“That’s the plan.”
The smallest flicker of relief passed over his face.
Being defense counsel was new to her, but she was beginning to appreciate the importance of the role. When she’d worked in the prosecutor’s office in Albany, she hadn’t worried about sending innocent people to prison. Now she wondered if she ever had.
“The prosecutor says he has a confession,” she said.
“I didn’t confess to anything.” Eric’s voice rose.
“But you signed something . . .”
“Yeah.” Eric swept a hand through his shaggy hair. “The sheriff made me sign a statement. He said if I didn’t, the judge would go harder on me.”
“Did he read you your Miranda rights before this?”
“Yeah.” Eric nodded. “But he said calling a lawyer would make me look guilty, and maybe I wouldn’t get bail at all. Then I’d have to stay in jail.”
Morgan had dealt with Randolph County Sheriff King before. Strong-arm tactics were his claim to fame.
“We’ll argue that the sheriff coerced you into signing the confession. You said everyone at school had the video. Did you forward it to anyone?”
“No.” Eric’s lip curled. “I knew what it was. I deleted it as soon as I saw it in my in-box.”
Morgan’s pen froze. “You didn’t open the e-mail?”
“No.” Eric’s voice rose. He glanced around and lowered his tone. “Why?”
The guard signaled to Morgan.
“Our time is up.” She set down her pen. “Sit tight. I’ll work on getting you out of here.”
The guard led him away. Morgan headed for the DA’s office, located in an adjacent wing of the courthouse, and asked to see Esposito. The receptionist directed her to a conference room. She went inside and set her tote on the table.
“Hello, Morgan.” District Attorney Bryce Walters walked in, his smile white and predatory. Bryce had nearly been her boss, but two months ago she’d defended her neighbor in a high-profile murder case, upstaged Bryce, and forfeited any chance of working for him. She’d more than burned her bridges with the prosecutor’s office. She’d sent them up in a mushroom cloud.
“Bryce, I didn’t expect so see you. I thought Esposito was handling this case.”
“I’m just checking in.” He reached over the table and shook her hand, then pulled out a chair.
Normally, Bryce hid his emotions well, but he couldn’t quite cover the small gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.
She breathed through a flash of anger. He saw Eric’s case as a chance to get even with her.
“How is private practice treating you?” he asked.
“Very well, thank you.” She sat down and rested her forearm on the table. “I appreciate being able to pick my own cases and set my own hours.”
She had dinner with her three little girls almost every night, and she had an actual personal life. If she’d gone to work for Bryce, she’d have been lucky to get home by eight. But it was the smugness emanating from him that made her happy things had turned out the way they had.
This wasn’t a game. A young man’s life was at stake. No matter how aggressively she’d prosecuted criminals, she’d never treated them like pawns.
Esposito walked in, tossing a file on the table like he was dropping a mic. “Ready to deal?”
Morgan interlaced her fingers. “My client never opened the e-mail. He deleted it unread.”
Crickets.
Esposito’s mouth dropped open an inch before he snapped it shut. His eyes went cold and glittery with anger. Bryce’s jaw tightened, and he frowned at Esposito.
“Coerced confessions are often false. Next time the sheriff hands you a slam dunk, you might want to verify the details.” Morgan stood. She leaned forward, pressing her palms flat on the table. “I expect the charges to be dropped and my client released immediately.” She pushed off the table and collected her tote bag and coat. “Goodbye, gentlemen.”
Chapter Four
Lance followed Morgan into the duplex in the tiny business district of Scarlet Falls. His boss lived in the upstairs apartment, while the two-bedroom bottom unit had been converted into office space for Sharp Investigations. Two months ago, Morgan had rented the spare room for her new law practice.
They walked down the hall.
“Is Sharp in?” Morgan asked.
Lance ducked his head into his boss’s office. “No.”
Morgan stopped in her office to hang up her coat, then joined Lance in the kitchen. She went to the sink, wet a dishcloth, and dabbed at a spot on her skirt.
Lance pulled out his phone to check his messages. The battery was dead. He opened a kitchen drawer, took out a charger, and plugged in his phone. “Thank you again for helping Eric and his mom. They probably won’t be able to pay you much.”
“I know, but it was only a few hours of my time, and I wouldn’t have let Eric sit in jail, no matter what.”
“You can’t do all pro bono work.”
“I know that too.” She scrubbed at the spot. “But all I have on my plate is a DUI. I have the time.”
Even if she didn’t, Morgan never would have turned them down. Lance was a lucky, lucky man.
He crossed the room and took her face in his hands. “Maybe I can find some way to repay you for your kindness.”
She tossed the paper towel in the trash. “What did you have in mind?”
He kissed her, pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her. “You were a total badass today.” He leaned back. Enjoying the blush that stained her cheeks, he teased her a bit more. “I wanted to kiss you earlier, when we walked Eric out of that courthouse. But I know how prissy you are about PDAs when you’re working.”
“Prissy?” The corner of her lovely mouth turned up. “You call wanting to remain professional prissy?”
“Just a little. But I like it when you’re strict. Makes me feel like a bad boy.” Lance kissed her again and felt her laughter against his mouth.
“I hate to tell you, but you’re more Boy Scout than bad boy. You always do the right thing.”
“Oh, really?” He cupped the back of her head and angled for better access. Her bun got in the way, so he removed the hairpins and let her long black hair tumble to her shoulders.
“You’re always doing that.”
“I like it down.” More accurately, he liked being the one to take it down. He cruised from her mouth to the side of her neck. He would never get enough of the taste of her.
She responded with a low moan, pressing against him. She was tall, and her body lined up with his perfectly.
“Well this Boy Scout is ready to blow off work.” He checked the time on the wall clock. “Fifteen minutes early. Any chance you can stop at my place before you head home?”
“Fifteen whole minutes early?” She arched backward, her eyes shining. “I don’t know if I can be with such a rule breaker.”
“I’ll make it worth your while.” He slid a hand to the small of her back and pulled her hips tighter against his.
A spark of heat lit her eyes as she shook her head. “I don’t have much time. I should be home for dinner. Stella is babysitting my grandfather today. Why don’t you come with me instead?”
Morgan lived with her grandfather, who had broken his leg badly in a fall the previous month. Her sister, Stella, and Stella’s boyfriend were pitching in to help care for him.
“I can work with a short time frame.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, linking his hands behind her back. “I know where all the important buttons are.”
She grinned. “You certainly do.”
Between her recuperating grandfather, her three kids, and his mother’s mental illness, their alone-time was limited. He’d take whatever moments he could get with her.
She pressed her hands flat against his chest. “Let me change my clothes. I don’t know what I got on my skirt, but I need to drop it at the cleaners on my way home.”
He watched her walk away, enjoying the view. Her fitted cobalt-blue suit played up her black hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, and the matching heels showed off a gorgeous pair of legs. “Need help taking it off?”