Nightingale

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Secrets

As I stood, wrapped tightly in my mother's arms, I was transported back twenty years. For a moment, I felt like the helpless thirteen-year-old I had been, clinging to my mother for dear life. The scene was almost identical. Warm tears trailed down my cheeks as Chief of Police George Mitchell began his tyrannical ranting on how no one could be in this room but me and my attorney.

Mama pulled away and wiped my cheeks. "I'll be right outside, sweetie. It's going to be okay," she said and turned to leave.

Mr. Weathers cleared his throat. "I won't be able to represent you this time, Sam. Michael needs an attorney, and I can't represent you both," he said. He walked toward me and rubbed my arm reassuringly.

I nodded. "I understand, Mr. Weathers. I don't know why he did what he did."

He winked. "I bet I could guess. But don't you worry about a thing; I've got a call in to one of my partners who is familiar with the Foster case, as well. He should be here any minute."

I looked at Marli, and she nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Weathers. I appreciate the offer but, I have an attorney. She's quite familiar with the Foster case."

He looked at Marli thoughtfully. "Think you can handle this one?"

Marli nodded. "I believe I'm more than qualified. Now...if you all would excuse us, I need to confer with my client." Everyone walked toward the door except for George. "Alone," Marli said authoritatively with a raised eyebrow in George's direction.

George's face turned so red it was almost purple. "Make it quick, counselor," he said mockingly and reached to pick up my notebook. Marli looked momentarily stunned as her eyes rested on the journal. George smiled devilishly. "Yep, another storybook murder. Sure you want to go down that road again, girl?"

I leaned close to Marli's ear and cupped my hands around my mouth. "If he looks at the sketches he'll nail my ass to the wall," I whispered.

Marli recovered quickly. "Did you get a warrant for that?"

"Of course I got a warrant for it," George replied indignantly.

Marli placed her well-manicured hand on her hip. "Then, I suggest you let me see it before you leave this room with that notebook. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm no longer the helpless little girl you raked over the coals twenty years ago."

George flexed his jaw and pulled the warrants out of his back pocket. "You want a fight? You got it," he said and slammed the papers down on the table.

Unshaken by his antics, Marli sat to examine the warrants. The side of her mouth curled as she tried not to smile. "Is this journal your only so called proof against my client?"

"No," he said with agitation. "Her pistol was found lying beside the deceased."

"Where exactly did you attain this notebook, Chief Mitchell?" Marli asked, still smiling.

"In a bag in the backseat of her car," George said warily.

"Then, I suggest you release my client before she takes legal action against you and this department," Marli said confidently.

George crossed his arms over his chest. "She's not going anywhere until the coroner's report comes in. That notebook was legally seized."

Marli smiled widely. "Are you sure, George? Because there are only two warrants here...one for the contents of her home and one for her car."

"Exactly!" George yelled and threw his hands in the air.

"You really are as thick as you were twenty years ago," Marli said under her breath as she opened the warrant for George to read. "The warrant is for her car only, not for the contents inside. As for the pistol, it was stolen out of my client's car sometime last night. She only noticed it was missing this morning when she also noticed the door of her car had been damaged during the robbery. She spoke with Detective Eddie Weathers about it this morning, and he filed the report after bringing my client in for questioning. Her home has been vandalized twice in the last few days. So I suggest you quit railroading my client and find out who is truly responsible for these crimes."