It Should Be a Crime (30 page)

“Who said there’s anything exculpatory here?” Gibson shook the envelope.

“Not you, though you should have. Don’t you think the fact Camille Burke was poisoned sheds some doubt on your theory my client shot her dead?” Morgan watched for Gibson to register the fact Morgan already knew the contents of the envelope. It didn’t take long for the prosecutor’s face to redden, but she pushed away embarrassment at being caught in a breach of ethics.

In a blatant display of denial, Gibson responded, “Obviously you already knew about the poison, so you can’t claim your case has been prejudiced by not having this report sooner. Frankly, I don’t think this report makes a lick of difference to my case.”

Morgan faced her squarely. “You’re bluffing, and if you think any of the twelve fine people we selected to serve won’t see through it, you have severely underestimated both them and me.” With a pointed look at the envelope still in Gibson’s hand, she shook her head, turned, and walked out of the courtroom. She would study the copy of the report she already had. Skye Keaton was likely to be the prosecution’s first witness and it would be much more fun to use the copy of the report Skye herself had provided when she ripped into the credibility of the State’s key witness.

Her intense concentration on the lineup of the next day distracted her and she ran directly into Skye as she made her way out of the courtroom.

“Ms. Bradley.”

“Detective.” Morgan snarled her response to Skye’s acknowledgment.

“Did I do something to piss you off?”

Skye’s question caught Morgan off guard and she realized Skye probably expected a different reception from her, especially since she had provided the report casting doubt on the prosecution’s case. But for once Morgan couldn’t compartmentalize her feelings. Skye had pierced the heart of the woman whose heart Morgan wanted for her own. Anger rose through her core and struggled to lash out. Skye had been privileged to receive Parker’s most treasured feelings, yet she’d crushed them as if they had no value. Morgan tallied the value of Parker’s intimacy and trust and wished she could afford the price. Knowing neither she nor Parker had the means to take the feelings they had any further, she resented Skye all the more for throwing away her own opportunities. Her resentment wrestled with the strong façade of self-control for which she was famous, but the resentment battled forward.

“Yes, matter of fact, you did.”

“Mind telling what it was?” Skye’s expression was genuinely puzzled.

“You hurt someone I care about.” Skye’s puzzled expression remained and Morgan was sorry she had said anything. “Never mind.” She pushed past the detective and started out of the room.

Skye grabbed her arm, but her touch was gentle. As Morgan faced her, she saw the questioning lines on Skye’s face settle into a knowing look. After all, there was only one person it could be. Skye’s response was a whisper. “I’m sorry for what I did, but it was a long time ago. She’s forgiven me.”

“She may have forgiven you, but she still bears the scars.” Morgan shook off Skye’s hand. She didn’t want to be having this conversation with Skye for a multitude of reasons, including the fact she would be skewering this witness on the stand first thing in the morning. If there was anyone she should be talking to it was Parker. Parker, with her sparkling charm in public, but guarded pain in private. Morgan wanted to erase the hurt that haunted Parker and see the affection she felt reflected in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Morgan looked into Skye’s face, and noted her cocky demeanor had been replaced with genuine angst. She nodded and walked out.

*

Parker answered the phone because she knew no one else was home. If Kelsey or Erin had been there, she would have enlisted them to screen her calls. Parker imagined Dex was calling to give her a blow-by-blow of the first day of the trial and she knew him well enough to know if he wasn’t able to reach her by phone, he would show up at her door. She was torn about wanting to hear the details of the trial. Dex would be gushing about Morgan’s prowess and justifiably so, but she didn’t want to talk about Morgan. She had done enough talking about her professor during her afternoon appointment with the dean, and it had worn her out. She focused on making her voice sound sleepy, hoping he would take the hint and keep the conversation short.

“Parker? You sound like you’ve been sleeping. Well, get up, girl. We have things to do.”

It was Jake. Parker’s first reaction was to tell him she was off the case and explain her work earlier in the day had been a freebie but she was officially retired from the Chavez defense team. She started to form the words, but curiosity forced a different response. “Gimme five minutes. I’ll be out front.”

Parker waited on the porch, watching for the lights of Jake’s car. She wondered at her eagerness to jump back into the case when she’d spent the afternoon explaining to Dean Ramirez why she was dropping the Advanced Evidence class. Her decision to drop the class was calculated to protect Morgan, but she couldn’t deny the small part of her that hoped removing their professional relationship might open the door to something more. If nothing else, now that she was no longer one of Morgan’s students, she could work on the case without jeopardizing Morgan’s career.

Jake’s car pulled into the driveway and Parker shrugged off the lingering questions about her motivation and climbed into Jake’s sedan. “Okay, Sherlock, where are we going?”

“Leslie Hammond got a letter in the mail and he wants to show it to us.”

“A letter?”

“Yep. From Camille Burke.”

*

“Here it is.” Leslie’s hand shook as he passed the envelope to Parker. Clearly he deemed her to be in charge of the investigation. Parker took the envelope and carefully pulled a sheaf of pages from it. Casting a gentle look at the tearful young man, she asked, “May I?” He nodded and Parker began to read. Camille Burke’s last letter was both gripping and horrific. Parker was caught between the desire to race to the end and the urge to cram the gruesome story back into the envelope. When she finished, she handed the pages to Jake and focused her attention on Leslie. “When did you receive this?”

“It’s postmarked the day she died. It was in a pile of mail being held at the post office until I returned.”

“Before you got this, did you have any idea?”

“No. I knew she was troubled, haunted even.” His voice choked. “She was breaking up with me, for God’s sake. I thought her distress was all about me, wanting to end things with me, wanting to be rid of me. I had no idea, none, she was in her own personal hell. I never would have left if I had known.” He wiped away tears. “I loved her.”

She was sure he did and equally sure it would be a long time before he recovered from the knowledge the woman he had loved had been systematically victimized for years by her own brother. She knew Teddy Burke was a talented sociopath, but the juxtaposition of his public persona with the tale of horrific abuse he heaped on the sibling he purported to love would repulse even the most jaded. Parker, who had felt the raw pain of too many sickening revelations during her career as a cop, was no less sensitive from her experience, but necessity demanded she stuff her feelings. They had work to do.

“We need to let the police know. I’ll tell them.” Indicating the letter, she asked, “May I take this?” Leslie nodded.

*

The rest of the night was a blur. She directed Jake to the Palomar and led him to the door of Morgan’s room. She ignored Morgan’s surprised look to find them in the hall of her hotel at the late hour. Parker watched intently while Morgan sat on the end of her bed and burned through the pages Camille Burke had penned. She wanted nothing more than to go to Morgan. She needed the close warmth of Morgan to melt away the pain inside her soul. Instead, she waited quietly for Morgan to finish reading.

“She killed herself.” Morgan looked at Parker as she spoke the words and her look conveyed sorrow for Camille as well as apology to Parker for not having lent credence to Parker’s theories.

“Yes, and who could blame her? Teddy Burke has spent his life skating around the edge of trouble but never coming close enough to be caught. No one would have ever believed he had been raping his sister for years. I’d be willing to bet he paid off Dr. Hudson to make sure there was no tox screen done. If there was a suicide note at the scene, it’s probably long gone. Camille had nowhere to go, no one to tell. I’m sure she was so ashamed, she thought Leslie Hammond would drop her once he found out. Clearly, she loved him. She wrote this letter to him to make sure he knew he wasn’t the reason she broke things off.”

Morgan grasped Parker’s hand. She sensed Parker was internalizing Camille’s pain and she wanted to ground her in the here and now. “Parker, there’s nothing anyone could have done. Camille kept the secret and by doing so, she shut out anyone who could have helped her break free.” Placing her hand under Parker’s chin, she tilted her face until she was staring into her eyes. The connection was electric.

The rough sound of a throat clearing broke the wordless bond. Morgan looked across the room where Jake waited patiently.

“Ladies, I think we need to make some decisions.”

Morgan nodded. “I have Gibson’s cell phone number. She’s probably practicing a stinging opening argument. I’ll take great pleasure in interrupting her. Jake, will you give Ford a call and let him know what’s going on?”

“Yep.” He fished a cell phone from his jacket pocket. “I think I’ll call from downstairs so we don’t talk over each other. Parker, meet me downstairs when you’re done helping Ms. Bradley explain the situation to Ms. Gibson.” Nodding, he left the room.

Parker looked down at Morgan’s hand still clasping her own. “Subtle.”

“Has he always been so perceptive?”

“He’s a regular Sherlock Holmes.” Parker fastened her gaze on Morgan. “I have so much I want to say to you.” All she wanted to do at this very moment was lean in and take. Take Morgan’s hair and sweep it back from her face. Take Morgan’s full lips with her own and kiss away the distance between them. Take Morgan’s clothes and tear away all barriers to her soft and lovely skin. But before she could take, she had to know Morgan wanted to be taken, and now was not the time to solve the case of the unrequited love. Love? Was she feeling love? Surely she desired Morgan; she craved her, even. But love? She turned the question over in her mind and examined it from all angles. The answer was clear, but this was not the time to take the chance. “We’ll talk later. Right now, you need to make a call.”

Morgan’s steady stare almost dissolved Parker. Her brain sent signals telling her to ignore her doubts and take what she wanted, but before the synapse fired her into action, Morgan picked up the phone and started dialing. Parker barely caught herself and settled in to listen. Later, she thought. Later.

“I would like a brief continuance to investigate this matter.”

Judge Thompson looked down his nose at Valerie Gibson before glancing at Morgan and Ford. “I assume you two have something to say about this.” Morgan had been up half the night strategizing, but she was poised to respond to the prosecutor’s request. They were scheduled to present opening statements in thirty minutes and Ford was prepared to deliver one for the defense. Immediately following, Teddy Burke was scheduled to take the stand. Morgan had been up late revising her cross-examination, including damning questions about his role in his sister’s death, whether it was suicide or murder. Despite her hours of preparation, she was willing to bet they wouldn’t be presenting anything to the jury today.

“Certainly, we do, Judge. We think the prosecutor already has enough information to dismiss the charges against our client. A county medical examiner will testify Ms. Burke was poisoned and now the prosecutor has a suicide note. I’m not sure what she intends to investigate, but certainly her case is already riddled with enough reasonable doubt for an acquittal.” Despite her attempts to persuade, Morgan knew the judge would most likely grant a short continuance to the prosecutor, who had been as surprised by last evening’s revelations as she was, but she didn’t have to agree to it. The delay was likely to be very short considering the fact they had a jury sworn and in the box ready to go. Judges weren’t in favor of inconveniencing those citizens who actually showed up for jury duty, especially since those same citizens were likely to vote in the next election.

“Judge, this new evidence hasn’t been entirely verified. Plus, it’s not as if any of this information negates the fact Mr. Chavez’s fingerprints were on the gun that shot Camille Burke in the face and he was found standing over her dead body. I’m asking for a day to sort through this. One day is all I ask.”

“Granted. We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning at eight thirty. Ms. Bradley, do you have any motions to make at this time?”

She was ready. “Yes, judge. Mr. Chavez has been in jail for several months pending the trial of this matter. In light of the new evidence and the additional delay, we respectfully ask he be released on a personal bond.”

Valerie Gibson flew out of her seat shouting “Your honor, defense counsel’s request is premature. We’re only asking for a day delay.”

Judge Thompson studiously avoided looking at Gibson as he made his ruling. “Defense motion for personal bond is granted. Bring me an order and I’ll sign it.” He stood to indicate their meeting was over and everyone should leave his chambers. Morgan and Ford filed past the stunned Gibson on their way to let Luis know the good news. Luis was to be released on his own recognizance pending the outcome of the case. The judge had made known his opinion about the state of the evidence by his ruling. If he thought the trial was going to proceed in a day, it was unlikely he would have agreed to the bond. Morgan knew she should waste no time in case the tide turned, and she planned to spend the rest of the day reviewing her notes even though she knew the adrenaline pumping through her veins would likely rob her of the ability to concentrate. She pondered ways of channeling her energy, but practicality settled in. A resolution about her feelings for Parker would have to wait the outcome of this case. Even as she had the thought, she knew that where Parker was concerned, her feelings were already resolved.