by Eva Charles
Emmie’s face smoothed, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but it didn’t feel to me to be a real smile. I wanted her to remember something good about the past. Something that would bring the smile to her eyes.
“How did you meet Tim?”
“We rode the same school bus. I was fifteen and he was a year older. I always got off at his stop, instead of the one near my house, and walked home. Mrs. Rose had taken in foster kids all her life, and everybody knew it. I didn’t want all the kids at school knowing my business.”
There was enough for fifteen-year-olds to be embarrassed about without worrying about where, or how, they lived. I’d grown up without ever giving any thought to where I lived. But then again, I didn’t need to.
“One day Tim got off the bus, and waited for me. ‘I know everybody in the neighborhood,’ he said. ‘You don’t live here, so why do you get off at this stop every day?’
“I told him it was a free country, and I could get off at whatever stop I wanted, and I stomped away. It was all very dramatic, in a way that only a teenage girl can manage.” She smiled, and this time, it lit her eyes. “He followed me home, and after I circled the block a half-dozen times to lose him, he went away. At least I thought he did.”
Her mouth curled, and her eyes sparkled while she told me about Tim.
“The next day, I got off the bus at a new stop. He got off too, and walked with me. When we got to his house, he invited me in to watch a movie, and I’m not sure why, but I went. That day, and every day after it for the rest of the school year.”
“Sounds like something I would do. Follow the pretty girl until I knew everything about her.”
“Stalker-like behavior. Hmmm.” A wide smile brightened her face. “It does sound like something you’d do, too. But…” Her thought trailed off.
“But?”
“You’re actually very different than Tim.”
“Do I hear an insult coming?”
She laughed softly. “No. Tim was a good man, and I have a feeling you’re a good man, too. But in spite of how we met, Tim was easy with me. He didn’t challenge me. Didn’t expect too much. Which was good, because I didn’t have a lot to give. He never pushed, just let our friendship develop slowly, until it bloomed into love. I let him be, too. His parents had lots of expectations of him, and they controlled every aspect of his life. He always said I was like a big breath of fresh air.”
“Smart man… But I still don’t understand why you don’t think Tim and I have similar personalities.” I bit back a smirk.
“Really? You don’t understand?”
“I’m a pretty chill guy.”
“Right. When I started telling you about…my past, you played with my fingertips, while I talked. By the time I finished, you were leaning over the table, cupping my elbows, fighting the urge to wrap me in a big bear hug, and tell me it was all going to be okay.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Liar.”
“I wasn’t going to tell you everything was going to be okay. But I did want to hold you and keep you safe.”
“Eat some of this croissant, before I devour the entire thing.” She nudged the plate toward me.
Another block, for the win. “Smooth transition.”
The laughter bubbled from her. “It wasn’t so bad.”
“Come on. I’ll walk you back to your office. My car’s parked at the field.”
We walked back without saying much. I don’t know what she was thinking, but I was trying to figure out a few things. Formulate sentences that would make sense to her. Words never failed me, but I didn’t always choose carefully, and I couldn’t afford that right now.
“Emmie, I’ll be straight with you. I’d like to take you out to dinner, or a ball game, a long drive along the ocean, whatever you want.”
“You just bought me coffee and pastries.”
“I’m talking about a date, a real date, where we explore our friendship a little. See if we can tolerate each other’s table manners and political leanings. You’re not one of those people who doesn’t vote, then bellyaches all the time about the state of the country, are you?”
She laughed. “I just laid my entire life out for you, in a way I rarely do. You want more than that?”
“You’re not making this easy.”
“Because you’re beating around the bush. Spit it out.”
“I can’t…I won’t…ask you out, while you’re wearing your wedding ring. I want you to consider taking it off.”
I couldn’t see her face, but I felt her tense from a couple feet away.
“I’m not sure why you wear it, but it’s like a megaphone broadcasting to the world that you’re unavailable. Maybe you’re not ready to start over, or maybe you’re hiding from something. Only you know the answer to that.”
We walked for a few more minutes, and she didn’t say a single word.
“I feel like I’m talking to myself. And as interesting as I am, it’s not getting us anywhere. Would you like to add something to the conversation?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Mark.”
I stopped and pulled her to face me. “It’s been eight years since Tim died. Why do you still wear the ring?”
She touched her finger to the gold band, stroking it gently. “It reminds me that someone once loved me.”
I could feel her warm skin under my fingers. “If you take it off, someone might love you again.”
9
Mark
“Mark Harrington?”
“Yeah.” I glanced at the time on my phone: one forty-nine.
“Sal Lombardo, from the Hawks.”
“Oh God. I’m sure this isn’t a social call.” I groaned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. We really needed to be more selective about our clients. “I don’t handle the stupid shit, Sal. But I’m awake now, so let’s hear it.”
“It’s Jake.”
“Jake. What? My brother Jake?” I tossed the sheet aside, and sat up, my toes clinging to the cool wood floor.
“Yeah.”
“What happened?”
“He’s being taken in for questioning.”
“Wait. What do you mean he’s being taken in for questioning? By the police?”
“He met a woman last night. Took her home.”
“Not a crime.”
“She says he raped her.”
“No. Fucking. Way. That’s a bunch of shit. Jake would never.”
“They found drugs hidden inside a drawer in his kitchen. Painkillers. A lot of pills. Pills he doesn’t have a prescription for.”
“I don’t believe a goddamn word of it. Did they arrest him?”
“He went willingly. But they read him his rights.”
Fuck. “Where’s Jake right now?”
“Boston General. I asked the police to stop at the hospital on their way to the station and get some blood drawn.”
“You what?” My head stopped spinning, preparing to explode.
“I don’t believe he laid one finger on that woman she wasn’t good with. And we both know he’s not into drugs. The kid doesn’t like to take an aspirin for a headache. But he doesn’t remember last night—not a lot about it, anyway. Someone might have slipped him something. If we wait until after they question him, whatever was in his system will be long gone. As it is, they might not find anything.”
“Blood test results are incriminating. They make a prima facie case, even without other evidence. Too risky, Sal.”
“He’s the face of the franchise, and it’s my job to protect the franchise. Listen, Mark, I think the world of your brother. This whole thing stinks to high heaven.”
“Blood tests are too risky, Sal. You’ve got to stop it from happening.”
“Too late.”
I slammed my fist against the nightstand, knocking the lamp to the floor. “What’s wrong with you? Why the hell would you tell him to have blood drawn without talking to a lawyer?”
“You were sti
ll shitting your pants when I started doing this job. Getting blood is the right thing to do. Jake keeps his nose clean. He’s never given me any reason to doubt him. You’re the one acting like you don’t believe him.”
The brother in me believed him, believed in him, but the lawyer in me screamed too risky, until I could barely hear a word beyond the screeching. “Are they taking him to the main precinct?”
“That’s the plan.”
“I’ll meet him there.”
“Jake is well-loved around these parts. The Boston police are treating him with kid gloves—no cuffs, nothing. But if you barge in like some asshole, there’s not a prayer in hell they’ll continue to be helpful.”
“I’ll pick up a few dozen donuts on my way to the station.”
“That’s just what I’m talking about.”
“Fine. I have some friends on the squad who I can call. Maybe they can help me out.”
“I don’t care how many friends you have over there. This is big. They’re not going to let him talk to anyone except his lawyer. You know the drill.”
“I’m his lawyer.”
“Jake deserves better.”
“Fuck you. He’s my brother.”
“And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t handle this. When did you start taking criminal cases, anyway? If the district attorney presses charges, we’re talking about some serious shit here. The kid needs a lawyer with a cool head, who knows what he’s doing. That is not you, my friend.”
He was right. Except for the blood tests. My stomach churned, and the bile burned the back of my throat. “How’s he holding up?”
“He’s tough. Is adamant he didn’t do it. Doesn’t remember a whole lot, though. Said he only had one beer, didn’t even finish it. Bartender confirms the story. But he can only vouch for the time at the bar. After that, it was just the two of them.”
“Do we know anything about the woman?”
“Not much. She came to the bar alone. The bartender overheard her tell Jake she was a kindergarten teacher and just moved to the area a few weeks ago. My best guys are all over it. We’ll figure it out.”
“The press?”
“Like I said, the police are being helpful. As long as no one rocks the boat, we should be okay—for a few hours. But then, it’s going to be a shitstorm. The shitstorm of all shitstorms.”
I ended the call and contacted the one person I trusted most to handle the case.
“Patrick?”
“Sonofabitch,” he grunted.
“Sorry to wake you.”
“What happened?”
“My brother Jake’s on his way to the police station. I really need your help.”
I heard Patrick’s wife in the background.
“It’s nothing. Just a work thing. Go back to sleep,” he reassured her.
It’s nothing. For a few seconds, I wondered how often I’d been cavalier about some player’s problems. Blaming them for getting themselves into these kinds of messes. Hindsight was a nasty bitch.
“I’m listening. Just the facts, as they pertain to the case. It’s too early for anything else.”
Patrick listened while I told the story—what little of it I knew. He asked calculated questions, and a few times told me to stop editorializing. His voice was completely devoid of any warmth or passion.
I, on the other hand, was out of my fucking mind. I knew so few facts, but the one thing I was absolutely certain about was Jake’s innocence. “Keep your eye on the ball, Patrick. He didn’t rape anyone, and those drugs were planted.”
“I don’t care if he did it or not. Those judgments are well above my pay grade. As far as I’m concerned, God can sort it all out in the end. But if it matters to you, then you need to stay the hell away from the case. We proceed like everyone’s guilty, and manage these cases exactly the same—carefully, methodically, no stupid moves. No one talks to the media, the police, the DA, the league, or their dog, without a script that’s been cleared through me.”
“What about the blood tests?” I asked.
“Unfortunate.”
“That’s all you got—unfortunate?”
“What do you want me to say? A first-year law student knows it’s a bad idea. I’d like to wring Sal’s neck. But it is what it is. We’ll deal with it.”
There was no one better to handle a high-profile criminal case, and everything he said was on the money. But I wanted to beat Patrick’s face into the dirt until he admitted Jake was innocent.
My brother did not force himself on a woman. And no way was he popping pills. But if for some reason those tests came up positive for opioids, I was going to murder Sal Lombardo with my bare hands.
“Hey, finally.” I’d been trying to reach Jake for hours. Patrick had been tight-lipped after he met with him, and kicked me out of his office after I reminded him I was a senior partner and then ordered him to talk to me about his strategy for the case. “Where are you?”
“On the way to Hancock for a workout.”
“I’m already here. I’ve left you about a hundred messages.”
“Been kind of busy, Mark.”
“How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
He didn’t sound fine. He sounded exhausted and edgy. “I’m here for you, Jakie. Anything you need. Me, the family—we’re all behind you.”
“I know. And I appreciate it. I’m on my way back from Meadows Shore. I wanted to talk to Vovó before she heard it on the news. I called everyone, wanted them to hear it directly from me.”
“Everyone?” Patrick was going to bust an aneurysm.
“Cole, Will, Drew, Luke, the girls, and I talked to Antonio when I was home, too.”
My heart broke for Jake. I couldn’t imagine dumping this crap on my grandmother. She’d already been through hell and back. I don’t know how she got up every morning and took care of business. One of these days… I couldn’t think about it.
“Text me when you get here. I’ll hang around until then.”
“Look, Mark, I appreciate you getting me a lawyer. Patrick told me you’re an insufferable bastard, and he might charge me double if you don’t stay away from the case. Maybe you should listen to him.”
“Pft. Patrick. He’s an arrogant sonofabitch, with a mind like a steel trap, exactly what you want in a defense lawyer. Do exactly as he says. And text me when you get here.”
“I know you’re sick about this. I hear it in your voice, but I’ve had enough distractions for one day. I need to get back to my schedule. I’ve got to get a workout in. Talk to Coach. Given that I’ve been accused of rape, I’m sure Emmie is on the list of people to talk to. Go home, Mark. Please. I’ll call you if I need something.”
“You’ve talked to a lot of people already—don’t talk to anyone else without clearing it with Patrick. And I’m not leaving until I lay eyes on you.” Jake blew out a long, aggravated sigh, but I didn’t care. “Why don’t you turn your car around and go back to Meadows Shore? Lay low for a few days, away from the vultures, while we figure this out. They’ll camp outside the gate, but you’ll have plenty of space to move around so you won’t feel like a trapped animal. They won’t be able to get to you there.”
“Yeah, right. Maybe I’ll ask Rosa to make me a magic unicorn disguise. Come on. They’ll pull their boats right up to the shoreline, just like when Mom and Dad died. I’m not hiding.”
“Fine. I’ll see you when you get here.”
“Go home, Mark. Or don’t. But I don’t want to see you, today. You’re in a bad frame of mind, and it’s not helping. It’s never turns out well, when you’re like this.”
“Jake…”
“I didn’t do it. I know you’re probably like your partner, Patrick—don’t want to know. But I didn’t do it. I need to ride this out while they investigate. The one thing that can hurt me the most right now, ruin my season, ruin the team’s chances for the play-offs, is the distraction.”
It killed me to say it, but he needed to hear it. �
�Your future is at stake here. Your life. That’s more important than a winning season.”
“Guilty people hide. Cowards hide. I won’t do it. The guys on the team take their cues from me. I’m the leader. Nothing that happened last night is going to change that—at least I hope not,” he muttered.
“Jakie, I don’t believe you did any of it, not for one second. Not the rape, not the drugs. Not for a single second. But you’re my brother. If you ever do something bad, evil bad, I’ll kick your ass, and call you every name in the book. But I’ll never turn my back on you. Never. I love you, man.”
“Go home. Keep your phone on. If I need company later, I’ll call you… Mark?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
I ended the call and dropped the phone in my pocket. This could not be happening. Not to Jake.
10
Mark
My head throbbed. I took some water from the cooler, drained the liquid in one long gulp, and crushed the paper cup in my hand before dropping it in the trash.
Emmie. She could help with this. At least mitigate some of the bad press that was coming not too far down the road.
I walked over to her office on the other side of the stadium, trying to formulate some sort of plan for managing the press. When I got there, she was bent over a metal cabinet, searching files in one of the drawers. I pulled in a breath, and drank her in. It offered me the first bit of comfort I had since Sal called.
I held back from sneaking up behind her, and wrapping my arms around her middle, squeezing until there wasn’t any space between us. I wanted the comfort of her body. I needed it. I needed the soft warmth to soothe me, like a child needs a teddy bear during a thunderstorm.
It was tempting, but I shoved the need aside—for now—and knocked on the open door. “I heard your door is always open. Does that go for me, too?”
“Hey. Of course. Come in.” She gestured to a chair in front of her desk, and shut the office door while I sat down. “Do you want some coffee?”
“I’m good.”
She took the chair near mine, angling her body until she faced me.
“How’s Teddy?”
“He’s doing great. Still hasn’t stopped talking about how much he loved being at Meadows Shore with your family. How are you?” she asked gently, touching my arm.
