Toby’s eyes light up. He digs around in his large presentation case and pulls out a pair of purple neoprene gloves and a new external hard drive. He opens Tallulah’s laptop and plugs in the external hard drive. “I’m going to mirror her computer on this drive. You’ll need her computer as pristine as possible for evidence in the trial. I can duplicate it on one of my machines.”
“You’re telling me you brought an extra computer just in case something like this happened?” Dylan asks skeptically.
“You’ve met my boss, Tristan Macklin, right?”
I smirk at Dylan. “He’s right. He does work for Identity Bank. If Tristan thought we needed extra planes to search for these kids, they’d be parked out front with pilots on standby.”
“Point taken,” Dylan responds with a laugh. “So you can evaluate her laptop right here — you don’t even have to take it?”
“I don’t have to take her original computer, but it will take me a bit to download the data and upload it to my computer. Then I’ll need to go through it.”
“I hope this doesn’t take months. Tallulah is running out of time if it’s not already too late,” Dylan remarks as he takes a bottle of antacids out of his pocket and downs a handful.
“With all due respect, Detective Palmer, I know that better than anyone in this room. I can’t promise any miracles, but I will work on this as quickly as I can.”
“Toby, we all know you’re trying your best. Tempers are a little short around here,” I comment as I level a steely glare at my former partner, “but we’re all trying our best. Sometimes, we are so stressed out, it’s hard to remember we’re all playing on the same team.”
“It’s okay, I understand.”
“Let us know when you know something. I’ll try to get you the information from Joey Ward’s computer too.”
Dylan walks over and shakes Toby’s hand. “Hey man, I’m sorry. My remarks were thoughtless. For a moment, I forgot who I was talking to.”
Toby smiles shyly. “You know, that might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. There was a time in my life I thought no one would ever forget the nightmare I’ve been through. I figured I would forever be known as the kid who went to the library and never came home. I never thought I’d be able to outgrow the stigma and move on with my life. The fact that you completely forgot that about me totally makes my day. Thanks Dylan. Means a lot.”
“Let’s go find some other kids before they've been missing for half a decade,” Dylan says as tears threaten.
“That’s the plan. I work on it every moment I’m awake. As you can tell, I don’t sleep much these days either.”
I clear my throat before I say, “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m looking forward to solving this case so I can finally get a good nights’ rest for a while.”
Darya says, “From your lips to God’s ears.”
Tori clutches my hand and sticks it in the pocket of my pea coat as we stroll past the storefronts with their festive displays. “Thank you for dinner. It was lovely. I appreciate what you were trying to do. This waiting is driving me crazy. I still can’t believe they deposed me. Usually I’m the one who gives the depositions.”
“I’m sure you did fine. It was probably just a formality. They have to do the same process with everyone, otherwise they would be accused of bias.”
“I know.” Tori lays her head on my shoulder. “As far as deposition goes, it was pretty standard, but it was just weird being on the other end of things. I was trying to read the tea leaves to see if I could figure out where the investigation stood — but they weren’t giving anything away. That was probably the most frustrating part of it all.”
“So now you just have to wait for them to conclude their investigation? Did they give a timeframe?”
She shakes her head. “They said each investigation varies.”
“Sounds like what’s going on in my cases. I swear if I didn’t have you around to keep me sane, I don’t know what I would do.”
Tori looks up at me in surprise. “Really? I don’t know that I do all that much except add more chaos to your life.”
“That’s not true,” I insist. “You add balance to my life. Not only have you pitched in and helped with this case when I needed you, you’ve been a great sounding board when I needed to vent, and a cheerleader when I’ve been down. You’ve kept me from living and breathing this case twenty-four seven and giving myself an ulcer because I drink nothing but coffee for months on end.”
“That sounds like a lot. I thought you were the one rescuing me from my crazy life which was spiraling out of control.”
“Maybe we just got our timing right this time.” I place my arm around her waist and pull her closer. Tori stops in front of an elaborately decorated store window with vintage teddy bears and trains. “Oh my gosh! How adorable is this?” Then she looks up at me with tears in her eyes as she voices the thought rattling around in my brain. “Oh, those poor parents! It must be so hard for them to see all this Christmas stuff and not know where their kids are.”
“I think about that every single day. I know Isadora does too. She calls me once or twice a week to see if there have been any new developments. It’s been a hurry up and wait game for a while. It seems like we get a promising lead and chase it down, only to find out it wasn’t so promising.”
“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” Tori asks.
I lean down and brush a kiss across her lips. “I guess the best strategy right now is for us to distract each other until we have news we can work with.”
She stands on her tiptoes and threads her arms around my neck, pulling my face closer to hers as she kisses me deeply. “I can get on board with that strategy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
TORI
AS I SORT THROUGH NEW leads in the missing teens case, my phone rings. I reflexively answer it without even looking. I catch my breath when an older gentleman greets me. “Hello, is this Victoria Clarkson?”
“This is.” I respond with trepidation.
“Hello, my name is Humphrey Coche, I’m calling on behalf of the State Bar. I apologize it’s taken us so long to get back to you. Normally, I would simply issue you a formal letter informing you of our findings. However, this case is so extraordinary, I feel a personal call is warranted.”
My head spins and I feel faint. “Oh my, that does not bode well for me.”
“Oh no, ma’am. I didn’t mean to insinuate anything of the sort. Let me get that out of the way right up front. Our investigation found the allegations against you to be unfounded and meritless. As far as we are concerned, you remain a member of the Florida State bar in good standing.”
I slump down in my chair as a wave of relief overtakes me and twin feelings of relief and rage course through me. “I appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this matter,” I reply as soon as I can calm my racing heartbeat enough to speak.
“But?” he prompts.
“It doesn’t seem fair that I didn’t do a single thing wrong, but whenever someone looks up my record, the blemish will always be there — even though it’s been established that I was wrongly accused.”
“You make a fair point, Ms. Clarkson. Given the unusual circumstances of this case, we are looking at ways to ameliorate the damage done.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Well, ameliorate means to improve something perceived to be in a negative condition.”
“While I appreciate the English lesson Mr. Coche, I wasn’t asking for the definition of the word. I understand the meaning quite well. I am asking what will happen to my formerly spotless record.”
“We’re still working on what exactly will take place. Of course, our decision will be announced publicly. The question is how publicly. Typically, complaints are a relatively straightforward process and are used to protect the public from the unethical practice of law. However, in this case, it appears the complaint process was used as a means of sabotage and the exe
cutive board feels this is an egregious misuse of our process.”
“Not surprisingly, I agree with your assessment. This experience has been very traumatic for me. If Mr. Zane filed a complaint simply to further destroy my career, he should have to face sanctions. That’s not what you guys are here for. Whatever his issues are with me, he shouldn’t have brought the Bar Association into it.”
“Yes, that was our thought as well.”
“So, what happens now?”
“We will release a formal statement exonerating you. Once we meet with our counsel to determine the proper way to deal with the unusual circumstances in this case. Of course, we are at liberty to release the name of the person who instigated the investigation — the question is how much we disclose of the surrounding circumstances. Mr. Zane’s behavior has triggered an investigation into his fitness to serve as an attorney in the state of Florida.”
I can’t hold back my involuntary gasp. I always knew what Derek Zane did was underhanded and unethical, I just didn’t expect anyone to ever hold him accountable.
My heartbeat sounds thunderously loud in my ears and I struggle to hear Mr. Coche as he continues, “However, until such time we decide how to handle this unusual case, I wanted to let you know the Disciplinary Committee takes this incident very seriously. We also view you as an innocent victim. We took a look at your admirable service to the state of Florida and we consider you an asset to the bar and hope you continue practicing in our state.”
“Um, thank you, sir,” I stammer. “I hope I get the opportunity to continue to practice law. My reputation has been shredded in the legal community and elsewhere. Starting over in Florida may not be possible.”
“That’s just a shame. Your record is stellar and should be celebrated.”
“I appreciate your sentiment, I really do. Unfortunately, it will take a little more than a few pats on the back for people to forget what they’ve seen on the news day in and day out for months on end.”
“It’s a terrible thing. I’m sorry I can’t right all the wrongs done to you. We will be looking into Mr. Zane to make sure he represents the kind of professionalism we want in our state.”
“I know I wasn’t a big fan of giving you a deposition before, but in this case, I would be more than happy to give the disciplinary committee whatever information you need,” I offer. After a moment, I add, “Although if I file a complaint against Mr. Zane, it will look retaliatory.”
“Oh, no worries, Ms. Clarkson. You don’t have to initiate a complaint. There were enough concerns arising from our investigation, we have initiated the investigation ourselves,” Humphrey Coche assures me.
“Oh,” I blurt, unable to think of anything more sophisticated to say.
“Oh is right. Mr. Zane appears to have cooked his own goose. Were it not for his frivolous complaint against you, we would not have been aware of his allegedly unethical behavior.”
“Huh, maybe that’s why my mama always taught me to tell the truth and to keep my mouth shut if I couldn’t say something nice about somebody.”
Mr. Coche chuckles. “Obviously, your mother is a good woman. We deal with people every day who never got those lessons. I’m glad you’re one of the people who obviously took those lessons to heart. I’ll let you know if I need anything further from you Ms. Clarkson. I hope you find a way to repair your reputation and stay in Florida. It’s been a delight to get to know you.”
“Thank you for calling, Mr. Coche. It would not be an overstatement to say you made my day.”
“That’s not something people usually say to me. I appreciate it. You have a good day now, Ms. Clarkson.”
“Don’t you worry, I plan to. Bye now.”
As I stand silently in the doorway of the gym, I marvel at the strength and symmetry of Cody’s muscles as he lifts free weights with Dylan. He’s oblivious to my presence, so I take a few moments to watch the casual banter between two old friends. Cody laughs at a joke about last night’s game and I have to catch my breath. The man is gorgeous. I can’t believe we’re finally making a go of it after all these years.
Dylan looks up and sees me in the doorway. He sets his barbells down and pokes Cody in the side. “Dude! You must be asleep or something. If I had a woman like that waiting for me, I wouldn’t be sitting there jacking my jaw.”
Cody whirls around with a shocked look on his face. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay with your mom?”
“Everything’s fine. Actually, this time I tracked you down to share good news.”
Cody wipes himself down with a towel from the weight bench. He stretches out his sore shoulder. “After the week we’ve been having, good news would be a welcome change. Hit me with it.”
I can’t contain my excitement anymore. I grin widely as I announce, “Well, you know what they say about karma —”
Cody jumps up from the weight bench and sprints toward me. “Hot dog! You heard from the bar —”
I nod. “Completely exonerated.”
Cody stops a few feet from me. “I would give you a hug but I’m sweaty and I smell ripe.”
“He’s not kidding. I’ve been sitting a few feet from him and I can confirm his alibi. The man needs a couple of showers before he touches you,” Dylan teases.
“Are you guys done? You’re ruining my announcement. I didn’t even get to tell you the best part,” I pout.
“You mean there’s more than being completely exonerated?” Cody asks.
“Oh, so much more. Derek Zane worked extremely hard to get me into trouble for something I didn’t do — but he ended up getting himself into a world of hurt. The bar is launching its own investigation against him.”
Dylan gives Cody a high five. “You didn’t have to initiate it?”
I shake my head. “Nope. That’s the beautiful thing. His behavior was so far out of bounds, the disciplinary committee found cause to look into his conduct as an attorney.”
Cody leans down and carefully kisses me. “Wow, that is cause for celebration! Let me grab a quick shower and we can get out of here.”
I stop grinning long enough to return the kiss. “Do you have to go back to work?”
Cody glances over at Dylan. “We good?”
“Yeah, Man. Go take your girl out and celebrate. Anything I come up with can wait until tomorrow. Get your stinky self in the shower before Tori changes her mind.”
Cory throws his towel at Dylan. “Okay… I’m going … no need to be rude.” He turns back toward me and winks. “Try to keep him out of trouble.”
Dylan throws his head back and laughs. “Get real. She’s been dating you long enough to know that’s not even possible.”
“Good point. Maybe I should’ve told you not to chase her away.”
“Why would I do that? You eat at her house now. I’m saving a bundle on my grocery bill. This is a win-win for me.”
“Glad to see you’re so supportive of us —” Cody replies with an eye roll.
“If you don’t go take your shower, I’ll go on a date with your girlfriend. I’ve been hitting a dry spell lately. I could use a little fun in my life.”
“I’m confident my girlfriend is too smart to fall for that line.”
“You can stand around and joke all day, but I’ve got two words for you to consider, Cody —”
“Yeah? Whatcha got?” he challenges with a smirk.
“Crab Shack,” I retort as I dangle my car keys in front of my face.
Cody spins on his heel and runs toward the shower. “‘Nuf said. I’ll be out in a minute.”
As soon as he leaves the room, Dylan looks at me with wide-eyed wonderment. “What’s so magical about the Crab Shack?”
I sigh softly. “I guess you had to be there. Cody and I have some unfinished business. Our last date got interrupted when you found Isadora. Maybe lightning will strike twice.”
“As much as I would hate to interrupt your celebration, worse things could happen.”
“If we could find Joey
and Tallulah, that would be the ultimate celebration. I wouldn’t mind that outcome at all.”
“Well, you seem to be on a first name basis with karma these days, maybe you could put in a good word.”
Cody hugs me to his chest as we watch the bonfire burn. “You know I’m torn.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“It’s hard for me to quit my day job.”
“Hmm … I see. Warm, beautiful, romantic, nostalgic … and illegal without a permit, right?”
I feel Cody nod against the top of my head.
“I know, but look at them. They’re having such a good time. Playing music and dancing — they’re not hurting anybody. Don’t you remember what it was like to be young?”
Cody spins me around and kisses me deeply. “Yeah, I do. That’s why I don’t want them to get in trouble,” he replies reluctantly after he pulls away. “Paying fines out of your allowance or gas money sucks.”
I run my hand down his cheek. “Okay, I’ll be the bad guy this time.”
I jog across the sand to the group of kids who seem to be the leaders and introduce myself. “Hey, I know my boyfriend and I seem like old fuddy-duddies to you. But we’re simply trying to save you from a world of hurt. I don’t know if you know this or not, but bonfires here are illegal.”
“Giovanni, you said you got a permit,” a tall brunette says.
The kid shrugs. “I say a lot of things. If I told you the truth, we wouldn’t be having this banging party.”
I grimace. “As far as I know, they don’t issue permits for this beach. You might want to put it out before you guys get caught.”
Giovanni draws himself up to his full height and challenges me, “What are you? The fun police?”
I reach down and brush some sand off my calf. “Just trying to be nice. If we were the fun police, this would have been handled much differently. Have a nice night.”
Love and Injustice Page 16
