The Perfect Liar (16 page)

"That doesn't make you
incapable
of it."

"But it makes the scenario as Kalyna's describing it unlikely."

She tucked a few tendrils of hair behind ears that were small and delicate and adorned only with simple pearl earrings. "You admit you weren't yourself that night."

He stretched out his legs and slumped lower in his seat. "But I wasn't
violent.
I was looking for escape, and Kalyna offered me a night of mindless sex when I needed it. Had I been thinking, I would've passed. I've never been interested in Kalyna. But...I wasn't thinking, and getting drunk made it worse."

"You said you almost bailed out on her
twice,
" she reminded him.

He shook his head. "Let's not go into that."

"The devil's in the details," she persisted.

"It won't be a comfortable conversation."

"My job seldom allows for comfortable conversation. Necessary but not necessarily comfortable, Captain."

"Fine." He angled his chair away from the teenagers. "The second time was when she didn't want me to use a condom. I insisted on it. I always insist on it."

Ava smoothed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "She claims you
didn't
use any birth control."

"That's a lie!"

"Then how did they find your semen?"

Briefly closing his eyes, he ran his fingers over his eyebrows. "The condom must've broken or leaked. Or she retrieved it after I threw it in the 119

trash."

He knew from the lines forming on her forehead that the mental images he'd created were as vivid in her mind as they were in his and somehow that bugged him. He didn't want to be sitting here talking so explicitly with a stranger, especially a woman, especially
this
woman. She'd probably never made a stupid mistake in her life.

"That's going to pretty great lengths on her part, don't you think?" she asked.

"I know it sounds...unlikely, but I'm not playing you. She was egging me on, trying to spice it up far more than I found appealing. She...she stopped me from going into the bathroom when it was all over--she wanted to do something...different. Otherwise, I would've flushed the condom, instead of just tossing it in the bedroom garbage."

"What different thing did she want to do?"

"There's no way in hell I'm going to describe that for you or anyone else. It was gross. She's...depraved."

At the decisiveness in his response, she backed down. "Fine. I get it.

And now she's lying."

"Yes." The teenagers chose a table nearby, so he lowered his voice even more. "But we should be able to prove that I used a condom. And if we can prove she's lying about that, maybe someone wil believe me about the rest of it."

"How do you plan to prove you used a condom?"

"The wrapper had to go somewhere."

"They went through her trash the morning after."

He knew from her manner what was coming next.

"But there was no wrapper," she said.

He dropped his head in his hands. She'd taken the condom and used it, just as he'd thought, and then flushed it.

"You going to be okay?" she asked.

"It doesn't feel like it," he said but raised his head, anyway. "The wrapper was there when I left. So was the condom. She must've gotten rid of both after putting my semen inside her."

Ava drew circles in the condensation from her glass. "Why? Why would she go to so much trouble to set you up?"

120

"I don't know. Al I can tell you is that she was angry when I left."

"Over what?"

"She wanted me to stay and I wouldn't."

"That's it?"

"For the most part." He shrugged. "Out of nowhere, she started professing her undying love. It made me really uncomfortable to hear her talk like that. I hadn't made any promises, but she got so clingy. She was acting as if she expected us to spend the rest of our lives together. I tried to extricate myself, to explain that she might've misunderstood, but she refused to hear it. She begged me to stay, kept telling me she'd make me happy if I wouldn't leave her."

He tried to read Ava's reaction, but her face was more shuttered than ever. "It was...awkward, upsetting, odd," he said. "So I insisted on leaving before it could get any worse. But when I began to dress, she went berserk.

She kept saying I'd tricked her into believing I actually cared but that I'd used her the way I use all women."

"So she's in love with you, and you don't feel the same way."

"This isn't about love," he said. "It's about...infatuation, or obsession, or revenge, but it's not about love."

"So what did you tell her when you left?" Ava asked.

"I said I was sorry for the confusion and she could call me later if she wanted to talk about it. Otherwise, I'd see her at work. The next thing I knew, the cops were at my door."

Ava tapped the side of her cup with one slim finger. "What about the pictures she showed me? The ones where she's sporting a black eye and a fat lip?"

The police had shown Luke those photographs, too, hoping to elicit a telling reaction. "I can't explain those. She wasn't injured when I left."

Ava remained silent.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

She smoothed those wayward strands of hair again. "I'm not sure."

"Come on. You believe me now, don't you? You don't want me to be telling the truth, but you think I am."

"I don't know what to believe."

"You know
something
isn't right with Kalyna. I can tell. That's got to 121

be part of the reason you called me in the first place. I'm guessing you don't meet with every man who's been accused by one of your clients."

"Not every man who's been accused by one of my clients has your track record." She stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. "Thank you for your time, Captain."

"Wait!" He wanted to catch her by the wrist but didn't dare touch her.

Fortunately, she turned. "Wil you be out there, trying to help Kalyna convict me?" He definitely didn't want this woman working against him. She was tenacious, methodical, smart and seemed to be investing a lot more hours in this case than his own attorney was.

"No."

"Because..."

She tossed her nearly full cup in the trash. "I'm going with my gut on this one."

"And your gut tells you I'm innocent."

She located her keys in her purse. "My gut could be wrong."

"Does that mean you won't help me?" he asked.

"You think I'm going to switch sides?" she said with a laugh.

"I'm the one you should be helping."

"You don't need me. Maybe the investigator--Major Ogitani, isn't that her name?--is gung ho right now. From what I've seen, she's hoping to make an example of you. But I doubt the charges wil stick. Anyone who really looks wil find exactly what I found--a woman who's less than credible pointing a finger at a man she desperately wants but can't have. I doubt they can build a strong enough case to go to trial."

He was feeling a lot better. This was the first good news he'd received since before E. Golnick wrinkled her nose at him as if he was slimier than pond scum. "What makes you say Kalyna's not credible?"

"Your defense team should be able to answer that for you."

"They're weeks behind you," he complained.

"But they're good."

"McCreedy told me not to meet with you." Luke flashed her an appreciative grin. "I'm glad I didn't listen."

"I suggest you take his advice in the future," she said as she left.

122

H
ow was she going to do this--for the second time?

Ava sat in her car even after she reached her houseboat. She had the windows down to take advantage of the perfect sixty-five-degree weather and was staring out at the moon. She'd expected to see the Myerses and the Greenleys, the two couples who owned the houseboats that so often docked where she did, back from their fishing trip, but her boat remained a solitary hulk upon the water.

"Where are they?" she muttered, but she knew she was only trying to distract herself from what she needed to do. She'd been going back and forth on the Kalyna Harter case the entire ride home. She wanted to be sure she was dropping Kalyna as a client because she thought Kalyna was lying and not because she was attracted to the accused. But she wouldn't have had such a positive reaction to Luke if she truly believed him to be a rapist. Everything she'd felt when she was with him told her he wasn't. So she had her answer, didn't she?

Bracing herself for Kalyna's disappointment, she finally picked up her cell phone and dialed. Kalyna wasn't Bella; this was different. It had to be different.

"Hello?"

"Kalyna?"

"Yes?"

"It's Ava Bixby."
Calling to sever ties...again.

"Oh, hi." She sounded surprised and a little wary. "Is...is something wrong?"

"No, not wrong exactly."

"Then why are you calling?"

Ava's car door creaked as she opened it. She shoved it wider with her foot, but made no move to get out. "I'm afraid I have some news you probably won't want to hear."

There was a brief silence. Then Kalyna said, "What is it?"

123

"I've decided I can't take your case, after all."

"What?
But...
why?"
she cried. "Just last night you said you would.

You said it wouldn't be easy but you'd be there for me. How can you break your word?"

"It wasn't a promise, Kalyna. I was hesitant even then, and you know it."

"But what changed your mind?" Her tone became accusing. "Did my sister call you back?"

This question made Ava feel even more convinced that she was making the right choice. "No, she didn't. What would she have said if she did?"

Another pause. "Nothing."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"She's afraid she might've gotten Mom in trouble because of what she admitted to you last night and she feels guilty about it. She doesn't want to be drawn into a family feud. She stil lives at home, has to put up with the backlash. And she doesn't like talking about the past to begin with.

Neither of us do."

Except when there was some advantage to doing it, Ava thought.

Then Kalyna seemed plenty ready to talk--in great detail. "Kalyna, I have no doubt you had a difficult childhood. I feel terrible about that. But if you're lying about Luke Trussell, you'd better stop, because you could be prosecuted yourself."

"I'm not lying!" she snapped. "How can you accuse me of that on top of what I've been through? You have no idea what it was like when he attacked me. I thought he'd
kil
me! I have nightmares about it every night."

Ava couldn't help herself; she had to ask. "You
honestly
feared for your life, Kalyna?"

"Yes! He was so...angry and violent. And the brutal way he held me down and forced my legs apart..."

Ava squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to think of Luke with Kalyna, was glad she wouldn't have to now that she was taking herself off the case. "You already told me what happened. There's no need to go into it again."

"But you don't believe me!"

124

Ava wanted to accuse her of lying, to demand the truth, but she knew that would only make this call more difficult. The case would get sorted out without her. "I just don't see how I can be of any value to you."

"What does that mean? You're looking for an excuse--
any
excuse--

not to do your job."

"That's not true."

"Then what went wrong? Are you giving up because you don't like me? Is that it? Is it personal?"

"It isn't personal at all, Kalyna." Ava began gathering up her briefcase, purse and the bag of groceries she'd bought on the way home.

"It's a business decision. I have to be careful with the charity's assets."

"I'm not good enough for the charity's assets?" she shouted. "I haven't suffered enough? You're useless, you know that? You couldn't help anyone if you tried!"

Ava was tempted to come right back at her, but if she wasn't going to be involved, what was the point? It was better to avoid an argument. "I'm afraid we take on only a select number of cases, and there isn't sufficient evidence here to determine guilt, that's all." Proud of her restraint and professionalism, she drew a deep breath. She wasn't going to let Kalyna get under her skin.

"You don't know that," Kalyna said. "We were just getting started.

Come on, stick with me!"

"No, definitely not." Ava's arms were too full, so she set the groceries back in the seat. "I've made up my mind, Kalyna. I'm sorry."

"What good is a victims' charity if it won't help when you really need it?"

"We assist those we can."

"So what do you expect me to do?" Her voice rose to a whine. "Let him off?"

"That's not your decision anymore. It's up to the prosecutor. But there isn't enough evidence to convict him, so I'm guessing they'l drop the charges at some point."

"You're wrong! He deserves to be punished. And Major Ogitani will see to it."

Ava considered explaining that unless something else came to light, 125

Major Ogitani wouldn't have a choice. But she bit her tongue. Sooner or later, Kalyna would find out for herself. "Good luck."

"That's it?" Kalyna said. "I come to you, beaten and bruised and crying for help, and you turn me away? What kind of person are you?"

Despite the little voice in her head that warned her to keep her mouth shut, Ava couldn't resist. "What kind of person are
you
?" she replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Did you call Luke Trussell last night, Kalyna? Did you tell him you wanted to feel him inside you?"

"No!"

"What if I told you part of that call was recorded?" She held her breath, wondering if Kalyna would fall for it.

Dead silence suggested Kalyna assumed she'd been caught.

"And how did you
really
get those injuries?" Ava asked.

"You're an evil bitch," Kalyna screamed. "I hope you burn in hell!"

A click signaled that she'd hung up.

Trembling, Ava turned off her phone. The venom in Kalyna's parting words had surprised her. She hadn't expected the call to go smoothly, but such palpable hate was beyond anything she'd ever experienced.