Chapter 30
Chapter
Thirty
Kara woke up alone in bed the next morning, groaning when she saw that it was after nine o’clock. She’d rarely slept past seven before she was pregnant. Now, she spent more time in bed than out, or so it seemed. She reached for her phone on the bedside table and found a text from Dan.
Gone into town to meet with my investigator. Will be back in a bit. Left you some breakfast. Text if you need anything. Love you.
Even when he wasn’t there, he could still make her smile. After all this time, she was still amazed that they’d found each other in this great big world. Only through a series of unfortunate events for both of them had they ended up on a remote island off the coast of Rhode Island at the same time. She would never stop marveling at the miracle of him and them.
Under the text from Dan was one from Renata.
I have news.
Kara responded with question marks.
This requires a call.
Kara’s phone rang a minute later.
“You’re sleeping late these days, Mama.”
“What’s the news?”
Renata laughed. “There were a couple of… developments… with Myles last night.”
“What kind of developments?”
“Um, the I-love-you and multiple-orgasm type of developments.”
Kara let out a shriek that had the baby kicking hard in protest of the disruption.
“Jeez, split my eardrum, why don’t you?”
“Can you say that one more time, slowly this time?”
“You heard me right the first time.”
“Ren…”
“I know. It’s pretty crazy, right?”
“It’s amazing. How do you feel?”
“A little sore from the workout and tired from the lack of sleep, but otherwise… I feel pretty great.”
“I love this so much, more than I’ve loved anything in, well, ever.”
“Stop.”
“I won’t stop. This is the best news, Renata. I think he’s amazing, and I told Dan last night that he’s in love with you. He never takes his eyes off you, but not in a creepy way. It’s more like he-can’t-bear-to-look-at-anything-else-when-you’re-in-the-room kind of way.”
“I can’t believe you noticed that.”
“I was watching because I wanted to get a read on him, and I liked what I saw.”
“That means everything to me, as you know.”
“I’m happy for you, Ren. Are you happy for you?”
“Shockingly, I am. Normally, I’d be anticipating disaster from the get-go, but I don’t think I need to do that this time.”
“I don’t think so either. This is the best thing ever. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Thanks. I want to tell you something…”
“I’m listening.”
“Seeing you living your happily ever after with Dan after everything you went through before… It, well… You gave me the courage to take the leap with Myles, so thank you for that.”
“Oh my God! You’re making me cry.”
“It’s true. You showed me what’s possible and made me want that for myself, so when he was standing right in front of me, saying all the things I never expected to hear, it was easier for me to believe him than it would’ve been without you two showing me the way.”
“Renata… I’m seriously weeping.”
“Thank you for that.”
“I’m so honored that we helped you in some way.”
“You really did. You helped me realize I’m not my mother, and I’m not living her life. I’m living my own life, and this feels right to me. He feels right. He feels like home.”
“I’m a literal puddle over here. This has made my year, and that you’re excited about it rather than trying to wiggle out is the best news of all.”
“He blew my mind in every possible way last night.”
“Girl…”
“I had no idea it could be like that.”
“I’m tempted to shriek again, but the baby didn’t like it the last time.”
Renata laughed.
“There’s nothing quite like finding that one person you were meant to spend your life with. I’m so, so happy for you.”
“Thanks. I’m pretty happy for me, too.”
“Are you at work?”
“You’re going to laugh… I took the day off because I was too tired from messing around with my boss all night.”
“That is fabulous .”
“He said I’m going to be a partner, and if I want a day off, I should take a day off. So I sent him to work and took a day off.”
“I love it.”
“I think I might treat myself to a massage later.”
“You go, girl. Love you so much.”
“Love you, too. Thanks again for showing me what’s possible.”
“I can’t wait to tell Dan we inspired you.”
“Tell him I love him, too, for making my girl so happy.”
“I’ll do that the minute he gets home. Call me later?”
“If I’m not busy.”
They hung up laughing, and Kara used a tissue to mop up her tears. Imagine being one half of such an incredible love story that you inspired others to take a chance on love so they could have what you have. It was unbelievable and amazing at the same time.
She hoped Dan would be home soon so she could tell him all about it.
Dan met Carter in the same coffee shop where they held their initial meeting. Carter used an iPad to show Dan the footage from the Barnacle in which Tanya’s ex-boyfriend was clearly present.
“I matched this image to his Snapchat account and went back through his Twitter—I refuse to call it by that stupid new name—and found a bunch of rants about how no one is loyal anymore, how you can give someone everything you’ve got to give and it’s still not enough.”
Dan perused the increasingly unhinged tweets that showed how bitter Billy was about the breakup with Tanya. “What else do we have on him?”
Carter pushed another sheet of paper across the table. “Charged with domestic assault two years ago, but the charges were dropped when the victim refused to cooperate.”
“Do we know who the victim was?”
“We do.” He produced another page that showed the initial complaint that was filed by Tanya, alleging he’d knocked her around when she tried to leave his apartment. “When the rubber met the road, she was unwilling to testify against him in court.”
Dan winced. That decision might’ve ended up costing her her life.
“I poked around with some of their friends and learned that after the domestic incident, he begged for forgiveness and convinced her to give him another chance, even with everyone in her life pleading with her to end it with him for good. The second chance lasted about six months, after which time she told him they were done and to leave her alone.”
“And did he?”
“Nope.” Carter produced a copy of a restraining order filed in Storrs, Connecticut, that had required Billy to be at least one thousand feet from Tanya.
“I heard her parents hadn’t wanted to involve the police because their families were friends.”
“All of this happened in Storrs. I’m not sure her parents knew about it. He violated the order by being in the Barnacle that night.”
“That’s enough for the cops to pick him up.”
“Your thinking matches mine.”
“Great work, Carter. Seriously… This is everything we need to introduce enough reasonable doubt to get my clients released.”
“They should drop the charges against them, too.”
“One step at a time. I’ll take this to the detective on the case and see what he can do immediately.”
“Keep me posted? I’m invested.”
“Of course.” Dan reached across the table to shake his hand. “Appreciate it.”
“Are you kidding? Getting to work with you is the best thing to ever happen to my career.”
“You’ll hear from me again. A good investigator is hard to find.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Wow. That’s great. Thank you.”
“Thank you on behalf of the entire Ballard family.”
Dan tossed a twenty on the table to cover their coffee and breakfast sandwiches and went out to the car, where Walter was waiting for him.
“How’d it go, bossman?”
“Pay dirt. I need to see the detective on the case.”
As Walter drove him to Bar Harbor, Dan felt his heart beat fast with the kick of adrenaline that came with blowing a case wide open. There was nothing more thrilling for him than to find something concrete that would exonerate his clients, especially when they were his beloved wife’s brothers.
Speaking of his beloved, he put through a call to her, hoping she was awake.
“Morning,” she said, yawning.
“It’s almost afternoon. Did I wake you?”
“No, I’ve been up for a while. Guess what?”
“What?” he asked, smiling because he always did when he talked to her.
“Renata and Myles are in love, they did the dirty and she says it’s all thanks to us.”
“Wait. What? ”
Her laughter was one of his favorite things in this life. “She said we inspired her to want what we have and to take a chance on Myles.”
“Well, that’s quite a compliment.”
“It made me weepy when she said it.”
“I’ll bet it did, but I’m not surprised. We are kind of epic, after all.”
“Yes, we are. I’m so, so happy for her. I worried for a while that she might never take another chance after her last relationship ended badly.”
“This is great news. I really like Myles. He seems like a great guy.”
“He is a great guy, and she already knows that for sure because they’ve been friends and coworkers for years.”
“I’m glad you were in town when this happened.”
“Me, too. Where are you?”
“On my way into Bar Harbor with some new information for the police that should bode well for your brothers.”
“Oh wow, really?”
“Yep. I’ll update you when I know more.”
“This day is turning out awesome. Thank you for all you’re doing.”
“You got it. See you soon. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“Y’all are too cute,” Walter said, smiling in the mirror.
“She’s the best thing in my life.”
“As long as you know that, you’ll always treat it with the respect it deserves. Messed that up a bit for a time myself, but we’re getting back on track. She no longer hates the sight of me, so I take that as progress.”
Dan laughed.
“Gave her a lot of reasons to hate me over the years. Regret that terribly and will spend the rest of my life making amends for those hurts.”
“You’re doing the hard work. I’m sure that matters to her and your kids.”
“I think it does. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and this won’t be either. But I’m determined to see it through.”
“Good for you, Walter. It would’ve been easier not to bother.”
“That’s for damned sure.”
“Says a lot about who you are that you’re bothering.”
“Either that, or it says I’m really a masochist at heart.”
Dan grunted out a laugh. “Maybe a little of both. Got a few friends in recovery. It’s a tough road but seems worth the effort in the end.”
“I sure hope so. No matter what happens long term, it beats the way I was living before.”
“I’m happy for you, man. Truly.”
“Thanks. Means a lot coming from you.”
They pulled up to the public safety complex a few minutes later.
“Not sure how long this’ll take.”
“I’m not in any rush. Take your time. I’ll grab some lunch.”
“I’ll update you in a bit.”
“Sounds good.”
Inside, Dan asked to see Detective Cosgrove and was shown to the same conference room where they’d met before. The table was covered with folders, papers, discarded coffee cups and take-out wrappers.
Cosgrove stood and shook his hand.
“Thanks for seeing me. How’s it going?”
“Slowly. We’re stretched thin with people on vacation after the tourist season ended.”
“I told you about Tanya’s breakup with Billy Norton and how he hadn’t taken it well.”
“Yes, and you also told the media that, and they’ve been up my ass about it ever since.”
“Sorry, but it’s an angle that requires pursuit.”
“I’ve been looking into it, but I haven’t gotten very far.”
“I may have some info that could help.” Dan laid out the pages Carter had produced and took Cosgrove through the sequence of events that’d led up to Tanya’s breakup with Billy and everything that’d followed.
“Holy shit,” Cosgrove said as he reviewed the police report on the assault in Storrs and the subsequent restraining order.
Next, Dan used his phone to show the detective pictures of the young man from his social media accounts as well as the film from the Barnacle that put him in the crowd at the bar the night Tanya was killed.
“I’m not saying Billy Norton killed her,” Dan said, “but I think you’ll agree that this information would demolish any case you might be building against my clients.”
Cosgrove reviewed each document and then watched the video twice, his face expressionless. Then he stood. “I’ll be right back. Do you mind if I borrow your phone for a second?”
“Be my guest.”
While the detective was gone, Dan used the time to write a draft of the motion to dismiss that he’d file with the court that afternoon if the prosecutors didn’t move to dismiss based on this new information. He’d learned to be prepared for any scenario.
Cosgrove returned twenty minutes later with an older man whom he introduced as Chief of Police Rushton White.
Dan stood to shake the man’s hand as Cosgrove put Dan’s phone on the table. “Nice to meet you, sir,” Dan said. “My grandmother-in-law speaks highly of you.”
“Bertha is good people.”
“She says you are, too.”
“That’s nice to hear. Detective Cosgrove has shown me the information you produced, and we agree, after consulting with the AG and the judge, that all charges against your brothers-in-law should be dropped immediately, with our apologies for the ordeal.”
Dan wanted to give a shout and a fist pump. He maintained his professional demeanor, but it wasn’t easy. “When will they be released?”
He looked at Cosgrove. “Immediately.”
“I’ll need a copy of that video,” Cosgrove said, “and I assume I can keep the other documents you provided?”
“They’re all yours.”
The detective nodded and left the room to see to the chief’s order.
“Thank you very much.”
“I regret that this happened, but I’m sure you understand how things work in situations like this. The state police had an eyewitness who put them with her shortly before her time of death…”
“I understand, and I appreciate you doing the right thing when new information came to light.”
“I wish we’d met under different circumstances,” White said. “I’ve admired your work for many years.”
“Thank you. Most LEOs probably think of me on the same level they’d put the plague.”
“Only the ones who don’t play by the rules. The rest of us are far more concerned with making sure we charge the right people than we are with charging someone .”
Dan deeply respected the sentiment behind that statement. Justice at any cost had made him a celebrity, but he wished his services had never been needed by any of his wrongly accused clients.
“You’ll want to come with me to greet your family members,” White said.
“Lead the way.”