Secrets Among the Cedars (Intertwined Book 2)

by Johnson, Sherri Wilson

  “Providing he’s guilty.”

  “Right, providing he’s guilty. If he’s not guilty, then I don’t want to convict him of murder. He’s going to be charged with accessory to murder though. He’s going to go down for something. I’m just not one hundred percent sure what yet.”

  "I'm in. I know you can't tell me anything else until you check me out, so you go back and do that.”

  “Thank you. I only have until Tuesday night to find it. My D.A. says I have to be back in court on Wednesday morning.”

  “For the trial?”

  “For jury selection and then the trial, yes.”

  Phil cocked his neck. “That quick? It normally takes years on something like this.”

  Kathryn raised both palms in the air admitting her confusion regarding this turn of events. “Since the D.A. refused to offer a plea, the defendant has decided that a speedy trial would be in his best interest over a fair trial because he knows we don’t have a weapon, and he knows without it, we’ll have no choice but to drop the charges.”

  “Interesting. Sounds like he’s got you where he wants you.”

  “He thinks he does, and that’s why I’m determined not to let this case go to trial without the gun.”

  “Okay, I’m hooked. I'm going to Savannah tomorrow to check on my house, but I'll cut my trip short and be back by late afternoon."

  "How will you get there and back so fast?”

  “I’ll fly. We’ve got an airstrip.”

  Kathryn rubbed her hands together and smiled. “Thanks again for your help. I've got to find the evidence to put Louie Ezzo and his thugs away for good."

  #

  How was it possible that the first pleasant woman Phil had met in years was Maria's friend and also Uncle Louie's prosecutor? The woman he'd just committed to help solve her case. He should win an award for his bad luck.

  Phil leaned against his silver Range Rover Sport, too distressed to go inside his house after Kathryn dropped him off. "Come on, pick up the phone." He ran his fingers through his hair and waited for the ringing to stop.

  Sweat trickled down his face and back; a lump the size of Staten Island grew in his throat. He had better not get Pops’ voicemail. Of course, it wouldn’t surprise him if he did. They hadn’t spoken in over two months except through Ma.

  "Hey, son. Whatcha calling me on a Sunday for? You know I'm golfing. Or maybe you don’t know. How long’s it been since you had time to check in with your old man?"

  "Sorry, about that Pops. And sorry to disturb you while you’re golfing. This is important. Tell me what you know about Uncle Louie being in jail." Phil paced the path from his porch to his mailbox on Whiddon Avenue and back again. He kicked a rock, and it pinged off the street sign.

  "What's it to ya, Phillip? You don't practice law anymore. Remember?"

  "I know, I know. But tell me anyway." He shoved his left hand into his pocket and jingled his change.

  "You wanting to defend him?"

  Phil halted. "No."

  "Then why ya askin’?"

  "Pops, please. I've been hearing some talk down here, and I've got to know."

  “Talk down there in Cedar Key?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “All I know is he’s sittin’ in the Perkins County jail. He couldn’t get bonded out because they said he was a flight risk. Where’s he gonna go? Everybody he knows is in New York.”

  “Why did they arrest him?”

  “They say he murdered two guys there and two here in New York. So maybe they have enough evidence to hold him. I doubt they have enough to convict him.”

  “Why?”

  “Would your uncle let himself get one drop of someone else’s blood on him?”

  “Okay, so say he didn’t do it, but maybe he had someone else do it. Is that possible?”

  Pops roared with laughter. “You’re not as sharp as you used to be when you was practicing law. Anything is possible with Louie.”

  The rest of the conversation soured Phil’s stomach even more than it already was. He had a lot to think about after talking to Pops.

  #

  Kathryn drove away from Phil's white-and-turquoise beach house on stilts, the events of the day swirling in her head like a hurricane. Lunch with Phil was probably the best time she'd had with a man in ages—if ever. The appeal went beyond his physical appearance. Kindness bubbled out of him and poured all over her. A genuine kindness. He didn't merely flirt with her or seem out to get something from her like so many of the men she encountered daily at work. He laughed, and the room lit up. Kathryn felt lighter when with him. He made her believe that life didn't have to be complicated. He’d taken a genuine interest in her case and showed a true desire to help her succeed.

  And church—what had happened to her in there? Maybe tiredness and worry had overtaken her, but it felt like something else. She hadn't let her guard down like that in years. She should've gone into that building as armored as she went to court. But she hadn't, and what resulted was a chink in her armor and new questions about her purpose.

  The reality that she'd placed her treasure in her career had seeped into her heart during the pastor's message. She'd never wanted it to be that way, but Daddy had pushed her, and she wanted to prove to him that she was tougher than Mom. To make him proud of her so he'd never replace her. Now she was sitting in a puddle of success and loneliness. Mediocre success, at that, and it had resulted in her failure at love and her dissatisfaction with everything.

  If career and love weren't where her treasure needed it to be, then where? The pastor and everyone she met at church seemed to have something she didn’t have. Was it joy maybe? Their treasure was in a relationship with God and their friends. Was that the secret? Was that Phil's secret? He'd walked away from law and from a family that manipulated him, and he was obviously happy. The glimmer in his eyes said that.

  Kathryn opened the door to the condo, and Sadie greeted her with a wagging tail and overzealous tongue. "Hey girl. Did you miss me?" Kathryn kicked off her shoes and deposited her purse and keys on the bar. A swim was what she needed to shed her unrest—to clear her mind of everything that bombarded it.

  #

  Phil slammed his front door and yelled until his throat burned and his chest threatened to explode. He tossed his phone on the table and flipped himself over the back of his brown leather couch. "Why, Lord? Why did Uncle Louie commit murder? Why does Kathryn have to be the prosecutor?" He tossed his glasses on the coffee table and closed his eyes. He plopped his forearm over his eyes to starve out the light.

  Pops had all but commanded him to represent Uncle Louie. Said he owed him the favor for allowing him to escape New York. The shame in Pop's voice crushed him, shame over Phil leaving the family. Not shame over Louie's crime. Pops would defend his brother-in-law over defending his own son? What a backward way of thinking.

  Phil pushed himself up and rested his elbows on his knees. He ran his fingers through his hair and scratched his beard. "What am I going to do?" He needed to talk to Kathryn but didn't have a way to get in touch with her. He opened his laptop on the coffee table. "There's got to be a number or an email address for her somewhere." He pulled up Perkins County's website and searched for her by name. "Bingo!" There was her email address.

  Hey Kathryn, I enjoyed lunch today. And I'm glad you were able to attend church. I'm contacting you via email because you didn't give me your number. We'll talk about that next time, by the way. I need to let you know something I found out about the case. Please call me as soon as you get this. Phil

  Phil hit send and then shut his laptop. Going to Savannah tomorrow was not an option. He'd have to reschedule the appointment with the potential buyer of his house. Where was his number?

  He jumped up from the couch to retrieve the file from the glass table in the foyer when his phone rang. Even though he tried to stop it, a smile spread wide across his face. Case or no case, he was about to talk to Kathryn again. He hit the answer button. "Well, hello. Th
at was fast!"

  "Hello, Cuz." The raspy voice boomed into Phil's ear. “You expecting a call from someone?”

  He stepped back, disappointment streaming into his body like the sunlight coming in through the backdoor window. "Drew, what do you want?"

  "I think you know. I talked to Uncle Marco, and he told me you asked him about Uncle Louie."

  Great. Pops had turned around and called Drew as soon as they’d hung up the phone. His own father would turn against him like this? Phil imagined Drew's club-fisted hand wrapped around his phone as it used to wrap around his neck when Drew would hold him under the water at Cayuga Lake during summer vacations near Taughannock Gorge. "Yeah, I did. What's it to ya?"

  "If you're asking about him, then you're interested in helping."

  Phil pounded his fist into his temple three times. Why had he inquired about Uncle Louie? He might as well have poked a hornet's nest. "No, I'm not."

  "Louie's not going down for murder, and you're going to make sure of that."

  "No, I'm not. I'm not responsible for his problems or for getting him out of them."

  "Listen, you're the best lawyer our family has, and you owe it to us to get Uncle Louie out of this fix."

  Phil leaned against the kitchen's granite counter. "Drew, don't flatter me with empty accolades. I don't owe anybody anything. Did he murder those guys?" He had to be careful not to divulge any of the information Kathryn had told him.

  "You can talk to Uncle Louie yourself at the Perkins County jail to find that out."

  Phil yanked the phone away from his ear, considered chucking it out the window, then he returned it to its original place. "I'm not going."

  "You will if you know what's good for you."

  "You threatening me? I have a life here in Cedar Key. I can't just leave it and go back to defending guilty people. I'm not going to do it!"

  "Yes, you are, and I'm coming down there to make sure you do!" The line went dead.

  Phil stared at his phone, trapped in a crazy nightmare. He'd left behind his family's manipulation when he left New York. Why did he have to go through this again? He needed to go for a run. He had to clear his mind.

  Chapter Six

  Kathryn and Sadie walked along G Street, the palm trees swaying in the breeze and seabirds soaring in the air. The sun warmed her skin, still chilled from her swim. Details of the case filled her brain to overflowing, but her heart remained tucked away in its own little corner. Where had her passion for solving this case gone? What had happened to her today?

  Like the piles of palm fronds and sand on the sides of the road, Kathryn shoved her eagerness to get that promotion aside. She could win this case, but it no longer had the power to define her. This morning in church, a freedom had flowed throughout the building and the people. Kathryn wanted that freedom.

  She held tight to Sadie's leash as a car passed on her left. A man in a straw hat with a cigar in his mouth waved at her. She waved back and smiled. This man obviously knew Cedar Key's secret for happiness.

  Secrets.

  Some secrets are better left buried.

  Kathryn shook her head as she rounded the bend in G Street. No, the secrets to the Ezzo case were not better left buried. The missing gun and the truth of Ezzo’s innocence or guilt, she'd find them. She had to.

  Kathryn stopped and let Sadie walk on to the tiny patch of sand in the bend in the road, boulders holding back the rising tide. Out in the water stood the dilapidated shack she'd seen yesterday. Why didn't someone tear it down? It was quite an eyesore.

  "Kathryn! Hey, wait up."

  Kathryn turned around as Phil jogged toward her in cargo shorts and a black tank top. A gust of wind tousled her hair, and the sight of him, glistening with sweat, almost knocked her over.

  "You admiring the old shack?"

  She returned her gaze to the remnant of something that had possibly been beautiful once. "I guess. It must have some sentimental meaning around here or else someone would've torn it down by now. Looks like the ocean is taking care of business."

  "Yeah, I'll have to tell you the story behind that some time. What've you been up to since lunch?"

  "I went for a swim and decided to bring Sadie for a walk to process things."

  "Making any headway?"

  "Well, I—" She twisted her toe into the sand.

  He held up both hands. "I know. You can't tell me anything until you do my background check."

  Kathryn nodded. What more could she say?

  "Did you get my email?"

  "When?"

  "About an hour ago."

  "No, sorry. What's up?"

  "I've got to tell you something about the case. I hope it'll prove to you how trustworthy I am."

  She pushed her hair away from her face, but the wind whipped it back again. "Okay...don't be so mysterious."

  "Can we sit?" Phil motioned to a large rock on his left.

  “Sure.” Kathryn sat and pulled Sadie to her side. Sadie tugged away from Kathryn and plopped down beside Phil. The gulf ebbed and flowed at their feet, sea grass swayed in the current.

  Phil sighed and rubbed Sadie's ears. "I have to tell you something, but I need you to remain calm."

  "Calm?" Kathryn gulped and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. She stiffened her back and rubbed the back of her neck. This didn't sound good.

  Phil squeezed his hands together and then laced his fingers. "Earlier, you let the name of your suspect slip."

  "Yes, I know. I should've been more careful. I’m not usually that vulnerable."

  "I'm glad you let it slip. I—"

  Kathryn turned to face Phil. She searched his eyes. Where were his glasses? Without them, flecks of gold sparkled uninhibited. Something else showed in his eyes though. Concern? Fear?

  A sandpiper landed a few feet away. Sadie darted toward it, pulling Kathryn into Phil. "Excuse me." Kathryn righted herself with his help and then motioned for him to continue.

  He studied the shack, obviously avoiding looking at her. "I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it." He looked up at the sky. "I don’t know how something like this could have happened. I’ve been trying for the last hour to figure out the probability of it all.” He waved his hands as he talked, and his lips quivered. “It doesn’t make sense. It’s like some weird slap in the face by fate, and I don’t even believe in things like that.”

  Kathryn touched his arm and stopped his rambling. “Phil, what is it?”

  He groaned and raked his hands through his hair. “Louie Ezzo is my uncle."

  Kathryn froze. "What?!" All the blood drained from her head, and she steadied herself on the rock with her hand. "Your uncle?" How could this be? Had Phil followed her here? Was he behind the threats? She wasn't safe with him. She jumped up off the rock and yanked Sadie's leash, causing Sadie to yelp.

  Phil bolted off the rock after her. "Wait! It's not what you think."

  She turned around and screamed into the wind. "What do I think? That you followed me here? That you're the one who's been threatening me? Why would I ever think something like that?" she scoffed.

  "Kathryn, think! How could I have followed you here? I live here." He cradled her elbow in his hand.

  She jerked her elbow away and tugged Sadie up next to her leg. "How do I know that? What are the chances that the one person I connect with in Cedar Key is the nephew of my suspect? It’s bad enough that you’re the ex-fiancé of one of my friends."

  "I’ve been trying to figure it all out. I even thought maybe you were the one coming after me to get information.”

  Her mouth flew open. “What? That’s ridiculous.”

  “You approached me on the peer while I was fishing. I didn't run my car into yours on the road or pretend to be your pool man.”

  “I would never do such a thing.”

  “I believe you, but do you see how it looks from my point of view? It looks bad either way. I promise you, I didn't know that's who you were prosecuting. I didn't know
until you said his name."

  “I promise you that I didn’t seek you out to find out what you knew. I was shocked when I realized you were Maria’s ex. You saw my shock. If I had known who you were when I came here, I would have already known those two key pieces of information about you.” Kathryn turned away from him, but Phil stepped back into her path.

  "So we’ve established that neither of us knew about the other before we met on the pier. I was so distraught when you said Louie’s name, I called my Pops as soon as you dropped me off after lunch. He confirmed that Louie was in trouble. He asked me, if you want to call it that, to defend him, but I refused."

  "This is too much to fathom. Absolutely too much." She threw her hands in the air. "The one time I let my guard down and trust someone…"

  "I'm not the bad guy here. You can trust me."

  Kathryn glared at him through squinted eyes.

  "Look, I could get in a lot of trouble with my family for helping you. I mean, a lot of trouble. So trust me."

  She shook her head. "Helping me? I can't let you help me now. Why would you even want to?" She covered her face with her hands to shut out this nightmare then she tore her hands away from her face. "You can't help your uncle's prosecutor. Talk about a conflict of interest."

  "Look, I want to help. I'll find a way around this conflict." He locked his jaw and beat his right foot on the ground. "My cousin, Drew, said I have to defend Louie, and he's coming down here to make sure I do. I don't want to think about the trouble I could be in if I don't defend him. I might have to go into the Witness Protection Program." He laughed, but ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. His hands shook, and his lips quivered again.

  Kathryn grabbed his shoulders. "Phil, you have to get as far away from me as possible. Now! You need to go back to Savannah. I can handle this case myself. We’re in danger if we work together."

  "You can't handle an Ezzo. Not without me. I’m not leaving Cedar Key until this case is solved, and I’m not leaving you." He paced a few steps away, Sadie trying to follow him, and then returned. "Let me see your file. Maybe I can tip you off to where the weapon is. If I can't figure it out, I'll leave you alone and not see you again until we're in court."