Anticipation

by Terri Breneman

  Jake said hello to the rest of the gang and agreed to stay for one drink. He loved being the center of attention. The conversation now became lively as each of the women described the “perfect woman” for Jake.

  Boggs met Dave in the parking lot of O’Dooley’s shortly after 9:15. They outlined their game plan and headed to the front door.

  Boggs scanned the tables, mostly out of habit, and she felt her heart skip a beat when she saw her. Grinning, she couldn’t take her 19

  eyes off her. The grin quickly disappeared when she saw a guy embrace Toni. Shit. Why was she feeling so jealous? As she and Dave headed for a table, she kept Toni in her sights. A scantily clad waitress appeared and took their order.

  “Jeez, Boggs, you must be in another world. You didn’t make one comment about that waitress. Is something wrong?” She looked at Dave and grinned. “I guess I have a lot on my mind today. Okay, let’s get down to business. See the kid anywhere?”

  “No. Not yet. But it sure looks like you’ve spotted someone.” He was chuckling as he poured them each a beer from the pitcher.

  “Who is she?”

  Boggs was momentarily embarrassed. She and Dave often compared notes on women, but this caught her off-guard. Obviously she had been staring at Toni. She hoped no one else had noticed.

  “New attorney at the office. Just met her today. She seems really nice. Sam just raves about her. I don’t know much, to tell you the truth.” Boggs grinned . Don’t know much yet, but give it a few days.

  Dave began talking about one of his cases and Boggs felt herself only half listening. Oh, she made the appropriate responses, but her mind and her gaze were on Toni. She wondered what Toni was thinking. Their eyes had met a few times and Toni had smiled, then looked away quickly. Was she nervous? Maybe she thought Boggs was getting “too friendly.” Who were those people she was with? Attorneys? Was that her boyfriend? He didn’t seem to be paying her that much attention. How could he sit next to her without touching her every once in a while? Jeez . . . the woman was straight and a co-worker. Two big no-nos.

  Dave suddenly nudged her shoulder. “Boggs. Back to earth, girl. The kid just walked in. Let’s go.” They got up and approached the kid. Within a few moments they were escorting him outside to talk. Boggs took one last look at Toni’s table and sighed.

  20

  Toni had noticed Boggs and that man walk into the bar. She had immediately felt her heart beat a little faster. She tried to watch Boggs without being overly obvious, but Boggs had caught her glance several times. She hoped that Boggs hadn’t seen her disappointment. When Boggs left the bar, Toni felt incredibly let down and wasn’t sure why. Oh, well. Just because she’d never heard about Boggs having a boyfriend didn’t mean she was available. No chance now, she thought. She hoped she’d be able to concentrate on her work. She didn’t have time for a lover anyway. With a new sense of conviction she told herself it was all for the best. She turned back to her group of friends and poured herself another beer.

  21

  CHAPTER 4

  Toni awoke on Saturday morning with an unusual feeling. She slowly opened her eyes and looked next to her. No one there. She glanced toward the bathroom door. It was dark. Whew. That had been one hell of a realistic dream. She guessed some part of her brain was still hoping she and Boggs would get together. Gosh, it had seemed so real. She closed her eyes again and tried to bring back the image. She smiled and sighed loudly.

  Mr. Rupert responded to the sigh and she said, “Okay, boy. I know. It’s time for you to eat. Poor starving boy. You are so abused.”

  She shook the image of Boggs from her mind and reached for her faded red sweatpants. She usually slept in only a torn baseball shirt. She didn’t own a robe. In fact, she’d never understood the purpose of a robe except when she lived in a college dorm. Thank God those days were over. Downstairs in the kitchen, Mr. Rupert was waiting for her, although not very patiently. He got very 22

  cranky when Toni was late with breakfast. Here it was 8:00 a.m.

  and he hadn’t had one bite yet. He was so vocal this morning that she fed him before making coffee. Then she went upstairs to shower while it brewed.

  She let the spray cascade over her body. She closed her eyes and tried to recall the dream in its entirety. An image began to form of Boggs walking toward her . . . slowly. Toni had felt both nervous and excited in the dream. That feeling combined with the jet of water was beginning to arouse her. She was just getting the image into focus when Mr. Rupert barged into the bathroom.

  “Mr. Rupert! Thanks for ruining the moment.” He jumped up on the toilet seat, meowed and began to clean his face.

  She laughed out loud. “I suppose you’re right. I better get my act together. Or did you come in here to tell me the coffee is ready?” She finished her shower, leaving the image of her dream behind. She threw on some shorts and a sweatshirt and headed downstairs.

  Toni spread out the Crown file on her dining room table, arranging it in neat piles. With a fresh cup of coffee in hand, she was ready. She picked up the fax Boggs had delivered last night.

  Where was her highlighter? She looked through her briefcase again. Nope. Must have left it at work. Puzzled, she went upstairs to her desk and picked up a new one.

  The first few pages of the fax were composed of simple demo-graphics. Dexter Crown had been a patient at Johnson County Mental Hospital several times. He was 35 years old. She remembered an image of Crown on his emotionless videotaped confession. Toni wanted to know what made him tick. She scanned the report for the diagnosis and prognosis.

  DIAGNOSIS

  AXIS I: 302.84 Sexual Sadism

  300.29 Simple Phobia (acrophobia)

  305.90 Substance Abuse

  23

  AXIS II: 301.70 Borderline Personality Disorder AXIS III: N/A

  AXIS IV: Psychosocial Stressors = 4, Severe AXIS V: Global Assessment = 40, impaired in reality testing Toni began reading the assessment from Dr. Jamison.

  Dexter Crown displays classic symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. He is unable to sustain consistent work behavior and often travels from place to place without a clear goal. His relationships are usually brief and intense and he suffers from a sense of abandonment. Mr. Crown has no regard for the truth as indicated by repeated lying and use of aliases. He can be very aggressive and has a history of assaulting women. He also has a long history of property destruction and stealing. Mr. Crown lacks all remorse for his past behavior and feels justified in having hit women. He stated to this interviewer that “women have too much power for their own good.” He also suffers from depression.

  Mr. Crown reported a physically and verbally abusive childhood. He expressed a hatred for his mother, stating,

  “She used my father. She was a whore.” He stated that his father was often absent, but he got along well with his older brother. Mr. Crown had sporadic attendance in high school and dropped out at age 15. He has held a variety of jobs, none lasting more than six months.

  The remainder of the report consisted of notes by the social worker assigned to Crown. Toni scanned these notes briefly, then reread the diagnosis. She tried to recall her past work as a psychotherapist. She had a Master’s degree in psychology and had worked mostly with teenagers, but the terms of the diagnosis made sense. Crown’s behavior seemed to fit the bill here. He had a history of assaulting women and obviously there was no love lost for women with power. All three of the victims were women in executive positions. There shouldn’t be much trouble getting a conviction, she thought, especially because he had confessed to all the 24

  murders and was apparently going to plead. She turned to the next pile on the table. The first victim was Helen Carter. She had been the CEO of ECONTRON, a huge telecommunications company in the city. She also sat on the board of several other corporations, had a voice in city politics and was active on the crime prevention committee. It was rumored that Helen would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. The people close to her said t
hat she was a driven woman but rewarded those who worked hard.

  Helen was divorced and had lived alone for several years in a condo on the west side of town. There was an elaborate security system in the building, but unfortunately for Helen, the system had been malfunctioning for several days. The condo association had hired private security guards to walk the grounds, but none of them saw anything unusual the evening she was murdered.

  Helen was found the next morning by her cleaning woman.

  Toni looked at the crime scene photos and a shiver ran down her spine. She flipped to the ones showing the condo. Helen had apparently been working that evening at her desk. There were several contracts and notes arranged neatly in piles next to a half-full cup of coffee. Gee, just like I work at home . . .

  There had been no signs of a struggle in the home office. The kitchen and dining room looked as though they were rarely used, as if decorated merely for show.

  The bedroom, however, was another matter. For a moment Toni was fascinated with the quality of the pictures. The colors were vivid and the lighting almost perfect. The queen-size bed, positioned at an angle in the corner, was covered with a rose-colored duvet and accented with half a dozen pillows arranged against the delicately carved wooden headboard. A small table stood next to a cozy overstuffed chair in the opposite corner. A magazine sat on the table, just waiting to be picked up. Helen was on the floor.

  Toni shuddered. These were the perfect photos to show a jury.

  Helen had left the world with a look of terror on her face. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth was frozen in a scream. Her panties were stuffed in her mouth.

  Toni closed her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to rid 25

  her mind of the image. She got up and headed for the kitchen. As she poured herself another cup of coffee, she let out a deep sigh.

  Mr. Rupert responded with a loud meow. He was sitting on the kitchen counter next to a bottle of Kahlua.

  “What a good idea, Mr. Rupert.” She added a generous shot to her mug of steaming coffee, stirred and added milk. She continued to stir while standing there in the kitchen, surprised at her reaction to the photos of Helen Carter. She had seen them several times, but this time she seemed to feel the fear and horror. She also had a nagging dread in the back of her mind. What was it? Something just wasn’t right.

  She went slowly back to her table and sat down. The hot coffee and Kahlua soothed her nerves a bit. She looked back at the file and again experienced that uneasy feeling. Mr. Rupert joined her by jumping up on the table. Although he was incredibly graceful for a “big-boned” kitty, he nevertheless scattered most of the papers.

  “Gee, thanks, Mr. R. I needed to reorganize this file. You are so helpful.” She laughed out loud. If anyone ever heard her talk to her cat like this, they would think she was off her rocker. God, she needed to get a life.

  She reorganized the file and sat back in her chair. All she really needed to do was present the facts at the preliminary hearing on Monday. The prelim would set out the basic facts and establish probable cause for the charge of murder. She would put Detective Parker on the stand and he would describe the confession and witness statements. Usually the defense counsel would ask a few questions, but it would most likely be over in less than thirty minutes.

  The judge would then hold Crown in jail until his next court appearance. If everything went according to plan, that appearance would be a “change of plea” and Crown would plead guilty. Toni was certain that this case would not go to trial. Dexter Crown would no doubt take the offer of three life sentences in exchange for a guilty plea instead of facing the death penalty. Toni didn’t 26

  need to find out what made this man tick. All she had to do was present the facts.

  With this new realization in mind, Toni began to make notes on the evidence, or lack thereof; motive, his hatred of women; and the transcripts from the confession. Her opening statement, per se, was simple. The state would prove that Dexter Crown murdered three woman.

  A pot of coffee and several hours later, Toni finished her notes.

  She looked at her yellow legal pad and smiled. A job well done, she told herself. She felt as though she would present her case at the prelim with no problems. She knew all the facts cold. She always liked to be well prepared. She got up, stretched and yawned. It was such a good feeling to accomplish so much on a Saturday morning.

  Toni looked at her briefcase on the floor and the papers on the table, thinking how far she’d come in the last three years. She had begun law school with a feeling of confidence and a sense of direction. She had worked as a psychotherapist for high-risk teens for several years. Although she had enjoyed her work in the beginning, it wasn’t what she felt she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

  With the support of her partner, Sadie, she quit her job and went back to school full time. Little did she know, that step would forever change her life.

  She and Sadie had been partners for seven years. Together they shared a house, a dog, a cat and their lives. She knew to their friends they seemed to be the ideal couple. They rarely argued and seemed to be happy. In reality, comfortable would have been a more appropriate description.

  Sadie was a well-paid electrical engineer and spent her days, and many nights, designing new systems for a consulting firm. She was brilliant and Toni admired her knowledge and abilities. Sadie was not, however, a source of emotional support. As the first year of law school took its toll, she felt the relationship begin to slip away. Sadie didn’t understand the pressures of law school. In fact, she never even saw the building. She also wasn’t interested in 27

  meeting any of Toni’s new friends. The gulf between them grew larger every day.

  Toni tried to tell herself that she could comfort herself. She tried to talk to Sadie, to explain how she was feeling, but it did no good. Sadie merely shrugged her off. Months passed. Long talks into the night over coffee in their kitchen produced no results.

  Toni finally gave up. A few months later, Toni was living in an apartment with Mr. Rupert. A friendship and relationship lost forever. She wished only the best for Sadie, but it had been time to move on.

  For the last year and a half of law school, she survived on her own. She dated occasionally but mostly concentrated on school.

  The time seemed to go by quickly. Then came graduation and immediately she began studying for the bar. Now she had her dream job.

  She realized that she’d been lonely the past two years, but no lonelier than she had been before that. How sad, she thought. She smiled to herself. It was time to stop feeling sorry for herself. She had a great job and a great cat. It was time to have a little fun. She was determined to get a life.

  28

  CHAPTER 5

  Toni arrived at the office early Monday morning. As usual, she was the first one there. She had an hour before the prelim, so she began going over her notes.

  At 8:45 Detective Frank Parker appeared at her desk with a videotape in his hand and a condescending look on his face.

  “Boning up on the Crown case?” he asked. Gee. What a subtle innuendo.

  Instead of responding directly, she gathered her notes. She glanced at Frank as she walked past him toward the door. “See you in there, Frank,” she said lightly.

  Frank frowned and went in the opposite direction. She knew he didn’t like women attorneys. He thought women should be secretaries and leave the “real work” to men. She chuckled to herself.

  Too bad, pal.

  Toni sat alone at the prosecutor’s table in Judge Haley’s courtroom. Martha Haley had been a judge for almost ten years. She 29

  was known to be very tough, according to the prosecutor’s office, but fair. Prior to becoming a judge, Martha had been a well-known civil rights attorney. Some of the police force thought she carried that background into the courtroom, thereby giving defendants more breaks than the cops thought they should have.

  Judge Haley was also influential outside the courtroo
m. She and her husband owned one of the two major newspapers in the city. The daily editorials never carried a name in the byline, but Toni and no doubt most of the city figured they carried her thoughts and ideas.

  Toni had just finished spreading her notes out on the table when Carol Bledsoe flew into the courtroom. Carol had been in the public defender’s office for fifteen years. Her caseload was enormous, as was Carol herself. Rumor had it that Carol had never been seen without food—either in her mouth or just inches away.

  Toni was amazed that a woman of that size was able to move so quickly. She always seemed to be on the verge of being late, and her dramatic entrances were legendary.

  Carol dropped her huge briefcase on the opposite table and smiled. Toni noticed she was munching on something.

  “So, Carol, pretty interesting case, don’t you think?” Toni asked.

  Carol took out a large file. She began glancing through it and said, “I don’t know. I’ll let you know in a second.” Toni was dumbfounded. Not only had Carol just inhaled an entire Twinkie during her short response, but she wasn’t even prepared. How could anyone come into a courtroom with the hopes of defending someone without even knowing the case. Toni knew this was just a prelim, but jeez.

  She was still in shock when Carol closed her file. She leaned back in her chair, which protested loudly, although Carol didn’t seem to notice. She popped a Ding Dong into her mouth and looked over at Toni. “Looks like my guy admitted to the whole thing,” she said between chews. “With charges like these, Judge 30

  Haley will never allow bail. I guess we’ll be out of here pretty quick.”

  Toni nodded. Carol was known to be good at her job. A little burned out maybe, but still a good public defender. Carol didn’t seem to be too concerned. She continued to munch. It looked like another Twinkie, but Toni couldn’t be sure. Carol’s hand moved like lightning from her briefcase to her mouth. Amazing.