Chapter 21 #3
Chloe had known from the beginning that Esme would almost certainly have to testify for this case to proceed, and yet, somehow, here she was, still wanting to throw up at the thought. “How would that work, exactly?”
“The first step is getting the arrest warrant,” Tara said. “Given this new evidence, that won’t be a problem, but I’ll need to disclose Esme as a witness to make the charges stick.”
The words knifed through Chloe’s chest. “You know what this guy is capable of,” she blurted.
But Tara was already shaking her head. “And that’s why we’re going to protect her.
Given that Esme is a minor, and in the foster care system, and the fact someone violently destroyed crucial evidence from the crime scene, I’ll petition a judge to sign off on not disclosing her identity for the sake of her safety.
She’ll have to be named in the protected database as a witness and meet with the judge face-to-face.
That, I can’t help.” Tara held up her hands.
“But she’ll give her testimony from the judge’s chambers during the trial, and we’ll disguise both her appearance and her voice.
Navarro’s lawyer will get to ask her questions, too, even though he’ll be in the courtroom and she won’t.
That’s another thing that can’t be helped.
But no one will know who she is, before, during, or after the trial. ”
“The RPD database is behind a series of firewalls, of course,” Capelli added matter-of-factly. “But I’ll set up a few extra precautions to ensure that access to this case is monitored and extremely limited. No one will get to the information without authorization.”
Chloe gave him a grateful look before turning toward Tom, who nodded slowly. “Those all sound like reasonable safety measures. I’m assuming you want to proceed as soon as possible?”
“We do,” Tara said. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can take Navarro down for good.”
Forcing her voice not to shake, Chloe said, “Okay. Then let’s tell her what’s going on.”
In an effort not to overwhelm Esme entirely, Chloe, Tara, Addison, and Tom headed to Tara’s office while the rest of the team proceeded with what Chloe could only imagine was going to be about fifty kilotons of paperwork to move the case forward.
Esme sat between Tyler and Xander on a couch to the side of Tara’s desk, the heel of one Converse sneaker bouncing up and down as Tyler said something to her softly that made her nod.
All three of them looked up quickly as soon as the door opened, and Chloe’s heart lurched at the worry etched all over Esme’s face.
Xander stood, exchanging a glance with his wife that conveyed a thousand things even though it only lasted for a second.
“I’ll head back to the conference room,” he murmured to Tara, who murmured back a “thank you” that made her gratitude—and her love for him—plain.
Addison and Tom settled into the two chairs across from Tara’s desk, and Chloe met Tyler’s eyes for a shot of calm she knew she’d need before taking Xander’s place next to Esme.
“Hey. Sorry that took a while. I know you’ve got a lot of questions. We had to sort through some things before we could figure out how to move forward.”
“The DNA is wrecked, isn’t it?” Esme asked, swinging a look at Tyler a second later. “Sorry. I know you said everyone’s on my side, and I know you kind of are. I just…”
“You deserve to know,” Chloe said evenly, “and I wish it were better news, but yes, the DNA was destroyed by the fire.”
It took patience she didn’t know she possessed until that very moment, but Chloe stayed silent for a beat to let the truth sink in, to let Esme feel that same gut-punch of emotion that she’d felt not even twenty minutes ago when she’d gotten the news herself, to let Tyler process it, too.
Esme reacted first, her eyes wide and her face ashen. “So, what does that mean? The proof is just gone? He gets away with murder?”
“No,” Chloe said, emphatically enough to keep Esme listening.
“I mean, yes, the DNA from the crime scene is gone. But no, Leo Navarro isn’t getting away with murder.
” She looked at Addison, then Tara. “The results from the forensic analysis aren’t the only development in the case, but I think Detective Hale and A.D.A.
Kingston-Matthews can explain it a bit better than I can. Okay?”
Esme bit her lip, her shoulders a rigid line that said her defenses were about to lock into place so she could shut everyone and everything out, and even though it was a massive risk, Chloe let her feelings fly.
“I know you’re scared, Esme. I’m scared, too. But I’m right here with you and I won’t leave unless you ask me to. No matter what happens. I promise.” She held out her hand, surprised to find it perfectly steady.
Not nearly as surprised, though, as when Esme gave up a tiny, broken nod. Although she didn’t go for the full hand-hold, she edged her fingers closer to Chloe’s, her pinky finger making the slightest contact with Chloe’s thumb, and it wasn’t just enough. It felt like everything.
“Okay,” Esme whispered. “What happens now?”
Chloe held steady as Addison gave Esme just enough information for disclosure but not so much as to scare the girl any more than she already was.
She sat beside Esme as Tara told her what would happen next, and when Tara was done, Esme pushed back against the couch cushions, her dark brows drawn together.
“So, I won’t have to go into the courtroom or see him face-to-face when I tell the judge what I saw?” she asked, and Tara shook her head.
“You won’t have to do either of those things, no. You’ll have to answer questions from his attorney, though, and they won’t be pleasant. He’s going to try to discredit you and make you sound unreliable.”
“He sounds like an asshat,” Esme mumbled, then pressed her lips together as she dropped her chin, just a fraction. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Tara said, “you’re not wrong. The questions will be stressful, but we’ll do a lot of work to prepare you for them.”
Esme nodded. “So, once you arrest him, does he stay in jail until the trial?” she asked, and Chloe had to admit, it was an excellent question.
One that, if Tara’s face was anything to go by, none of them were going to like the answer to. “I’ll argue that he should be remanded, of course, but there is a chance the judge will allow bail.”
Chloe felt Esme’s fingers tighten beside hers, and she focused on the contact so she wouldn’t scream. Surprisingly, though, it was Tyler whose anger surfaced.
“This guy could make bail even though he murdered someone in cold blood, then committed an act of arson that put the lives of an entire squad’s worth of firefighters at risk to destroy the evidence?”
Tara shook her head. “I don’t like it any more than you do, and I’ll do my best to keep it from happening, but those are both things we have to prove for the court to consider them true.
Until we have evidence that Navarro was behind the arson, even bringing it up is dicey.
There are precautions I can request if the judge does grant bail—house arrest, an ankle monitor—but it’s something we should prepare for. ”
Tom cleared his throat, looking from Tara to Addison. “I know the RPD will do everything possible to keep Esme’s identity protected, but maybe we should talk about an alternate housing placement with added security, given the circumstances.”
“What, like witness protection or something?” Esme asked, her gaze snapping toward Addison. “You said I’d be safe!”
“You will. Your identity, along with all of your statements and your testimony, will be protected by the absolute best surveillance expert in the entire RPD,” Addison said firmly, and Chloe had never loved her so much as she did right now.
“I trust him with my life. That said, I agree that we shouldn’t take any chances, even tiny ones, with yours.
Putting you on lockdown isn’t necessary, but moving you somewhere where we can keep a closer eye on things won’t hurt.
Of course, your location will be as protected as your identity. No one will have access to any of it.”
The thought of Esme in danger, however unlikely, made Chloe’s stomach pitch. Nope. Not going to happen. “Moving you out of the group home is totally precautionary, and this way, you’ll have added support from a guardian. Think of it as a win-win.”
“Finding a suitable temporary placement, especially on short notice, is going to be challenging,” Tom said, blowing out a breath.
“We’ll need a foster parent who has experience with at-risk situations.
Someone we can trust with sensitive case details and who will support Esme as all of this unfolds.
I can start digging, but I’m not sure we’ve got a lot of options. ”
The fear and unease that had been forming like a hurricane in Chloe’s chest came to a stop with a single, striking thought. “I can think of one. Well, two, actually. But I know for a fact that they’re the perfect parents to help an at-risk kid,” she said, “because they did it with me.”
“You want Esme to stay with Lou and Carleen?” Tom asked, and fuck it, Chloe went with the whole truth.
“What I really want is for her to stay with me, but I get that there are rules that would make that impossible. Lou and Carleen are experienced foster parents, not to mention amazing people. My family comes with an army who would keep Esme safe, and if she were temporarily placed with Lou and Carleen, I could still be her advocate.” She paused, turning toward Esme. “As long as that’s what you want.”
Esme met her gaze with wide, unblinking eyes for just a beat before nodding. “Yeah. Yes. I mean, I still don’t need a babysitter, or anything, but it’s just temporary, so I guess that would be okay.”
Addison’s mouth twitched with a smile. “I’ve got to admit, this is a pretty good idea.”
“We’ll have to get a family court judge to sign off on it,” Tom said, clearly running through the process in his head, “but it does sound workable for the short-term, as long as Lou and Carleen are on board.”
Relief let Chloe exhale for the first time in what felt like hours. “I can call them right now.”
Tara sat back in her desk chair, a look of sheer determination taking over her features. “Well, then, if that’s settled, I guess there’s only one thing left to do.” She turned toward Addison, her voice steel-solid and loaded with certainty that Chloe felt to her toes.
“Go pick up Leo Navarro. We’re charging him with murder.”