Essence of Path

by Neviah Wohl

  Diana felt her temper rising, she felt some subconscious anger against Kelly Hogan. Hogan was a longtime, close friend to Jim Walker, the prosecution would use her testimony, and she would harm Kari’s case. Diana worried about the case, plus, she felt unexpected, inappropriate, unethical excitement. Kari had a dark and secretive side, she was manipulative and obsessive. Diana liked her more and more.

  ***

  Soft, humming murmurs of the distinctive nightly sounds of Manhattan barely entered Diana’s home. She was still working, comparing similar cases to Kari’s case. She had worked as a criminal attorney for more than two decades, she knew how the system worked, but cold hard numbers still surprised her, she was appalled to find how criminal justice system neglected female victims of violence, especially African American women. They did not receive protection that was granted for white women, at the same time, the same justice system was quick to punish them. The difference between the cases of Romona Moore and Svetlana Aronov was particularly painful—the two women vanished in Manhattan the same day. Romona was black, a Hunter College student, and Aronov, a rare book dealer, was white. The New York Police Department went out of its way to find Aronov. they sent in at least twenty detectives to work full-time on her case and held a press conference. They treated Romona’s case as a random runaway kid case and shrugged off Romona’s crying, worrying mother. Not as if Diana thought Svetlana Aronov got too much attention—she needed every bit of it. She thought Romona Moore received too little help when she needed it so much. She was kidnapped, raped and tortured for days. If she had had been helped earlier, she would have stayed alive.

  Black domestic violence victims rarely got their justice. And when the frightened, exhausted women tried to take justice in their own hands and fought back, injuring or killing an abusive partner, they went to prison. Black women were overrepresented in state and federal prisons, and most of the incarcerated women have faced domestic violence at some point in their lives. Diana gave a look to the Marissa Alexander case, the unfortunate woman fired a warning shot at her violent estranged husband and faced a twenty-year prison term for it. White male offenders who hurt or killed people in supposed self-defense—white male offenders—could use stand your ground defense. However, black women were excluded from it—they may have tried it, but it never worked for them.

  When black women sued law enforcement agencies for unfair treatment, courts usually dropped their cases.

  Since the legal system did not protect black women, offenders felt emboldened to assault them, they knew there would not be consequences. Statistics showed that the second most common cause of death for young black women, aged fifteen to twenty-five, was homicide, in most cases, a partner or former partner was the abuser.

  Diana took off her glasses and massaged her eyes. She thought that Svetlana Aronov was her own age, Romona Moore was somewhat younger than Kari. If Kari disappeared, she would receive disproportionately less attention and help than Diana, she would have less chance to survive.

  Ain’t I a woman, she recalled the heart wrenching question. More than 150 years went by since Sojourner Truth asked the same question, changes did happen through the last few decades, but it was still not enough. Throughout her lengthy career, Diana often dealt with women of color and she fought for them with passion, but this time she had a personal stake in it. Kari was not just another client who she had to defend from unfair treatment. She had a sweet smile and eyes like gemstones, she loved mystery thrillers and Chardonnay. Soon Kari might become the most important person in Diana’s life, so she wanted to defend her from any threat coming to her way. She recalled Kari’s eyes, they had held a shadow of sadness when she had looked at Diana. Why was she sad? Was she afraid of losing her case? Afraid of losing Diana, a white woman who was fifteen years older than her?

  Diana kept her private life to herself, strictly separated from her professional life. Her reputation of a sharp, tough woman lawyer had to stay unbreakable. She did not risk doing anything that could be used against her, but those who knew her close, those who she had called friends, knew that she treated her female partners like queens. Her colleagues and clients did not need to know that she was not just having a girls’ night out or a drink with her girlfriends—they had a romantic date. She had a few happy, long-time relationships in her past, and she was still good friends with each woman she had ever dated, but, until now, she had trust and commitment issues.

  ***

  After a couple of hours of sleep, Diana woke up early, at her usual time, half past six. By eight, she was already sitting at her desk and working. She was determined not to let the prosecution get away with unfair treatment of Kari, only because she was a black woman. At ten a.m. Kari joined her, Diana needed her help to identify possible character witnesses the prosecution would use, plus, character witnesses Diana intended to use. Diana also tried to learn about Kari’s past with Jim Walker, she was sure she had not heard the whole story, but she was careful and did not press her. She knew Kari would volunteer details when the time comes.

  “Do you think Walker’s colleagues would back him?” Diana asked, her eyes glued to the screen.

  “Sure, and his friends, too. He was a popular guy. Even if they knew how he treated me, they’d lie to make him look better. They knew he had weapons.”

  Diana was taking notes, her hands were flying over keys, and she could sense that Kari is shifting on the couch, moving closer.

  “See, Diana,” she started slowly, “Would you have dinner with me tonight?”

  Diana looked up and turned around with her swivel chair to face Kari.

  “You are asking me out for a date?” she asked, amused.

  Kari grinned, nodding eagerly. She had beautifully shaped lips, and those lips had an attractive, deep bright red color.

  Diana laughed her distinctive raucous laugh.

  “Okay,” she said. She felt full of energy and anticipation.

  Chapter 4

  Diana pulled her sleek black coat tighter on her chest as she was nesting against the comfortable seat of the Arro cab. She was relaxed. It felt so good to listen to the catchy, sunny street-pop music playing, enjoying the sight of the Manhattan night, blazing artificial light emanated from homes and office blocks. It was an ever-changing, alive, vivid image she could not get bored with.

  Kari was sitting next to her, close, she was pressed against her shoulder, and she was holding her hand. They were not talking, they were comfortable with each other, they were like long-time friends decompressing after a hard day. Diana wanted to know everything about Kari, her life, her experience, her sentiments and memories. She wanted to exchange her own stories with her, in return for Kari’s stories, but she felt they had all the time in the world. Later on, they would have endless conversations, day after day, but right now their intimate silence felt good.

  The place was Candle 79, it was grand and cozy, with elegant decoration and paneling in vivid, warm shades of reddish brown, mahogany, and chocolate brown. Diana had noticed that Kari had excellent taste, she loved finer things, and she must have selected the place of their date with love and care, considering Diana’s taste—it warmed her heart. Plus, the food was delicious: oven roasted cauliflower, truffle almond cheese, and orange salad, they talked about books, arts, friends, and they shared laughs. For a moment, Diana thought that being seen on a romantic date with her client might have harmed their case, but she shut out the thought quickly. She had never paraded her female lovers, but she loved each one of them, was proud of them, and showed in public with them. Kari was special.

  On their way home, Diana assumed Kari would say goodbye in front of her building, but she walked her back to her apartment, hovered in front of the entrance door, then pulled her into an embrace. She was facing Diana, their faces were so close, and she was inching closer to her mouth.

  “Kari, wait,” she murmured, her voice sounded like a feline’s purr. It did not sound like a protest. “You’re my client, and I’m olde
r than you, we must be careful—”

  “You’re so beautiful,” Kari responded, her strong, slender arms pulled her closer, she was caressing her shoulders, back, hips, she barely could keep her hands off her curves, Diana could sense she was almost reverent to touch her.

  “You’re just looking for trouble and want to sabotage your case,” she started again.

  Kari shook her head with a wide smile.

  “You say I’m just acting out? No way in hell. You’re special for me, Diana,” she whispered, and kissed her. Their kiss was long and passionate. Diana instinctively pressed her soft, toned, curvy body against Kari. When they parted, Kari was playing with Diana’s hair.

  “I’ll stay for the night, okay?”

  Diana laughed and shook her head, holding Kari’s graceful hand in both hands and squeezing it against her chest.

  “We need to be careful,” she said, but her voice was warm. “I feel responsible for you.”

  Kari laughed.

  “Sure as hell you do. You always feel responsible for everything.”

  Chapter 5

  “I’m afraid I can’t help you, Diana,” Dr. Allison Bertram said, still observing the crime scene photos spread on her desk. Dr. Bertram was very slim, pale, she had sleek dark hair, melancholic blue eyes, and delicate, refined features, she looked like a sensitive, highly intellectual woman, and she was sharp like a blade, one of the best forensic psychologists in New York. Diana had worked with her a couple of times on high-profile crimes, ugly homicide and rape cases. She did not know her close, she did not call her a friend, but she respected the good work she did.

  “I went through your photos and testimonies,” Dr. Bertram explained. “It wasn’t a random murder, it was an all-out attack, your client made sure Walker wouldn’t survive. She stabbed him multiple times, see? Six stabbed wounds here and three slash wounds here,” she was pointing at the photos, without touching them.

  “She was afraid for her life,” Diana leaned closer to her, she was talking with passion, gesturing with both hands. “Walker tried to strangle her, she wanted to incapacitate him.”

  “I see plenty of anger rather than self-defense. I’ve read her own testimony, and there’s a lot going on with her.”

  Diana’s feelers were up in a moment.

  “There was a hell of a lot going on,” she responded, trying to keep resentment out of her voice. “Walker was emotionally and physically abusive, he degraded her, said cruel things to her, played her insecurities against her, called her names, used obscene language to dehumanize her. He knew about her weaknesses, her regrets from her past, and he targeted them deliberately, then who was manipulative? Plus, he physically assaulted her multiple times. How is that okay?”

  “No, it’s not okay, and I do know about the corrosive effect domestic abuse has on victims. But you don’t have any direct evidence about earlier assaults. I must admit I find it hard to believe that this respectable young man with no criminal record had assaulted your client. I’d say she didn’t respond well to perceived threats, and she’s manipulative. She wants the jurors to feel sorry for her.”

  “My client isn’t looking for pity,” Diana said, her voice was intense.

  Dr. Bertram smiled.

  “You’re fiercely protective of her, Diana. She got you already.”

  Diana was seething, because it was a sensitive subject,. Kari was already more important for her than anyone else.

  “I’m supposed to defend her, that’s my job,” she was defensive, but still sounded calm and professional. The last thing she needed was that Dr. Bertram and the prosecution to use her sentiments against Kari.

  ***

  Diana’s apartment was well-lit, simple, elegant, and particularly comfortable on a cold, rainy October afternoon, with its warm chocolate brown and pale brown bookshelves, full of books, white, purple, and lavender furniture, armchairs and recliners. The large windows displayed an amazing view on the city, New York already had its autumn pomp, glass storefronts were shimmering in vivid colors, and nearby trees had glowing shades of red, orange, canary yellow, and lime green. It looked like a colorful mix of a peaceful Impressionist image and a dynamic, high-wired urban picture.

  Kari was sitting on a couch, eating a dark chocolate-coated dried apple, next to Diana who was balancing her laptop on her lap. They had a quiet, long talk and much laugh, as if they just had some human being time between best friends. But Diana was working, she was well aware of the fact that Kari was ready to share stories from her past. It would not be easy, but worth the effort.

  “He intentionally destroyed my confidence,” Kari admitted, her voice was quiet. “Get a boob job, you’re flat-chested, get your nose fixed, get your hair done. He always bragged about the girls he could date, and sure as hell he was popular, he was the sweetest man when you met him, but once alone with him? He was a creep. He had guns, even if he didn’t have permission, or he had a knife, they were always there on his desk, at his hand.”

  “He could have reached weapons at any second, they were right there at his hand.”

  “Sure.”

  “Were you afraid of him using a weapon when he threatened you?”

  “No, I didn’t think of it. I thought he would beat me up. But I didn’t think he would strangle me.”

  “Not until he did start choking you?”

  Kari flashed an ironic smile.

  “Yes. I haven’t talked about it to anyone, not even Grandma. Thank you for listening to me and not judging, Diana.”

  Diana squeezed her hand, it was the handshake of a fellow fighter, a faithful defender, coming from a delicate, strong hand of a friend. All the while, she was sharp and alert, she knew she was going to use these details at court. Probably Jim Walker was not the perfect, successful business genius the world thought him to be, he might have had a hidden, dark, violent persona, and he intimidated and threatened his girlfriend. Carrying a gun was a felony in itself in New York.

  “And there’s something else, Diana,” Kari said slowly, she was hesitant. When I killed him, I didn’t call the police right away. It was strange, it didn’t seem real. I was waiting, I was in a shock.”

  Diana tensed.

  “You waited? How long?”

  “Not sure. Ten minutes, fifteen, I don’t know. I was frightened. Then I called 911.”

  “I’m glad that you told me this,” Diana said. “And now we decide if we would tell it to anyone else.”

  “Does it matter? I mean, they have the killing weapon and the perp all the same. I turned myself in. Ten minutes doesn’t make a difference.”

  By now, Diana was high on adrenaline.

  “Sure as hell it does, Kari,” she said, throwing her hands up in wide gestures, her alto voice was getting louder. “In ten minutes, a perp can get rid of plenty of evidence, plus, it implies they’re hiding something from the court and probably they’re downright dishonest.” She looked at Kari. “We need to keep your story straight. Nothing will destroy our case faster than losing credibility. Just tell me everything and we will work something out. I won’t run to the prosecution to tell them what you did, I promise,” she said with a smile, “there exist such things as attorney-client privilege. I have no intention to blow our case to the moon. So do tell me whatever had happened there.”

  “It’s not easy to talk about it,” Kari said, her eyes were unreadable.

  Diana faced her and caught her hand.

  “I know,” she said, her voice was so warm that it surprised both of them. “I don’t want to violate your trust. But you must understand it’s a serious case, Kari. You may get a life sentence. If your story is shifting, the prosecution will use every single word against you. I can’t promise you a successful trial if you’re dishonest with me. Right now, we can still help it. They won’t know about those ten minutes. Forensic pathologists can’t pinpoint the exact time of death, they may be wrong, roughly half an hour. You waited for ten minutes after attacking and incapacitating Jim. It will re
main between us. But for Pete’s sake, be honest with me and tell me everything. Thank goodness that I had learned this earlier than the prosecution did.”

  Chapter 6

  The next few days brought great news for Diana. She was delighted to learn that FBI computer science experts had examined Jim Walker’s laptop and found plenty of violent, sadistic porn there. It also turned out that Walker was a peeping Tom. he peered into windows of strangers and recorded them on his camera. He also recorded videos about his attractive female colleagues. She was eager to sink her teeth into it, proving Jim Walker was an abusive, aggressive partner, the word creep came to her mind.

  Diana suppressed her own emotional turmoil about the case, she was uncomfortable to imagine what must have happened between Kari and Walker. She had never liked the thought that Walker was intimate with Kari. She smiled a rueful smile as she noticed she was already getting possessive.

  Then there was a new character witness, Walker’s aunt, she described an ominous scene when she was sitting with Walker in her home in a winter afternoon. Aunt Linda felt always close to her favorite nephew, he brought her sweets, orchids, or warm knitted shawls, he was thoughtful with her. This time was different. He almost had a different personality that day, his eyes were hard, cruel, his smile was frightening. Aunt Linda could not explain the sudden change, but she was afraid of him. She felt uncomfortable alone with him and could not wait to have him out of her door. According to psychiatrists, some women, mostly light-framed, lonely women, those who were vulnerable to a possible attack, were likely to sense that a man had violent, sadistic personality.

  ***

  The Brooklyn neighborhood where Kari’s family lived featured red-brick buildings with fire escape ladders, small shops and groceries, and huge gray high-rises, trees were lining the streets, their leaves turned gold, red, and orange.

  Diana pulled her SUV up in front of Kari’s building, both women got out, they were invited for dinner. They greeted Grandma, Kari’s mom and sister with smiles and hugs, and grandma waited for them with vegetable soup, rice, and grilled, spiced soy balls. “Otherwise, this girl survives on Boca burgers,” she pointed at Kari with a wide smile, shaking her head.