Reasonable Doubt Read online

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  What Reviewers Say About Carsen Taite’s Work

  By the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  About the Author

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  Synopsis

  After a tumultuous career as a criminal defense attorney, Ellery Durand enjoys life without tales of drugs, death, and double-crossing. Until she wakes up one morning to find her bank accounts frozen, her face on the front page, and the peace she’s come to treasure shattered in the wake of an FBI investigation. Can she convince the agent in charge to trust her? Can she trust the feelings that grow between them?

  After years investigating heinous crimes, FBI Behavioral Analyst Sarah Flores welcomes a transfer to white-collar crime and the chance to have a life of her own. Her relief is short-lived when her first case involves a terrorist plot, and all signs indicate the terrorists’ attorney constructed the framework of their evil conspiracy. Attracted to Ellery from the start, can she trust her instincts to lead her to the truth or will their attraction cast doubt on everything she holds dear?

  What Reviewers Say About Carsen Taite’s Work

  It Should be a Crime

  “Taite also practices criminal law and she weaves her insider knowledge of the criminal justice system into the love story seamlessly and with excellent timing.”—Curve Magazine

  “This [It Should be a Crime] is just Taite’s second novel…, but it’s as if she has bookshelves full of bestsellers under her belt.”—Gay List Daily

  Do Not Disturb

  “Taite’s tale of sexual tension is entertaining in itself, but a number of secondary characters…add substantial color to romantic inevitability”—Richard Labonte, Book Marks

  Nothing but the Truth

  “Author Taite is really a Dallas defense attorney herself, and it’s obvious her viewpoint adds considerable realism to her story, making it especially riveting as a mystery. I give it four stars out of five.”—Bob Lind, Echo Magazine

  “As a criminal defense attorney in Dallas, Texas, Carsen Taite knows her way around the court house. …Nothing But the Truth is an enjoyable mystery with some hot romance thrown in.”—Just About Write

  “Taite has written an excellent courtroom drama with two interesting women leading the cast of characters. Taite herself is a practicing defense attorney, and her courtroom scenes are clearly based on real knowledge. This should be another winner for Taite.”—Lambda Literary

  The Best Defense

  “Real Life defense attorney Carsen Taite polishes her fifth work of lesbian fiction, The Best Defense, with the realism she daily encounters in the office and in the courts. And that polish is something that makes The Best Defense shine as an excellent read.”—Out & About Newspaper

  Slingshot

  “The mean streets of lesbian literature finally have the hard boiled bounty hunter they deserve. It’s a slingshot of a ride, bad guys and hot women rolled into one page turning package. I’m looking forward to Luca Bennett’s next adventure.”—J. M. Redmann, author of the Micky Knight mystery series

  Battle Axe

  “This second book is satisfying, substantial, and slick. Plus, it has heart and love coupled with Luca’s array of weapons and a bad-ass verbal repertoire…I cannot imagine anyone not having a great time riding shotgun through all of Luca’s escapades. I recommend hopping on Luca’s band wagon and having a blast.”—Rainbow Book Reviews

  “Taite breathes life into her characters with elemental finesse…A great read, told in the vein of a good old detective-type novel filled with criminal elements, thugs, and mobsters that will entertain and amuse.”—Lambda Literary

  Beyond Innocence

  “Taite keeps you guessing with delicious delay until the very last minute…Taite’s time in the courtroom lends Beyond Innocence, a terrific verisimilitude someone not in the profession couldn’t impart. And damned if she doesn’t make practicing law interesting.”—Out in Print

  “As you would expect, sparks and legal writs fly. What I liked about this book were the shades of grey (no, not the smutty Shades of Grey)—both in the relationship as well as the cases.”—C-spot Reviews

  Rush

  “A simply beautiful interplay of police procedural magic, murder, FBI presence, misguided protective cover-ups, and a superheated love affair…a Gold Star from me and major encouragement for all readers to dive right in and consume this story with gusto!”—Rainbow Book Reviews

  Switchblade

  “I enjoyed the book and it was a fun read—mystery, action, humor, and a bit of romance. Who could ask for more? If you’ve read and enjoyed Taite’s legal novels, you’ll like this. If you’ve read and enjoyed the two other books in this series, this one will definitely satisfy your Luca fix and I highly recommend picking it up. Highly recommended.”—C Spot Reviews

  “Dallas’s intrepid female bounty hunter, Luca Bennett, is back in another adventure. Fantastic! Between her many friends and lovers, her interesting family, her fly by the seat of her pants lifestyle, and a whole host of detractors there is rarely a dull moment.”—Rainbow Book Reviews

  Courtship

  “The political drama is just top-notch. The emotional and sexual tensions are intertwined with great timing and flair. I truly adored this book from beginning to end. Fantabulous!”—Rainbow Book Reviews

  “Carsen Taite throws the reader head on into the murky world of the political system where there are no rights or wrongs, just players attempting to broker the best deals regardless of who gets hurt in the process. The book is extremely well written and makes compelling reading. With twist and turns throughout, the reader doesn’t know how the story will end.”—Lesbian Reading Room

  Lay Down the Law

  “Recognized for the pithy realism of her characters and settings drawn from a Texas legal milieu, Taite (Courtship) pays homage to the prime-time soap opera Dallas in pairing a cartel-busting U.S. attorney, Peyton Davis, with a charity-minded oil heiress, Lily Gantry.”—Publishers Weekly

  “Suspenseful, intriguingly tense, and with a great developing love story, this book is delightfully solid on all fronts. This gets my A-1 recommendation!”—Rainbow Book Reviews

  “This book is AMAZING!!! The setting, the scenery, the people, the plot, wow….”—Prism Book Alliance

  Reasonable Doubt

  Brought to you by

  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  Reasonable Doubt

  © 2015 By Carsen Taite. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-62639-463-6

  This Electronic Book is published by

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, Ne
w York 12185

  First Edition: September 2015

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Cindy Cresap

  Production Design: Susan Ramundo

  Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])

  By the Author

  Truelesbianlove.com

  It Should be a Crime

  Do Not Disturb

  Nothing but the Truth

  The Best Defense

  Beyond Innocence

  Rush

  Courtship

  Reasonable Doubt

  The Luca Bennett Mystery Series:

  Slingshot

  Battle Axe

  Switchblade

  Lone Star Law Series:

  Lay Down the Law

  Acknowledgments

  Many headline grabbing true stories inspired this work of fiction: young people lured into joining terrorist training camps in faraway lands; bombings, both here and abroad, killing dozens and forever changing the lives of those who survived. This book is not based on a real act of terrorism, but as I finished the first draft of this story, the Boston Marathon bomber’s case was in its final days and I, like many others, was moved to tears by the testimony of the victims and their families. Years of practice as a criminal defense lawyer mean that I always try to keep an open mind, to see both sides—the pain of the victim balanced against the intent of the accused, but blatant acts of terrorism can’t be balanced. No matter what the motivation, the result is the same—senseless harm suffered by innocents. Yet, our justice system works precisely because we give everyone a chance to make their case, even when it’s clear from the outset what the result will be. To everyone who sat in the courtroom and endured the ten weeks of trial, reliving the horror of that fateful Patriot’s Day, you have my utmost respect. You are true patriots.

  Thanks to everyone who helped me bring this book to life. Rad for giving my stories a place to thrive. Sandy Lowe for tending to every detail along the way. Cindy Cresap, my editor, for making me laugh out loud during edits even while you challenge me to be better with every book. A huge shout out to the entire Bold Strokes team, from PR to proofreading—thanks for everything you do!

  Ashley Bartlett and VK Powell—the best first readers in the world! Your friendship means the world to me. Thanks for your honesty and your willingness to deal with my crazy schedule. Ruth Sternglantz, my bonus story editor—your willingness to talk through plot points, anywhere, anytime is a true gift of friendship.

  Lainey, thanks for all the sacrifices you make, big and small, to allow me to pursue my dreams. I love you more every day.

  To all my readers—thanks for making this journey so worthwhile. I cherish all the e-mails, notes, and words of encouragement. This story is for you.

  Dedication

  To Lainey, without a doubt.

  Chapter One

  Sarah Flores ducked as the bullet barreled past her head and into the wall behind her. She cast a quick look at the body on the bed. She could do more good chasing the suspect. She ran out into the hall and paused at the top of the stairs, listening for footfalls. Was he hiding on the landing or had he ducked into one of the other bedrooms on this floor? Seconds later, she heard a crash outside and dashed down the stairs and out the door. Her boss, Trip Sandler, met her on the front steps.

  “I lost him.” Sarah pointed up at the second story balcony. “He must’ve jumped,” she said between gulps of air. “Come on.”

  Trip placed a hand on her arm. “Slow down. Mendez and Davis took off after him. We need to stay here and secure the scene.”

  He was right, but Sarah chafed at the order to stand down. It was against her instinct to stay behind, but she dutifully led her boss up the stairs and into the bedroom where she’d found the Atlanta Strangler’s latest victim. The kill was too fresh to smell, but the woman on the bed was clearly dead.

  Trip pulled on a pair of gloves as he circled the bed. “Is this the sixth or the seventh? I’ve lost count.”

  Sarah looked up from the body. “You know, when you start losing track, it might be time to call it a day.”

  “Why should I keep count when I’ve got you to do it for me?” He struck his forehead with a gloved hand. “Oh, wait, I only have you for the rest of the day. Who’s going to keep track of all the dead bodies when you’re gone?”

  Sarah shook her head but didn’t bother replying. Trip had been bellyaching about her upcoming transfer for weeks. He’d gone from cajoling at first, in an attempt to get her to stay, to his present mode of inserting guilt-tripping remarks into every conversation.

  Didn’t matter. He could do whatever he wanted. Tomorrow she’d be back in D.C. packing up her apartment, and the day after that, she would be on a plane to Dallas and a new job that didn’t involve body counts. She’d spent her entire career as an agent in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit investigating serial killers and witnessing the rituals of their carnage. She was ready for a routine of paper pushing, which was exactly what her new position in the fraud unit would entail.

  She was almost done examining the body when another one of their team members walked into the bedroom. Peter Buckner, their resident nerd, looked the part. He was skinny, awkward, and sporting out of style glasses, but he could kick all of their asses when it came to calling up facts and figures on the fly or gaining access to computer databases that provided information crucial to keeping up their team’s success rate. She could tell by his expression he didn’t have good news, but she asked anyway, “Did they get him?”

  “Nope. They barely even caught a glance before he vanished. We’ve got Atlanta PD on it and I’ve sent notifications to the airport, bus, and train stations, but we don’t have much in the way of a description.”

  “I didn’t get much of a look at him either. But he won’t leave town,” Sarah said as she finished making her notes. “He’s escalating.” She pointed at the body. “Look at these marks here. He did this while she was still alive. He’s taking more risks, getting more juiced by the killing. No way will he take this show on the road when he’s just hit his stride here, where he’s most comfortable. Being chased today probably just amped up his adrenaline.”

  Trip leaned over her shoulder as she took pictures of the cuts, still clotted with blood, that formed a heart shape on the woman’s chest. The cuts were deeper, more jagged than the ones on the previous victims. “She’s right. Peter, get Baker from Atlanta PD on the phone. I want a meeting with their folks first thing in the morning. We need to give them an updated profile and talk new strategy.”

  Sarah looked up to see Trip staring at her. She’d worked with him long enough to know exactly what he was thinking. She shook her head. “No way.”

  “Come on,” Trip said. “We’ll get your flight rescheduled. Just a few more days.”

  “Right. It’s always just a few more days. And what if another call comes in? A few more days after that?” She shook her head. “They’re expecting me in Dallas.”

  “Right. All those paper pushers just sitting around with files full of bank statements for you to dig into.”

  Sarah laughed. The fraud unit at FBI Dallas would probably have a thing or two to say about Trip’s characterization of their work, but the lack of excitement was exactly what she was looking for. The past six years as a special agent in the BAU had taken its toll on every aspect of her life: her sleep, her mental health, and definitely her social life. She had a hard time keeping up any kind of relationship when she had to fly out of town at a moment’s notice, and most of what she saw on the job wasn’t suitable for dinner conversation. Trip and some of the others had been doing the job a lot longer, but she’d watche
d everything about their personal lives fade until they were nothing without the work. She still had time to make a new life for herself, and the transfer to Dallas was what she needed to resist being defined by the evil she encountered on a daily basis.

  “Just because there’s no blood involved, doesn’t mean the job isn’t fulfilling,” she said.

  “Sure. I guess there’s always the risk of a paper cut to make things interesting.”

  “Whatever.” She shrugged off his teasing. He only did it because he was going to miss her. She was going to miss him too, along with the rest of the team. They’d been her family for the past six years, but it was time to find a new family. One bound together by something besides murder.

  Chapter Two

  Ellery Durant idled her F150, certain this was the place she’d seen the treasure when she’d been riding as a passenger in April’s tiny sports car the day before. Of course, now that she had space to haul away the find, it was nowhere in sight. She turned around at the end of the block and vowed this would be the final pass before one of the residents called the cops and reported her as a stalker.

  She’d just about given up when she spotted the abandoned door on the street side of the sidewalk in front of a medium-sized bungalow. She pulled over and slipped on a pair of heavy leather work gloves before stepping out of the truck, quickly spotting the reason the object had been so difficult to locate. She lifted several busted piñatas and a sack of what appeared to be party debris, and set them to the side before removing the boards underneath them, careful not to scratch the wood. Once she’d worked the door free, she stepped back to admire her find. Years ago, this arched pine door had been brand-new, its lead glass panels bright and its auburn stain shine fresh and unmarred by the passage of time. Now, scratches and divots covered its surface, but Ellery could see only the opportunity to bring it back to life. She spread a blanket in the back of the pickup bed and carefully slid the door into place, securing it with a couple of bungee cords and some rope. She replaced everything in the pile exactly as she’d found it and drove home, eager to begin her work.