Chapter 13
The next morning, Nathan placed a call to Hank to inform him of the evidence Haley had found. They spent several minutes on the speaker function trying to figure out a way to connect the information to Winters without any luck. Then Haley said in the silence. “I want to come down the mountain.”
Nathan and Hank spoke at once. “No.”
“Yes. If I stay up here, Mr. Winters is only going to have that much more time to manipulate my life and make a case against me more urgent. If I come down and give a statement, surely truth will win out.”
Nathan’s gaze was almost pitying and she frowned at him. “I know I sound na?ve. But think about it. If I had been in town, assuming Mr. Winters hadn’t shot me, of course, how much harder do you think it would have been for him to have planted items in my apartment? The records? The gun. I would have been sleeping there.”
“Or would have been murdered there,” Nathan growled and she waggled her head in agreement. “There is that.”
“Haley, I get your point, but I don’t know that giving a statement in this situation is going to help you. The police department seems pretty ready to believe Winters. If you report to them?—”
“What if I don’t report to them? What if I go to the media? Meet Mr. Winters’ efforts to frame me with efforts of my own? Or go to a private attorney? Or the District Attorney?”
Her voice finally trailed off and she looked at Nathan. He was frowning but not in a manner that looked angry. He drummed his fingers on the table for a minute then leaned back in his chair. “What do you think, Hank?”
“I think we need to do all three,” Hank said and Haley looked at Nathan, puzzled.
“Get her an attorney, go to the DA and then do a news conference?”
“Yeah. Give me a couple of hours, okay? I’ll call you back.”
Haley heard the phone disconnect and she drew in a deep breath. “I hope this works.”
“Me, too, honey. Me too.”
Nathan left the cabin to go retrieve his truck. When Haley asked how he’d manage it he pointed to a small shed beside the house. “I have an ATV. I’ll drive it to your Grand Dad’s cabin and bring the truck back.”
“What about the ATV?”
“It’ll be okay for now. Besides, you need two hands to drive the truck or the utility. And, honey, one of your hands isn’t that useful right now.” He gestured to her right arm, still in a cloth sling. She grimaced. “I typed with it.”
“You didn’t have to move your shoulder that much and I saw you flinching.” He leaned forward and touched his forehead with hers. “I’ll be back in about forty-five minutes. Lock the doors and keep Sam inside. If anyone comes, including the police, stay inside and wait for me.”
She hadn’t thought of the police coming to the house, Haley realized with a nervous flip of her stomach. She’d just wanted to be with him.
He left and she flicked the dead bolt in place then went in search of some coffee, then ignored the filled cup as she sat on the couch and watched the old mantel clock tick the minutes down.
Nathan returned in forty-three minutes and Hank called an hour later. After they talked, he agreed that the attorney would meet them at his office in two hours. Haley asked for a change of clothes to be delivered and Nathan glanced down at his own worn jeans and shirt. He excused himself and changed into a nicer, plain cotton shirt and black jeans then joined Haley. She looked at him in surprise. “You didn’t have to change.”
He shrugged. “I don’t want to look like a thug or hired gun.”
She laughed, “Like anyone would think that of you.”
He followed her out to the truck and smiled to himself. He’d heard people talk about him when he was hired to track or bring someone in and thug, hired gun and operative had been the most polite terms anyone had used, Hank Patterson included. He’d never understand or see what Haley saw when she looked at him, but he hoped she’d never lose that vision.
The trip down the mountain didn’t take long, with Nathan driving. Haley saw her car, now covered with a fine layer of dirt, still parked in the spot she’d left it and wondered at the time that had passed. What was it? Under a week, certainly, but she felt like she’d lived a lifetime up in the mountains. With Nathan.
Now, she was going down the mountain. What would happen? Would he leave her in the capable hands of the attorney Hank had secured for her? Would he retreat with Sam to his cabin and leave the world behind him until his next assignment? She tried to envision her life without Nathan in it. She could survive without him, certainly. But her life would seem very grey, very dull without the man seated beside her.
The office of Cooper, Sanders and Cooper was in the middle of Asheville, just outside the historic district. It took a while to find a parking place but as soon as he did, Nathan felt the city press into him. He heaved a breath then got out of the truck and opened Haley’s door for her, asking her to roll the window down a bit. “For Sam.”
“Can’t we take him with us?” she asked and he stared at her. “To a law office?”
She nodded and opened the rear passenger door. “Come on, Sam.”
The dog bounded down and stood beside her, his head weaving back and forth as he took in the scents of the city. Nathan shook his head. “If they fuss, it’s on you.”
“They won’t fuss.” She turned and looked at the number on the office door in front of them. “It’s down the block,” she said and started walking, Sam at her side. Nathan tilted his head in surrender and followed, trying to breathe in the jungle of buildings that closed around him.
Cooper, Sanders and Cooper resided on the third floor of a five floor office building. As they exited the elevator, Nathan looked around for the fire exit in case he needed to breathe. Haley approached the receptionist who gave the dog a side glance. “Hello. I have an appointment. Haley Boyd.”
The woman at the desk jerked her head toward Haley at the sound of her name and said sharply. “Haley Boyd?”
“Yes. I have an appointment.” Haley’s voice had taken on a strong, assertive tone, Nathan saw. The woman had obviously heard her name on the news or online and now she had to face that hurdle.
The receptionist consulted the computer monitor in front of her and nodded then looked up. “You have an appointment with Mr. Cooper. Just one minute.” She dialed a phone then waited. “Mr. Cooper, your three o’clock is here. Should I send her back? Yes, Ms. Boyd. Oh. I’ll tell her.”
She glanced at Haley and then at Nathan and her mouth quirked in an almost smile, and a forced one at that. “Mr. Cooper will be right out.”
Haley thanked her and turned to Nathan, her hand in Sam’s ruff. “See? I told you he could come.”
Nathan covered her hand with his and studied her. She was being brave, but he could see she was scared stiff. “You’re going to do great,” he murmured as he heard steps behind him.
He turned, expecting Cooper of Cooper, Sanders and Cooper to be a mature man of at least fifty. Instead, the tall, lean man with short dark hair and an intent but pleasant expression surprised him.
“Ms. Boyd, Sam Cooper.” He held out his hand for her to shake then noticed her arm in the sling. She reached out with her left hand to take his before he retracted it. “Mr. Cooper, thank you for seeing us. This is my friend, Nathan Taylor.”
“Mr. Taylor. Let’s go on back, shall we?” He started to turn toward the hallway and then snapped his fingers. “Mrs. Headly, I’m expecting a couple of deliveries any time. When they come let me know, okay? Thanks,” he said all in a rush and then headed down the hall in a quick step, leaving Haley and Nathan to follow. As they walked down the hall Nathan asked her, “Does he remind you of anyone?”
She chuckled. “He reminds me of all the guys in my advanced math classes in school.”
They were seated and Haley had detailed her story by the time the extra clothes and other deliveries arrived. Haley accepted the package gratefully and then disappeared into Sam’s private restroom to change. As she did Nathan centered his focus on Cooper. “Do you think she can get out of the woods?”
“I think so, if we play it right. And we will have to play it.”
Nathan nodded, understanding. The politics of crime could be as complicated as any military maneuver around. He wasn’t versed in politics or manipulation. All he knew was go in and get the job done. Having to trust someone else to do the work in this case was going to be tough.
“What are you thinking?”
“We go to the DA. I have an appointment set for five. That should give us enough time to get through the facts and the evidence Ms. Boyd has brought forth. Then, if we’re lucky, the DA will request a warrant. If not, we’ll go the media route. Either way, we’re going to start building our case and establishing doubt in the public’s minds.”
“What good will that do?”
Sam Cooper smiled. “The public tries criminals first and, most often, with the same result the courts will have. If we can get the public on our side, that’ll be half the battle.” He glanced behind Nathan and smiled. “And you look much more like the woman I’d like to put on camera, Ms. Boyd. The scarf sling is a nice touch.”
Haley frowned at him and came to resume her seat. “I don’t have a formal sling, Mr. Cooper and my arm aches if I let it hang by my side.”
“You don’t have to justify wearing a sling, Haley,” Nathan said with a frown of his own at Cooper.
“I know,” she said, and Sam Cooper held up a hand. “I’m sorry. I think in defense lawyer terms all the time. My wife reprimands me constantly.”
Haley and Nathan just nodded in agreement and Nathan felt a surge of sympathy for the woman who’d have to put up with the ever-present lawyer sitting across from him.
They reviewed the case over and over again, until Haley was ready to use her injury as an excuse to leave. By the time they left to meet with the District Attorney, she hoped Nathan and Sam were still willing to stay with her.
She stood beside the two men in the elevator, her hand in Sam’s ruff, though she wanted to hold Nathan’s. She sensed he was anxious and wondered if it was due to the city. If so, he’d need to leave soon.
Florence Delany was a tall, solidly built woman of color with a record of being hard on crime and even harder on the criminals she indicted. When Haley stepped inside her office, she felt a thrill of fear go through her and sent up a plea for strength. Nathan and Sam had been relegated to the waiting room, much to their disgust. Haley heard a mournful howl and grimaced, hoping Sam wouldn’t be thrown out of the office.
“Ms. Boyd, you’ve led the police on a pretty inconvenient chase.” Ms. Delany said in a steely tone.
“It wasn’t my intention to lead anyone on a chase, Ms. Delany. I feared for my life when I left Asheville.”
“Oh really. Why don’t you tell me about that?” Florence sat back in her chair and folded her hands over her lap, waiting. With a glance toward Sam, Haley began her story. She was interrupted with questions within the first minute. As she answered Ms. Delany’s questions or interrogation, Haley corrected, she felt her confidence return. She was innocent and she had the strength of her intellect, her honesty and her faith behind her. Delany must have noticed something in her demeanor because she paused in a question and tilted her head. “What were you thinking just now, Ms. Boyd?”
Haley looked at her, puzzled. “I’m sorry?”
“Just now. When I was asking you about your visit to the office the night of the fourth, you looked, oh, I don’t know, anxious, I guess. Then, right in the middle of me asking the question, your expression changed. And I wonder, what made you change from a scared little cat to a tiger just now?”
Haley took a breath and then said, “I know I’m innocent. I live my life with as much honesty and openness as I can. And I have faith that I’ll be heard.”
“Huh. Well, I’ve not heard that in a while,” Ms. Delany said to Mr. Cooper. “We’ll need to get to work on the evidence. I don’t think we have enough for probable cause yet, Sam. But by tomorrow, maybe Friday, we will.”
“And the media?” he asked.
“Hold off for now, if you can. I know you like getting in front of the cameras but if you do now, you’ll screw the case and you know it. People like Winters have more tricks up their sleeves than a Vegas magician.”
“I’ll hold off til Friday, Flo, but no longer.” He said and stood, extending his hand for a shake.
Florence Delany pumped Cooper’s hand once then turned to Haley. “Don’t go home tonight, Ms. Boyd. Find a hotel and use another name if you can. Don’t go to a friend’s house either.”
“Do I need to stay in the city?”
“Around the city, yeah. Don’t go running back to the mountains, we don’t have time for that.” Delany eyed Haley’s arm. “You need to go to a doctor?”
“I don’t think so. I can move my arm, it’s just sore right now. If it doesn’t get better, I’ll go later.” She started to turn then remembered Ephram. “Could I ask a favor of you?”
Florence cast a look at Cooper then shrugged, “You can ask.”
“Would you mind calling and checking on Ephram, um. Oh, I don’t know his last name. Wait a moment.” She ran from the room and to the waiting room, where Sam bound to her when he saw her. “What’s Ephram’s last name?” she asked Nathan.
“Collins” he said and she wheeled around and ran back to Ms. Delany’s office. Once inside she gasped out, “Ephram Collins. I’d call but I’m not related so?—”
“This the guy that was sent to retrieve you? The one that fell over the cliff?” she said, her expression quizzical.
“Yes. I’d like to know how he is.”
“Oh.” Florence eyed her and shrugged again. “Okay. I’ll find out and let you know. Call me tomorrow around eleven. I should know something by then.”
“Thank you,” Haley beamed at her and turned to leave. As she walked back toward the waiting room, she heard Cooper chuckle. She looked at him. “What?”
“She said for you to call her. Never figured I’d see that.”
“Really? She seems nice, after I got over my initial terror of her.”
“Some people are still trying to get over that,” he said and patted her shoulder, making her wince. “You’ll be okay, Haley.”
They parted ways after Cooper made reservations for Haley and Nathan in a hotel at the edge of the city, under his name. As they drove toward the hotel, Haley glanced at Nathan. “You don’t have to stay, if you feel uncomfortable.”
He looked at her in surprise. “Uncomfortable?”
“In the city. You said it makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“It usually does. It did when we first got here. But I’m okay now.”
He kept his attention on the evening traffic. “Are you uncomfortable with me being with you, at the hotel, I mean?”
She shook her head. “I’m happy you’re there. I think I’ve gotten too dependent on you, Nathan. You’ve been an angel for me.”
He laughed. “You keep seeing me as no one else ever has, Haley.”
She shrugged, “Just calling it like I see it.” And he laughed even harder.