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Authors: Sherri Wilson Johnson
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open. “What? That’s ridiculous.”
“You approached me on the peer while I was fishing. I didn't run my car into yours on the road or pretend to be your pool man.”
“I would never do such a thing.”
“I believe you, but do you see how it looks from my point of view? It looks bad either way. I promise you, I didn't know that's who you were prosecuting. I didn't know until you said his name."
“I promise you that I didn’t seek you out to find out what you knew. I was shocked when I realized you were Maria’s ex. You saw my shock. If I had known who you were when I came here, I would have already known those two key pieces of information about you.” Kathryn turned away from him, but Phil stepped back into her path.
"So we’ve established that neither of us knew about the other before we met on the pier. I was so distraught when you said Louie’s name, I called my Pops as soon as you dropped me off after lunch. He confirmed that Louie was in trouble. He asked me, if you want to call it that, to defend him, but I refused."
"This is too much to fathom. Absolutely too much." She threw her hands in the air. "The one time I let my guard down and trust someone…"
"I'm not the bad guy here. You can trust me."
Kathryn glared at him through squinted eyes.
"Look, I could get in a lot of trouble with my family for helping you. I mean, a lot of trouble. So trust me."
She shook her head. "Helping me? I can't let you help me now. Why would you even want to?" She covered her face with her hands to shut out this nightmare then she tore her hands away from her face. "You can't help your uncle's prosecutor. Talk about a conflict of interest."
"Look, I want to help. I'll find a way around this conflict." He locked his jaw and beat his right foot on the ground. "My cousin, Drew, said I have to defend Louie, and he's coming down here to make sure I do. I don't want to think about the trouble I could be in if I don't defend him. I might have to go into the Witness Protection Program." He laughed, but ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. His hands shook, and his lips quivered again.
Kathryn grabbed his shoulders. "Phil, you have to get as far away from me as possible. Now! You need to go back to Savannah. I can handle this case myself. We’re in danger if we work together."
"You can't handle an Ezzo. Not without me. I’m not leaving Cedar Key until this case is solved, and I’m not leaving you." He paced a few steps away, Sadie trying to follow him, and then returned. "Let me see your file. Maybe I can tip you off to where the weapon is. If I can't figure it out, I'll leave you alone and not see you again until we're in court."
Kathryn's heart plummeted to the bottom of the sea. How could she not see Phil again? How could the next time be a face off in court as two virtual strangers on opposite sides of a case, never being allowed to see where this could go? "Phil…" Her phone rang. She yanked it from her pocket and looked at the screen. "It's the D.A. I have to take this."
Phil nodded and stepped out of earshot.
Kathryn cupped her hand over her right ear to block out the roar of the wind and surf. "Hello, Mr. Schwartz." She released the tension on the leash and let Sadie stand by Phil, who kneeled and stroked her fur.
Schwartz cleared his throat. "Kathryn, you've been removed from the Ezzo case."
She lurched forward. "What? Why?" Phil’s head shot up, and he crinkled his brow. She shook her head.
"You were seen fraternizing with the defense attorney."
She spun around to face the Gulf. She couldn't let Phil overhear this conversation. "Fraternizing? When?"
"In a restaurant this afternoon."
She laughed. "I was having lunch with a man I met down here. Who said that? Can’t I have a moment of privacy?"
"You’re down there on business not pleasure. You shouldn’t be trying to meet men while you’re working a case. Besides, this man just so happens to be Phillip Tagliaferro, the defense attorney,
“You approached me on the peer while I was fishing. I didn't run my car into yours on the road or pretend to be your pool man.”
“I would never do such a thing.”
“I believe you, but do you see how it looks from my point of view? It looks bad either way. I promise you, I didn't know that's who you were prosecuting. I didn't know until you said his name."
“I promise you that I didn’t seek you out to find out what you knew. I was shocked when I realized you were Maria’s ex. You saw my shock. If I had known who you were when I came here, I would have already known those two key pieces of information about you.” Kathryn turned away from him, but Phil stepped back into her path.
"So we’ve established that neither of us knew about the other before we met on the pier. I was so distraught when you said Louie’s name, I called my Pops as soon as you dropped me off after lunch. He confirmed that Louie was in trouble. He asked me, if you want to call it that, to defend him, but I refused."
"This is too much to fathom. Absolutely too much." She threw her hands in the air. "The one time I let my guard down and trust someone…"
"I'm not the bad guy here. You can trust me."
Kathryn glared at him through squinted eyes.
"Look, I could get in a lot of trouble with my family for helping you. I mean, a lot of trouble. So trust me."
She shook her head. "Helping me? I can't let you help me now. Why would you even want to?" She covered her face with her hands to shut out this nightmare then she tore her hands away from her face. "You can't help your uncle's prosecutor. Talk about a conflict of interest."
"Look, I want to help. I'll find a way around this conflict." He locked his jaw and beat his right foot on the ground. "My cousin, Drew, said I have to defend Louie, and he's coming down here to make sure I do. I don't want to think about the trouble I could be in if I don't defend him. I might have to go into the Witness Protection Program." He laughed, but ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. His hands shook, and his lips quivered again.
Kathryn grabbed his shoulders. "Phil, you have to get as far away from me as possible. Now! You need to go back to Savannah. I can handle this case myself. We’re in danger if we work together."
"You can't handle an Ezzo. Not without me. I’m not leaving Cedar Key until this case is solved, and I’m not leaving you." He paced a few steps away, Sadie trying to follow him, and then returned. "Let me see your file. Maybe I can tip you off to where the weapon is. If I can't figure it out, I'll leave you alone and not see you again until we're in court."
Kathryn's heart plummeted to the bottom of the sea. How could she not see Phil again? How could the next time be a face off in court as two virtual strangers on opposite sides of a case, never being allowed to see where this could go? "Phil…" Her phone rang. She yanked it from her pocket and looked at the screen. "It's the D.A. I have to take this."
Phil nodded and stepped out of earshot.
Kathryn cupped her hand over her right ear to block out the roar of the wind and surf. "Hello, Mr. Schwartz." She released the tension on the leash and let Sadie stand by Phil, who kneeled and stroked her fur.
Schwartz cleared his throat. "Kathryn, you've been removed from the Ezzo case."
She lurched forward. "What? Why?" Phil’s head shot up, and he crinkled his brow. She shook her head.
"You were seen fraternizing with the defense attorney."
She spun around to face the Gulf. She couldn't let Phil overhear this conversation. "Fraternizing? When?"
"In a restaurant this afternoon."
She laughed. "I was having lunch with a man I met down here. Who said that? Can’t I have a moment of privacy?"
"You’re down there on business not pleasure. You shouldn’t be trying to meet men while you’re working a case. Besides, this man just so happens to be Phillip Tagliaferro, the defense attorney,
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