Read Online Tell No Lies by Julie Compton - Free Book Online
Authors: Julie Compton
Tags: Fiction, thriller, Suspense, Psychological fiction, legal thriller, Murder, Adultery, st louis, Death Penalty, attorney, Public Prosecutors, family drama, Prosecutor
Ads: Link
thinking about it. I just said you'd be my pick."
"Well, I'm flattered." Jack meant it. "But the answer's no."
"Jesus . . . why, Jack?" Earl walked back to his chair and hovered over it.
"Well, let's see, there's that one little problem I have with the death penalty."
"So what?" Earl said, waving his hand in dismissal. "It's not even a factor."
"Of course it is. It will be the first question they ask me. Especially with the Barnard case. Everyone's out for blood, and if you don't give it to them on Barnard, they're gonna make damn sure they get it from the guy who takes your place."
"You've been thinking about this," Earl said quietly.
"I'm just being realistic. It's coming." He paused a minute. "You know, Earl, it's one thing being an Assistant DA. We always knew you'd just keep me off the death penalty cases if that's what I wanted." Earl nodded slightly. "But it's another thing to suggest someone like me could head up this office. It just won't happen."
"Maybe you're right. But I'd like to believe otherwise."
"That's what I always liked about you, Earl," Jack said, laughing a bit. "You always believed we'd win those cases that seemed impossible to win."
"Don't forget . . . sometimes we did."
"Yeah," Jack conceded. "Sometimes we did."
CHAPTER THREE
THE SCENT OF simmering wine and beef broth greeted Jack when he entered the house. It smelled good but he didn't have an appetite. Everyone from the office had left together around three thirty that afternoon for a small bar near the courthouse to celebrate Earl's news. Jack had drunk one too many beers and ended up staying later than he had originally planned to let the buzz wear off. Now it was almost seven and he had a headache, and he dreaded the prospect of seeing Claire. He just wanted to go back to bed and pick up where he'd left off that morning. Instead he forged into the family room, where he found her sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the built-ins that held their television and stereo. Videotapes, compact discs and old, dusty cassette tapes surrounded her. The bottom doors of the cabinet were open, and he could see where she had begun to replace the videotapes in an organized array. David Bowie sang "Let's Dance" on the cassette player; the sound was poor and scratchy. One of their old tapes.
He threw his briefcase on the couch and squatted next to her. She turned to him, and he pecked her on the cheek.
"What's up?" she said. "That was the lamest kiss ever."
"Sorry." He forced a smile and gave her another, better one.
"You guys went out after work?" she asked, turning her attention back to the tapes.
"Yeah, just the office. Our own little celebration with Earl." He sat on the floor with her. "Smells good. What's for dinner?"
"Beef Stroganoff. Hungry?"
He hesitated. "Yeah, I guess." He pointed at the mess in front of her. "What are you doing?"
"I don't know. I started to put away some of the videos the kids left out, and then I just decided to organize the whole thing while I waited for you to get home." She turned over the videotape in her hand to read the title and then searched for its corresponding case.
Jack ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He could smell the smoke from the bar on his clothes and thought about taking a shower before dinner. "What happened to you this morning?" he asked. "You didn't wake me to say goodbye."
"I didn't have the heart. You looked dead to the world. But you know, you had this really pained look on your face, so I almost thought I should."
He picked up a magazine from the floor next to the couch and began to leaf through it mindlessly. "It didn't feel like I got any sleep at all."
"This thing with Earl's really getting to you, isn't it?"
"I don't know. I guess." He tossed the magazine aside. "Today he asked me if I wanted to run. He said he'd already told some reporters that he wanted me to."
Claire turned, her eyes wide and smiling. "Really? Wow, that's good, isn't it?" She stopped
"Well, I'm flattered." Jack meant it. "But the answer's no."
"Jesus . . . why, Jack?" Earl walked back to his chair and hovered over it.
"Well, let's see, there's that one little problem I have with the death penalty."
"So what?" Earl said, waving his hand in dismissal. "It's not even a factor."
"Of course it is. It will be the first question they ask me. Especially with the Barnard case. Everyone's out for blood, and if you don't give it to them on Barnard, they're gonna make damn sure they get it from the guy who takes your place."
"You've been thinking about this," Earl said quietly.
"I'm just being realistic. It's coming." He paused a minute. "You know, Earl, it's one thing being an Assistant DA. We always knew you'd just keep me off the death penalty cases if that's what I wanted." Earl nodded slightly. "But it's another thing to suggest someone like me could head up this office. It just won't happen."
"Maybe you're right. But I'd like to believe otherwise."
"That's what I always liked about you, Earl," Jack said, laughing a bit. "You always believed we'd win those cases that seemed impossible to win."
"Don't forget . . . sometimes we did."
"Yeah," Jack conceded. "Sometimes we did."
CHAPTER THREE
THE SCENT OF simmering wine and beef broth greeted Jack when he entered the house. It smelled good but he didn't have an appetite. Everyone from the office had left together around three thirty that afternoon for a small bar near the courthouse to celebrate Earl's news. Jack had drunk one too many beers and ended up staying later than he had originally planned to let the buzz wear off. Now it was almost seven and he had a headache, and he dreaded the prospect of seeing Claire. He just wanted to go back to bed and pick up where he'd left off that morning. Instead he forged into the family room, where he found her sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the built-ins that held their television and stereo. Videotapes, compact discs and old, dusty cassette tapes surrounded her. The bottom doors of the cabinet were open, and he could see where she had begun to replace the videotapes in an organized array. David Bowie sang "Let's Dance" on the cassette player; the sound was poor and scratchy. One of their old tapes.
He threw his briefcase on the couch and squatted next to her. She turned to him, and he pecked her on the cheek.
"What's up?" she said. "That was the lamest kiss ever."
"Sorry." He forced a smile and gave her another, better one.
"You guys went out after work?" she asked, turning her attention back to the tapes.
"Yeah, just the office. Our own little celebration with Earl." He sat on the floor with her. "Smells good. What's for dinner?"
"Beef Stroganoff. Hungry?"
He hesitated. "Yeah, I guess." He pointed at the mess in front of her. "What are you doing?"
"I don't know. I started to put away some of the videos the kids left out, and then I just decided to organize the whole thing while I waited for you to get home." She turned over the videotape in her hand to read the title and then searched for its corresponding case.
Jack ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He could smell the smoke from the bar on his clothes and thought about taking a shower before dinner. "What happened to you this morning?" he asked. "You didn't wake me to say goodbye."
"I didn't have the heart. You looked dead to the world. But you know, you had this really pained look on your face, so I almost thought I should."
He picked up a magazine from the floor next to the couch and began to leaf through it mindlessly. "It didn't feel like I got any sleep at all."
"This thing with Earl's really getting to you, isn't it?"
"I don't know. I guess." He tossed the magazine aside. "Today he asked me if I wanted to run. He said he'd already told some reporters that he wanted me to."
Claire turned, her eyes wide and smiling. "Really? Wow, that's good, isn't it?" She stopped
Similar Books
