Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
NOAH
For the first time since my arrest, real panic begins to creep back into my life.
I believe in Von more than I’ve ever believed in anyone. But losing Patrick is a huge blow. And not only that, I feel a crushing guilt that I was part of the cause of his death. He had been getting his life together. He was a responsible citizen now. He didn’t deserve to die—all to help me.
I miss my nights with Von like a hole in my chest. I would never put her career in jeopardy—we’ve been idiots, playing around like there weren’t dire consequences to our actions. But I miss seeing her at the end of each day, holding her in my arms, both of us drawing comfort from each other.
The Evertons know something happened on Thanksgiving, but we can’t tell them what. A pall has fallen over the house. Jury selection starts and of course, everyone who knows me and supports me is challenged by Wilbur and removed from contention. We end up with quite a few jurors from the outskirts of the county, people who don’t seem to read the news at all. It’s seven women and five men, which Von tells me is good news. She keeps hammering away at all the reasonable doubt in this case. That’s our magic bullet now—that there’s no other evidence besides that damn fingerprint. There’s no motive. They can’t prove I wrote the letters, or that I was on the property that morning.
I just wish there was some way to prove to the jury that I couldn’t have been in that pottery shed. Or that the sheriff took my gun.
The press has slowly been coming back to Magnolia Bay, and Pop has moved in with Charlotte’s parents. I’m glad someone is looking out for him.
I wake the morning of the first day of the trial and stare at the ceiling, a knot slowly forming in my stomach.
In some sense, it’s a relief. To get this thing started. I almost feel grateful that the judge forced a quick trial date. I wouldn’t want this to drag on for years. But also, I have to face the fact that we aren’t in a good position anymore. With Patrick gone, I no longer have an alibi.
After I shower, I finally shave my beard. I feel almost naked without it. I dress in the suit Von had tailored for me. The day I stood in front of the mirrors at Barbieri and Sons feels like a lifetime ago.
There’s a knock on the door, and I answer it expecting Von. Instead, I find Caden standing there. He raises an eyebrow at the sight of me.
“You shaved,” he says. I rub the smooth skin of my cheek.
“Yeah.”
“Nice suit.”
“Von had it made for me,” I say woodenly. He steps inside as Penny comes padding up to him.
“You okay?” he asks.
I shrug .
“Ever since Thanksgiving, you and Von have been acting like someone died.”
His words hit me like an anvil.
“The people in this town believe in you,” Caden says confidently. “Hell, I think most of them believe in Von now too. Did you know she’s helping Mrs. Greerson with her will?”
I nod. I’m so damned proud of all the good Von has been doing for the people of Magnolia Bay.
He claps a hand on my shoulder. “They can’t convict you. You’re innocent.”
He sounds like I used to—always confident the justice system will work out in the end. I just nod again. We don’t really know what will happen.
It feels like reality is careening toward me at the speed of a freight train, and I can’t tell if I’ll be flattened beneath it or live to fight another day. I wish I could tell Caden about my suspicions of the sheriff. And how I’m falling for Von. I never thought I’d keep so many things from him.
When all this is over, one way or another, I’m going to tell him the truth. Even if I have to do it from behind bars.
I hear the familiar clicking of high heels on the flagstone path as Von approaches the guesthouse. She wears a big belted black coat with red trim, her briefcase clutched in one hand. Her breath steams in the December chill like wisps of smoke.
“Ready?” she asks me.
“The whole family will be there to support you,” Caden promises. “Every day of the trial.”
“Dad will be one of their first witnesses,” Von says. “Will you remind him to be as…” She searches for the right word. “Non-combative as possible?”
Caden gives a brittle smile. “You think he’ll listen to me?”
“Better you than me.”
I grab my coat and follow Von out to the car. Once we get into the backseat and Alex starts down the drive, she puts her gloved hand on mine.
“Look at me,” she says softly. I stare into her eyes and see the fire in them. “I am not letting them win. You are innocent. The jury is going to see that.”
I press my lips together. I can’t say all I want to—not with Alex present—so I just give her a curt nod.
She cocks one eyebrow. “You look great in that suit by the way.”
I let out a breathy chuckle. “Some total snob had it made for me.”
Her grin widens. “Does she live on an island shaped like a skull?”
I give a real laugh at that, the tightness in my chest releasing a fraction. But my good humor vanishes as we see the press swarming the steps of the courthouse. Von slips on her classic oversize sunglasses as Alex turns to me.
“Good luck,” he says.
I grimace. “Thanks, Alex.”
“Ready?” Von says.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
We get out of the car as the press surrounds us.
“Ms. Everton, over here!”
“Noah, did you kill Marion?”
“Why’d you do it, Noah?”
“Von, any comment? How are you feeling about the trial?”
I keep my head down, expecting to plow through them, but to my surprise, Von turns and faces them down.
“Noah Patterson is innocent of these charges,” she declares as a hush falls over the reporters. I see Everly Harris pushing her way to the front. “We intend to prove this well beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“What do you say to the rumors that a key defense witness is no longer available to testify?” Everly calls .
I glance at Von, whose face reveals nothing. I quickly try to hide my panic. How the hell did Everly know about Patrick?
“I don’t know where you’re getting your information,” Von says. “But the defense is well prepared to go to trial.”
She turns on her heel and stalks up the steps and into the courthouse.
“I’m tired of that horrible woman,” Von growls.
“How could she know about?—”
Von silences me before I can finish that sentence. “I don’t know and I can’t prove what I suspect.”
But her glance confirms her thoughts are in line with mine. The sheriff must have tipped her off when he found out that Patrick died.
We go through security and head to the courtroom. Von pauses before opening the doors.
“Remember,” she says.
“Blank slate,” I say, before she can finish.
She gives me a tight grin. It feels like a different universe, all those months ago when we came to this courtroom for the arraignment. When we were a grudging partnership rather than the team we are today.
Von straightens my tie, gives me a nod, and opens the doors to the courtroom.