Redress of Grievances (14 page)

"Did
she lose her temper in front of you?"

"Once,
but Parker told her she was wrong."

"What
was she angry about?"

"We
had an engagement party at the Collinses' house over Thanksgiving, and everyone
seemed to be having a good time. After about an hour, Sharon and her husband
got into an argument and he left. I had never heard her raise her voice before,
but her blood pressure was certainly elevated that night."

"Do
you know what they argued about?"

Shaking
her head, Paige said, "By the time I realized they had been arguing, Frank
had already slammed the door and left."

"Have
you set your wedding date yet?" Harriett smiled.

"Next
winter is as close as we've come so far. It depends on when the legislature
adjourns for the holiday and whether there are any late sessions."

"Well,
congratulations. I hope you'll be very happy. How is Alex taking it?"

"Like
an older sister. She thinks Parker is too old for me."

"She'll
get over it as soon as she has nieces and nephews to bounce on her knee,"
Harriett smiled.

"Somehow
that is a picture I just cannot imagine," Paige laughed as she got up.

"I
appreciate your time, Paige. I wanted to get a feel for what kind of person
Sharon is from someone besides a family member."

"If
there's anything I can do to help, I will, Harriett. I know Parker trusts you
to do what's best for Sharon, and I'm sure this will all turn out to be a huge
mistake."

FOR SEVERAL
MINUTES, Harriett read over the notes she had taken during the interviews, but
she was tired of being cooped up in the glass and steel office tower. As she
was placing her pen and pad back in her briefcase, Alex came into the room.

"Ready
for some lunch?" she asked.

"I
should go over these notes again," Harriett said.

Alex
frowned and walked to the table. Placing her hand on Harriett's briefcase, she
flipped it shut.

"Enough
is enough. You've been in here taking statements all morning. You need to get
your mind as well as your body out of here for a while," she said.
Lowering her voice, she looked intensely at Harriett. "You're not going to
be able to avoid me, Harriett. I'm suggesting lunch. Nothing else. Now can we
please go?"

"Our
agreement was that I wouldn't be taking orders from anyone at Winston and
Dunne," Harriett said as she stood up.

"On
the case you won't be. This isn't about the case."

Impulsively,
Alex kissed her, catching her off guard. The softness of her lips hadn't
changed and neither had the knot Harriett got in the pit of her stomach when
Alex kissed her. She didn't resist the kiss and stopped thinking about
complicating her case as her lips parted slightly, inviting Alex's exploration.
She had been living a long time with only the memory of Alex's kiss, hoping to
find someone else who could make her feel the same way. Alex drew her so close
that she could barely breathe, kissing her repeatedly. When she finally pulled
away and took Harriett's face in her hands, they were both as breathless as if
they had made love.

"Damn,"
Harriett said, resting her forehead against Alex's.

"I
hope this won't complicate your life and distract you from your case,"
Alex said softly as she stroked Harriett's hair.

"Me,
too," Harriett said, looking at her former lover. "But I'm still not
ready to rush into anything, Alex."

"All
I want to rush into right now is lunch," Alex smiled. "At my age,
just the thought of sex makes me hungry."

Harriett
laughed as they headed toward the conference room door.

Chapter
Thirteen

THE
DRIVE FROM Dallas to Lake Texoma gave Harriett a chance to clear her mind and
think. She was torn between wanting to revive her relationship with Alex and
knowing logically it was something she should avoid. It would be the simplest
thing in the world to sleep with Alex and feel wanted again, but the timing
couldn't be worse and she felt like kicking herself. Less than forty-eight
hours after coming into her life again, Alex had managed to erase eleven years
as though they had been eleven days.

By
the time she turned off the highway onto the road that traced the edge of the
lake, she was beginning to feel depressed. She wasn't even sure Wayne would be
at the cabin. When it finally came into sight, she was glad to see a lone
figure sitting on the edge of the fishing pier. The man turned when he heard
the vehicle coming his way. The last time Wayne Graham had seen her she hadn't
been driving a truck. Stepping out of the cab of the truck, she waved in
Wayne's direction, and he seemed unsure whether to wave back or not. Removing
her sunglasses, she squinted into the reflection of the sunlight off the water
and went toward him. She was nearly to him before he recognized her.

"Got
an extra fishing rod?" she asked with a smile.

"In
the cabin," he said looking up at her. "What the hell brings you up
here, kiddo?"

She
squatted down next to her old friend and rested an arm on his shoulder.
"I'm here to offer you a job."

"And
give all this up? Forget it."

Harriett
reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a handful of bills, waving
them under his eyes.

"How
much?" he asked.

"Three
thousand. For starters."

"Must
be some case."

"Maybe.
That's why I need you, Wayne."

"Well,
for that kind of cash, it ain't some dude screwin' his secretary, that's for
damn sure."

"Murder
times four."

Wayne
turned his head and looked at her. "Fuck, Harriett, can't you ever find a
client who's content just to knock off one other person? How'd you get stuck
with this one?"

"It
was a referral," she said, looking out over the lake.

"From
who? Dunne?"

Wayne
knew from her silence that he was right.

"You
ain't gettin' mixed up with that dame again, are you?"

"No,"
she lied.

"Right,"
he said and Harriett knew he didn't believe her. "You check the warrant
this time?"

"All
the paperwork's in order, and they have the weapon with her prints on it. I
might not be able to win this one, Wayne, but I need to find enough to get the
sentence lessened."

"Now
why would you want to do that for someone who up and killed four people?"

"That's
what they pay me to do."

"You
over Wilkes yet?"

"No.
Are you?"

"Sometimes
I make it a whole week without thinking about that son of a bitch. Wish I'd
never told you about that warrant," Wayne said.

"Me,
too."

"Maybe
he is a fruitcake, and he'll never get out of the loony bin."

"He
wrote me once," Harriett said softly as she shifted her eyes to the lake.
"Right after I moved to Austin."

"How'd
he find out where you were?"

"I
don't know."

"What'd
he say? Thanks?"

Clearing
her throat, Harriett looked at Wayne and attempted a smile.

"He
said he'd come to visit me someday."

"You
reported it, I hope."

"I'm
supposed to be contacted if he's ever released."

"It's
been nearly twelve years. Think they'll remember?"

"Hope
so. Will you take this job?"

"I
guess I've caught about every fish in this lake at least once. Might as well.
In Austin?"

"Dallas.
I need for you to interview the client's co-workers and friends. I'm having a
hard time getting a feel for what kind of person she is."

"A
woman? Well, that's a new wrinkle. You staying in Dallas?"

"I'm
going back to Austin in the morning. It's going to take a while for this to
come to trial, and I'll be filing for a change of venue. Right now there's no
reason for a judge to grant that. We'll see what the press does once they get
more involved in the case. I might need you to do a little Deep Throat work for
me."

"Whip
up publicity for the case? Ain't that illegal?"

"Not
unless you get caught and snitch on me," Harriett smiled.

"I'll
start first thing in the a.m."

Pulling
a folded sheet of legal paper from her jacket, she handed it to him.

"This
is the who, what, when, and where. Don't know the why. I'll book you a room for
a week at the Hyatt. Winston and Dunne will bill it out to the client later. If
you need more money, they've set up a separate expense account for you. Just
contact Doug or Alex, and they'll cut you a check."

"What's
the limit?"

"There
isn't one."

"I
see a whole lot of room service in my future," Wayne chuckled. "Grab
a rod."

"I
have to get back to Dallas. I want to see my client again before I leave for
Austin."

"You'll
be sorry. The granddaddy of all bass is waiting out there."

Patting
Wayne on the back, she said, "To come this close to shore he'd have to
have a death wish."

"Give
me about a week, and I'll bring whatever I find to Austin. Haven't had the
chance to witness our state government in action for a while."

"We'll
have a room ready for you. Thanks, Wayne," she said, kissing his cheek.

He
stopped her as she started to walk away, "Hey, I like the truck."

AT
FOUR O'CLOCK Thursday afternoon, Harriett entered the back door of the George
Allen Center for the last time. The next morning, the family would release a
statement to the press announcing that she had been retained to represent
Sharon Taggart, as well as their faith that Sharon was innocent of the charges
against her. It would be the same old bullshit families always said. After
passing inspection, she waited for Sharon to be brought to her. There was a
reassuring sameness to the way people were handled in jail.

When
Sharon was finally seated across from her, Harriett looked at the shy woman,
and somehow the word murderer didn't come to mind.

"Did
you get the pictures?" she asked.

"Yes.
Thank you."

"I've
arranged for your father to bring your children for a visit later this
evening."

"I
don't want them to see me here."

"You'll
meet with them in a conference room on the second floor. No bars, but you won't
be able to see your father there. Someone else will bring the children to the
room. It's not likely they'd be smuggling a weapon in for you. I can't do
anything about the coveralls though."

"That's
all right. They'll like the bright orange. You're very kind, Ms. Markham."

"How
old are your children, Sharon?"

"Kevin
is four and Laurel is almost two. Do you have children?"

"A
niece who's eighteen. I became her guardian when she was two, after her parents
were killed."

Sharon
smiled. "She'll be leaving home soon then."

"I've
spoken to your mother, as well as other members of your family."

"That
must have been depressing for you," Sharon chuckled.

"They're
all concerned about you, Sharon. I've agreed to take your case. They'll
announce it tomorrow."

"Thank
you."

"I'll
be returning to Austin in the morning after I meet with the prosecutor assigned
to your case, so we need to go over a few things before I leave. Feel up to a
few more questions?"

"Well,
I was going to watch the soaps on TV, but I suppose it can wait," Sharon
quipped. Then she looked at Harriett. "Sorry. Poor attempt at humor."

"It's
important that you keep your spirits up if you can. I've retained a private
investigator to interview some of your co-workers and friends for me."

"Why?
They won't know anything."

"We
might need some character witnesses later. Have you ever had any trouble with
any of your co-workers?"

"No."

"Do
you like your job?"

"It
pays the bills," she shrugged.

"Do
they find your work satisfactory?"

"I
get good evaluations."

"Has
Frank come to see you yet?"

Sharon
shook her head.

"Well,
I'm sure he will soon."

"It
probably doesn't matter, and he's busy with Kevin and Laurel."

"Frank
told me that you don't like to be grabbed. That true?"

"Yes."

"Is
it just a phobia?"

Sharon's
eyes met Harriett's, "Do you enjoy being grabbed?"

"Depends
on who it is," Harriett smiled. "Sometimes a man might grab a woman
when they're horsing around. It's not uncommon between husbands and
wives."