If We Dare to Dream (9 page)

“I’ve lost all faith.”

The sound of a door closing, blocking out the sunny laughter that Andrew wanted to take part in but could not, indicated that Darren had moved into a quieter spot. Andrew tensed for the argument.

“What you’re going through is normal,” Darren said patiently. “But you can’t give up now. Just accept these feelings and know they’ll go away soon enough.”

“Nothing is going to change the fact that I’m here. Nobody cares that I was willing to give up my life to serve them. All they see is a man who went crazy.”

“I believe in you, Andrew.”

But Andrew did not hear his final comment. He hung up the phone and returned to his lonely existence.

***

The last brother to come over to Jamie’s side was actually Ian, and when he arrived that evening the other brothers were already on the back patio with her. These family meetings had occurred multiple times over the years since their parents had passed away. Though Jamie had not participated in all of them, she could honestly admit that neither was she the cause of them either. One of the first she had attended was regarding Hayden’s decision to drop out of college in favor of selling cars for a living when their parents had died. Grady had been the most adamant at that time, speaking out forcefully that his decision was completely ridiculous and there was no way he would stand by and allow Hayden to give up his full-ride scholarship. Hayden had not spoken to Grady for six months following his uncustomary show of temper, but he had caved in and returned to school – after the girl whose father owned the dealership and he broke up.

Ian had been the subject of a meeting as well. His meeting was not regarding a dramatic life change. Instead this had to do with his purchase of a motorcycle as an emotional response to the ending of his relationship with his high school sweetheart, Kat. Jamie spoke out that time to say that she feared her eighteen-year-old brother on a bike, feared that he would never ride with his helmet and take unnecessary risks. Though her words went unheeded and Ian still bought the bike, he later approached her and thanked her for her concern.

Even Ford had been the subject of a family meeting. When he decided to invest a portion of their trust fund into his business, he was concerned about the impact to his marriage and their opinions of him should everything fail. They had all voted for him to proceed, and he had gone on to become a very successful builder in his own right. It had been a good choice.

Now it was her turn. The brothers immediately went to work, each grabbing a chair and taking a seat around the fireplace and each holding a small plate with their appetizers on it.

Grady spoke first between bites from one of the crab cakes Isabel had brought out. “I’ve gotten us an appointment for Thursday afternoon with a defense lawyer in the city. Can you clear your schedule, Jamie?” 

“What time?”

“Tentative for one. I can change that time if you’re too busy. Surprisingly, he’s free all afternoon for us.”

She pulled out her phone and plugged the appointment in her calendar while mentally making a note to confirm her work schedule in the morning. Though she was confident Melissa could handle the office on her own for an afternoon, she also made a note to confirm her plans with her. Once she had everything entered, she glanced up at Grady. He was happily chewing, and his jaw worked steadily as he in turn glanced over at Hayden.

“I spoke to Chuck, and he put a call in to his contacts over there. They’re pulling the case. I also checked the Internet. Jamie and I had already heard everything that I found, so nothing really changed. I can say that this guy was a clean cut, good guy before he was arrested. He had just gotten back from a second tour in Afghanistan a few months before.”

“What branch?” Ian asked. Jamie remembered him wanting to enlist as well, but Ford and the rest of them had denied his request.

“Special Forces. Medical discharge.”

Ian whistled low. “Now that’s interesting… Don’t want to mess with them. Dangerous guys.”

“Dangerous, sure, but this guy was an American hero,” Hayden said.

Jamie sat up with this new piece of information. “I remember seeing a tattoo on his forearm, now that you mention it. He had a military sign, I don’t remember which, but it was on his arm.”

“Make a note of it,” Ford said quickly.

Reaching for her laptop at her feet, Jamie set about adding to her written account while Ian and Hayden continued to discuss his military prowess. Jamie was only half-listening, but she was intrigued by what she did hear. When she had started her account, the memories had come back to her as though that evening had taken place the week before. The way Andrew Sheehan had charmed her and the comfortable rapport and easy laughter he had drawn from her were things that she had struggled to bury out of shame and fear. However, thinking back and remembering that evening in such detail made her realize that it was those very things about him that made her remember that encounter so clearly. That he left such a strong impression on her only increased her resulting shock that he may have run off and killed another woman after leaving her. He was a smart, patriotic man prior to the events of that night, and she wondered what he was like now.

Apparently Ian did too. “Prison can certainly do a number on some people, Hayden. He could come out and
become
a criminal.”

“Don’t say that,” Jamie said. Her head whipped up, and she closed the laptop with a solid click. “We can’t think like that.”

“But we should be realistic,” Ian protested. “He returns from a nasty war and gets thrown into prison. This guy could be a complete wreck by now.”

“Which brings us to you,” Ford interjected. “What have you learned?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders. “I spoke to Zach and some guys at work. Obviously no one wants to see the wrong man go to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. While they like to see cases closed, most everyone would gladly reopen one if it’s proven that the wrong man is behind bars. I don’t think there’s a soul out there that wouldn’t do the right thing.”

He stared pointedly at Jamie as he spoke, and she warmed inside. Suddenly her determination felt normal, felt right. It was not just a personality glitch on her part, where she wanted to help and care for everyone she came in contact with. She legitimately had information that needed to be shared.

Though his lips tightened with indecision, Ford nodded his head slowly. He came to his feet and began to pace, one work-weathered hand cupping his chin as he thought. All of them were used to his serious ponderings; he did that every time they met to discuss something. It was an endearing quality about him, for it demonstrated his complete concentration on the matter at hand. However, he did take his time when he went into those modes, carefully looking at the situation from all possible angles. The remaining brothers took the opportunity to hit the plate of snacks Isabel brought out while Jamie stared up at the crystal clear night sky. She could see Orion glowing on the horizon, its belt a slash against the night sky. Ford’s property was mostly shielded from the bright city lights, and the dark sky illuminated millions of stars at night. One could get lost staring up at the constellations, and it was a sight that she always enjoyed. She picked out Scorpius first, finding the bright star Antares and tracing it down the scorpion’s tail over to the constellation Sagittarius.

When she was young, her father had brought her camping up in Flagstaff, where they had viewed the M8 nebula through his telescope. He had called it the Lagoon Nebula and then laughed, saying that it looked nothing like a lagoon at all. That trip had been one of the only times she had spent time with her father alone, and she treasured that weekend more than any other memory of the man who had been taken from her life so early.

“I think it goes without saying that Jamie’s pretty much decided to go forward with what she knows… Am I right, Jame?”

Hearing Ford’s voice break into the sound of hearty chewing and an occasional side comment, Jamie tipped her head from the sky back down to the group. Almost in unison, all four pairs of eyes turned in her direction, and she nodded her head with confidence.

“I know it may be an inconvenience, but I think I should be honest and forthcoming and let the cards fall as they may.”

Grady leaned forward and set his plate on the table between their chairs. When he straightened, his face was serious. “What I’ve learned these past few hours is if, and I mean
if
, your information is strong enough to reopen the case, you could be in for a long haul. It may not just be one visit to a lawyer and a signed affidavit. You could be called on multiple times. Are you ready for that?”

Ian nodded his agreement. “And it won’t just be the defense lawyers contacting you. You’ll also be interesting to the prosecutor’s office, too.”

“That could get tricky for you,” Ford mentioned.

“Why tricky?” Jamie asked.

“You may question what you remember and how you remember. Just say what you know for certain. Please don’t try to fill in the blanks in your memory,” Grady said firmly.

“He’s right,” Hayden agreed. The look he sent her way was sympathetic, but Jamie remained determined.

“Also be aware that they will most likely do everything they can to discredit you. That could include your relationship with Clay. They’ll get personal,” Ian added.

She stared at him. “You’re trying to tell me that I could be accused of being on drugs?”

“It’s possible,” Grady admitted. “If they feel reason that it may have a bearing on your testimony.”

 “I have nothing to hide. I never partied with Clay,” she said in a rush. “I had no part of it, and that ruined my marriage.”

“No, it was Clay’s drugs that ruined your marriage,” Ian said softly. “Don’t ever believe otherwise.”

“There are times when I wish things were different, that we both had made different choices, but I suppose it all worked out the way it was supposed to. I’m at the point where I don’t regret leaving him.”

“Good girl,” he said.

“As I said, I have nothing to hide. I’m ready to take this all the way. This man, whatever he’s become, doesn’t deserve to be where he is if he was wrongfully put in prison. I’ll fight for his freedom if he didn’t do it.”

“There aren’t very many people out there that would do the same,” Grady said sadly. Hayden and Ian nodded in agreement. “That makes you a special person, Jamie. But I want to remind you that it’s going to be a long and possibly difficult road ahead of you. Go into it with both eyes open, and if you decide that you can’t devote your attention to this don’t feel bad about backing out now.”

“None of us would ever think differently of you,” Hayden said.

As she considered their words, she realized that she would come to the same decision all over again, no matter who the person was. She could do this; she was convinced she could go all the way.

“If this were one of you,” she said earnestly. “I’d hope and pray that someone could see what good people you are. If any of you were accused of something that you didn’t do, I’d fight to the death to clear your name. Knowing that there was someone out there that held the key to your truth, your honesty, would torture me.

“People today are always willing to believe the negative instead of the positive. No one trusts anyone anymore. You can’t even walk down the street and smile at a stranger without someone wondering what your ulterior motives are. It’s easier to think the worst… People feel safer thinking the worst. Even you boys doubted my ability to judge this man’s character, and it wasn’t until I was able to prove to you that what I knew was accurate that you began to believe me. I understand that I’m going to have to prove myself over and over again, but I know I can do it. This man needs someone to believe in him. Obviously not many do.”

A heavy silence fell among the group until the sound of soft clapping reached their ears. All five pairs of Evans’ eyes travelled in the direction of the French doors, where Isabel stood smiling at Jamie.

“Bravo, darling,” she said lightly. “You’re absolutely correct.”

With the speed of a leopard, Hayden shot to his feet. “I presume you’re here because dinner’s ready?”

While the other men groaned at Hayden’s insensitivity, Jamie smiled. “Thank you Isabel. I’m glad you agree.”

Isabel approached Jamie and took both her hands within her warm ones. “I think what you’re doing is tremendously brave, Jaimita, and I’m proud that you’re my sister.”

As Jamie began to feel choked up again, Ford placed his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “This lovely lady’s right and I think she speaks for all of us.”

The others dutifully nodded their heads, and Jamie stared at each of them in turn. They were smiling at her, and Hayden’s eyes glowed with pride. She felt lucky to have these guys behind her.

She chuckled. “I’ll bet. I bring so much stability to the family.”

Ian winked at her. “Excitement is good… in small doses.”

“Okay then,” Jamie said. “Let’s do this.”

“Can we eat now?” Hayden whined.

***

The lawyer Grady arranged for her to meet had an office in the heart of Phoenix, nestled between the light rail and the contemporary high rises. Ford drove around the block once before pulling into a parking garage within walking distance to the office. While he paused to take the ticket, Jamie pulled down the visor to check her makeup in the mirror. Ford shook his head. It was her third time checking since they had exited the highway. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. In fact, she was scared to death. Her trepidation was not lost on Ford, who pulled in a free space and then reached over to pat her shoulder.