Evidence of Darkness Read online

  He was still fuming and sarcastically responded, “Yes, for now, but you’d better hope to God LeeAnn calls you and sounds absolutely delighted to visit New York City and be cross-examined by some dimwit district attorney!”

  Reesa remained silent and continued looking through her notes. She knew she shouldn’t have made the promises she had, but felt an overpowering need to protect LeeAnn from the mental anguish of reliving Victor’s attack. Reesa sensed she was almost to the breaking point when they were nearing the end of their meeting; and, she was beginning to question if LeeAnn was even emotionally strong enough to endure the difficult nature of the testimony she would be required to give at the trial. She would rather have her agree on her terms than end up with a hostile witness, or, force her to testify and risk her breaking down on the stand. Although a tear-jerking testament of Victor DeWald’s brutality would fare favorably with the jurors, there had to be another way to accomplish it without sacrificing LeeAnn in the process.

  Mike and Reesa remained silent for the duration of the ride to the hotel.

  Once they arrived, Mike pulled into the circular drive and parked the car. “I’ll check us in. You wait here.” He got out of the car before Reesa had a chance to respond.

  He returned to the car a few minutes later and held up two key cards in envelopes. “We’re on the fourth floor, rooms 414 and 416. Do you have a preference?”

  “Why would I have a preference, Mike!”

  “Thought I’d ask, just in case you did.” He started the car and pulled into the parking lot.

  Once parked, Reesa immediately got out of the car. She met Mike at the trunk just as he popped the lid open. They both reached for her bag simultaneously.

  “I’ll get your bag,” he said sternly.

  She yanked the handle of her bag from his hand. “I’ve got it.” Then she abruptly turned and headed toward the door of the hotel.

  When Mike walked into the lobby, he saw her enter the elevator, then the doors closed. Exasperated, he hit the button on the wall and took a different elevator up to his room.

  Wishing to avoid another confrontation with him, Reesa walked swiftly to her room, slid the plastic key card into the lock, and shut the door behind her. She unpacked her clothes, then set her laptop on a small table by the window and began working.

  After she had called several clients and finished a brief for an upcoming lawsuit, she spent the rest of the afternoon researching prior rape cases where the victim had murdered the perpetrator. She stopped promptly at 5 p.m. to call Jade, then continued working. She planned to order room service for dinner, spend the evening in solitude, and hopefully get to bed at a decent time.

  Two hours later, she heard a knock on the door and hoped it wasn’t Mike. She opened the door slightly, leaving the security lock in place, and peered through the two-inch gap.

  Mike was smiling at her, his face pressed against the slim opening. “Truce? Please? I hate eating alone.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at him as she removed the lock and opened the door. He was leaning against the doorframe wearing a white cotton dress shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket. His hands were in his pockets and he had a pleading expression on his face. “Please tell me you haven’t had dinner yet?”

  “No, I haven’t. I’m planning on ordering room service.”

  “I looked online and there’s a highly rated Italian restaurant less than a mile away. I was hoping I could convince you to join me. We don’t have to talk about the case. We really don’t have to talk at all, just please sit across the table from me.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “Nice, Mike. I’ve been researching our case all afternoon while you’ve been researching restaurants in the area.”

  “Oh, come on, am I ever going to get a break?”

  “Not likely. Let me get my coat, I’ll be right out.”

  Once they were seated at the restaurant, Mike ordered a glass of cabernet. Reesa ordered iced tea and started looking through the menu. Everything looked delicious and the smell permeating the restaurant was making her very hungry. She was suddenly very glad she had accepted his invitation.

  Mike glanced up from his menu. “Can I tempt you into splitting a stuffed calamari appetizer with me?”

  “Absolutely. I’m famished!”

  He smiled and motioned for the waiter. After ordering the appetizer, he continued looking through the menu.

  Reesa closed her’s and casually began glancing through the emails on her cell phone. A few minutes later, the waiter returned with the calamari and they placed their dinner orders. She returned her attention to the emails, but could sense Mike watching her. She opted to ignore him and continued looking at her phone.

  “I know you think I was searching the internet for restaurants all afternoon. I was on the internet, but I was doing research for the case, too. I even found something interesting that prompted me to take a little trip downtown to the courthouse. It was spectacular by the way. When you approach it from the fountain side, the Gateway Arch appears to be positioned directly above it like a rainbow. Incredible! I took a picture of it if you’d like to see it,” he said, locating the picture on his cell phone and sliding it over to her. “If you wouldn’t have been so upset with me, I might have invited you to go. It may have been a waste of time anyways, so don’t feel too bad.”

  After glancing at the picture, she shoved the phone back towards him. “Okay, I’ll take the bait. What prompted you to visit the courthouse this afternoon, besides your overwhelming desire to do a little site seeing?” she teased.

  “Well, I just wondered if Victor DeWald had ever visited the fine city – perhaps in quest of his ex-wife, LeeAnn’s mother. Since we failed to discuss that with her today, I thought I’d see if I could find out anything on my own.”

  “Well? Did you dig up anything?”

  “There was a protection order filed against him by both LeeAnn and her mother in 2007. But that’s about it.”

  “Protection orders?” She thought for a moment. “Hum, I guess I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “Really? Victor was probably abusive to LeeAnn’s mother as well. Leaving Arizona and moving to St. Louis was probably the best thing she could have done to protect her daughter.”

  Reesa couldn’t help but think about her own mother. In a sad tone she replied, “Not all mothers protect their –” She noticed Mike staring at her pensively and stopped. “But yes, of course they would have filed protective orders, but now I’m beginning to wonder what else Mr. DeWald may have been up to during that time frame – or even before. We need to do more research when we get back to New York. Let’s pull up Victor’s criminal records.”

  “The DA’s office already did that. It was in their discovery. Surely you haven’t forgotten about that!”

  “Let’s go back further than they did. See if anything pops up. I’m sure they only gave us what they knew we’d find out easily anyway. I don’t trust them. Let’s do our on search, shall we?” she said, smirking.

  “Do you think Victor’s criminal records are even admissible?”

  “No, they usually aren’t, which is probably why the DA’s office gave us the information they did, but it may not hurt to see if we can find anything else.”

  “Okay, I’ll get on it first thing Monday.”

  “Thanks.”

  Their meals arrived and they began eating in silence. After a few minutes, Mike asked cautiously, “So, you never did tell me what brought you to New York City to practice law.”

  Reesa smiled at him. “I thought you said we weren’t going to talk.”

  “Sorry. You don’t have to answer me,” he replied, taking a sip of cabernet.

  She took a deep breath and set her fork down on her plate. “Well, let’s see. During law school I interned at a small law office in Bloomington.”

  “Yes, I remember you telling me that.”

  “I think I also told you that one of the senior partners was good friends with one of
my law professors.”

  “Yes, that’s how you got the position at the law office, correct?”

  “Yes. Well, I wrote an article that was published in the IU Law Journal. The senior partner in the law firm I was working at forwarded it to Lester McClain. It must have caught his attention and he contacted me for an interview.”

  Mike smiled and shook his head. “Lester McClain. What a great guy – an outstanding attorney, too. Probably one of the best I’ve known, present company excluded of course. I was devastated when he retired last year.”

  Reesa nodded. “Yes, he is a dear old man. He and I hit it off. He was like the grandfather I never had. He kind of took me under his wing when I first started at the firm. I was scared to death! I don’t think I would have came to New York if it weren’t for him. I miss seeing him at the office every day. We still get together for lunch occasionally.”

  “The firm you worked for didn’t have any openings you could fill after graduation?”

  “No, it was too small. Besides, how could I turn down an opportunity to practice law in New York City?”

  “Okay, now I’m curious. What exactly was your article about?”

  Reesa chucked. “It was titled, ‘Attorneys Who Interpret for Their Clients: Communication, Conflicts, and Confusion.’”

  “Sounds interesting. It must be nice to have been published.”

  “Actually, it was one of several articles I wrote during law school that made it to print.”

  “Wow! Very impressive, Miss Collins.”

  Reesa resumed eating and hoped he didn’t ask anything else about her past.

  When they were almost finished with dinner, Mike looked at her attentively. “I’m really sorry about this afternoon. You’d think I would have learned by now not to question your legal tactics. You are usually spot on with your strategies.”

  When she looked back at her actions during their meeting with LeeAnn earlier in the day, Reesa wasn’t so sure she was spot on in promising her that she wouldn’t have to testify at Adele’s trial. She knew in her gut she had let her emotions and empathy for LeeAnn cloud her professional judgment. Not wanting Mike to see her remorse, she looked down. “It’s fine. You were just doing your job.”

  The waiter brought the bill to the table and Reesa quickly grabbed it. “I’ll put this on the firm’s card.”

  Mike refocused his attention to Reesa. “I forgot to ask you, are you finished with your counseling sessions? Do we have cause to celebrate?”

  Reesa had hoped he wouldn’t bring up the subject. She desperately wished the waiter would return for the bill so they could leave. “Yes, I had my last court-ordered session with Dr. Wilson last Thursday.” Her face reflected dismay as she recalled her counseling session.

  “Okay, this is good news. Why so glum?”

  She let out a sigh, now regretting she agreed to have dinner with him. Reluctantly, she decided to tell him the truth. “I’ve decided to continue my therapy.”

  Mike drank the last sip of his cabernet and set the glass on the table. “I see. Well, to be honest, I’m somewhat relieved. I’ve gotten the impression lately that something is bothering you. Maybe it’s just stress from the case, but it’s usually best to work these things out with someone.”

  Reesa was beginning to feel defensive again. “Nothing is wrong, Mike. Dr. Wilson and I talked about it and felt I could benefit from a few more sessions, that’s all. Really.”

  “Okay, I’m glad. It just seems that your reactions to a few things lately have been slightly irrational.” He held up his hand indicating he wanted to finish. “Before you throw your tea in my face, I’m not referring to today. I don’t know if it’s your heavy caseload or if something else is going on, but I’m just happy you’re dealing with it – that’s all.”

  “Mike, if you’re referring to my assault on Chad, any parent would have reacted the same way.”

  He paused a second, then shook his head. “No, Reesa, I’m sorry, but most parents wouldn’t have pelted their daughter’s boyfriend to the brink of unconsciousness. They probably would have had a serious chat with their daughter. Maybe imposed some strict dating guidelines or something.”

  Reesa felt cornered. “Okay, maybe I did overreact just a little. But I still say he deserved it.” She was relieved when the waiter finally returned the bill to them. She quickly signed the receipt and put the credit card back into her wallet.

  Mike stood up and put on his jacket. “Let’s hit the road, shall we? I’d like to get a good night’s sleep. I have work to do tomorrow. Since it looks like we won’t be meeting with LeeAnn again, I’d like to get some things done from my room.”

  Reesa put her coat on and tried to smile. “You mean you won’t be researching any more restaurants to frequent while we’re in St. Louis?”

  Mike chuckled. “Well, I might have a few minutes to work on that as well. What’ll it be? Seafood? A good steakhouse? I’ll bet there’s some really great places to get ribs around here. Let me know what you’re in the mood for.”

  “You’re hopeless, do you know that?”

  “Ah, well, one must have a little fun.”

  They remained quiet throughout the short ride to the hotel. Reesa sensed Mike didn’t want to risk upsetting her again, and she didn’t wish to further discuss her seemingly irrational behavior over the past few months. Once they reached the hotel, Mike escorted her to her room, then went directly to his room.

  As Reesa lay in bed that night, sleep was elusive. Her mind kept running through the events of the day. Fear consumed her when she thought Mike may have been right. What if she did destroyed their chances of winning Adele’s case due to her inability to remain impartial? She finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.

  Reesa worked from her hotel room the next day. Mike picked up sandwiches for their lunch and they discussed some other aspects of the Castillo case while eating. Afterwards, she continued to work from her room, and Mike returned to his room to work on his cases.

  Later that afternoon, Reesa received a phone call. Noticing it was LeeAnn, she answered immediately. “Hello, LeeAnn. How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine. Are you and Mike still in town?”

  “Yes, our flight doesn’t leave until later this evening. Is something wrong?”

  “Well, no. I just wanted to let you know that I talked to my husband about our meeting yesterday. I’ve also talked with my counselor.” She hesitated, then took a deep breath. “I’ve decided I’d like to testify in Adele’s trial if you think it would help her case. Although I’m doing well and feel I’ve put the incident behind me, I still feel a bit remorseful for not following through with having Victor locked up. This might, um, settle the score. I know that sounds crazy, but – ”

  Reesa cut her off mid sentence. “That doesn’t sound crazy at all, LeeAnn. To an extent, I think I understand how you feel.”

  “Okay, well, my counselor is willing to provide you with the documents you were requesting. She said you would need to have me sign a release form in order for her to make them available to you.”

  “Yes, that’s correct. I have one with me. Is it possible we could stop by and have you sign it while we’re still here? It would only take a second.”

  “Yes, sure, but I have one other request.”

  “Anything. What is it?”

  “Would it be possible for my husband to come to New York with me when I testify? I mean, for moral support? I just think I could handle it all better if he was with me.”

  “I think that’s an excellent idea.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll be here for another hour if you want to stop by with the release form.”

  “We can be there in about twenty minutes. See you soon. Oh, and thanks, LeeAnn.”

  Reesa put her phone in her purse, threw her coat on, and ran out of her room. She knocked repetitiously on Mike’s door until he answered.

  He opened the door and smiled at her questioningly. “What’s going on, Reesa?”
He glanced at the door and laughed. “I think you may have put a dent in the door.”

  She was grinning ear to ear. Out of breath, she exclaimed, “LeeAnn just called me. She’s agreed to testify! Not only that, she’s agreed to let her counselor release all of her clinical records to us. Get your coat. We’re heading over there right now to have her sign the release. Maybe we can even get it over to her counselor’s office and pick up the documents yet today.”

  Mike was excited. Not being able to contain himself, he wrapped his arms around Reesa and gave her a huge hug. “Hallelujah!”

  She froze for a second, then reluctantly embraced him. When he released her, she looked down at the floor, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

  He went into his room to get his coat then returned. “Let’s hit it!”

  After going to LeeAnn’s house and having her sign the necessary release forms, they headed directly to her counselor’s office. They supplied the forms to the receptionist who disappeared for a few minutes.

  When she returned, she had two large files in her hand. “It may take me a while to copy these. Would you like to wait, or should I mail them to you?”

  Reesa quickly responded, “We’ll wait. Thank you so much!”

  Mike and Reesa waited anxiously in the reception area. Both continued to watch the time. Their flight back to New York was scheduled to depart at 7:35 p.m., and they still had to return to the hotel and pack their bags.

  At 4:45 p.m., Mike looked at Reesa. “Should we cut this loose and head back to the hotel? We can always have them send it to us. I’d hate to miss our flight.”

  “No, let’s give them a few more minutes. I really want these documents in my hands today.” She was contemplating rescheduling their flight in order to return with the documents, but didn’t want to listen to Mike rant if she made the suggestion.

  Eight minutes later, the assistant walked into the reception area holding two large manila envelopes stuffed to the brim. “Sorry it took so long, I had to replace the toner cartridge. What a hassle!” She smiled as she handed the massive envelopes to Mike.