Page 40 of Stalker

“With this being such a high-profile case, as you might imagine, I want to ensure that I have my best prosecutor staying on top of the situation.” Mr. Wells was standing with Joseph Marsh, another prosecutor who rarely came into the office.

A group of attorneys and staff were standing close together in the smaller conference room as Mr. Wells went over the situation with the Monahan case. Given it had been less than twenty-four hours since the man’s arrest, it was obvious the police department was fast tracking this. Maybe because his father had already threatened to sue the city.

I stood in the back with my arms folded, Cash teasing me by throwing me funny looks every few seconds.

“That being said, with this being a high-profile situation that could take several weeks of pretrial activity if not months, I’m also going to be reassigning several cases.”

As Mr. Wells droned on about how this would work, my thoughts drifted to the case I’d tried hard to ignore. I’d documented every glorious article about the Blackwell Group and had dug as deep as possible without being asked for an invite for an interview.

Somehow, I knew that wasn’t going to occur.

I had hopes of gaining access through the hunt. Beads of perspiration lingered on my lip. Every time I thought about the invitation, my pulse rocketed higher.

If I was slapped onto the Monahan case, I’d be back to square one with no time to continue investigating and none to myself.

A small part of my instinct was nagging me that there was a story to be told, but another was reminding me that I could be playing with fire. If I managed to prosecute Drew Monahan, putting him behind bars in the process, it would add another win that could solidify my rise up the ranks.

I’d already had an email from a prominent firm asking if I’d like to come talk with them. My options were wide open at this point.

I bit my lip, uncertain how I felt about the situation.

“Which is why I’ve assigned the case to Cash Reynolds. As everyone in this office knows, he has shown his expertise in solving the Tyler murders, and his investigation into the Pennington abduction was crucial to bringing the little girl home safely. I believe he will do a fine job, rid the city of a terrible criminal, and continue upholding our office’s strong reputation. Congratulations, Cash.”

Wait. What?

Blinking several times, I pulled back from my daydreaming fog just as other associates were clapping, patting Cash on the back. Not that the man wasn’t qualified, but I was shocked.

So was Cash.

His mouth had gone slack, his eyes suddenly wide open. I adored Cash with everything I had in my system and he was a brilliant attorney, but he’d be eaten alive by the likes of Conrad Monahan.

Cash slowly turned his head in my direction. The poor guy looked like he was going to pass out or worse. He tried to make his way toward me when Mr. Marsh stopped him.

Now everyone was looking in my direction as if I’d obviously done something terribly wrong, which was why I’d been passed over.

As strange as it was since five seconds before I hadn’t been certain if I wanted to be handed the case, I now felt slighted. Yes, I was a ballbuster when it came to my career, but I’d never felt even a hint of jealousy before.

I guess there was a first time for everything.

While I attempted to slink out of the room without talking to anyone, I was stopped by Mr. Wells’ powerful voice.

“Come take a walk with me,” Mr. Wells stated and he wasn’t asking. He gripped my bent arm, leading me from the room. So far, he’d asked very little about what I’d discovered about the Blackwell Group, but I had the distinct feeling that was about to change.

Instead of leading me to his office, we headed for the elevator where he remained quiet as the cold steel box dropped to the lobby. He let go of my arm as we headed toward the rear exit where a patio was located.

“It’s such a lovely day. I thought we could talk outside.”

It was maybe fifty degrees with a light breeze, but when coming off the lakes, that meant it was freezing. I was thankful I’d worn a thicker suit jacket.

He moved to the edge of the patio, which overlooked a manmade lake with a fountain. After shoving his hands into his pockets, he chuckled partially under his breath. “I’m certain you have questions about why I selected Cash for the case.”

“Cash is an excellent attorney. He’s diligent and like a dog with a bone. Plus, he’s brilliant.”

“I already know you’re very close friends, Cassandra. The choice must hurt no matter how good of friends you are. But everything has a reason, including this.”

“Alright. I’ll accept that.”

“First of all, the women Mr. Monahan is accused of killing were all professional woman such as yourself. They found themselves involved in something much darker in their lives, which led them to being victimized. And don’t you dare think I am suggesting that their activities provided the perpetrator with cause to rape, torture, and kill them. That’s not it at all.”

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