The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 43

The following day, Luke Brady and Erin Harper met with the assistant district attorney. The meeting began mid-morning and was still in progress when Barnes arrived at the station. She walked in and sat at her desk, waiting for the session to end. She knew Taylor attended the meeting. 

While waiting, she decided to call the hospital to check up on Dr. Harper. When the nurse answered the phone, she transferred the call to the doctor on call for the weekend. "Detective Barnes, I'm Dr. Matthews, and I'm on call this weekend. Dr. Harper has regained consciousness and looks like he will pull through. I won't lie; he will probably need a lot of rehab over the next several weeks, but we think he should make a nearly complete recovery. He's also asking about his wife, but I wasn't sure what to tell him."

"That is a tough question to answer, Doctor Matthews. When do you think he will be on his feet again?"

"We've already had him up walking. He should be able to come home soon, maybe Monday after Dr. Sawyer sees him. What should I tell him about his wife?"

"Tell him we have her in our protection, and he should be able to see her soon. Thanks, doc," she said as she hung up the phone. She decided to clean up some paperwork while she waited for the meeting to end. She must have lost track of time because she was nearly startled when Taylor approached her desk.

"I hope you're off the clock because the chief said she wasn't going to approve any overtime," he said. "That's probably not why you're here, is it?"

"No," she responded, "how did it go in there?"

Before he could answer, Luke Brady met the two detectives at Barnes' desk. "Well, it was a disappointment," he said as he cut his eyes over at Taylor. "We agreed to a plea deal, but I couldn't get the DA to budge on some charges. The gun charge and some of the more serious charges she was able to plead down to, but he wouldn't accept the blackmail explanation. Ultimately, she will have to serve 18 months in Helen Palmer."

"Eighteen months? Did you tell him about her husband's condition? Did he not take into consideration how much she helped us?" Barnes retorted.

"I told him all of that," Taylor said. "He argued that she had a lot of opportunities to go to law enforcement before the kidnapping. We tried to get him to settle for probation, but he wouldn't budge."

"The feds were much more forgiving for once. They granted full immunity in exchange for her testimony against Rutland," Brady told her. "She's going to be arraigned on Monday morning."

"We'll be transferring her to the county jail later this afternoon," Taylor interjected.

"Is there any way we can keep her here a little longer?" Barnes asked.

"Why?" asked Taylor in return.

"Her husband is awake. I'd like for her to see him before the transfer. At least give her a chance to explain things to him herself."

"I don't know, Barnes," Taylor said.

"Roger, it would be beneficial for all parties involved if she could see her husband," Brady added.

"I'll see what I can do. No promises."

Several minutes later, in the lock-up, Erin sat on her bed silently. When Barnes arrived to see her, Erin was resigned to her fate. She didn't look over at Barnes when she got there. "I'm okay, Detective Barnes. I've been preparing myself for this for the last several days."

"I'm sorry, I am. Detective Taylor and I did everything we could for you."

"I know you did, and for what it's worth, I'm grateful for what you've done for me."