Reasonable Doubt

by Tracey V. Bateman

  “Justin, It’s Mac. Is everything okay?”

  “We think we might have found something to help clear me. I’m at my lawyer’s house, and I’m just getting ready to drive home. How are things there? Did Keri get my note?”

  A long sigh blew through the line. “She did. And I’m afraid she’s hightailed it right behind you.”

  “Keri’s here? In the city?”

  “Yes. I’m worried about her. She said she was headed to the mission. Will you please go and make sure she’s all right?”

  Justin’s heart nearly exploded from his chest. “I’ll get right over there.”

  “Thank you.” The relief in Mac’s voice touched a cord in Justin’s heart.

  “What’s up?” Bob’s questioning gaze caught his.

  He filled him in then dialed the mission. Four rings later, Rick picked up.

  “Rick. I need to know if you’ve seen a short redhead? Her name’s Keri.”

  “Is that you, Justin?” Rick asked.

  “Yes,” Justin replied shortly. “Keri?”

  “She’s here. Sitting right across from me, as a matter of fact. Want to talk to her?”

  “Thanks.” A tide of relief rushed through him and he closed his eyes, willing his heart to slow to normal. It picked up again at the sound of Keri’s voice.

  “Justin? Where are you?”

  “The question is, what are you doing at the mission?”

  “Helping out. Waiting for you.”

  Justin swallowed hard. He could get used to this woman waiting for him. If she was truly his, she’d never have to wait for long. He shook away the images flooding his mind. “All right. I’m coming over there.”

  “Okay. Oh, Justin wait. I have good news for you.”

  “What kind of news?”

  “A man came into the mission today. Said to tell you that you ministered to him a few months ago and he and his wife are back together and expecting their fourth child.”

  Pulse pounding in his temples, Justin croaked out, “His name?”

  “Huh?”

  “The guy’s name, Keri! What was it? Is he still there?”

  She hesitated. “I’m not sure. Mike, maybe? Just a sec. I put his business card in my jacket. I’ll go get it. Hang on.”

  Justin’s heart pounded. Please, God. Please let it be Ike.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Keri returned to the phone. “Justin, I can’t believe this. I put his business card in my jacket, but it’s gone. It must have fallen out.”

  His optimism crashed, but he rallied enough to hope for another option. “Could it have been Ike? Think Keri. This is important.”

  “You know what, come to think of it. Yes, it was Ike. I remember thinking about Ike, the senator from our state. How’d you know?”

  His hands trembled. “Keri…Ike is the only man who can clear my name. I—Is he still there?”

  “I’m not sure. I know he said he wanted to go and talk to the men in the residential area. That was about an hour ago.”

  “Try to find him. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He disconnected the call and turned his gaze upon Bob.

  “What?” Bob’s face screwed up into a questioning expression.

  “This may be all over in just a few minutes, my friend. Guess who paid a visit to the mission today?”

  “Who?”

  “Ike Rawlings. The one man who knows without doubt that I was at the mission all night. Can you drive me to the bus stop? I don’t want to drive Mac’s truck down there.”

  “I can drive you.”

  Justin shook his head. “I’m not taking you away from your family Thanksgiving. I’d rather just get the bus.”

  “Really, I don’t mind.”

  Justin smiled at his friend. “I do.”

  Bob grabbed his coat and let his wife know he’d be back. Then he drove Justin to the bus stop. Cold air shot through the car as Justin opened the door and stepped out. “Thanks for everything. Call me just as soon as you have news.”

  “You can count on it.” Bob’s lips pressed into a grim line and he fingered the notebook on the seat next to him as Justin shut the car door.

  Watching Bob speed away, anxiety bit at Justin and suddenly he remembered Raven’s words of the night before. I think Justin is innocent, but very, very naive. His ears burned again at the memory of those condescending words. Was he being stupid where his friends were concerned? Was there an outside influence, or was it time to start looking at Bob as a possible suspect? Or Rick? Both had opportunity to influence any of the residents to lie. But what possible reason could either have? It made no sense. He knew these men too well.

  By the time he stood alone and shivering at the bus stop, Justin had all but convinced himself there was no way either of his friends would turn on him.

  A burst of air filled the silent bus stop as the city bus ground to a halt beside the bench. Exhaust fumes nearly choked Justin. He stepped onto the bus and found a seat. His thoughts pressed forward to the mission and he willed the bus to hurry. If by some chance Ike was still at the mission, Justin knew he’d go with him to the police station to corroborate his story.

  His stomach jumped as he looked out the window and watched the street signs as the bus moved deeper into the city. When he transferred to his last bus—the one that would finally drop him a block from the mission, his stomach was twisting with a combination of dread and optimism.

  Would it all be over soon?

  It was unthinkable that someone could just breeze in and ruin everything in one day. And a holiday at that. After months of covering up, there was no way he could allow it all to unravel. Not now. He was too close. He felt bad for Justin and the boys. He really did. But nothing mattered more than keeping his wife. If he hadn’t taken care of Amelia, she would have told. Ruined everything he’d built. And for what? Money? Money for silence. There was only one thing to do…get rid of the evidence. Then he’d worry about finding the tape. He was getting closer. Justin would open up soon and reveal his hiding place…It was only a matter of time.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Pity clenched Keri’s stomach at the sight of Justin’s hopeful face as he shot through the mission door. She’d tried. Everyone could attest to that. But she’d failed to find Ike—the one person who could clear Justin. Even though she knew she couldn’t have done anything to change the situation, she felt as though she’d let him down.

  The light faded from his blue eyes as he studied her face. Disappointment lined his features. “He’s gone.” The words weren’t so much a question as a deflated statement of wretched fact.

  She nodded. A groan wrenched from Justin and he dropped into a metal chair, his fingers plunging into his thick hair. Keri knelt on the concrete floor and ran her hand over his hair. Despair thickened the air between them.

  “Oh, Justin. I’m so sorry. He was already gone by the time I went looking for him.”

  He shook his head and pressed his hand to her shoulder. “It’s not your fault.” A hopeful light brightened his blue eyes. “He didn’t say where he’s staying, did he?”

  Keri shook her head. “If he did, I didn’t catch the name of the hotel.”

  Justin’s breath left him in a whoosh. He raised his arms and let them slap back to his thighs. “Well, I guess that’s that.”

  The lines of defeat etched on his face speared her already raw heart.

  “I guess we might as well go back to the cabin. There’s nothing we can do here.” He barely spoke above a whisper.

  She nodded and rose.

  “Justin!” Rick’s voice called out. Keri clenched her fists at her sides. The man irritated her. Plain and simple.

  Justin smiled and accepted the quick hug his friend offered. “Rick. I hear Ike was here.”

  “Sorry we couldn’t stop him.”

  Keri didn’t buy it. Not for one minute. “He introduced himself to us earlier, remember? I’m surprised the name didn’t ring a bell while he was here,” she said, kno
wing her face betrayed her skepticism, but not caring if it did. Rick should have known. If anyone knew Ike Rawlings was the man who could give Justin an alibi, it was this man.

  Rick’s expression fell. He rubbed his jaw. “So many of them come and go through this place, I can’t keep them straight. Sorry, man.”

  “Yeah, sure. You couldn’t help it.”

  Keri understood the despair in Justin’s voice. His hopes had hinged on finding Ike. What was going to happen now?

  Rick clapped Justin on the shoulder. “Come back to my office and have a cup of coffee with me. Your girl here worked herself to the bone today. I don’t know what we’d have done without her.”

  Justin didn’t bother to set him straight. Keri was about to do just that when Justin spoke. “We can’t stick around, Rick. I need to get Keri back to her family for Thanksgiving.”

  Did she imagine it, or did Rick’s eyes flash with anger? The next instant he smiled warmly and nodded understanding.

  “So let me call a cab for you,” Rick offered.

  Justin turned to Keri. “Where’s your Jeep?”

  “I left it at a gas station off the highway.” She gave him the exit number. “The man there used to be one of your residents, from what I understand.”

  Justin’s brow rose. “Oh?”

  “Mike something or other. That must be why I confused the names. Ike—Mike.”

  “Mike…” Justin’s face registered a mind trying hard to remember.

  “This guy got drunk and slammed into a concrete wall, only instead of killing himself, he took out his family.”

  “Oh…Mike.”

  The compassion reflected in Justin’s eyes shamed Keri, and the shame angered her all the more.

  “He served his time for what he did,” Justin said softly. “And trust me, he’ll never be free from what he’s done.” His eyes grazed her face with a tenderness that nearly melted her anger. Keri knew he understood why she was angry at the mere mention of this man’s actions.

  A snort from Rick captured her attention. “Maybe. Some find the Lord here, but for every one we reach, there are five who end up back on the street sucking down a bottle of cheap wine—and only God knows where they find the money.”

  Keri swallowed with difficulty around a knot in her throat. “Everyone is capable of change,” she croaked out.

  The admission cost her plenty. If she really believed that anyone was capable of change, then she had no crutch with which to support her crippling bitterness. Because if anyone could change, then so could the man who killed her mother, so could Mike, so could Junior Conner, so could she…

  Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away and steeled her heart. She couldn’t break down now. She wasn’t ready to surrender the emotions that had driven her for ten years. Her cause. The force behind her entire life’s work as a cop. Getting drunks off the road—that was her passion. Without anger to prod her, she wasn’t sure if she’d continue the fight. Didn’t know if she even could.

  Justin reached out and laced his fingers with hers. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled. Then he turned to Rick. “We need to go. Can I use the phone to call a cab?”

  Keri frowned. “Where’s Dad’s truck?”

  “I left it at Bob’s. We’ll need to go over and pick it up.”

  “How about I drive you over there while Keri goes to get her Jeep?” Rick’s voice intruded.

  Justin seemed to consider the suggestion. Then he shook his head. “I appreciate the offer. But I want to personally make sure she makes it back to her Jeep safely.”

  His fingers remained laced with hers, and she couldn’t help but feel secure and protected. If only the moment were right for her to lay her head against his chest, close her eyes and breathe in the musky scent of his aftershave. The look in his eyes revealed plainly that he, too, wished they were alone. When he winked at her, a promise of things to come, she felt her skin warm. But rather than averting her gaze in timidity, she smiled. He squeezed her hand again then focused on Rick. “So…your phone?”

  Rick motioned toward his office in the back of the room. They walked together and Rick called a cab, then replaced the receiver and motioned for Keri and Justin to sit down in the seats across from his desk.

  “That coffee sounds good,” Justin said. Keri sensed his tension and wondered if coffee was the best decision.

  Rising, Rick moved to the coffeepot in the corner of his office. He turned and raised the pot toward Keri. She shook her head.

  “How is Joy?” Justin asked, breaking the silence as Rick set a steaming mug on his desk.

  A hefty sigh emanated from deep in Rick’s chest. “The same. She has good days and bad days.” He shrugged and dropped back into his seat.

  “Give her my love, will you?”

  “Thanks, I will.”

  Keri’s gaze swept Rick’s left hand. No ring. So who was Joy? A sister, friend…dog? Then she blushed as she lifted her eyes to find him staring back at her, amusement crinkling the lines around his mouth.

  “Joy is my wife. I don’t wear a wedding ring down here because we don’t typically flaunt any kind of jewelry. It’s not a good idea. Justin was the only one who wore his ring like a shield.”

  “A shield?” Keri turned to Justin. His brow furrowed.

  “The ladies throw themselves at him. Apparently those eyes are irresistible.”

  “That’s enough, Rick.” As if on cue, Justin searched Keri’s face. Unable to look away, Keri sat transfixed by his gaze. Rick was right about one thing…those eyes were irresistible. “I wore my ring because I was a married man, and I didn’t figure anyone was going to try to steal a gold band off my finger.”

  The door flung open before Rick could reply. A man wearing a suit and an overcoat sprinted into the room.

  Justin shot to his feet. “Bob!”

  “Call 911,” the man said without acknowledging Justin.

  “What’s wrong?” Justin made a grab for his coat off the back of his chair and shrugged into it as he walked toward the door.

  “There’s a man in the alley about a block away. He’s been stabbed.”

  “Is he alive?” Rick asked, as he reached for the phone.

  “Barely. I’m going back down there to wait for the ambulance. Make sure you direct them to the alley.”

  Justin followed, so Keri did, too, her heart in her throat.

  “What are you doing down here, anyway, Bob?” Justin asked as they jogged down the alley.

  “I decided to come down here, too, in case this Ike Rawlings is willing to go down to the police station and give a statement. I thought I’d go along and put some pressure on them to drop the charges. What did you find out from him?”

  A few feet ahead, Keri made out a body lying in the alley. She squared her shoulders, bracing herself for the sight of blood.

  “Ike was already gone by the time I got here,” Justin replied, slowing to a walk.

  Lights from the screeching ambulance filled the alleyway, blinding Keri, which was just as well, she supposed. The thought of having to face a possibly dead body left her feeling faint. Briarwood had its problems, but in ten years, she could count on one hand the number of times she’d been faced with a dead body. All but one had died of old age. The fifth had been her mother.

  “I’m sorry, Justin,” Bob said. “I know it had to be hard, getting so close only to have the man slip away. Is there no way you can find him?”

  A garbled sound came from Justin. Keri jerked her head around, concern filling every ounce of her body. He stared in horror at the victim.

  “Justin, what’s wrong?”

  He pointed with a trembling finger. “It’s Ike.”

  Justin paced the ER waiting room of the Truman Medical Center, praying diligently…frantically…for Ike to make it. The paramedics had seemed grim. Ike had lost massive amounts of blood. The ER doctors were working on him, but it didn’t look good.

  Justin glanced across the room, and his heart
nearly melted. Keri sat on an orange vinyl love seat, her legs pulled up to her chest, her head resting on her knees. She looked so young and innocent, it was hard to believe she was aiming at being Chief of Police of Briarwood.

  As if summoned by his thoughts, she lifted her gaze and found his. His heart picked up at the sleepy smile curving her lips. He strode across the room and sat next to her. Taking hold of her ankles, he pulled her legs across his lap.

  “Better?”

  She nodded. “Thanks. I must have dozed. Any word?”

  A deep sigh pushed out of Justin’s chest. He shook his head. “Not yet.”

  “Rick and Bob?”

  “They both left. Rick said he had to go back to the mission and Bob mentioned the diary. He’s hoping Amelia’s own words will prove my innocence.”

  Keri nodded, then asked, “Are you planning to wait until the doctor comes out?”

  Justin nodded. “I have to, Keri. I can’t leave until I know he’s all right. I hate the thought that he was injured and possibly killed because of me, just when he’s gotten his life back together and his wife is having another baby.”

  Keri shot him a glance. “What makes you think that he was stabbed because of you? You think someone was trying to keep him from going to the police?”

  “Oh, I don’t mean someone deliberately tried to shut him up.” Although now that she mentioned it, he could see the possibility. “What I meant to say was that he came to the mission to show me he’s a success story and to thank me for helping him.

  “Bob said he’s going to talk to the police and tell them about Ike. I hope Ike will have the chance to give a statement on my behalf. But if not…” Justin sighed deeply. “I’ll have to find a way to prove I’m not guilty. Amelia’s diary is a good place to start.”

  “I’m praying for Ike to come through for you, Justin. But if not, I’ll help clear your name. You do not deserve to go to prison for a crime you didn’t commit.”

  Justin had waited all week to see confidence in her eyes when she looked at him. He faced it now as it shone from the emerald depths, and it took his breath away. “Keri,” he whispered. He slid his hand behind her neck, threading his fingers through the thick locks of curly red hair. Her soft intake of breath fanned his feelings for her, and he pressed her head closer. He leaned forward just as she closed her eyes.