Chapter 8
Chapter eight
Everly
I was so excited, I practically ran to the station in my heels.
Cases like these were exactly why I became a lawyer, and for once, all my pro-bono work with first-time offenders had given me an edge.
The partners forwarded the call directly to my office after speaking with my client’s father, who’d been more than willing to pay a retainer to the firm.
It wasn’t often my favorite type of case came with billable hours, but I’d take it.
I straightened my shoulders and pushed open the station door with more force than I needed. Joyce snapped her eyes from her computer screen, but her expression softened the moment she saw me.
“Evie,” she said with a smile.
Joyce had lived across the street from my parents my entire life, so even if we didn’t socialize together as often as we did with the O’Malleys, I had countless memories of sitting on her front porch with a glass of lemonade and a cookie.
Joyce and her husband never had children, so they’d become the de facto aunt and uncle and then grandma and grandpa to every kid on the block.
As much as I wanted the officers to treat me like they would any other defense lawyer, I knew my age, sex, and appearance were against me.
Or should have been. Tiny Joyce Pepperson ruled the station with an iron fist, and even a sniff of impropriety directed my way wouldn’t be tolerated. Even Chief Fitzwilliam feared her.
“Afternoon, Ms. Joyce. I’m here to see a client. Bryant Wythers.”
She hummed and nodded. “You’re in room one. You want to consult with him before the officers join you?”
“That won’t be necessary,” I said. “I’m just here for the interview before I petition the court for Bryant’s release. We’ll speak at my office after.”
She hummed again and pressed the button under her desk to let me into the back.
I paused with the door in my hand and turned back to Joyce. “Who are the officers?”
I’d know soon enough, but after Friday night, I wanted to give myself time to prepare for the very likely possibility I’d been sitting across from Officer Studly after knowing how his hands felt on mine.
“Levi and Tristan,” Joyce said. “Tristan is the arresting officer.”
“Really?” I said, the shock in my voice obvious.
She narrowed her eyes, and I cleared my throat. “Thanks, Joyce.”
I headed straight for the interview room and settled in. I kept an absurd number of legal pads in my purse. Handwriting notes was a little old school, but there was something about the scratch of a pen against a fresh sheet of paper that put me instantly into lawyer mode.
With my supplies ready to go, I pulled out my phone and sorted through emails as the minutes dragged.
Levi had never made me wait long, though interviews were typically scheduled in advance.
I’d left for the station as soon as I hung up with my client’s father.
It wasn’t uncommon for there to be a delay with the interview, but I hoped Tristan wasn’t becoming one of those officers who left attorneys waiting for an ego trip.
I’d babysat him more than a few times in high school, and he’d been such a sweet kid then.
Twenty minutes later, the door swung open and a young man entered in handcuffs, followed by Tristan. My stomach flipped as my eyes searched the hallway for Levi. I gave myself a mental kick in the butt for the surge of excitement at possibly seeing him.
I rose and smiled at the young man. “You must be Bryant. I’m Everly Hendricks. Your father hired me to represent you.”
Bryant raked his eyes down my body in a way I didn’t appreciate before smiling back at me. “Well, at least something good happened to me today.”
“Sit down,” Tristan said with more authority in his voice than I’d ever heard.
Levi entered the room and handed me a folder. “Copy of the arrest documentation.”
Bryant sank into the chair beside me, pushing it a little too close to mine.
“Can we remove those?” I asked, pointing to the cuffs. From what I knew, Bryant had cooperated fully during his arrest and didn’t pose a safety risk. Having a suspect cuffed shifted the power dynamic further toward the officers and implied guilt instead of assuming innocence.
Levi closed the door, then nodded to Tristan, who removed the handcuffs from Bryant’s wrists.
“I’d like to record this, if that’s all right with everyone,” Tristan said, placing a recording device in the middle of the table.
Bryant looked at me before speaking, which was a great sign as far as clients went.
I leaned closer and whispered in his ear.
“The recording could help us as much as it helps them. Just don’t answer questions unless I tell you to and limit what you say as much as possible. Don’t volunteer any information.”
“Sure thing, beautiful,” he said, smiling at me.
“Her name is Ms. Hendricks or Everly,” Levi said, his voice low. “Apologize.”
I should have called him out for snapping at my client, but everything about the edge to his tone made me feel a little fizzy. Fizzy? Was that even possible? I’d ask Maddie later, but she’d read too much into it.
“My apologies, Ms. Hendricks,” Bryant said without an ounce of sarcasm. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m nervous.”
Seeing all the bravado sapped from Bryant snapped me out of whatever spell Levi had put me under with his voice. “That’s understandable,” I said. “Shall we proceed?” I asked, looking at Tristan. I didn’t trust myself to look at Levi, not when I could feel the heat of his eyes on me.
Tristan cleared his throat. “So, is it OK if I record?”
I nodded.
Tristan started recording and gave the typical introduction of the date, time, and everyone present. He then read the list of charges, which included two felonies, one with a minimum sentence of five years, and asked Bryant to confirm he agreed to the recording.
“Yes,” Bryant said. He paled and started bouncing his knee under the table as though he’d just realized the seriousness of the situation. He was clearly scared out of his mind, and I needed to be on my A game.
“It says here that Mr. Wythers was arrested with 1,500 mg of suspected methylphenidate in his possession. Is that correct?” I asked before Tristan could ask his first question.
Tristan paused and looked down at his notes before replying. “That’s the generic name for Ritalin, right?” he asked Levi.
“It is,” Levi said calmly.
“That’s correct,” Tristan said, a hint of nerves in his voice. “1,500 mg.”
“Which can be a monthly prescription for methylphenidate,” I said.
“Mr. Wythers could not provide a prescription,” Tristan answered with more assurance in his voice.
“So, at most, you’d be charging him with possession,” I said. “How does that amount warrant an intent to distribute charge?”
Levi locked eyes with me, his expression hard to read. “Standard daily dosage for adults is 20 mg to 30 mg. That’d be 600 mg to 900 mg for a month’s supply. Plus, each pill was bagged separately.”
Crud. That did not look good.
“Did you find any other controlled substances in Mr. Wythers’s dorm room?” Based on the conversation I had with Bryant’s father, they hadn’t. Sometimes the best way to make a point was to ask a question they didn’t want to answer.
“We did not,” Levi said with a frown.
“Yet you’ve kept my client in custody?”
“Possession alone is a Class 5 Felony,” Tristan said, sending Levi a look that had him pressing his lips together. “And methylphenidate is a Schedule II substance. Given how the drug was packaged and the exchange both Officer Stafford and I witnessed, the intent to distribute charge is warranted.”
I had to give it to Tristan for how well he took back the lead in the interview. “Can you prove an exchange was made?” I asked.
Here’s where my job got tricky. If Tristan didn’t have reason to believe an exchange happened, he wouldn’t have searched Bryant.
That he found drugs on him suggested there had been one, yet without the buyer or clear video evidence, it would be difficult to prove that Bryant hadn’t handed someone something else.
“We will be reviewing security footage from where the alleged exchange occurred,” Tristan said.
Bryant tensed beside me but kept quiet. Depending on what the footage showed, there might be little I could do to argue against the distribution charge.
For now, I should wrap up the interview and attempt to get him out of custody.
Failing to get him released today would be a mark against me before the case even started.
“Mr. Wythers is eligible for the first-time offender program and does not pose a flight risk. Given the time it will take to review video footage, I propose we end the interview here and schedule a mutually convenient time to continue once the tapes have been reviewed. If there are no further questions, I’ll be petitioning the court for Bryant’s release. ”
“If you don’t have a prescription, how’d you get a month or more supply of methylphenidate?” Tristan asked.
“Don’t answer,” I said. That information could be used in a plea deal. I needed to speak to Bryant without the police and recording devices to determine how much information he should provide.
The room fell silent. I placed my hand on top of Bryant’s as a reminder not to speak. Some people started blathering to fill uncomfortable voids. Levi narrowed his eyes at my hand, then lifted his gaze to his partner.
“Um, do you have anything else to ask, Levi?” Tristan asked.
“I’d like a copy of any tapes you intend to use as evidence,” I said before he could answer.
“Sure, Evie,” Tristan said. “Um, Ms. Hendricks.”
“Do you have a car in Peace Falls, Bryant?” Levi asked.
Bryant leaned close and whispered in my ear. “I don’t. Should I just tell him?”
I nodded.
“No car,” Bryant said.
“Gym locker? Storage unit?” Levi asked. “Anywhere you keep things besides your dorm room.”
“No,” Bryant said.
Despite answering before checking with me, his response was a relief.
1,500 mg of Ritalin was one thing. A storage unit filled with narcotics would cement the intent to distribute charge.
Assuming he wasn’t lying. By the way Levi studied Bryant, I knew he’d be following up with storage facilities and gyms in the area.
“Take Bryant back to his cell, Tris,” Levi said, turning his gaze from my client and locking it on me.
The intensity in his eyes made my stomach bottom out, so I looked away and started packing my bag. Tristan stated the time and stopped the recording.
“I’ll do what I can to get you out of here today,” I told Bryant as Tristan snapped the cuffs back on his wrists.
“Thank you, Ma’am,” he said, his face paling. “I really don’t want to spend the night here.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. He was just a scared kid. If I didn’t catch Judge Lenbock before he left for the day, Bryant would spend the night in the holding cell for sure.
As soon as Tristan and Bryant left, I started for the door, only for Levi to block my path.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I need to get to the courthouse.”
“Let me walk you out,” Levi said, standing aside and motioning for me to walk through.
As I stepped past him, I caught the unique sandalwood and leather scent that had made me a little weak in the knees while we played darts. Until then, I’d never been close enough to Levi to smell him, which, given my reaction, was probably a good thing.
“You don’t really believe the kid keeps illegally acquired kibbles and bits in baggies for his ADHD, do you?” Levi asked as we entered the hallway.
“School anyone else in darts?” I asked.
His eyes widened as if the question caught him off guard. “Um, no. I haven’t.”
“I’m surprised you don’t play with any of the guys here,” I said, motioning to the bullpen.
His shoulders tensed before he scanned his keycard at the door leading to the front. “We don’t really hang out,” he said.
“You should get a team going,” I said as he held the door for me. “I bet Tristan would join.”
He came to a stop in front of Joyce’s desk, and I felt compelled to slow with him. “You’re deflecting,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Must be nice.”
“Excuse me?”
“Being able to turn off the job like that.”
My back straightened, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I was hoping you’d take the hint that I wasn’t interested in talking about my client off record.
” With anyone else, I’d have told them off the second they tried.
The fact I hadn’t gave me pause. Without even realizing it, I’d softened my approach with Levi, and instead of changing the subject with me, he’d called me out on avoiding his question.
He nodded. “Understood. Still, I envy you. I’ve never been able to compartmentalize well. Some things I’ve seen on the job will never leave me.”
His eyes filled with something dark and my breath caught. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen someone look haunted. Until Theo forgave himself for the accident, his eyes held the same pain, a mixture of regret and sadness that broke my heart every time I saw him.
“I just have to trust the system,” I said, my voice coming out soft. I had to fight the urge to wrap my arms around him, which was the absolute last thing I should do. “I make the best case I can for my clients and let the courts decide guilt or innocence.”
Levi nodded. “Better not keep you. Judge Lenbock likes to cut out early when he can. Take care, Everly.” He waved and headed back to the bullpen without another word.
Joyce let out a whistle, and I spun to face her. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said, fanning herself with a copy of the town’s daily newspaper and rolling her eyes toward the door that Levi had just walked through.
“Ms. Joyce! You’re married.”
“Married, honey. Not blind. There’s definitely a spark between the two of you.”
“Ms. Joyce,” I squeaked, feeling my cheeks warm. “There’s nothing going on.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Joyce said, putting her paper on the desk and giving me a hard look. “That man seems awful lonely to me, and as far as I can tell, he’s a good one. The number of those around here who haven’t been snapped up are few and far between.”
Unfortunately, since our jobs put us on opposite sides of cases, he wasn’t someone I could even consider.
No matter how good he smelled or how many times he made my stomach flip, the most I could offer him was friendship.
Even that had to be carefully partitioned from my professional life.
If our recent interaction taught me anything, it was that I had a hard time staying completely in lawyer mode when Levi came near.
“I’ve got to get to the courthouse,” I said, waving to Joyce and hoping my cheeks stopped burning before I faced the judge for the first of many moments that would determine Bryant’s fate.