Chapter Ten
Reggie saw Brooke walking toward her and started to duck out of the jury room, but Brooke spotted her before she could make her escape.
“Hey,” Brooke said.
“Hey.” Reggie stuck her hands in her pockets and glanced toward the door while Brooke followed her gaze. Lennox had set up a meeting with the FBI agent she knew, and she only had a few minutes to make it downtown. She should’ve prepared for this moment. After all, she’d driven Brooke to the courthouse that morning, it was only natural for Brooke to assume she’d drive her home, but it was too soon to loop Brooke into her plan.
“I called for an Uber.”
“Oh.” Brooke’s words should’ve released her guilt, but instead she felt worse. Brooke hadn’t assumed they’d ride home together, maybe didn’t even want to spend more time with her. She’d been a jerk to assume she would.
“You seemed distracted today,” Brooke said. “I figured you needed to deal with some stuff on your own and I can take care of myself.”
“Look, I want to talk more about what you told me this morning.” Reggie looked at the door again. “But I need to take care of something first. Can I call you later?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Brooke backed away and almost struck the wall behind her before she veered toward the door. “Thanks for the ride this morning and for being there for me last night, but I’m good now.”
Reggie watched her walk away, anxious to correct the misunderstanding, but knowing it was even more important to keep Brooke safe while she tried to subvert the threat she was under.
Twenty minutes later, she arrived at the FBI office on the third floor of the federal building downtown and checked in with the receptionist. Lennox showed up a minute later.
“Tell me you did what you promised,” Reggie said before Lennox even crossed the threshold of the reception area.
“I said I would and I did.” Lennox signed the visitor log and sat down next to her. “I had to call in a few favors, but she’ll have a cop assigned to keep an eye on her place at night. It was the best I could do.”
“And they’ll be discreet?”
“Yes.” Lennox cocked her head. “Are you sure you didn’t know this woman before you wound up on a jury together?”
Reggie shook her head. She’d known Lennox a long time—they’d even briefly dated at one point—and she knew she could trust her discretion, but she didn’t have a good answer for what Lennox really wanted to know which was why she was so invested in Brooke’s fate. It definitely went beyond a desire to see justice be done, but she wasn’t ready to try other reasons out loud.
“Look,” Lennox said. “I get it. We’ve been through a lot the last few months. It would be nice to see someone have to pay for what they’ve done.”
“Yes, it would.” Reggie fished for another subject. “Any word on your brother’s case?”
“There’s a hearing scheduled in a few weeks, but I don’t know that it’ll go anywhere.” Lennox sighed. “I know in my gut that Harry Benton had something to do with Daniel being set up, but I don’t know that we’ll ever be able to prove it. If only Gloria hadn’t talked Daniel into taking a plea, we’d be in a much better position to overturn the plea and get him a trial.” She paused. “Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t be bad-mouthing my ex when you’re a juror on a case she’s defending.”
“I think we’ve crossed so many lines already, that one barely matters.”
Before Lennox could respond, a dark-haired woman poked her head through the door next to the reception desk. “Lennox, you ready?”
“You bet.” Lennox stood and motioned to Reggie. “This is Reggie Knoll. Reggie, meet Special Agent Sarah Flores.”
They followed Sarah back through the offices to a small room in the corner and sat down around a tiny desk. “I thought the ADA’s offices were small,” Reggie said. “I would expect you to have better digs.”
“Budget cuts. You should see what the less senior agents have to deal with.” Sarah jerked her chin in Lennox’s direction. “So, you work at the courthouse with this one?”
Reggie glanced over at Lennox, wishing they’d taken the time to work out an approach before barreling in here. Lennox merely nodded, so she decided to plunge right in. “Used to. I’m in between gigs right now, but I wound up on Shirley Mitchell’s jury and that’s what we’re here to talk to you about.”
Sarah leaned back in her chair, her face a mask of nonchalance, but Reggie noticed she started twirling the pen in her hand like it was one of those fidget spinners. She was interested in hearing more. Very.
“Someone’s threatening at least one of the jurors,” Lennox said. “We have reason to think the threats are real.”
“Do you now?” Sarah crossed her arms. “Lennox, should you even be here without opposing counsel?”
“It’s not my case.”
“I thought all cases at the DA’s office belong to the entire office.”
“Technically, yes, but sometimes we have to deal with cases that cross the line. This is one of those.”
“And you’re trying to drag me across the line with you?”
“Shirley Mitchell has a lot of contracts for federal public housing. If she’s in so much trouble that she’s threatening a juror, you can bet there are problems with her federal projects as well. Don’t you want a chance to take her down?”
Reggie watched while Lennox stared Sarah down, and after a few moments of silence, she decided she was tired of their back-and-forth. “The threats are real. I know it for a fact. Somebody needs to do something, and I don’t really care which one of you it is.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows, but Lennox flashed a hint of a smile which she quickly hid by placing a hand in front of her face.
“Say I take you up on this challenge,” Sarah asked. “What do you propose that I do?”
Now it was her turn to stare at Sarah while she reviewed and promptly dismissed every idea that came to mind. It was fine in the abstract to imagine a targeted operation designed to capture Shirley Mitchell, or whoever was working on her behalf, in the act of coercing a juror, but it was a whole different story trying to come up with a way to trick her into revealing her culpability
“Look, I’m not the one in a position to know,” she said. “I’m a regular citizen stuck on a case, reporting an incident of jury tampering.” She wagged a finger between Sarah and Lennox. “You two are the ones who are supposed to come up with the ideas about how to bring the bad guys to justice.” She paused and faced Sarah. “Do you really mean to tell me the bureau hasn’t been investigating Shirley Mitchell? Don’t you have some leverage you can use with the DA’s office to get her to take a deal? If she did, this trial would be over, and the threat gone. Everyone wins.”
“So, you don’t care about her being prosecuted for making the threats—you only want the threats to stop?”
Sarah delivered the question with narrowed eyes, like she didn’t fully trust her motives, and Reggie didn’t blame her. She should want Shirley to go down for putting Brooke’s son in danger, but the truth was they might not ever prove she had anything to do with it. People like Shirley always had lackeys with misplaced loyalties who were willing to take the fall or take action to insulate their boss, and for all she knew Shirley might not know any of the details of the things that had been done on her behalf. But if the DA’s office could work out a deal to get her to plead guilty instead of continuing with the trial, Brooke would no longer be in danger and she could get back to her life. “I want whatever makes the most sense, and right now that seems like a plea. It’s a win for the DA’s office and will keep the rest of the jurors safe.”
Sarah sighed and looked at Lennox. “Is everyone you know a bleeding heart?”
Lennox replied with a shrug. “Maybe. She’s not wrong though. You have the resources to make this work.”
“The real question,” Reggie added, “is whether you have the guts to make it happen.” She held her breath as she waited for Sarah’s answer. If she wasn’t willing to take on the case, they’d be back to square one and she’d have to figure out a way to protect Brooke on her own. Not ideal, but maybe sorting out the truth was a worthy substitute for studying for her PI exam. She squared her shoulders and waited for Sarah’s answer. Whatever it was, she was ready, and she’d do whatever was necessary to keep Brooke safe.
* * *
Brooke dropped her keys twice while trying to unlock the door to her apartment, and she vowed to dropkick them across the complex if they didn’t work on the next turn. Thankfully, they complied and she pushed open the door and dropped her purse on the table just inside.
“Hi, Mom.”
She looked across the room at Ben who was sitting in front of the TV munching on handfuls of Cheetos with orange-tipped fingers. “Hey, kiddo. Make sure you don’t rub any of that on the couch, okay?”
“Sure, Mom.” He punctuated the response by rolling his eyes and, instead of finding it as annoying as always, she breathed a sigh of relief at the very normal preteen sign of disrespect because it signaled he wasn’t sitting around fretting about what had happened to him. “Can we get burgers from Jake’s for dinner?”
Burgers sounded great and totally worth blowing the last bit of cash she had on hand, but then she remembered. “Sorry, pal. I’m still without a car and they’re not on any of the apps. Does Shake Shack work for you?”
“Bummer, but yeah the Shack’ll do.”
He turned back to his show as if she’d disappeared in a puff of smoke. If only she could set aside the circumstances and act as nonchalant about the circumstances. If only she knew what the circumstances were. Maybe it was time to figure that out on her own.
She placed the order, trying not to flinch at the fees, and then fished around in one of the kitchen drawers. When you were about to list all the ways your life was messed up, pen and paper seemed like the way to go. She finally located a pen from the auto shop that had taken most of her savings last month, and a Post-it pad she’d swiped from the restaurant, deciding it would have to do. At the top of one of the Post-its she wrote: Reasons To Leave Town . She started to scratch it out, but decided instead it was a decent code for her feelings about her current options.
Talk to the judge
Go to the police
Sway the jury
She stared at the list for several minutes. She didn’t like the order and she didn’t like the options, but they were all she had. With the first two, she might be able to shut this whole thing down sooner, but the risk was high. The risk was high with the last option too since she wasn’t convinced she could sway anyone on the jury, but all she really had to do was hold out. A hung jury wasn’t going to please the voice on the phone because Mitchell could be tried again, but it was better than a conviction.
“Mom, the food’s here,” Ben bellowed from the living room. “They’re almost at the door and I’m finishing my homework.”
“Be right there.” Brooke decided to let him have a pass on getting the door after what he’d been through. Another reason option number three was looking better and better. She crumpled the Post-it and tossed it in the trash. She knew what she had to do if she wanted to keep her little family safe and get back to her life as soon as possible. The only problem remaining was the fact she’d told Reggie about the threats. Reggie didn’t strike her as the kind of person who would just let things go, but she wasn’t sure what she was going to do about it.
When she swung open the door to collect the food, Reggie was standing there holding the Shake Shack bag. “What are you doing here?” Brooke stammered the words feeling like she’d conjured Reggie’s presence and wishing she’d had time to prepare before seeing her again.
Reggie shifted in place and looked sheepish. “Well, I could lie and say I work food delivery at night, but the truth is I tipped the delivery guy to get him to give me the food so I’d have an excuse to see you. May I come in?”
Brooke’s heart quickened at the idea Reggie wanted to see her again, but she took a few deep breaths to put things in perspective. This was not a social call. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it out here. Ben is home and I don’t want him upset after what he’s been through.”
“Is he okay? Sore, I bet.”
Brooke wanted to ignore the question and hurry this encounter along, but Reggie’s concern sounded genuine, and she had been there for her during an incredibly stressful time. She held the door open. “Come in, but not for long. Ben has homework and I have things to do.”
Reggie grinned and walked inside. She paused in the small foyer and handed over the bag of food. “Good choice,” she said, pointing at the bag. “They’re definitely in my top ten list of burgers.”
“Only you and my son have a top ten list.” Brooke peered out the door viewer. “Are you sure you weren’t followed?”
“I wasn’t.” Reggie was emphatic. “I wouldn’t put you in danger.”
“I don’t think you’d do it on purpose, but I don’t think you understand the level of risk here.” She glanced toward the living room, but Ben was deeply engrossed in whatever was on TV and didn’t look remotely interested in their conversation. “He’s all I have. This trial is going to wind up costing me work and the ability to pay the bills, and that’s without having my and my son’s life threatened. I have to do whatever will keep my family safe.”
“I know.”
Brooke took in a gulp of air. “You do?” She’d been fully prepared to do battle to defend her pronouncement, but it was hard to fight with someone who wasn’t fighting back.
“Absolutely. That’s why I’m here. I have a plan.”
Brooke wanted to believe her. She wanted to believe there was a way out that didn’t involve her helping a criminal go free because even if Shirley hadn’t committed the crimes she was accused of, she had done worse by not only threatening her son, but making good on that threat with little provocation. But the same reasons that motivated her to believe in Reggie also held her back from trusting anyone to help her out of this mess. She looked into Reggie’s eyes, fully prepared to tell her she wanted no part of any plan, but Reggie’s earnest smile and encouraging eyes coaxed her into hearing more. She shook the bag in her hand. “Food first and then the plan.”
A few minutes later, the three of them sat around the kitchen table, munching on burgers and fries. Reggie had resisted taking half of Brooke’s food, but she’d insisted because she wasn’t that hungry, which was true. She hadn’t had much of an appetite since this whole mess had started. Ben and Reggie, on the other hand, devoured their food, taking bites between a lively discussion about the latest Comic Con that had been in Dallas.
“ Walking Dead ’s not my favorite show, but I love Eugene,” Ben said.
“Eugene’s great, but I’m more of a Maggie fan.”
“The women in the show are badass,” Ben said, immediately covering his mouth.
Brooke gave him a side-eye punctuated by a grin. “The women in that show are indeed badass, but that’s the only context in which you’re allowed to use that word until you’re much older. Got it?”
“Got it.”
Ben stuffed the last of his fries in his mouth, unfazed by the admonition. Brooke wasn’t worried. He was a good kid who might occasionally violate the rules in an attempt to seem cool, but she was confident he’d make good choices when it really mattered. “Hey, kid, go finish your homework. I need to talk to Reggie alone for a bit.”
“’Kay,” he said, sliding out of his chair and taking his plate to the sink. “Nice to see you again, Reggie.”
“Nice to see you too, Ben.”
Brooke watched the exchange and shook her head.
“What is it?” Reggie asked.
“You’re good with him.”
Reggie laughed. “It’s pretty darn easy. I simply challenge my inner twelve-year-old who is much more present than the adult version on most days.”
“Don’t downplay it. You have a real talent when it comes to relating to kids. A lot of parents don’t have those skills.”
Reggie shrugged. “Ben is easy to get along with and he’s a likable kid.”
They sat for a moment in silence while Brooke tried to figure out how to bring the subject around to Reggie’s plan. Part of her didn’t want to hear it at all. She already had a plan. Do what she was told and hope for the best. It wasn’t the greatest, but it was probably less risky than anything Reggie was about to propose. “About that plan,” she started before Reggie cut in.
“Promise you’ll at least hear me out before you say it isn’t going to work.”
She didn’t want to. There was no reason she should trust this woman she barely knew. But as she stared into Reggie’s eyes, she saw something she’d given up on ever having—a person who genuinely cared about her and who was taking risks to make sure she and her son stayed safe. She wasn’t quite ready to trust the vulnerability that went with the realization, but she didn’t see what harm could come from simply listening to what Reggie had to say.
“I promise.”