Chapter Eleven
Reggie paced the room, growing more nervous with each pass. Brooke should’ve been here twenty minutes ago.
“Are you sure she’s going to show up?” Sarah asked, echoing her thoughts.
“I think so.”
“You think so? Come on, Knoll. I opened a case to help out your girl, but if she doesn’t show up, we both look stupid.”
“Lay off, Flores,” Lennox said. “You know you opened the case to be the star that gets to take down Shirley Mitchell. Give her a minute.”
Reggie mouthed a silent “thank you” to Lennox and continued to pace. She was on her second pass by the door when it flung open in her path and Brooke burst into the room.
“Freaking Uber driver kept trying to go to the wrong courthouse. I’m sorry I’m late.”
Reggie grabbed her hand and squeezed. “It’s okay. You’re here now.”
“I am, but I’m still not sure I’m on board with this plan.”
Brooke looked down at their hands which were still joined, and Reggie followed her gaze. She should care that Lennox and this FBI agent she barely knew were staring at them, but all she felt in the moment was the warmth of Brooke’s touch and the easy way their fingers intertwined. “Trust me, okay?”
Several beats of silence followed before Brooke broke the quiet. “I do.” She turned to the others who looked away, pretending they hadn’t been watching. “Tell me how this is going to work.”
Sarah motioned for them to sit down and once they were all settled, she launched in. “The judge is going to call a recess and ask to see the attorneys for both sides in chambers. He’ll explain that he has reason to believe someone has been tampering with the jury and that the FBI has launched an investigation, but they will continue with the trial pending the investigation. He won’t let on that he knows anything about which direction the jury was being swayed.”
“And then what?” Brooke asked.
“And then I’ll corner Mitchell’s attorney. Let her know her client is the suspect in the tampering case and ask for a few minutes with Mitchell to lay out the case. We’ll offer her a deal to come clean.”
“You make it sound easy,” Reggie said, shooting a look in Brooke’s direction to let her know she was on her side. “Someone who would threaten a juror’s family and make good on that threat isn’t going to fold at the first sign of adversity.”
“We’re assuming Mitchell knows what’s going on,” Sarah said. “I mean she’s no innocent, but it’s possible one of her loyal employees crossed the line without permission from above. She would probably happily trade in one of her minions to save her own ass.”
Lennox cleared her throat. “There’s another possibility. If I was in Gloria’s shoes, which would never happen by the way, I’d ask for a mistrial claiming that if the jury was being tampered with, there’s no way my client could get a fair trial. It’s the perfect way to fade the heat from her client, and Gloria loves giving a big display of indignation—it’s her trademark move.”
“So, are you saying we do nothing?”
Everyone turned to stare at Brooke who was clearly over the ruminations. Reggie walked over to her side to signal her support. “Brooke’s right. You have to do something and it has to be soon.”
“But it can’t be a cavalier something,” Brooke added. “If your gamble doesn’t pay off, you lose a chance at a conviction, but I could lose my son.”
The room was quiet for a moment as everyone digested Brooke’s words.
“I vote we let Sarah take a crack at Mitchell,” Lennox said. “She’ll be able to tell if Mitchell’s in on it based on her reaction, and if Gloria resorts to histrionics, we’ll deal with that when it comes.” She turned to Sarah. “What Mitchell does after you talk to her is going to be key. Do you have the resources for surveillance?”
“We’ll make it work,” Sarah said, looking at Brooke. “You think you can keep it together in the jury room while we do our thing?”
“You’ve got someone watching Ben?”
“We won’t let anything happen to him.”
Brooke nodded. “Then do what you need to do.”
Reggie squeezed her shoulder and Brooke glanced back, her expression a mix of resolve and fear. She wanted to comfort her, but she wanted to be alone to do it. “Can we have the room, please?”
Lennox and Sarah filed out and she shut the door behind them, waiting a few seconds before asking, “Are you okay?”
“You keep asking me that, but nothing has changed. Ben is still in danger and no one knows who’s making the threats. I’ll be okay when this is all over.”
“Lennox is abrupt, but she knows what she’s doing. If she trusts Sarah, then I do too.”
“And I trust you.”
Reggie could tell it was a big admission and she didn’t take it lightly. “I won’t do anything to make you doubt that.” She reached out a hand. “Shall we go pretend to be jurors for a bit longer?”
Brooke took her hand and stood. “Do you think there’s a possibility this could all end today? Maybe Shirley will fess up and we can all go home?”
Reggie looked deeply into Brooke’s pleading eyes. She wanted to tell Brooke everything was going to be fine and that there was a good chance her ordeal would be over soon, but the truth was she didn’t know, and while she fully supported this plan, it wasn’t without risks. If Mitchell did know what was going on, she had the resources and connections to crush Brooke and her son, especially if she was backed into a corner with no other way out. Hell, her developer pal Harry Benton had personally gone after a judge when he was on the verge of being found out for his crimes.
But telling Brooke any of these thoughts would only make her more stressed than she already was. “Yes, there’s a possibility. I’m going to hope for the best.”
Brooke’s shoulders relaxed and she sighed. “Thank you.”
Thankful the lie had worked, Reggie pointed to the door. “Whatever happens today, I’ve got you. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Brooke looked from her to the closed door and back again before planting a quick, sweet kiss on her cheek. She started to take off, but Reggie clasped her wrist and pulled her back into her arms. For a few silent moments, they stood close, and Reggie felt Brooke’s heart rate quicken, slow, and quicken again, perhaps due to the stress she was under, but maybe, just maybe, Brooke was feeling a hint of the attraction that was beginning to consume her as well.
She wasn’t sure who broke contact first, but the void that opened as they stepped away from each other was vast and she instantly missed their closeness. Maybe this ordeal would wrap up today and she could explore these feelings. Would Brooke want the same once things returned to normal? She shook her head. She had to believe the attraction between them was born out of more than adversity.
She hoped Brooke believed it too.
* * *
It was almost impossible to listen to anything any of the witnesses said. Their voices were a low hum against the backdrop of worry churning through her gut, and Brooke wasn’t sure she was going to make it through the rest of the day.
After this morning’s meeting with Agent Flores and ADA Roy, she’d gone to the jury room alone to avoid arousing suspicion and spent the next hour waiting around while the judge spoke with the attorneys in chambers. Lisa and Jenny played a guessing game about whether the sides were about to reach a plea deal or if they were arguing over some evidence. They’d tried to engage her, but she wasn’t in the mood to play games, and certainly not ones that were more real than anyone in this room besides Reggie even knew.
When they’d finally filed into the courtroom, she’d studiously avoided looking at the defense table at first before realizing not looking might arouse more suspicion than facing them head-on. When she did sneak a look over at Shirley, all she saw was her engaged in what appeared to be a very serious conversation with her attorney, and neither of them seemed to notice she was even in the room. She supposed that was a good thing.
“Are you okay?” Reggie asked in a low whisper.
“You keep asking me that.”
“I keep hoping you will be.”
“I’m as okay as possible, considering.” She could tell by the plea in Reggie’s eyes that she’d hoped for more, but she was doing her best to hold it together.
Thankfully, Judge Hunt banged his gavel at that moment, saving her from having to offer assurances she didn’t have to give.
“We’re going to take our lunch break earlier than usual, but I expect everyone back and ready to go by twelve thirty.”
He was out of his seat and through the door before the bailiff could shout “all rise.” Brooke followed the rest of the jurors on the trek back to the jury room, pondering a way to find a few moments to herself so she could sort out her thoughts.
“Want to go off campus for a few?” Reggie jangled her keys.
“Actually, I was thinking—” Brooke stopped as Mark joined them, an eager look on his face.
“Did someone say something about getting out of this place for lunch? I’ll buy if I can tag along.”
It wasn’t the scenario she’d envisioned, but including him would keep her from having to talk about anything related to the looming threat and she could use the break. Ignoring Reggie’s subtle head shake, she said, “That sounds great. Reggie, do you know a place close by?”
“Uh, sure.”
Clearly, Reggie had expected them to dine alone, but Brooke squelched the twinge of guilt and pressed on. “Great. Let’s go.”
A few minutes later, Reggie pulled her Jeep up to a diner down the street from the courthouse. One of the waitresses waved at Reggie with a friendly smile as they walked in the door.
“Back so soon?” she asked as she led them to a booth in the corner.
Reggie’s smile was more of a grimace. “Yep. We have to get back to the courthouse soon. Give us a second and we’ll be ready to order.” She shot a quick look at Mark who was staring at something outside and didn’t appear to notice.
Brooke slid into the booth, curious about the exchange and Reggie’s chilly demeanor. She hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings by inviting Mark, but she was tired of being the victim who had to be tended to when what she really wanted was to get to know Reggie on equal footing. Maybe when this trial was over, one way or another, they could spend time together without the power imbalance, and she could find out if the closeness she felt was more about real attraction and less about some kind of damsel in distress meets her knight in shining armor scenario.
“I might get the chicken fried steak,” Mark announced. He turned to Reggie, his tone eager. “Is it good here?”
Reggie kept her eyes on the menu and her voice was monotone. “I usually order breakfast, but I’ve heard it’s great.”
“I’ll give it a go,” Brooke said, feeling bad now that she’d invited Mark into the middle of a situation he knew nothing about. “I’ll even live dangerously and have the fried okra.”
After they placed their orders, there were a few uncomfortable moments of silence before Brooke decided to take the reins. “So, Mark, you still think the case is more boring than your job?”
“Mostly. At my job, I at least get to talk to people and take breaks when I want, not when some old dude in a uniform says I can.”
“That old dude is in charge of security in the courtroom, and he’d take a bullet for you if he had to.”
Brooke stared at Reggie, shocked at her raised voice and the edge of anger behind it. She was certain Mark hadn’t meant any harm, but obviously he’d struck a nerve. Instinctively, she reached for Reggie’s arm, but stopped herself because she wasn’t sure how Reggie would react to her touch with Mark sitting right here watching. Thankfully, the waitress arrived at that moment with their food and the tension in the air dissipated as they focused on their meals.
A few minutes later, Mark waved his fork in the air. “I remember now,” Mark said. “You were at the courthouse when the shooting happened. I’m sorry. That must’ve been rough.”
Reggie’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “It was. One of the bailiffs almost died trying to save Judge Aguilar’s life. Those guys may seem like they’re just a bunch of old dudes, but most of them have served a decade or more in law enforcement and they’re qualified to do way more than herd a bunch of jurors around the courthouse.”
Mark nodded. “I stand corrected. Besides, I’m sure it’s a cool job for them because they get to hear everything that goes on.” He hunched down and whispered. “Think about it. They hear not just what happens in the courtroom, but everything we say too.”
“You really think they’re listening to what happens in the jury room?” Brooke asked, wondering why it hadn’t occurred to her and what she might have said that Leroy had overheard.
“I’m not saying they would spy on us, but I’m sure they can’t help but hear things, right?”
He looked at Reggie as if seeking affirmation, but she merely shrugged. “They have better things to do than listen to people gripe about being called for jury duty. Like I said, they’re in charge of security.”
Mark seemed unfazed by Reggie’s gruff demeanor. “Sure, but think about how much power they could have if they wanted to listen in. They could sway a verdict simply by telling the wrong person something they overheard.”
Brooke shot a look at Reggie whose stare was boring holes through Mark’s head. Meanwhile, Mark, seemingly oblivious, shoved a huge bite of his chicken fried steak into his mouth and hummed happily while gnawing at his meal. Brooke reached over and tapped Reggie’s thigh under the table and Reggie nodded slightly and mouthed “not now.”
Brooke raced through eating half of her meal and then pushed it aside, declaring it was great, but she was full. The truth was she was too jacked up to eat. All she wanted to do was get Reggie alone and discuss whether it was possible someone who worked at the courthouse, like god-forbid Leroy, was responsible for keeping tabs on her.
On the way out of the diner, Brooke stole a moment while Mark was loading up on mints by the cash register to have a brief whispered exchange with Reggie.
“Offer to drop us at the front of the courthouse,” she said.
“But—”
“Trust me.”
A few minutes later, Reggie pulled up to the courthouse steps. “No sense all of us walking from the garage,” she said as she stopped her vehicle.
“Fine by me,” Mark said, hopping out of the Jeep.
He reached back and held out a hand to Brooke, but she pretended to be fumbling for something in her purse. Finally, she looked up at him with a rueful expression. “Darn it, I really want my toothbrush, but I must’ve left it in my car. I’ll grab it and walk back over with Reggie. See you in a few.”
His smile faltered slightly, but he gave her a mock salute and walked away while Reggie drove toward the garage.
“He likes you.”
Brooke shifted in her seat. “No, he doesn’t. He’s just socially awkward. Besides, he thinks you like me.”
Reggie turned to look at her. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe he’s jealous.”
Brooke felt the slow burn of a blush rise up her neck. “Maybe you’re being silly.”
“About what? That I like you or that he’s jealous about it.” She grinned. “Or both?”
Brooke laughed, partly relieved that the earlier tension between them had vanished and partly to mask the fact she wasn’t sure what to do with this new information. She’d sensed Reggie had feelings for her, but to hear her say it out loud was another thing entirely. The standard cacophony of thoughts started in—the ones that always bubbled up whenever something in her personal life wrestled for attention. There’s no space in your life for another person. You barely have time for Ben. When he’s older and you have your degree, you can have a life, but right now, you need to focus.
That’s right—stay the course, don’t deviate. She’d worked hard her whole life and this week had been the first time her focus had been derailed. Some of it she couldn’t control, like the jury summons and the threat from whoever, but she could control falling for a woman with whom she had nothing in common other than the brief circumstance of serving on a jury together.
Reggie parked her Jeep and took the keys out of the ignition. “Look,” she said. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. But after this is all over, if you’d like to go out sometime, I’d be up for that.”
Cool, casual, and easy. All she had to say in response was, “sure,” but Brooke couldn’t manage to make even a fleeting promise. “Thanks. We should go or we’re going to be late. Again.”
“Okay.”
Reggie jumped out of the Jeep. To any casual observer, she looked totally unfazed by the brush-off, but Brooke could see the tension back in her shoulders and a slight frown pulling at the corners of her eyes. She wanted to say something, but all she could think of was “it’s not you, it’s me,” and someone like Reggie deserved more than a cliché. Instead she followed her in silence as they walked through the garage toward the courthouse. They hadn’t walked far when suddenly Reggie grabbed her with both arms and shoved her behind a large cement pole. She placed a finger over her mouth, shook her head, and pointed a few feet away. Brooke followed her gaze and barely held back a gasp.