A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 14

Brady and Sidney's father, Todd, arrived at her apartment early in the afternoon. Thankfully, the police were not there because the door was still locked. He hoped they could still get there before Pierson's people. As soon as the door opened, he breathed a sigh of relief because there were no signs of a search.

"Ok, Todd, Sidney told me she hid the flash drive in her underwear drawer. There's no good way to do this, so do you want to search for it, or do you want me to look?"

Todd thought for a second about that question. On the one hand, he didn't want Brady searching through her underwear, but neither did he want to do it either. "I guess I will," he said hesitantly as he moved toward her bedroom. Todd opened the top drawer of the chest of drawers and found the flash drive. He handed the drive to Brady, unsure of what to do next. Brady found her laptop and powered it up.

"We have to be sure it's the right one," Brady told him as he put in the password that Sidney gave him. "Don't worry, you don't have to watch them." It didn't take long to authenticate the drive. "It's the right one. Let's get back to your place, and I'll give you both the rundown on the case. Oh, and make sure we leave everything the way we found it."

They avoided discussing Sidney's predicament while driving back to Todd's home. He wouldn't say it, but Brady had known Todd long enough to know when he was upset and trying to put on a brave face. He didn't press the issue in the car; it was better to talk to Todd and Sophia together so he could answer their questions at once.

The men went into the home after they arrived and found Sophia sitting on the couch, softly sobbing to herself. When she saw them, she hardly acknowledged their presence. Todd sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Brady could tell this was not going to be easy.

"I know you both probably have a lot of questions, so I'm going to try and talk you through this, and hopefully, that will answer some of them," Brady began, "Honestly, things don't look good for her. After talking with the DA, he's already offered a deal to her. If she doesn't accept it and goes to trial, he's going after a twenty-five to life sentence." Brady saw that the news shook Sophia. Todd continued to play the strong man, but he knew Todd too well to believe it.

"Look, I believe her. I've known Sidney all her life, and she would never do something like this without good reason. But I also know who is pushing all of this behind the scenes."

Todd looked up with a mix of sadness and anger. "How much do you know about this Pierson guy?" The question was not one of recognition since everyone in Warrenton knew who the Piersons were but one of familiarity. "How do you know so much about him?"

"First off, I don't know him very well personally. We've met a few times in the course of business. What I know about him comes from a lot of different sources. He's a man who can be as charming as anyone, but there is a cruel side of him that few know about. Rumors have it that he runs several criminal enterprises, but nothing ever sticks to him. The rumor is that he practically controls the DA's office and even has judges in his back pocket. None of that can be proven, of course."

"What does that mean for my baby girl?" Sophia spoke up.

"I don't know. As I said, the DA seems out for blood, and I think it's likely that Pierson's influence is behind it. Basically, they are holding all the cards right now." He could tell this wasn't giving them much comfort. Honestly, he didn't feel too confident, either. "I promise I will fight this as long as I have to and do whatever I can to bring her home. That deal may be the only way to keep her from spending much of her life in prison. There is also a safety aspect. Pierson may try to come after her if he doesn't get his way. If he does, I shudder to think what he will do to her."

"Luke, is there anything we can do to help?" Todd asked. Brady could hear the helplessness in his voice.

"You can pray. Stay positive, especially when you talk to Sidney, but keep her expectations manageable. Hope for the best, but expect the worst. The bail hearing is Monday morning, and we'll know more about what to expect then."

They talked for a while longer before Brady got up to leave. Todd walked him to the door to question him further. "Luke, you seem worried. Tell me, do you think you can win in a trial?" Brady wanted to go into the speech about how unpredictable trials were and that anything can happen. He wanted to tell him he could prove her innocence and that she acted in self-defense, but Todd was his oldest friend, and he didn't want to lie.

"Todd, it's not unwinnable. Hell, under normal circumstances, I would probably say she stood a good chance of being cleared. But to say she's gotten mixed up with the wrong people is an understatement. They have resources and influence, and they know enough things about the right people that it makes it hard to fight back. Sarah and I never had children, and I love that girl as my own, so I will do my best."

"I know you will, Luke. Thank you."

With that, he left their home, hoping he could do what he promised them.