Redress of Grievances (28 page)

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

"YES,
WHY?"

"The
victim is...or was a student there, too."

"Let
me see that," Harriett said, setting her fork down. She quickly scanned
the small article. "Jesus, I know this girl."

Glancing
over her shoulder toward the stairs leading to her niece's room, Harriett said,
"She's still asleep. I should tell her before she finds out some other
way. I'm sorry, Jess."

"Go
take care of her. Can I use your phone for a minute?"

"Sure.
It's in the kitchen."

While
Jess was gone, Harriett went upstairs and looked into Lacey's bedroom. Only a
swatch of blonde hair could be seen from under the covers. Sitting on the edge
of the bed, she gently rubbed Lacey's back. Stretching and groaning loudly,
Lacey opened her eyes and smiled at her aunt. "Just getting home?"
she teased.

"No,
but I got home late and didn't want to wake you," Harriett said.

Sitting
up and plumping up her pillow, Lacey leaned back and said mischievously,
"I want details, all the gory details."

"Maybe
later, Lace. I'm afraid I have some bad news, sweetheart," she frowned as
she reached out and pushed a strand of hair from Lacey's face. "Corey
Chandler was killed last night. It was in this morning's paper."

For
a moment, Lacey didn't react, too stunned to speak. "How....," she
finally managed.

"I
don't know any more than I've told you right now. The paper didn't have any
details," Harriett said softly. Taking Lacey into her arms and hugging her
tightly, she whispered, "I'm so sorry, honey."

When
Harriett released her, a tear was making its way down the teenager's cheek.
"I should call Devon. We saw her last night."

"Come
downstairs and I'll fix you something to eat," Harriett offered.

"That's
okay, Aunt Harriett. I'm not very hungry."

She
left Lacey as she was dialing Devon's number. She found Jess sitting at the
kitchen table, writing notes on a legal pad Harriett kept near the phone.

"Is
she all right?" Jess asked as Harriett rested her hands on her shoulders
and looked at the legal pad.

"I
think so. What's this?"

"I
just got a few more details from a friend of mine at APD. This is the second case
like this in as many weeks. Last week it was a UT freshman named Marion
Alexander."

"Are
you involved in the investigation?" Harriett asked as she sat down next to
Jess.

"Only
in a peripheral way. I ran the last case through the offender files, but didn't
get any hits on the MO. Must be a new freak in town."

"Did
the first girl die the same way?"

"Raped
and strangled after being picked up in a club. Apparently no one saw anything
suspicious either time."

"What
about the autopsy reports? Were either of them drugged?"

"Marion
Alexander was clean and the tox report on Corey Chandler won't be ready for a
few days. Why all the questions, Harriett?"

"Corey
was a classmate of Lacey's," Harriett shrugged. "I'm just
concerned." A niggling feeling crept into Harriett's mind, but she shook
it off when Lacey came into the kitchen wearing a bathrobe pulled tightly
around her. Sitting at the table, she pulled her feet up under her and
hand-brushed hair over her head revealing red-rimmed eyes.

"Are
you all right?" Harriett asked as she placed her hand on Lacey's knee.

Lacey
nodded. "Devon is coming over in about an hour. We're going to the
Chandlers' for a few minutes."

Looking
at Jess, Harriett said, "Lacey and her boyfriend saw Corey last
night."

"When
did you see her, Lacey?" Jess asked quietly.

"After
the movie, about eleven, I think."

"Was
she with anyone?"

"She
was with a couple of other girls from school. She told us she had her sister's
ID, and they were going to a club for a few laughs," Lacey said as tears began
to form in her eyes again.

"Did
she mention which club?" Jess inquired.

Lacey
shook her head and blinked, letting a tear escape and roll down her cheek.
"I should have asked, but kids at school do that kind of thing all the
time. I should have tried to talk her out of it."

"It
wasn't your fault," Jess said strongly. "There's no way you could
have known what would happen. Were you very close to Corey?"

"We
had some classes together and used to hang around together a lot. Then we both
started dating and sort of drifted apart. She told me a few days ago that she
had met someone she really liked.'

"Another
student?" Jess asked.

"No,
she said he was older. She thought he was a grad student at UT."

"Do
you know a girl named Marion Alexander?"

"I
don't think so. The name doesn't ring a bell," Lacey answered.

Later
that morning Harriett followed Jess to her Durango and waited for her to get
settled behind the wheel. "I'm sorry about Lacey's friend, Harriett,"
she said. "Will she be okay?"

"It
might take a while, but I'm sure she'll be fine," Harriett smiled.

"I'll
call you tomorrow," Jess said as she turned the key in the ignition.

"Better
let me call you. I have a client from Dallas whose trial has been moved here.
She's supposed to arrive tomorrow. After that I'm afraid my work schedule is
going to be pretty erratic."

Pulling
a pen from her visor, Jess wrote her home phone and pager number on the back of
a business card. "You can always reach me at my cell number," she
smiled as she handed Harriett the card.

Leaning
into the vehicle, Harriett hugged her tightly and kissed her. "I
will
call
soon," she whispered emphatically.

"DO
WE KNOW where the prosecution team is staying in Austin?" Harriett asked
Nick as they went over their case notes and the faxes Wayne had sent of the
ballistic reports.

"The
Red Lion."

"I'll
contact them later about my new motions. Ought to make their day."

"Do
we know when our other experts are flying in?"

"Olson
is in the air even as we speak, but Renick can't get away until Wednesday. A car
is picking Olson up and bringing him here late today," Nick said.
"How soon do you think it'll be before the trial begins?"

"A
few weeks," Harriett said. "Wayne told me the prosecution expert will
be Donald Stevenson. I need to know everything about him, anything I can use to
attack his testimony."

"What's
wrong with him?" Nick asked.

"Another
player from the Wilkes case," she explained. "Stevenson always
testifies for the prosecution in cases like this. Wrote the book on disproving multiple
personality as a defense. After the Wilkes case, he founded some organization
back east devoted to debunking claims of insanity and has been very successful
since then. He and Renick aren't on the best of terms, so we'll have to make
sure they don't accidentally run into each other."

"Are
you going to see Sharon when she arrives?" Nick asked.

"Since
she's my client, I don't have much of a choice."

"I'll
go with you," Nick offered.

"I
can handle it," she said.

"But..."

"I
said I can handle it, Nick. Just make sure your calendar will be clear when we
get ready to pick the jury," Harriett said.

WHEN
SHE RECEIVED the phone call notifying her of Sharon Taggart's arrival, she
wasn't looking forward to seeing her client. Before leaving her office, she
placed a call to Judge Howard Landers's office requesting a time to present her
motions. Then she called Sean Lassiter and gave him the time for the motion
hearing the next morning at the Travis County Courthouse.

A
little after three Harriett was waiting for Sharon to join her. The time for
niceties had passed.

"It's
crunch time, Sharon," she said as soon as the woman sat down. "You
can't be bullshitting me from now on. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Tomorrow
morning, I'm amending your plea to not guilty by reason of mental defect. The
prosecution will be playing hardball from then on. This is the only chance you
have to avoid prison and rebuild your life."

"But
I didn't do anything, Ms. Markham," Sharon said softly.

"Yes,
you did, Sharon. The evidence is strong enough to prove it. Tomorrow and
Wednesday my last two experts are going to evaluate you. After that, at least
one expert for the State will evaluate you. We'll probably be in court in two
or three weeks."

"Wait,"
Sharon frowned. "I don't understand. This is too confusing."

Harriett
looked at Sharon. "I know you don't understand, Sharon. You'll have to
trust me more than you've ever trusted anyone before. Can you do that?"

"Yes,"
Sharon said after a pause.

"Good.
The last time I saw you we were talking about Parker. Do you remember
that?"

"Yes."

"Do
you remember any of Parker's friends?"

"No."

"None
of them?"

"I
don't remember their names now. It's been so long."

"Have
you ever seen any of them around Dallas?"

"No."

Getting
nowhere with her client, Harriett took a chance and decided to change tactics.

"Frank
will be here for the trial. I talked to him this morning."

"Really?"

"He
said he couldn't wait to see you again. He asked if I could arrange a conjugal
visit here. It shouldn't be a problem," Harriett said as she doodled on
her legal pad and waited. When she finally looked up at Sharon, she tossed a
pack of cigarettes on the table in front of her client and asked, "Do you
need a cigarette?"

"What
I don't need is a fuckin' conjugal visit with Frank fuckin' Taggart!"

"You
handled him the last time, Jan. It's important that your family appears to be
supportive."

"They're
not my family, they're hers. You still pissed because I told you about me and
Alex?"

"Why
should I be? That's ancient history."

"I
thought we agreed to tell each other the truth, Harriett."

"I
am telling the truth. Alex and I no longer have a relationship. Would you like
to tell me about Parker's friends?"

"I
already told you I fucked them."

"Were
you alone with them?"

"Parker
was always there, watching. I think it turned him on, you know."

"Did
Sharon ever resist what was happening?"

"She
tried, but hell, she was too little to put up much of a fight."

"Did
Parker keep her from resisting?"

"He'd
put his hand over her mouth and tell his buddies to hurry up. Usually in the
middle of this fun and games Sharon would go away and leave me stuck with
it."

"This
is tough, Jan. I wish I didn't have to know so much."

"What
the hell," Jan shrugged. "One thing for sure, no one's ever going to
hurt me or her again. How specific do you want?"

"I
have to establish the sexual abuse to make the case."

Jan
took a deep breath before beginning. "Parker would get her ready for
company. Isn't that a quaint way of putting it? Anyway, at first, I didn't come
out until she couldn't stand it any longer. Later, I would appear when she knew
company was coming."

"Didn't
you fight back?"

"Once,
but it made Parker really mad."

"What
did he do?"

"Nearly
smothered me to death with his hand. I might have passed out. I can't remember
much about that time. When Parker's friends got to the house, they would come
to Sharon's room two at a time with Parker and do their thing one after the
other while Parker talked to her, so she wouldn't think about it. She...I was
just this... this thing on the bed."

"How
old was Sharon when this stopped?"

"About
thirteen or fourteen, I think. The last time was pretty bad."

"Different
from the other times?"

"Yeah.
She had to be taken to a hospital."

Harriett
cleared her throat, "What happened?"

Jan's
hand was shaking as she placed a cigarette between her lips, lit it, and
inhaled deeply.

"Things
just got out of hand. Parker told them it would be the last time. He was leaving
for college the next week. When his friends found that out, they called all
their friends who might want one last piece of ass. I don't remember what time
they started."

"Where
were her parents?"

"Some
social function."

"Do
you know what time they left?"