to the world.

  She felt angry at herself, too. She’d wanted to come back and show off how polished and mature she was. Instead, she felt like she had tossed all of it to the side to spend some time with him.

  Now, she couldn’t wait for their date this evening. The thought of him teasing her about waiting for a kiss kept her tossing and turning last night. She’d slept through the first two alarms she had set and managed to crawl out of bed on the third one. She was habitually tardy and if it wasn’t for her iPod, she’d never make it anywhere on time.

  Hurrying to get ready, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Putting on a swipe of lip gloss and her eyeshadow chubby stick, she was nearly ready to go. Her favorite accessory had to be her high heels. She had a variety of them, different heights in different shades. There was something so feminine and sexy about strutting around in pretty shoes. Tossing several shoes out of her closet, she found her favorite pair. Patent blue leather tips with a fake animal print on the side. It was classy yet screamed “rawr”. Fluevog shoes were her absolute weakness and she was lucky she didn’t live near a boutique.

  Grabbing her keys, she darted out the front door and was surprised to see a note on the door. Rolling her eyes, she yanked it off and shoved it in her purse. So, she was a day late paying the rent. She’d put the check in the night slot and would call the office later. Sheesh. She’d not even unpacked all of her boxes yet or gotten truly moved in.

  Tossing her purse in the passenger seat, she drove to her first assignment downtown. She’d been thrilled with the idea of using her degree and the opening with the police department and public defender’s office as a professional consultant was a dream. It would get her free advertising and she could develop a clientele base for her own practice over time. Today, she would be analyzing a real winner: kidnapper with a penchant for arson.

  Sitting in the empty office, she flipped through the files. Making notes and chewing on her pen cap, she was glad for the silence. This guy was classic and while he fit the bill, there was something just off about him. Why arson? As she continued thumbing through the file, she heard the office door open.

  “Coffee?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “I thought you might like a cup while we discuss my client,” the man said smoothly. Attorney. Gotcha, she thought.

  “Of course. Come in,” she said with a tight smile.

  He took a seat opposite of her and picked up the chewed pen, flinging it in the trashcan. It was a deliberate move and was meant to unnerve her. You take something from someone, something insignificant that they used to occupy themselves and remove it. She recognized it and had done similar tactics herself to throw someone off kilter. Leaning back, she shut the file and flipped over her notepad. Sliding it to the far side of the table pointedly, she smiled again.

  “You know he needs help, so let’s cut to the chase. The man is sick.”

  “I do believe we should have this conversation recorded. Stop talking for a moment, please,” she said politely and grabbed her recorder, pushing the button on the side. He hovered over her, standing while she sat. A power move meant to intimidate.

  “You are new here, aren’t you?”

  “That has nothing to do with your client.”

  “No, but if you’d like to continue consulting for the department…” he said with a sly, arrogant smile.

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Not at all,” he cajoled and took a seat nearby, making her squirm. “I just want to make sure my client gets a fair shake.”

  “I am here to look at his statement, his history and make an unbiased assessment of your client. The jury that is selected will determine if your client gets a ‘fair shake’,” she said evenly. “And I do believe you’ll be a part of that selection process, won’t you?”

  They stared at each other. Her heart hammered in her chest. What if I just messed up my chances here? His weathered face hid all emotion. He looked like he might have been staring at an empty chair rather than being challenged by a newbie.

  “I think we are done here,” she finished pointedly. She’d not back down. That was one thing she prided herself on, her morals. She was here to do a job and she’d be darned if word ever got around that she could be persuaded, bribed, cajoled or bullied into swaying a decision by a jury. She was there to state the facts and assess someone.

  “I believe you might be right,” he agreed suddenly with a wide smile and stood up, extended his hand towards her. “I’m glad you’ve got a bit of spunk to you and ethics. I thought I’d test you to see what kind of mettle you have to you. I am the district attorney. Glad to have you on the team.”

  “I wondered what was going on,” she admitted with a shaky smile, letting out her breath. She didn’t realize that she’d been holding it.

  “Do you need anything, seriously?”

  “No, I am about done with my evaluation.”

  “Nuts?”

  “Professionally speaking?”

  “Of course.”

  “Koo-koo-kachoo,” she admitted, straight faced, and then cracked a smile as he laughed aloud. “Seriously though, I do need to wrap up and get to my office. I would be happy to sit in on any cases you have and would like to put a few business cards on the board.”

  “Getting started in your career?”

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  “Why don’t you make it a point to come by every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We could use a fresh outlook. There’s usually one or twelve hundred files to take a look at.”

  “One or twelve hundred?” she laughed. “That’s quite a spread there!�
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  “Dallas is a large metropolitan city, and everyone pleads insanity nowadays.”

  “Understood, and thank you…”

  “Markham. District Attorney David Markham at your service.”

  “It’s nice to meet you and I appreciate the offer.”

  Filing her statement at the front desk, she conveniently left a large stack of business cards in several locations around the office. Taking the elevator down to the lobby of the building, she walked confidently to the front and through the metal detectors onto the street towards the Park & Pay parking lot. The city was abuzz with activity. Horns honking and people walking all around her. Darting into the lot, she noticed that there was a small wildflower underneath her windshield wiper. Smiling, she plucked out the wildflower and saw that there was a small patch of greenery growing out of the sidewalk crack. Tempted to rub it on her chin like all the kids had done as children, she shook her head and dropped it on the asphalt.

  Singing at the top of her lungs in the car, she enjoyed the easy drive to her new office. It was in a small wing of a strip mall that seemed to be filled with different offices. There was a counselor nearby that she’d met about a week ago. Another store was a compounding pharmacy as well as a health food store. A children’s clinic rounded out the bunch, making it a perfect location for her office. They could refer each other and keep it in the proverbial neighborhood.

  Parking, she got out of the car and unlocked her office door. The key jingled noisily in the door and kept slapping against the glass as she turned it. She was proud to have her own practice finally.

  That was one thing that was nice. If she had appointments, then she would need to be there. Other than that, until she had a dedicated office receptionist to do files and billing, there was no need for her to be there all day, every day. She worked on demand and had no clientele as of yet. The voicemail for the office was easy to check from her house phone and she could promptly call back, scheduling herself as much as possible. Today, she had a client coming in the afternoon for a consultation.

  She flipped on the lights, started the coffee and began playing back the voicemails that had accumulated while she was at the precinct earlier in the day. Impatiently holding a cup underneath the coffee filter basket to avoid waiting for the pot to stop brewing, she held it steadily in place over the burner as she leaned over the desk, scribbling notes with her free hand. The voicemails were short and simple.

  Hello, my name is so-so, call me back at this number.

  Do you take my insurance?

  Do you bill me for the visit or do I pay up front?

  Are you open on Saturdays?

  She removed her favorite mug from its precarious position and slid the glass carafe underneath easily. Adding sugar and creamer, she stirred and took a sip. The next voicemail startled her. The piping hot coffee went down her windpipe causing her to choke and cough heavily.

  Brent Hale had left a message that he was looking for someone to talk to and thought she might be a good fit. Her gut reaction was a definitive NOPE. Her secondary thought was that maybe he actually did need someone to talk to, but could she be objective about it? Also, a big fat no in her book. He needed help, but he could have used it long ago, not just now.

  Taking a deep breath once she stopped coughing, she picked up the phone and dialed his number first. It was time to rip off the proverbial Band-Aid. Hearing a ringing sound echo in her ear that was pressed against the receiver and then again nearby, she hung up quickly. Alarmed, she glanced up to see Brent standing just outside of the office door glass with a wide smile on his face. Clutching her coffee mug, she took a deep breath as he opened the door and walked right inside.

  “Hey, ya Becks. I wondered when you’d return my call.”

  “I just got into the office. What can I do for you, Brent?”

  “Just now? You must work some late hours.”

  “I schedule my clients as needed. As a matter of fact, I have a client due in soon. May I help you?” She hoped that he picked up on the hint. Being alone in the office with him made her internal warning bells chime. It was the way he looked at her. He looked possessive and had no reason whatsoever to think that.

  “Well, I was thinking that I needed to talk about a few things with you. I thought this might be best.”

  “Brent, I don’t think that is the best idea. We have a history. We grew up together. It would distract from an objective opinion.”

  “Becks, you were always opinionated. We should have had more of a history than just ‘we grew up together’. We should have been a thing, Becks. We still can be.”

  “And I told you not to call me that.”

  “Dr. Rebecca,” he drawled, walking further inside towards her. He smoothly stepped around and grabbed a Styrofoam cup. “I’d like to make that appointment regardless. Unless you want to talk now?”

  “Again, I think that is a poor decision for both of us.”

  “NO!”

  Brent slammed his meaty fist down on the counter directly on the full cup of coffee. The Styrofoam cup was no competition for the insane amount of pressure his hand caused. It collapsed immediately, sending hot fluid splashing on her and him. She jumped in surprise at the sudden outburst and onslaught of hot fluid on her person. He quickly composed himself and grabbed a napkin for his hands. She stood there with coffee dripping from her blouse, watching him carefully, trying to read him. She’d not seen the outburst coming and it surprised her.

  “Brett, wouldn’t you want the best person to listen to you and coach you? To help you through whatever was bothering you?”

  “I said I wanted to talk, not necessarily a shrink. Some listener you are, Becks!” he scoffed.

  “My client will be here shortly,” she reminded him, putting a chair between her and where he stood. She felt better having something between them, even if it wouldn’t change a thing if he decided to have another outburst.

  “You said that. So until then, how about we talk?”

  “About what?”

  “Our history. Our past.”

  “There is nothing to discuss.” He would not give up, she thought. She was not prepared to discuss anything whatsoever with the man. He made her uncomfortable and she would not back down on her ability to refuse treatment to someone. It wasn’t out of meanness, it was simply because she felt that she could not distance herself. And she really, really needed distance between them … as of now!

  “Sure, there is. You and me? We should have dated. I tried a few times to go out with you, but you always pretended you were too good for me.”

  “Brent, I didn’t want to date anyone when I was in school.”

  “No, I know,” he said sadly. “Even when people talked about you? You still thought you were better than everyone. Why is that?”

  “I don’t think I am better, I never have. You, however, told everyone that I’d slept with you and the whole football team. You told them I was pregnant!” Furious, she was angrier with herself that he’d gotten under her skin, causing her to yell. She knew better and lost her temper regardless. She needed to breathe and calm herself down.

  “You could have been,” he shrugged. “No one would have known.”

  “I couldn’t have been because I wouldn’t have let you ever touch me!”

  “That is too bad for you, because I’d have made it good for you – for us, Becks. We fit together. I think we’d fit really nicely together, especially with those long legs.”

  “And on that note, this conversation is over, Mr. Hale. You need to leave now.”

  “We’ll talk again soon.” He walked out of the front door of her office as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  “No, we won’t,” she said firmly, locking the door behind him. She saw him glance lazily over his shoulder at her as the latch clicked in place. Her heart hammering, she backed away from the locked glass door until she was in the darkness of her office staring out. She could see him, but she prayed he couldn’t see her. She st
ood there for some time as he vanished from her sight. She didn’t see him as he circled around her car, looked at the office and slid a piece of paper under her wiper blade. He came back into view as he walked off towards a beat up pickup truck, climbed in and drove off.

  Rebecca’s heart was pounding. The man was off kilter. She felt vulnerable right now and hated the sensation. She was a smart woman and knew how to get herself out of a sticky situation, but this had thrown her for a loop. She had her conceal carry license but didn’t often carry the small gun she owned. She had it more for emergencies… although after that visit, the potential for there to be an emergency rated pretty high on her scale. There was coffee spilled everywhere on the front entryway table that needed to be cleaned up. She needed to focus on that to get her mind off of him and the way she felt threatened by him.

  At that moment, the phone rang, breaking the silence. The jarring, shrill ring caused her to jump nervously as she let out a yelp. She was more shaken than she’d ever realized, feeling extremely jittery and on edge. Walking over to the phone, she almost picked it up and then felt afraid that it might be Brent again. Hesitating, she let the answering machine pick it up.

  “Rebecca, it’s Gabriel. I hope I am not bothering you, but I forgot to get your cell number last night.”

  Grabbing the phone, she quickly hit the off button on the answering machine. Her shaking hand missed the button twice before she finally turned it off. She was desperate for a sense of security. “Gabriel? Are you there?”

  “Hey! Yeah, I’m here. Listen, I’m sorry to call your office but it’s the –”

  “No, it’s fine,” she interrupted quickly, cutting him off. She found herself clutching the receiver near her head, like a lifeline, as she stared out the glass for any signs of Brent.

  “You okay?” he asked her, his voice concerned.

  “Yes, just rattled by a little something.”

  “Okay. But if you need a bit of time or changed your mind…”

  “No, I didn’t, but I do need to head home to change.”