Law of Love

11

April turned into May and May turned to June, and eventually, September was upon them, and as Stevie was dropping Kate off at school she caught sight of a young girl and a set of parents who looked to be in a heated argument. She just shook her head, hugged the first-grader goodbye and on her way to work she stopped at the CVS Pharmacy. She didn't know why but she did, as far as she knew there was still no sign of them having a baby. At 48 Stevie was losing hope but she wasn't going to say anything to Lindsey. She had drawn a line in the sand and she wasn't going to cross it, but the pregnancy test she shoved in her office desk was eating at her. She had missed a period but she wasn't sure if it was menopause or pregnancy it had only been a week. 

When she got to work the pile of files on her desk was eating at her, but she needed to know. The psychic expressed a baby in her tea leaves back in February and now here they were in September, about seven months later and she still had no little baby to hold. It almost felt like her uterus was aching. 

She huffed at the pile of papers but she shrugged and grabbed the test. She took it out of the box and slid it up her sleeve holding it in place with her fingertips and made her way to the staff bathroom. As she was walking back to her office, the test not completely settled, still tucked into her sleeve, Tom Petty walked up to her. 

"So Stevie, you're one of my best friends." Tom starts.

"Oh no, what do you want?" She questions.

"Not much...try to win this one, though. She's got a lot against her." Tom smirks handing her the file. The title of it, People vs. Illene Kene--Lindsey Buckingham.

"Tom, If I'm going against Lindsey there is no way that I am going to win. If it was Paul Stanley, maybe." Stevie sighs.

"I know, we barely win against your husband, you won the Deluca case, the Carter case, and so many others. The only ones you haven't won are Lindsey's and I understand that. I have never even won a case against Lindsey. I'm pretty sure Dave Hawkman is the only one that has. I'm giving you this case because it deals with a delicate situation and even though you're trying to prosecute it I think you'll be able to handle it slightly better because you're a woman. It's about a mistress and a spousal killing.  And you are the best woman I have in this office. Just sit down and look at these files. I think you'll be surprised at everything we have that could indefinitely put her in jail." Tom smiles patting her back and walking away. 

Stevie buries herself in her work and eventually forgets to look at the pregnancy test until she goes to lunch and she can see it sticking out of her purse. She looks at it and brings her hand to her mouth tears welling up in her eyes. She was going to have a baby. 

***

September 18, 1997

Her doctor had informed her that she was about 6 weeks along, and she was over the moon, walking into the courthouse she saw Lindsey at the food stand, she hadn't told him yet and she thinks she wants to wait just in case things end up how they did the first time she was pregnant. 

"Hey, Steph." He smiles.

"Hi. New suit, do you like it?" Stevie questions motioning to the brand new black pinstripe suit she had gotten a few days prior. 

"Love it." He grins as she pulls out her purse and pays for his meal.

"I understand you've taken on Ilene Kene. Interesting how she pointed a gun at a security guard and was found over the dead body of her husband, with the gun in her hand." Stevie asks. 

"She's admitted to all of that." Lindsey sighs shoving his hotdog in his mouth. 

"Then how could you possibly think she's innocent," Stevie whispers. 

"There was a witness. A girl, and if I could just find that witness." Lindsey whines. 

"Have you read the residue report?" Stevie questions. 

"Well of course I have...do you think you could swing for a Coke?" Lindsey turns to her.

"Fine....Coke," 

"Diet." the cashier says.

"Diet?" Stevie hollers back to Lindsey he makes a face but then nods his head.

"Diet is fine, thank you." Stevie walks back over to Lindsey, "the residue report shows that she had powder all over hands, so she obviously fired the gun and killed her husband. 

"Well, there were two shots several seconds apart." Lindsey states.

"That just means she shot him twice." Stevie gasps

"That doesn't make any sense. The coroner's report said that each shot was fatal, so why shoot him twice. It doesn't stand a reason." Lindsey states.

"Oh come on, we aren't talking about reason." Stevie shakes her head.

"We're not?" Lindsey asks looking at her.

"No, we're talking hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Stevie leans in and whispers to him. 

"Oh, who doesn't know that. Ilene Kene is jealous, excitable, high strung, and she can hold a grudge, but she did not kill her husband. Somebody besides Sean Kene and the witness was in that apartment when Ilene got up there, that person killed him and when Ilene collapsed he put the gun in her hand and fired the second shot." Lindsey explains.

"That is some incredible story." Stevie starts laughing.

"It is isn't it." Lindsey smiles.

"Yeah, well I don't buy it. Enjoy your lunch." Stevie grabs his hand and brings the hotdog to her mouth before taking a bite, nudging him, and walking away. 

***

In court, Stevie is up for the first witness.

"And you are the security guard at the Santa Monica Apartment Complex." 

"For seven years now,  yes." The guard responds.

"Were you working the night of Sean Kene's murder?"

"I was."

"Did anything unusual happen that night." 

"Yes, a woman came in waving a gun, demanding to know where Mr. Kene was."

"What did you do?" 

"She had a gun on me so I used my key to let her upstairs." 

"And then what did you do?" 

"I called the police, and when they arrived I went outside to meet them. That's when we heard the gunshot so we went upstairs to the penthouse."

"And what did you find in that penthouse?"

"The dead man and next to him was the woman from the lobby with the gun in her hand."

"Can you identify that woman?"

"Yes, I can."

"Is she here in the courtroom?"

"She is."

"Could you point her out?" 

As the man points to Ilene, the doors to the courtroom burst open and a girl wearing all black comes running in.

"Your honor. I want to testify."