longed to coax a smile from her weary, stress-filled eyes.
She almost cared enough to ignore reality. Eric’s execution date might come and go with hopeful, last-minute bursts of legal brilliance, but in the end, justice would mete out an unforgiving dose of poison. Once on death row, the path to life was nearly impossible to navigate. Very few dodged the executioner’s needle.
“Up here, on the right.” She’d let the entire drive to her house pass with only directional terms exchanged between them. So much for the moment alone. She’d wasted the time, unsure how to broach more personal topics in a way that wouldn’t cause Serena to shut down completely. As they pulled up to her house, she made a snap decision. “You can park in the drive.”
Serena’s eyes signaled surprise, but nothing else in her expression showed anything but the cool, calm composure Cory knew had to be a mask. She wore her own mask often enough to see through others. Cynical instead of compassionate. Objective rather than outraged. Her job as a prosecutor demanded the façade. What motive did Serena have for hiding her feelings?
The car idled in the drive. Serena obviously had no intention of assuming any hospitality on Cory’s part. Time for clarity. “Why don’t you come in for a few minutes? We haven’t really had a chance to talk, one-on-one.”
Serena stared at the front of Cory’s house for a few seconds before turning to face her. “Okay.”
Cory took more encouragement from the one-word answer than it probably merited, but she didn’t care. She waited until Serena shut the car down before opening her own door just to be sure she wouldn’t drive off the minute she exited the vehicle.
Once they were both out of the car, she considered her impulsive invitation and wondered if her house was clean. She’d been squirreled away there for several weeks, waiting to hear the outcome of her suspension. She’d lived on whatever could be delivered to her door and lived in every pair of sweats she owned. The only other person who’d gotten beyond the foyer was Melinda, and, since they’d lived together in college, she’d never given a second thought to what Melinda thought of her housekeeping skills. As she turned a key in the front door, she tossed a just-in-case apology over her shoulder. “I was in a hurry when I left this morning. The place might be a bit of a mess.”
It wasn’t too bad. She moved quickly to grab a few random takeout boxes. She pointed Serena in the direction of the formal dining room she never used, and snuck to the kitchen where she stacked the boxes in the pantry. “I have water, Diet Coke, and wine. Can I get you something to drink?” She called out the question, feeling woefully inadequate for her lack of selection.
“A glass of water would be great.”
Cory loaded the last clean glass with ice and water and met Serena in the dining room. She’d emptied the contents of her bag onto the table and had various files spread about. Serena was focused on the case. Not what Cory had in mind when she’d invited her in. Serena looked up when she entered, took the water glass, and drank half of it down. “I guess I was thirsty.”
“Looks like you’ve accumulated a lot of paperwork about your brother’s case.”
“I’ve tried. I think there is more paperwork associated with the appeal than there was for the whole trial.”
Cory considered her next question carefully before wading in. “Were you living in Florida at the time of the trial?”
“I was, but what I really think you want to ask me is why I didn’t attend my brother’s life or death trial.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking.” Maybe a truthful answer would garner an honest response.
“The short answer is, I didn’t know about it. The long answer is, well…it’s long.”
Cory pointed at her glass. “I have something stronger if it would help the telling.”
Serena cracked a mirthless smile. “Something with
She almost cared enough to ignore reality. Eric’s execution date might come and go with hopeful, last-minute bursts of legal brilliance, but in the end, justice would mete out an unforgiving dose of poison. Once on death row, the path to life was nearly impossible to navigate. Very few dodged the executioner’s needle.
“Up here, on the right.” She’d let the entire drive to her house pass with only directional terms exchanged between them. So much for the moment alone. She’d wasted the time, unsure how to broach more personal topics in a way that wouldn’t cause Serena to shut down completely. As they pulled up to her house, she made a snap decision. “You can park in the drive.”
Serena’s eyes signaled surprise, but nothing else in her expression showed anything but the cool, calm composure Cory knew had to be a mask. She wore her own mask often enough to see through others. Cynical instead of compassionate. Objective rather than outraged. Her job as a prosecutor demanded the façade. What motive did Serena have for hiding her feelings?
The car idled in the drive. Serena obviously had no intention of assuming any hospitality on Cory’s part. Time for clarity. “Why don’t you come in for a few minutes? We haven’t really had a chance to talk, one-on-one.”
Serena stared at the front of Cory’s house for a few seconds before turning to face her. “Okay.”
Cory took more encouragement from the one-word answer than it probably merited, but she didn’t care. She waited until Serena shut the car down before opening her own door just to be sure she wouldn’t drive off the minute she exited the vehicle.
Once they were both out of the car, she considered her impulsive invitation and wondered if her house was clean. She’d been squirreled away there for several weeks, waiting to hear the outcome of her suspension. She’d lived on whatever could be delivered to her door and lived in every pair of sweats she owned. The only other person who’d gotten beyond the foyer was Melinda, and, since they’d lived together in college, she’d never given a second thought to what Melinda thought of her housekeeping skills. As she turned a key in the front door, she tossed a just-in-case apology over her shoulder. “I was in a hurry when I left this morning. The place might be a bit of a mess.”
It wasn’t too bad. She moved quickly to grab a few random takeout boxes. She pointed Serena in the direction of the formal dining room she never used, and snuck to the kitchen where she stacked the boxes in the pantry. “I have water, Diet Coke, and wine. Can I get you something to drink?” She called out the question, feeling woefully inadequate for her lack of selection.
“A glass of water would be great.”
Cory loaded the last clean glass with ice and water and met Serena in the dining room. She’d emptied the contents of her bag onto the table and had various files spread about. Serena was focused on the case. Not what Cory had in mind when she’d invited her in. Serena looked up when she entered, took the water glass, and drank half of it down. “I guess I was thirsty.”
“Looks like you’ve accumulated a lot of paperwork about your brother’s case.”
“I’ve tried. I think there is more paperwork associated with the appeal than there was for the whole trial.”
Cory considered her next question carefully before wading in. “Were you living in Florida at the time of the trial?”
“I was, but what I really think you want to ask me is why I didn’t attend my brother’s life or death trial.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking.” Maybe a truthful answer would garner an honest response.
“The short answer is, I didn’t know about it. The long answer is, well…it’s long.”
Cory pointed at her glass. “I have something stronger if it would help the telling.”
Serena cracked a mirthless smile. “Something with
Similar Books
