Page 64 of Where Secrets Lie

She struggled to breathe past the monstrous lump in her throat as she watched him coax Cody out from under the chair. The dog crawled onto his lap, and Simon hugged him to his chest and buried his wet face in Cody’s fur.

Marley, tail tucked between his legs, eased out onto the balcony. “Hey, boy,” she said in a soft voice. He whined and nuzzled her hand.

Hez followed the dog out onto the balcony and folded her into an embrace. He said nothing, but his comforting arms were enough. “I thought maybe it would reassure him to know his mom made plans,” she said against his chest. “But it was all wrong.”

“It’s going to take time, babe. He knows we love him. That’s got to be reassuring on some level. It’s a lot to take in. For all of us.”

She wanted to ask about the meeting with Martine, but it felt very inconsequential right now with the grief raging through them all. Even losing TGU would not come close to this level of despair. She’d give everything she owned to hear her sister’s voice one more time.

***

A gigantic form blocked the light from the hallway. Hez looked up from his worn plywood desk in the Justice Chamber, and his spirits lifted at the sight of his friend’s grin. He rose and stuck out his hand. “Jimmy! Thanks for stopping by.”

“Glad to. I had a hearing in Mobile, and I’ve been meaning to check out your new digs. So the timing of your call was perfect.” Jimmy enveloped Hez’s hand in one of his ashe looked around. “You chosethisover an office at Little & Associates?”

“This place keeps me humble. And it has the advantage of being a lot closer to Savannah.”

A basso chuckle rumbled in Jimmy’s chest. “Well, maybe so.” His gaze lit on the plaque over Hez’s desk. “‘Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!’I like it. But you’ve run into a beaver dam, haven’t you?”

Hez nodded. “I’m afraid so. Any suggestions on how to get rid of it?”

“Grandpa used dynamite when beavers dammed up the stream on his place.”

“Got any handy?”

“We’ll see. I’ll need to know more about the case.”

Hez handed him a copy of Hornbrook’s motion and the supporting documents. “Want some coffee?”

Jimmy eyed the thick stack of paper. “Yes. And make it strong and black.” He took off the jacket of his two-thousand-dollar suit, hung it on a chair, and sat at the scarred old table.

Hez poured him a mug. “You’re in luck. I just brewed a pot of dark roast.”

Hez explained the case and answered questions as Jimmy flipped through motion papers and the loan documents. He absently rubbed his kinky black hair as he read. Toni arrived halfway through the conversation and took a seat at the table. She was five-seven or five-eight, but she looked like a little girl next to Jimmy.

When Hez finished, Jimmy leaned back and crossed his arms. “It seems that you, my friend, are well and truly stuck.”

Toni’s brow furrowed. “What about the tip Professor Webstergot concerning Hornbrook’s connection to the smuggling? Won’t that help?”

“Nope.” Jimmy shook his head. “Hearsay.”

Toni looked confused. “Hearsay? Sorry, I don’t take Evidence until next year.”

Hez poured himself coffee. “Hearsay is an out-of-court statement introduced to prove the truth of the matter asserted. It’s generally inadmissible because the person who made the statement wasn’t under oath and isn’t available to be cross-examined. So my friend’s statements to me aren’t evidence the judge can consider. In fact, now that I think about it, this isdoublehearsay because she was repeating something someone else told her—also out of court and not subject to cross-examination. We don’t even know who that person is.”

“All sadly true,” Jimmy said. “How about emergency discovery to Hornbrook to see if you can find some backup for these claims? The right judge might cut you some slack and continue the hearing to give you time to do a little digging. Who are you in front of?”

“Alice Sticklesby.”

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Ouch. She runs a very tight ship. Is she the one who made a lawyer stand in the corner for talking in the gallery?”

“That’s her.” Hez took a swig of his coffee. “I’m not counting on her cutting me any slack.”

Jimmy drained his mug and Hez held out the carafe. Jimmy extended his mug, which Hez filled. “Thanks, Hez. You always have good coffee.” He took a sip of the fresh brew. “You know, if Martine’s client is right, all the strands of the spiderweb leadback to Hornbrook. The smuggling, the predatory loan, everything.”

Toni leaned forward. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. The police raid in New York failed, but that must be because he somehow figured out it was coming.”

Hez hadn’t revealed Jess’s true role—and he didn’t want to—so he changed the subject slightly. “Are you saying he was behind the bomb, Jimmy?”

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