Love's Verdict Read online

  Landon smiled one of her big, jury-winning smiles, and ignored the daggers Carly was shooting her way. “Absolutely.” She went on to explain the privilege in layman’s terms, and watched Shelby relax. “As long as we’re discussing strategy and procedure or merely reviewing the evidence, it’s perfectly fine for you to sit in.” She turned to Trevor. “But if you decide you’re about to blurt out some information that might implicate you, then by all means, let’s clear the room.”

  “Not going to happen,” Trevor said, with a reassuring glance at Shelby.

  Pleased she had so quickly identified that the way to Trevor ran through his agent, Landon shot a look at Carly, who stared like she wanted to throat punch her. Landon may have been late to lunch, but she’d scored first in this round. She smirked at her competition. Bring it on.

  * * *

  Carly glared at Landon, who was openly flirting with Shelby, and wished she had the ability to make people disappear. But she had no such power, and Shelby, and Trevor for that matter, were soaking up Landon’s words like they were gospel. Two minutes ago, she’d said essentially the same thing that Landon was saying now, but apparently, Trevor and his agent were big on delivery and short on substance, and although she preferred to win on expertise alone, she filed that little note away. Two could play this game.

  “I’m confident Trevor has nothing to hide,” Shelby announced. “But if he wants me to leave, I will.”

  Everyone at the table looked between them, waiting for Trevor’s decision. They didn’t wait long. “I don’t have any secrets,” Trevor said, opening his arms wide. “Besides, I’d prefer Shelby hear everything firsthand so I don’t have to try to remember it all. Regular season starts soon, and even if I’m riding the sidelines, I need to get my head in the game.”

  Carly watched Jane closely, but her expression remained neutral. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shelby duck her head. It was possible no one had discussed with Trevor that his team was unlikely to allow him to show up at the games while the cloud of the criminal investigation loomed, but maybe she was missing something. She wasn’t about to be the one to bring up the unpleasant reality, so she kept quiet.

  After they placed their orders, Jane dove in. “We have a lot to do to prepare for your case. The first step is the grand jury. I spoke with the prosecutor assigned to your case and she plans to present the case in the next two weeks.”

  “She?” Shelby asked.

  “Yes,” Jane replied. “Her name is Donna Wilhelm, and she’s an experienced prosecutor in the family violence unit.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t get it,” Shelby said. “Family violence?”

  Carly’s jaw nearly dropped as she watched Landon place a hand on Shelby’s arm. “Don’t get hung up on the name of her unit. She’s a felony prosecutor who happens to work in the family violence unit. The DA’s office considers it a crime of family violence whenever the victim had been dating the person they’ve accused of being responsible for the harm.”

  “Because the law says so,” Carly blurted out, unable to help it. “There are special considerations in these types of cases which can enhance the punishment based on alleged prior acts of family violence.” She ignored Landon’s incredulous stare and pressed on. “That’s why it’s extremely important that we find out everything there is to know about Trevor’s past. If there are any skeletons that might come jumping out, better we know up front so we can make plans to deal with them.”

  “And by skeletons,” Jane said, “Carly means people who would say harmful things about Trevor to try to hurt his career or get him to pay hush money. Right, Carly?”

  Not at all what she meant, but Jane’s arched eyebrows signaled exactly what her reply should be. Fine, Jane was the boss, and Carly would defer to her lead. “Exactly.” She turned to Trevor. “Like the false allegations that got you suspended.” She started talking faster like she’d had a breakthrough. “We should start there. It would be helpful if you made a list of anyone who would benefit from seeing you off the team.”

  Carly watched Trevor’s expression change from dejected to hopeful, and she regretted the ray of hope she’d given him since she figured it was pointless because this case was no longer about whether or not Trevor had harassed his ex-girlfriend. A woman had been murdered, and the prosecutor was out for blood.

  The rest of lunch consisted of Jane filling in details about what Trevor could expect procedurally for the foreseeable future, and answering questions for Shelby about the process. When Trevor rose to leave, Carly realized they hadn’t discussed anything about the Houston police reports she’d dug up in preparation for this meeting.

  “Trevor, before you go, I was hoping we could ask a few questions about—”

  “We’ll have more questions later,” Jane interrupted. “But for right now, go on about your business. The only thing we ask you to do is to keep a very low profile. Avoid social media, no comments to the press, and run any press engagements by us before you agree to appear on TV or give any interviews.”

  “Trevor has several appearances tied to his endorsements,” Shelby said. “What about those?”

  “Run everything by me. We’ll call those on a case-by-case basis. I know you have obligations, but right now, we have only one, and that’s to make sure Trevor stays a free man. Understood?”

  Shelby nodded, but she didn’t look happy about it. She stood to leave and Landon rose beside her. “I’ll walk you out,” Landon said. Carly rolled her eyes, but when she saw Shelby sigh with relief, she wished she’d thought of the tactic. Landon had the whole “rescue the damsel in distress thing” down.

  After they left the room, Carly confronted Jane. “When are we going to get to talk to Trevor about the information I found in Houston?”

  “Not now.”

  “Obviously, but you agree it’s important that we know more, right?”

  “Of course, but he’s not going to tell you anything incriminating in front of his agent, and if he merely denies any wrongdoing right now, then he’ll get entrenched in that position and never change his mind. First, we’ll find out what Donna knows, and then find a time to talk to Trevor, just you and Landon. He’ll be more likely to talk to you when he doesn’t feel like he’s going to lose face in front of the woman who sells his brand to the world.”

  Jane’s words made sense, but surely Trevor would think his freedom was a little more valuable than saving face in front of his agent. Besides, his agent seemed to be pretty distracted by Landon’s attention, a fact that annoyed Carly more than she wanted to admit. “Okay. I’ll do some more digging. I know Donna, though, and she’s not going to share much about her case before she presents it.”

  “Maybe we can leave that to Landon,” Jane said. “She seemed to be working magic with Shelby.”

  “No,” Carly replied too quickly. The very last thing she wanted to do was suck up to Donna Wilhelm, but no way was she going to let Landon hog this entire case and steal the partnership out from under her. She’d earned this partnership, and if she had to step out of her comfort zone to seal the deal, then she was going to make it happen. “I’ve got this.”

  “Got what?”

  Landon walked back to the table and slid into the seat next to hers. Again with that little self-satisfied smirk. Carly imagined her flirting with Shelby all the way to the door, and the idea of that bothered her way more than it should. Suddenly feeling very warm, she shifted in her seat. “Just talking over a little case strategy. Thanks for hand-holding the clients.”

  “Hand-holding is half the battle, right, Jane?”

  “True,” Jane said. “Carly, once you’ve gotten Donna to talk to you, fill Landon in and both of you meet with Trevor to discuss that business in Houston.”

  “You don’t want to be there?” Carly asked, ignoring the curious look on Landon’s face.

  “I think he’ll feel less intimidated about discussing things with just you two.” She stood. “Besides, one of you is g
oing to be a partner after this case, so it’s time to start doing partner level work. Just let me know what you find out. I’m headed downtown for a hearing in the Gosling case. See you back at the office.”

  A moment later, she was gone and Carly stared at her half-eaten salad.

  “You should’ve ordered the lobster mac ’n cheese,” Landon said, pointing at her own empty plate. “It was off the hook.”

  “My salad was great.”

  “Said no one ever.”

  “You eat your food and I’ll eat mine. If I’m not trying to shove it down your throat, then I don’t see why it matters to you what I choose to have.” Her anger was irrational, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She stood. “I’ve got to go. I have work to do.”

  “Is this your first murder case?”

  “No.” Not entirely a lie, but not entirely the truth either. Carly shot back, “Is it yours?”

  “Not hardly. I don’t know what kind of cases you’ve worked before, but just a word of advice. You have to gain the client’s trust before you can get him to open up to you, and part of that is gaining the trust of the people around him. It’s pretty clear Trevor takes his lead from Shelby, so you might want to spend some time getting her to warm up to you.”

  “Thanks for the tip.” Carly edged away from the table. “And here’s a tip for you. You could be a damn sight more subtle when you’re flirting. It makes it seem less like you’re trying to give legal advice and more like you’re trying to get a date.” She didn’t wait for a reply before she turned around and walked out, leaving the infuriating Landon Holt to stew in that.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, Landon pushed through the front doors of the Frank Crowley Courts building but stopped short when she saw the long line waiting to go through security. One of the beleaguered women in line looked up at her and pointed back toward the door. Damn, the line snaked outside, about twenty feet from the door. Landon started back out of the building to find the end of the line, when she heard a voice call her name.

  “Landon Holt, what are you doing here?”

  She turned and came face-to-face with one of her old law school classmates, Nick Glass. “Hey, Nick, what’s up?”

  He pulled her into a hug. “Lots of stuff considering it’s been five years since I’ve seen or heard from you.”

  “Yeah, I guess it’s been a while.” Landon wasn’t sure what else to say about it. When she’d split for Austin, she’d hadn’t looked back. “You doing okay?”

  “I am.” He pointed at the building. “Working my way up the ladder.”

  “You’re with the DA’s office?”

  “Started right after the bar exam. I’m number two in Parker’s court.”

  “And here I had you pegged for some white shoe firm.” Landon supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. “Of course, you were the star of our Crim Pro class. Glad to see you’re putting it to good use.”

  “And what are you doing here?” Nick asked. “I thought you’d be working in the family business.” His face took on a surprised expression. “Wait, there’s no trouble in the land of all things Holt, is there?”

  “I wouldn’t know. This Holt makes her own way in the world.” She pointed to the line. “Speaking of which, I have a meeting inside, so I better get in line.”

  He shook his head. “Lines are for people who don’t know people. Come with me.”

  She followed Nick back through the doors, past the waiting crowd. When they reached the security guard who was ushering everyone through the metal detectors, Nick flashed his ADA badge and said, “She’s with me,” and a second later she was standing in the lobby. “See?” he said. “Now where are you headed?”

  “Donna Wilhelm. Not sure what floor. Hate to admit it but this is my first time here. I’ve been working in Austin since the bar. With Sturges and Lloyd.”

  “She’s up on nine.” He narrowed his eyes. “Wait a minute. Are you working on Trevor Kincade’s case? Holy shit, can you believe he’s about to be indicted just when the regular season’s about to start?”

  Landon heard the fanboy in his voice. “You want to tell me what you know?”

  “Not much, but you know how it is when someone like that gets arrested, everyone’s talking. Donna’s a straight shooter, but don’t act like an out-of-towner or you’ll ruffle her feathers. She hates when defendants hire some fancy-pants out-of-town attorneys to handle cases.”

  “Do I look fancy-pants to you?”

  “Maybe just a little, but that’s because I haven’t seen you in forever.” He rubbed his chin. “Feel free to drop my name. We hang sometimes.”

  “Is hang a euphemism?”

  “Don’t even.” He held up his hand and pointed at a ring. “I’m happily married. Something you would know if you kept in touch.” He smiled to soften the jab.

  “I’m sorry, Nick. It’s not just you, though, if that makes you feel any better.”

  “It doesn’t, but you can make it up to me with a beer or three.”

  They exchanged numbers and agreed to meet. Landon wasn’t sure she’d keep her end of the bargain, but it was nice to see a friendly, familiar face. Maybe a bit more of the same would help her acclimate to being back in Dallas.

  She followed Nick’s suggestion and took the escalator to the fourth floor and the stairs the rest of the way to avoid the overcrowded elevators. By the time she reached her floor, she was winded and resolved to start working out since this was probably the first of many trips to see Donna Wilhelm. She located the desk for the family violence unit and waited for the receptionist to finish texting on her cell phone before she announced her presence.

  “I’m here to see Donna,” Landon said. “She’s expecting me.”

  The woman gave her a funny look, but picked up the phone and dialed. “There’s a Landon Holt here to see you. Would you like me to tell her you’re busy?”

  Landon was about to butt in and say she had an appointment, but the woman held up a hand and spoke into the phone. “Okay, I’ll send her back.” She hung up and shoved a clipboard and a visitor’s badge across the counter. Landon scrawled her name and clipped the badge on her lapel. The receptionist buzzed her in and called out “third door on the left” before she went back to punching on the screen of her cell.

  Landon counted down to the third door and found it partially ajar. She knocked once and waited until she heard a voice call for her to come in before pushing it open. As the door swung into the room, Landon blinked when she spotted a second familiar face. “Carly?”

  “Oh, hi, Landon,” Carly said, cool as a cucumber. She made a show of looking at her watch. “I wasn’t sure you were coming, so we decided to get started.”

  Landon stifled a growl. Carly must have gone through her calendar at the office because she sure hadn’t mentioned she was coming down to the courthouse this morning. Of course, she really had no right to be angry since it had been her plan to cut Carly out of the loop, but her anger had more to do with Carly beating her at her own game. But showing her anger would only give Carly a win, so she offered a big smile and made up a little lie. “No problem. I’m sorry I’m late, but I had to go over some important information with our client.” She stuck out her hand at the woman behind the desk. “You must be Donna. I’m Landon Holt. Nice to meet you.”

  Donna’s smile was a tad forced, but Landon didn’t blame her. The notoriety of this case cut both ways. On one hand, a conviction could make Donna’s career, but on the other, most of Dallas was probably sending her hate mail for tying up their favorite player in court proceedings. If she botched the case in any way, she’d be blamed from all corners.

  “Holt?” Donna asked, her forehead scrunched in a thinking frown. “Are you one of the—”

  Landon knew where she was headed and cut her off fast. “Yes, I’m with the Austin branch of Sturges and Lloyd, but I’m here in Dallas for a while to work on this case. All hands on deck.” She winced inwardly at the cliché.

 
“You’re going to need them. Your guy is a killer, and I’ve got a solid case.”

  Okay, so that was how it was going to be. Landon looked over at Carly. She was staring daggers at Donna, who was leafing through papers on her desk. Carly opened her mouth to speak, but Landon jumped in first. “Care to share? I mean if you have him cold, let us know what you’ve got and maybe we can shortcut this entire process.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  Donna steepled her fingers and maintained a neutral expression, but Landon could tell by the gleam in her eyes she was salivating at the prospect of working out a plea before she had to take the case to grand jury. “Depends on the evidence. From what I’ve seen you don’t even have enough to indict, but if there’s something I’m not seeing, feel free to let me know.” She heard Carly clearing her throat and turned to look at her.

  “Us.”

  “Excuse me?” Landon asked.

  “Us. If Donna has some evidence to share, she should share it with us,” Carly declared. “So, Donna, as I was saying before we were interrupted, I would like to get a copy of the full police report. Can you make that happen?”

  Donna looked at them with a curious expression. “Sure, but some sections are going to be redacted for now. And it’s the usual pre–grand jury procedure—you can look at it here, but you can’t take it with you or make copies.”

  Landon watched as Donna handed Carly a stapled stack of papers. She wanted to act like it was nothing, but she couldn’t resist the urge to get a glimpse, so she walked over and stood behind Carly, reading over her shoulder. Carly read fast, faster than she did, and flipped the first page before she could scan a third of it. She was barely into the second page before Carly flipped again. Either she was a demonic speed reader or she was jacking with her. Landon started to say something, but a knock on the door interrupted them, and a guy in a suit, probably another ADA, stuck his head in the room. “Donna, I need you to settle something. It’s urgent.”