by ML Michaels
Martin followed Rose for several weeks. It was always a different destination, but the man she met was always the same. And after digging around further, he found out that the name of the man Rose was meeting, the name of the man who was slowly stealing Rose away, the name of the man Martin had grown to hate was Jake Beauchamp. And Martin was going to put a stop to their relationship one way or another.
***
The phone rang at 3 in the morning. It was Rose's boss, Mr. Xavier. He was both delighted and angry. He was ecstatic that his firm had been contacted to represent a rich client facing a serious allegation. But he was miffed that the client had said Rose was the only person he would deal with.
Rose listened, at first elated. The charge was murder, and while her experience at the local firm was in business litigation, she had always wanted to get involved in more serious and challenging cases. But her eagerness soon turned to horror. The person murdered was farmer Rob Ainsley. And the client accused of committing the heinous crime was Jake Beauchamp.
Rose's heart leapt, not with joy as it usually did when she was around Jake, but in anguish. She had tried time and time again to persuade Rob Ainsley to sell. She'd visited him and had a cup of coffee in his home. She had always liked Rob. He was in his 70s and reminded Rose of her grandfather. She knew Jake wasn’t capable of murder, but she also knew that any prosecution team would have a field day with the facts. Jake had wanted that land, had tried every way he could think of to purchase it, to build the perfect house he'd always dreamed of in Hattersfield. But Ainsley wouldn’t budge. In fact, he had said that Jake would have to wait until Rob joined his wife Suzanne in heaven. And that was the perfect motive.
Rose got dressed, but as she stepped out of the door, Martin stopped her.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"A client..." Rose responded.
"I'm not an idiot, Rose. I know," Martin said, a combination of tiredness and emotional exhaustion finally bringing the confrontation to a head.
"Know what...?"
About your affair. About Jake Beauchamp."
Rose's mind went numb for a moment. She hadn't had an affair. Had she? Did the meetings count? Did the way she felt matter? Did the fact that she had slowly become close to Jake and distant from Martin mean she was as guilty as if she had had an affair? She wasn't sure, but she could see how Martin might feel.
"Martin. We'll talk about this later..." Rose walked out of the house, Martin quickly followed. As she got into her car he tried to force the matter.
"Rose, we need to talk about this now!" he shouted.
"No! I have a client facing a murder charge, and right now that's what I have to deal with. We can wait. Our marriage has waited for months, one more night won't hurt." Rose turned the key in the ignition. She pulled away, but not fast enough to miss the words Martin shouted. The words that he yelled into the night.
"I love you!"
Guilt swelled up inside Rose. It had been a long time since Martin had said those words, and for the briefest moment, she felt deep down that she might love him too. But that had to wait. Jake was facing a murder charge, and that had to take priority.
***
A police officer led Rose to the interview room where Jake was being held. As she entered, she saw him sitting there at a table, looking down at his hands. The usual warmth and confidence he exuded were missing. He was hunched over looking desolate and alone. Rose’s heart went out to him, and she vowed to do all she could to help him.
They talked. And quickly the facts, at least as Jake saw them, became clear. Jake had grown tired of the litigation, he really wanted that farm. It was perfect. The perfect spot to build his home, the first true home he'd ever have in his life. He wanted it so badly he could taste it. But Rob Ainsley continued to say 'no,' and that was something Jake wanted to change, needed to change.
Rose always discouraged her clients from speaking with land owners directly. It was always best to maintain a safe distance and negotiate through a real estate agent or lawyer. She had been doing her best, but she had been honest with Jake. She didn't see Rob selling the farm any time soon. He didn't have any family, his wife was dead, and there were no children. All he had was that house and the memories he and his wife had made there. He had made it clear to Rose that the farm was worth more than money to him, worth even more than the twice the market value that Jake had offered.
Jake got tired of hearing ‘no.’ He'd been drinking that night at O'Neill's Bar on Main Street. Initially he'd planned on just having a couple of beers to lighten his mood. But as he drank, he thought more and more about that farm and how frustrated he was that he couldn’t have what he wanted.
For the first time, Rose saw that a spoiled streak in Jake. Ever since he had become so successful, he was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.
While he was sitting at the bar ruminating, Rob Ainsley walked in with his friend Tommy O'Hanlon. The two of them sat at a table and had more than their fare share of beers. When Rob left at closing time, Jake decided to follow him. He would go to the farm and explain why it was important to him. He would try to make Ainsley realize that he was missing out on a huge financial windfall.
Two hours later, Rob Ainsley was dead. The pathology report wasn't back yet, but the doctor who examined the body believed Rob’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head. And the evidence against Jake was stacking up quickly. His 2AM visit to Rob’s coincided roughly with the time of death. The police officers investigating the murder found one of Jake's business cards in Rob Ainsley's pocket. And a local woman claimed that she had seen Jake driving away from the Ainsley farm just after 2AM.
Jake didn't argue that he hadn't been there, but he was absolutely adamant that when he left, Rob Ainsley was alive and well. They'd had a heated discussion about the property, Jake left his card and that was that.
But it was clear that local detectives were not buying that story, and neither would the town. Rob Ainsley was well liked, even if he did keep somewhat to himself up in his farm. He was one of them — a member of the community who epitomized the town's hard work ethic. And the there was Jake, the millionaire newcomer who killed Ainsley when he couldn’t get his own way. And now he was dragging Rose into the mess. At least that's how the locals would see it.
There was no doubt in Rose’s mind that this would get ugly. The town would exaggerate and rally around Ainsley's memory. They would likely turn against her for defending Jake. As soon as the gossipers were out in force, they'd have Jake guilty long before he went to trial. And if news ever got out about Rose's meetings with Jake, she'd be guilty by association in the eyes of the town. The face that she grew up here and loved the town wouldn’t matter.
But Rose had to help, and Jake wanted her to represent him. Rose told him she didn't have much experience in murder cases, but he trusted her fully. He said if she felt she was over her head at any point he'd bring in a legal team from outside to help her.
He knew the town would be against him. If he was to get out of this mess and live in Hattersfield like he'd always wanted, then he was going to have to prove his innocence and win the town over. His best shot at that was with a local favorite like Rose on his side.
Rose had her work cut out for her. Jake had no alibi, he had motive, and he was there by his own admission minutes before Rob Ainsley was killed. But Rose cared for Jake, how deeply she still wasn't sure, but she wanted to help, and that would involve giving this case everything she had.
***
At first, the evidence against Jake was circumstantial. But after Jake's DNA was found on Rob’s clothes, showing that he had touched the farmer, Jake was officially charged with murder. Jake explained that Rob had grabbed him to throw him out of his house. In the tussle, Jake had pushed him back, but Rob hadn’t fallen or hurt himself. Jake insisted that someone else must have been there, intending to kill Rob.
No one believed Jake. And why would they when it seemed like an open a
nd shut case? The local newspaper printed scandalous stories about Jake's hedonistic life back in the city, alluding to drugs, alcohol and women. The papers painted him as the big bad wolf, coming to Hattersfield to pray on the God fearing folk. It was a hatchet job, but it worked well. People Rose had known for years stopped talking to her. Going into the local store, she was met by icy stares. No one wanted to hear Jake's side of the story.
There were times when Rose questioned her loyalty. After all, what did she really know about this man? She'd fallen for him in the throes of a failing marriage, but had it been him or the idea of him that had turned her head? They had met many times, confided in each other, but was he capable of murder? No. Her intuition told her that he was a good man, perhaps a rich playboy, but still a good man.
As if her life weren't complicated enough, she was caught between two men and now one of them was facing a murder charge. It was as if fate had transpired against her to make life as difficult as possible.
It was as if...Rose broke out in a cold sweat at the thought of it. Her heart raced, and her stomach lurched with nerves. She didn't want to finish that thought. It was like a monster in the closet, out of sight it could do no harm, but open the door and all hell would break loose. But she had a duty to her client, personal feelings be damned. She had to finish that thought.
It was as if someone had killed Rob Ainsley to frame Jake. Someone who had reason to despise him. Someone who was desperate. Perhaps someone who believed he was having an affair with his wife.
Please God don't let it be true.
Martin had his flaws, and while Rose had always thought of him as a kind and gentle man, she'd also always thought of him as responsible. He'd hidden the gambling from her. He'd hidden his demons well until they came bubbling to the surface. Could he have been capable of murder to get Jake out of the picture?
She wanted to say 'no.' But while the Martin she knew, the Martin she'd been married to for nearly three years would never have hurt anyone, perhaps that Martin was just the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps his deeper character was hidden below the water line, waiting to bob up when a storm hit.
Rose had to be sure. It was just a theory after all, and she wasn't ready to condemn her husband. She needed more information. She needed to do some detective work of her own.
***
Over the next few days Rose spent all of her time putting together a comprehensive timeline of the night Rob Ainsley died. She poured over police records, privileged information she was privy to because she was defending the accused. She interviewed and re-interviewed Jake, going through every memory of that night with a fine toothed comb.
She went back to the bar, the last place Rob was seen alive other than by Jake. Rose spoke to Tommy, Rob's friend, but he said Rob had been as he always had, quiet yet good company. The bar staff supported this saying there was nothing out of the ordinary about Rob coming in that night. He seemed like his usual self, they said, except for one detail that chilled Rose to the bone. Someone had seen Rob earlier in the day arguing with another regular out near the farm. What it was about, they didn't know, but they got a good look at the person he was arguing with. Rose almost didn't have to ask. Her fears were confirmed: it was Martin. He was seen arguing with Rob Ainsley the day Rob was murdered. But why?
She wracked her brains trying to unravel why her husband was arguing with Rob. If he had killed him, maybe there was more to it than just jealousy. Maybe it was fortuitous, solving some gambling debt while framing Jake in the process...
No. Rose refused to believe it. Martin was a lot of things, but a cold blooded killer? Absolutely not.
While the police had Jake firmly in their sights, believing that they'd already caught the culprit, Rose felt the knot in her stomach, the feeling which wouldn't let go, that perhaps both the man she was married to and the man she had grown close to had somehow been involved in Rob Ainsley's murder.
***
The local police were certain they had their man. In fact, they seemed to resist most of Rose's questions about the case. As far as they were concerned it was a done deal. A local had been killed, and it was an outsider, a spoiled millionaire playboy who had done it. But their resistance worried Rose. It was as if they were too certain.
Rose booked several meetings with the detective heading up the case, but he kept avoiding a face to face discussion, coming up with a seemingly endless list of reasons to cancel. He even took a vacation in the middle of a murder case while Jake sat rotting in jail.
The whole thing was a mess. Jake going to the Ainsley farm in the first place, Martin having argued with Rob on the day he died making him a suspect, and now the local police stonewalling Rose. Jake's case was tangled up in local politics, and unless Rose could find some evidence that there was another culprit, she might lose the case, and Jake could go to jail for decades.
That was when she received the message.
It was an anonymous text message asking if she'd meet someone who knew important details about the case and who could perhaps help her build a defense. It was the only ray of light in the entire affair, and it was one Rose had to let in.
They met not one, or two, but three towns over. It was an hour's drive. Whoever had important information about Jake's case, they didn't want anyone in the local community knowing it. Rose felt apprehensive at first as she pulled into the parking lot outside a bowling alley. The place looked like a dive, and as she sat there waiting for her secret rendezvous, she started to grow nervous. The place was quiet, almost deserted, and then she started to think: what if the murderer wanted to meet her to stop her from asking questions?
A car pulled up alongside hers, and the window rolled down slowly.
"Hey Rose, thanks for meeting me."
Rose breathed a sigh of relief. It was Alan Greenberg from the local sheriff's office. She and Alan went way back; in fact, they'd even gone to the same school as kids. He was a pussycat, and for a moment Rose smiled to herself about the ridiculousness of it all – she was sure Alan wasn't a killer, but couldn't say the same about her husband or Jake.
They both left their cars, and Alan handed an envelope to Rose.
"Rosey, I know you've been getting the cold shoulder by local law enforcement."
"Ya think?"
"Look, there might be a reason for that. I think the town kind of wants to save face," Alan said with a strained look.
"What do you mean, save face?"
"This whole murder. It's really shaken the town. Nothing like this has ever happened in Hattersfield before..."
"What are they hiding, Alan? Please, I have to know."
"It ain't any strict conspiracy, Rosey. I think people just want the case to go away, and at first, it seemed pretty cut and dry. Your pal Jake Beauchamp killed Rob Ainsley over a piece of land. We had the paper trail showing that Beauchamp wanted it, and then with the DNA and eye witness that he was nearby at the time of death, it all seemed pretty simple."
"What's changed?" Rose asked, desperate for good news.
"Look, maybe there was another motive. Maybe Jake Beauchamp had a damned good reason to do what he did."
"So you still think he's guilty?" Disappointment laced Rose's words.
"Maybe, maybe not. Look, Jake Beauchamp played here as a kid. He had a difficult life then, and that's the type of kid these sick bastards prey on."
"Alan, please, just come out and say what you think."
"We suspect that Rob Ainsley may have been a pedophile We can't be certain, but we found some old photographs which were...inappropriate. So if Jake did kill that old man, maybe he had good reason. Maybe he wanted to buy the place to burn it to the ground. Who knows?" Alan waited for a response.
"I always liked Rob..." Rose said solemnly.
"So did I. But at the very least he had photographs of underage kids. We haven't identified any of them yet. But look, Rosey, there are people in the town who don't want this becoming public knowledge. That kind of scandal causes problems.
And some think it would be better if Jake were found guilty based on the motive of wanting the land. That would be simpler."
"My God, do you think Jake was one of the kids?"
"Who knows? Maybe. There are a few in the photos. All I do know is that I joined the police to protect the innocent and make sure that the truth mattered. Right now, I don't know what the truth is, but you deserved to know this in case your client either is innocent, or deserves a light sentence for... mitigating circumstances."
Alan Greenberg had helped shine a light on another possible motive. But now Rose started to doubt Jake's side of things. Maybe he had killed Rob in an act of revenge. She thanked Alan for his help and drove home, her mind whizzing by at a hundred miles per hour.
When Rose finally got home, she was exhausted. The case, her life, everything was taking a toll on her. She didn't know what or whom to believe anymore. For months she'd been living with her husband, sleeping in different rooms, acting like they were strangers, forgetting the deep love and affection they'd once had for one another.
Martin had questioned and pushed, asking about Rose meeting Jake so many times. All Rose could do was tell her husband that nothing physical had ever happened. In response Martin asked if she loved Jake. And all Rose could do was say she wasn't sure if she loved anyone anymore. Those words cut Martin deepest of all, the guilt of his gambling consuming him. The guilt of how far he'd pushed his wife destroying him.
For the past couple of weeks, he'd been trying. Working hard, cooking, cleaning while Rose stayed up late reading over documents, trying to find a way to prove Jake's innocence. But Rose was caught in her own struggles, and while she'd noticed Martin's effort, she feared the truth.
