Ryan, Debora - Crimes of the Heart (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Debora Ryan

  “Leah, don’t talk to Anne that way,” Cecelia said reprovingly. “She is family. She practically lived with us growing up and she’s the only one who is still with us, all these years later, and not because she has to be.”

  “Share the burden of your responsibility, Leah.” Anne’s face reddened, a warning that her patience was nearly out. “That’s what true friends are for. I’m good for more than just forcing you to leave the house once in a while on a Friday night. Stop thinking you have to do this alone.”

  “Anne, you don’t understand the magnitude of what you’re asking to take on. It’ll definitely interfere with your social life. What if you meet someone you really love? Do you think he’s going to want all this baggage?” Leah whirled angrily and stalked away. She had no intention of coming back.

  Marian caught her before she made it through the lobby to the doors. “Leah,” she called. Her forceful little body bore down on Leah like a steam-powered locomotive.

  Leah had an idea as to the raw materials for the steam. She froze and closed her eyes against what she knew was coming.

  “I’m ready to begin the initial tests on Cecelia. You haven’t told me which ones you wanted to start with.”

  “Marian,” Leah said, deciding to be frank. “In the last week, I’ve been arrested for a felony and I’ve lost my home. I don’t have the money to pay for any tests. I’m sorry.”

  Marian waved a hand. “I found a team of doctors who want to work on this for the sake of research. They will want you to sign consent forms and things like that. Most likely, they’ll want to publish information about Cecelia.”

  Leah looked toward the ground. “How long are you going to let Cecelia stay here?”

  “Let’s not talk about that right now,” Marian said. “I’ll hold off action on her account until your business is settled. I’ve been reading about you in the papers. I know you haven’t embezzled six million dollars, or else your accounts here would be in better standing.”

  Leah wanted to laugh, but she was fresh out of mirth. “Does Cece know about this?”

  “She does. She wanted to discuss it with you, but she was afraid you would be too wrapped up in your own troubles.”

  Hurt, Leah’s forehead wrinkled. “I would never put myself before Cece.”

  “And that’s the problem with you.” Leah hadn’t heard Cecelia’s chair approach, and she started at the unexpected participant in the conversation. “You don’t put yourself anywhere.”

  Leah’s first reaction was to scream some kind of retort at Cecelia like she had done when they were kids. She bypassed that option and settled for a calm response. “What do you know about this team of researchers? Do you really want them to experiment on you?”

  “This isn’t like the chicken pox, Leah. There’s no shot or medicine that will heal me. There isn’t much research on injuries like mine, either. I mean, there is more now that so many soldiers are coming home from the war with closed-head injuries, but not enough. I’ve been researching this. You’ll find me surprisingly knowledgeable.” Cecelia gave Leah the different statistics on injuries like hers. Leah knew Cecelia’s recovery had been astounding, but she hadn’t before realized how much the statistics were against them.

  Leah was surprised at how much Cecelia knew. She still was not used to having her sister completely back. “Have the doctors already been here to talk to you?”

  Cecelia arched one brow. “Nobody can talk to me without your permission. The court still considers you to be the responsible one.”

  Marian cut in helpfully. “You signed an order stating that no one except for yourself, Anne, and her regular medical personnel could see Cecelia.”

  “You know how she reacted to strangers.” Leah felt the need to defend her actions.

  Marian held up one hand. “You can sign another paper rescinding that order. Then she can have any visitor she wants to have.”

  In the end, Leah signed the paper rescinding her order to limit Cecelia’s visitors. She also signed papers giving Cecelia control over the tests. Lastly, she signed a statement giving Anne custody of Cecelia in case Leah was unable to perform her duties.

  “I want to have all my bases covered,” she said. “Especially since my lawyer sucks.”

  * * * *

  When Leah came through that door, his heart skipped several beats and his breath caught in his chest. Pale and drawn, she looked worse than she had the day after her concussion. If that was what three days did to her, a longer sentence would kill her.

  He watched as she hugged Anne, clinging to her friend as if she had nearly lost her forever. He knew the precise moment she became aware of him. Color came back into her face to warn him of her anger. His stomach dropped. He had forgotten that she thought he put her there. She veered toward the door and exited the building before he could say anything.

  He debated following Anne out the door for only a few seconds. He rushed out, but stopped short at the top of the white concrete steps. He watched Anne pleading with Leah, and he could see Anne’s words were ineffective.

  He approached cautiously, not wanting to startle her. The words were out of his mouth faster than he could think them. “I swear I had nothing to do with this.” It wasn’t true. It was his fault she was here. His investigation was going to be used against her, but he didn’t want to tell her that now.

  He tried not to let her words sting him, but they found their mark anyway. I never want to see you again. Seven words he would never forget. Seven words that would torture him forever. He didn’t blame her.

  After giving Anne his keys, he called for a taxi and went straight to see Dani Rosenberg. She took him without an appointment, though she did make him wait for over an hour. He had met Dani in college. She was a fiery Jewish-Irish redhead. Her mother was as Irish as they came and she passed the light auburn hair, green eyes and freckles to all three of her children.

  He had been attracted to Dani’s incredibly good looks and her outspokenness from their first meeting. He had always been drawn to strong women. It took only two dates before they both admitted there was zero chemistry between them. They had been friends ever since.

  “Will,” she called from her office door, holding her arms out in expectation of a hug. He didn’t disappoint her. “I’m surprised to see you. I heard you were in town, but I hadn’t heard from you, so I assumed it was all a rumor.”

  He closed the door to her office behind him. “I’ve been here since February. We had dinner the week I got in, remember?”

  “That was five months ago. It doesn’t count. I talk to you more when you’re in another state. So, who is she?”

  He managed a grin. “You’re very perceptive.”

  Dani settled into a chair that was much too large for her petite frame. “I’m good at putting all the clues together.”

  “What clues?” Will sat across from her in a chair from the same litter, only it fit him much better.

  “You blow me off for five months, and then you turn up looking like hell. You went hot and heavy for a while and then she dumped you.” Dani leaned forward. “So what did you do to mess it up?”

  Will frowned. “What makes you think I did something?”

  Dani laughed. Her laugh was much bigger than one would expect from someone of her stature. Will, having known her for such a long time, thought her laugh matched her personality perfectly. “I’ve known you for fifteen years, William T. Dannaker. I can tell without meeting her that she’s a redhead, that she’s strong-willed, and that she doesn’t give a shit about your trust fund. She may not even know you have one. I can also predict with almost complete certainly that you did something to mess it up. You always do something stupid. It’s who you are. You wouldn’t be you if you stopped sabotaging your own happiness. What’s her name?”

  Will went with a sour expression. “Leah. And I’ve dropped the ‘T.’”

  One delicate red eyebrow arched nearly to Dani’s hairline. “And you’ve had a nasty fight with y
our dad to top it off.”

  “You should have been a psychic. You’d make a killing.”

  “Only if you’re my client.” She clapped her hands together. “What brings you out here all of a sudden, William Dannaker? I have a client in ten minutes, so we need to wrap this up.”

  “I need a favor.”

  “I know.” Dani tapped her temple. “Psychic, remember? Now who is suffering from memory loss?”

  This was the correct choice. Just being here with Dani filled Will’s bucket with hope. “Leah needs a lawyer, a good one.”

  “So you naturally thought of me.”

  “I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this.” He paused. “She can’t pay you.”

  “You want to foot the bill, but not let her know?”

  Will shook his head. “I can’t pay you either. I’m a witness for the prosecution.”

  Dani let loose a long, low whistle. “You’re testifying against your one true love, and you want me to represent her for free because you know I’ll tear you apart under cross-examination?”

  “There are lots of holes, but they’re tiny. I won’t lie to you. The case against her is pretty strong.” He picked at his shoe as if poking a hole there would reveal one in Leah’s case.

  “But you firmly believe in her innocence.” Dani pressed her fingertips together. “What are the charges?”

  “Embezzlement.” He waited several beats before adding, “You’ll be going up against my father and his lawyers.”

  Dani’s eyes sparkled. “Press coverage?”

  “It’s already been in the papers, though I haven’t read about it.”

  Springing to her feet, Dani got to work making notes on her legal pad. It always amazed Will that she wrote standing up. “Does she have a public defender right now?”

  He tossed the information on her desk. “He didn’t even ask for a bail reduction. I paid a million to get her out of there.”

  Dani looked up from what she had been writing. “I thought she dumped you.”

  Will nodded. “I still love her. And this is inadvertently my fault.”

  “Ahhh. This is your fault.” Dani shook her head at him. “I was wondering when you’d get around to taking the blame.”

  Will hung his head. “You have no idea how badly I messed this up. This is the least I can do. She may never forgive me, but I can’t let that stop me from doing right by her.”

  “You owe me,” Dani said to Will by way of dismissal.

  “I know,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll collect on it.”

  * * * *

  The next day, Leah slept in until nearly noon. Anne had been up hours earlier to go to work. The house was quiet when the doorbell rang, startling her away from the mug of tea she’d been sipping and the pictures of celebrities in a magazine. Leah checked the peephole in the door. A pretty, petite red-headed woman stood there.

  Frowning, Leah opened the door. “Can I help you?”

  “You must be Leah Keenan,” she said. “I’m Dani Rosenberg.” She stuck out her hand, forcing Leah to open the screen door in order to shake it.

  Leah didn’t take the bait. She glanced at Ms. Rosenberg’s hand and back up. The press had already been calling. “What do you want?”

  “You’re direct,” she laughed. “I like that in a client. I’m a lawyer. Your case intrigues me. A friend and I were discussing it, and I found out that your lawyer has never tried a case before. Ever. Also, it took him nearly three years to pass the bar. I passed the first time.”

  “What do you want?” Leah repeated the words a little more slowly this time to clearly send the message that she didn’t want to be bothered.

  “I want to represent you. I have a spectacular record, and I know I can make sure you have a fair trial. You can’t get that guarantee from Gordon Evans.”

  Leah took in the expensive suit Ms. Rosenberg wore and the salon highlights in her burnished hair. “I can’t afford you.” She stepped back to close the door.

  “Wait. I want to do this pro bono.”

  Disbelief coursed through Leah’s system. “Why?”

  “I do a certain amount of charity work a year. It helps offset some of my expenditures, and it looks good in our brochures.” Dani presented a card to Leah, who glanced at it briefly. The law firm on the card was one of the more well-known firms in the city. She knew they charged top dollar for their services. “Plus, your case interests me. And that’s really all the motivation I need.”

  Leah stared at the card, considering Ms. Rosenberg’s request. Then she shrugged. She had nothing to lose. “Okay, you can represent me. Now what?”

  “You can either invite me in or we can meet at my office later today. Either way, I’ll need you to sign a contract stating that you accept me as you lawyer. I’ll need to file it with the court and ask for an extension in the discovery period so that I can investigate everything with due diligence. The earlier you sign that, the earlier I can get started.”

  Leah pushed open the door.

  “Oh, good. I’d hate to put all this off until Monday. This way I can get started over the weekend.” Dani had a hurried way of walking, as if she was perpetually late for an important meeting. She was seated at the kitchen table before Leah had closed the front door against the mid-July Michigan heat and humidity wave. “This one says that you accept me as your attorney.” She pointed to a line for Leah to sign. “I’ll deliver a copy of this to Evans as a formal notification.”

  “Ms. Rosenberg,” Leah began.

  “Call me Dani,” she said. “At least it’s shorter.”

  “Dani, I really don’t know what I should and shouldn’t tell you. Mr. Evans hasn’t asked me anything about the case. He said he only needs to know what evidence the prosecution has so that he can argue against it. It seems to me that knowing the truth might be helpful.”

  “If you’re willing, I’d like to hear everything. That piece of paper you just signed guarantees complete confidentiality. Anything you tell me is privileged. Then I’ll take a look at what the prosecution has.”

  For the first time in years, hope unfurled in Leah’s chest. Maybe her life would have a happy ending.

  Chapter 15

  Leah met Dani at her office later that day. Dani had wanted to file several motions before the weekend, so she left directions to her office with Leah. When Anne came home from work, Leah related the events of the day with more emotion than she’d allowed herself to feel since that horrible night when she left Will’s apartment.

  A truck pulled up behind Anne’s car as she tried to back out of her driveway. Instead of moving, the driver turned off the ignition and jumped out. He was a large man who looked like he bench-pressed cars in his spare time. He knocked on Anne’s window and waved an envelope. “I have a special delivery here for Leah Keenan.”

  Anne held out her hand for the letter. She handed it to Leah, who took one look at the return address and said, “I don’t want it. Whatever it is, take it back.”

  The driver chuckled. “You must be Ms. Keenan. Mr. Dannaker said you might say that. In that case, I’ve been instructed to tell you that I have your stuff from your apartment in the back of that truck over there.” He pointed to the moving van parked across the street. “Do you still want me to take it back?”

  Leah’s eyes widened. “No. Annie, open your garage.” To the driver, she said, “Can you put in there?” She climbed out of the car to watch as the driver and his partner unloaded too few boxes to contain all of her things. The only furniture in the truck turned out to be her bedroom set. Everything from the living room was missing.

  “Where is the rest?” she asked.

  The driver shrugged. “That’s all we packed up. The place was a mess, but we packed everything. You might want to go through it before too long to see what you want to keep and what you want to throw away.”

  “Thank you,” Leah said. “I will.” She hadn’t expected to see any of her things again.

  They made it to Dani’s o
ffice fifteen minutes late, but they still had to wait. Dani was on the phone, and her receptionist interrupted only long enough to let her know that her next client had arrived.

  The door opened, and Dani beamed at Leah. “It’s good to see you, Leah. Come on in.” She stepped back to allow Leah to pass, but she stuck her arm up before Anne could enter. “We haven’t met. I’m Dani Rosenberg.”

  Anne shook Dani’s hand. “Anne Valerian.”

  “Anne, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to wait out here. Anything Leah says in front of you is open game for the prosecution. You’re her best friend. Surely you understand.” The warning was clear.

  Anne nodded. “I understand. Leah, I’m going to run a few errands. Call me if I’m not here when you’re done.”

  Leah nodded, but then quickly checked her purse. Anne had collected all of her things, including the phone Will had given her, from her office the day she was arrested. The phone was in the purse. She turned it on and read that she had thirty-five voice mails. She frowned. The only person they could have been from was Will.

  Dani gestured to a large, overstuffed wing chair and seated herself opposite Leah. “Tell me everything.”

  “Where should I begin?”

  “At the beginning. I’ll ask questions when I need clarification.” Dani placed a yellow legal pad on her lap and clicked open her pen. “Go ahead.”

  “I didn’t take six million dollars from the Dannaker Corporation, but I did take forty thousand. I don’t mind paying the price for what I’ve done, but I don’t want to go to jail for something someone else did.”

  Dani cleared her throat. “Over what period of time?”

  “Four years.”

  “For what purpose?”

  Leah sighed. “To pay my sister’s hospital bills. I only took enough to keep the creditors at bay so that Cecelia wouldn’t lose her place at Sunshine Acres. I can’t let her go back to a state-run facility. She’s doing so well. She can talk now. And she understands things again. You can’t imagine how horrible it is to watch someone you love go from being a smart, witty, successful woman to someone who, well, isn’t.”