Alexis
‘We find the defendant… not guilty.’
Sophie Jamieson’s family erupted in wails as the verdict was read. The courtroom gallery simmered with disbelieving murmurs. And the defendant let out a loud roar of vindication. Alexis watched as he high-fived her father—her co-counsel. Ugh.
She should have been happy. This was the ultimate career achievement: working with her dad for the first time and securing a not-guilty verdict in what was almost an unwinnable case.
But something niggled at the back of her mind. She somehow felt deceived. And dirty. She’d worked on this case for months with her father, yet it was as if she’d been an outsider… witnessing a few too many knowing looks between her dad and the defendant as they discussed a strategy to get him acquitted for murder. And when she’d had the unfortunate opportunity to be alone with the guy, he’d creeped her out. The sly way he’d looked at her made Alexis believe he was capable of anything—including murder.
There hadn’t been enough evidence to put him at the scene, but he had been the most likely person to kill his wife. He had a history of domestic violence, and Sophie’s closest friend admitted she’d been worried about the exact scenario that played out. Sophie had also recently confided she’d wanted to leave the marriage, and she’d secretly been making plans to do so.
The defendant held out his hand, offering Alexis a congratulatory shake for a job well done.
Her skin crawled for the two seconds they made contact, and she quickly pulled away under the guise of needing to collect her bag.
She checked to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and began walking to the door.
Her father followed.
‘Sweetheart, where are you going?’
Alexis paused momentarily before turning. ‘I’m tired, so I thought I’d head home.’
‘You can’t leave yet. We’re all going out for an early dinner to celebrate.’
‘I don’t think I’ll be good company. Sorry.’
He frowned. ‘Is something wrong?’
Yes.A lot was wrong. What if the man they just set free went out and killed someone else? How would her conscience handle that? How would her dad’s conscience handle that?
‘Do you think he deserved the not-guilty verdict?’
Her father pressed his lips together and turned his eyes to the sky.
‘I thought I taught you better than this.’
Alexis was taken aback. ‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’
‘It means I assumed you were mature enough to sit at the adults’ table. You should know by now that a client’s innocence or guilt is irrelevant. Your only job is to get the best outcome for them.’
‘Maybe I’m finally realising that was a mistake.’
He sighed heavily. ‘You know what? I think you should go home. It was premature to bring you onto this case. It was clearly too much for you.’
Alexis recoiled. ‘Actually, it probably was too much for me to see my dad sucking up to a murderer.’ She didn’t add that she suspected something shady had been going on behind the scenes that decided the client’s fate. A normal jury would have convicted him in a heartbeat.
Her father walked past her, briefly glancing over his shoulder. ‘We’ll talk again when you’ve come to your senses.’
Alexis stomped a foot in frustration. She wasn’t a little kid, and she’d worked hard to get where she was. It had just been her and her dad for as long as she could remember, and she’d idolised the guy for the same amount of time.
She could barely picture her mother’s face anymore—she’d left when Alexis was five—and Alexis appreciated how hard her dad had worked to fill the void—both emotionally and financially. He’d hired a housekeeper when she was younger to assist with babysitting whenever he’d been held up with a case, but otherwise, Jack Hall had been the ideal parent.
Until now.
She watched as he exited the courthouse and took her time following him. She still lived in the same house, so she’d have to see him again later. Hopefully she could pretend to be sleeping when he arrived.
When she reached her car, Alexis realised she’d left her personal phone in Jack’s BMW. She was tempted to collect it later, but she needed to check if anyone had called while she was in court.
Jack disappeared around a corner, and Alexis figured he must have parked on the street. She picked up the pace, not wanting to miss him before he drove away.
But when she rounded the corner, he was nowhere to be seen. And his car wasn’t anywhere nearby either. Weird.
After a quick scan of the surrounding area, she turned to head back to her vehicle.
That’s when she heard the rumble of two low voices. Jack’s was one of them.
She quietly made her way along the path and noted a small alley off to the left—and when she peeked in, she saw Jack talking to a man she didn’t recognise.
The man handed him a briefcase and looked back to the street. Alexis ducked behind the wall to avoid being seen. What was that all about?
Her heart raced, and she contemplated confronting the pair, but she didn’t know what she’d be walking into. Was her father a gangster?
Alexis quickly removed her heels and padded silently back to her car. Her personal phone would have to stay where it was until later.
She slid into the front seat, unsure of her next move.
And then she saw her dad walking back in her direction. The other guy was gone, but Jack was now carrying the briefcase.
Making a split-second decision, Alexis jumped out of her car and ran over to plant herself in front of Jack.
‘What’s that?’ she asked, pointing at the briefcase.
‘Just some files for another case. I thought you said you were going home.’
‘What’s the case?’
He tilted his head to the side. ‘Why are you interested?’
‘Because I’m curious. We work on these things together now, remember?’
‘Didn’t we decide five minutes ago it was a mistake?’
‘Open the briefcase, Dad.’
He stared at her. ‘What’s gotten into you?’
‘I want to know what’s gotten into you. Or were you always like this?’
‘Like what?’
‘Corrupt.’
The word bubbled out before she had a chance to think through the consequences of such an accusation.
Jack’s eyes widened. ‘What?’
‘Show me what’s in the briefcase and prove me wrong.’
‘Lexi, you’re being ridiculous…’
‘You’re not denying it.’
‘Because I shouldn’t fucking have to! You’re my daughter. You should trust I’m doing the best I can for both of us.’
She continued to stare at him. ‘You still didn’t deny it.’
‘I don’t have time for this shit. Rick is waiting…’
‘Off you go. Go get drunk with a guy who murdered his wife.’
Jack slapped her across the face. ‘That’s enough. I won’t tolerate any more of your insolence. Get out of my sight.’
Alexis rubbed her cheek, blinking as her eyes watered. Her dad had never done anything like that before, and it was almost too shocking to process. ‘Don’t worry. You won’t have to see me again.’
She strode away and got back in her car. After gunning the engine, she took off down the road, disregarding the speed limit.
There was no way in hell she would ever share a roof with that man again.
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