Redress of Grievances (27 page)

Wayne
scratched his beard stubble. "Or it was pretty smart. So you have the six
bullets, right?"

"I
did, but Riley has them now. Signed them out as soon as I gave him my
results." Kelsey shrugged. "He said something about being afraid we
would lose them before the trial."

"Did
he sign a chain of custody voucher?"

"Yeah."

"Well,
I need a copy of it, Howie. Taggart's attorney has a right to see it."

"I
can't give you that! They'll know where you got it!"

Grabbing
the man by the front of his lab coat, Wayne said, "Look, you little
pissant, I'm not gonna waste my time arguing with you, and I don't have time to
run the paperwork through channels. By the time I do that, those fuckin'
bullets could be any damn place." Reaching into his coat pocket, Wayne
shoved a sheet of paper in front of Kelsey. "This is what they said they
had. One! One fucked up point and a few shells. You know damn well Riley's
gonna claim you lost the others, you moron!"

"That
son of a bitch!"

Shoving
Kelsey away, Wayne ordered, "So give me a copy of the other ballistics
reports."

Kelsey
scurried away from Wayne and pulled a large binder from a shelf over his desk.
Flipping through several pages, he eventually removed two pages and took them
to the lab copier.

"Those
bullets were fired over about a year's time. How did you tie them
together?" Wayne asked.

"It
was Riley's idea. I guess the circumstances were similar enough that he asked
me to compare the bullets and casings from the other cases to the last
one...Kaufmann."

"Then
I'll need the log form for each shell." Wayne lit a cigarette.

"Hey!
You can't smoke in here, man."

"So
give me a ticket. I need a copy of the log for the rifle, too. When did it come
in?"

"About
a week or so after the bullet from the Kaufmann case, I think."

WITH
THE COPIES of the ballistic reports in hand, Wayne settled in his Tahoe and
pulled out his cell phone.

"Well,
you were right," Wayne announced as soon as Harriett answered her phone.
"They're squirreling away the real bullets for a rainy day, and I got the
paperwork to prove it."

"Where
did they find them?" she asked.

"Lodged
in the passenger seats of the vehicles. So the shots had to have gone through
the windshields, and the drivers would have known they were being shot
at."

"What
about the windshields? Where are they?"

"Can't
use them. Too mangled up in the collisions."

Harriett
removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are they hiding
anything else we should know about?"

"Not
that I could ferret out. But from configurin' where the bullet they showed us
had to have been fired from to hit the telephone pole, I'm guessin' that it
might have been a plant. Maybe from a Browning, but not from any shots your
client might have fired."

"That
was probably Riley's genius at work again," Harriett sighed.

"So
we know they have the rifle, unused ammo, shell casings, and the spent bullets
from the scenes. What else?"

"They
got some of her clothes with powder residue, and her fingerprints are on just
about everything in the county."

"Then
I'll be forced to amend the plea soon."

"What
are your experts sayin' so far? Is she nuts or not?"

"I
hope so, but the final reports won't be ready until the end of the week. I want
you to do a little deep digging for me, Wayne."

"How
deep?"

"According
to Dr. Talbot we could be looking into a multiple personality defense for the
NGRI. The generally accepted cause is early childhood trauma, probably sexual
abuse."

"What
about all that shit I found at the school? You know Lassiter's people have
probably seen all them books about the insanity defense."

"Reading
a few books doesn't prove you aren't insane."

"Well,
I'd have to think she was fakin' it if I was the prosecutor."

"I'll
have to worry about that if and when Lassiter brings it up. In the meantime, I
want you to find out who Parker Collins's friends were in high school and
locate as many of them as possible. Then I might need you to talk to them and
bring them back for the trial if necessary."

"I
can do that, but I'll need a refill on the retainer."

"I
had two thousand transferred into your account this morning," Harriett
said.

"Okay,
kiddo. When will your client arrive?"

"Monday
afternoon. They'll call from the county jail after she's been processed."

"How
soon do you think it'll be before the trial begins?" Wayne asked.

"Two,
maybe three weeks," Harriett said. "Depends on how long it takes them
to get their experts on board."

"Rumor
in Dallas is that Donald Stevenson is their guy, you know," Wayne said.

"Fabulous,"
Harriett muttered.

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

"YOU'RE
IN A good mood this evening," Harriett observed as Jess guided her Durango
through Austin traffic Saturday evening.

Jess
smiled as she looked across the car at Harriett. She was feeling better than
she had in the last four years. She certainly couldn't deny her physical
attraction to the woman beside her. "I am in a good mood. So far I've had
a great meal and stimulating conversation, and am about to spend the rest of
the evening dancing with a beautiful woman at my favorite club. Who wouldn't be
in a good mood with all that going for her?"

"Thank
you, Jess." Harriett hoped the dim lighting in the car prevented Jess from
seeing her blush.

A
little before ten, Jess swung the Durango into a private parking garage across
the street from the Corral and rolled the window down to pull a ticket from the
entry gate. After parking the car in a vacant slot on the third level of the
garage, Jess walked around to the passenger side and helped Harriett out of the
vehicle. As Harriett took Jess's hand, she intertwined their fingers. Jess
couldn't believe how stunning Harriett looked. Tan jeans showed off a figure
that anyone would be proud of, and her light brown hair hung loosely down to
her shoulders. Jess was in the mood to dance, and it had been a while since she
had danced with anyone she gave a damn about.

"Let's
go show them how it's done," Jess smiled as she closed and locked the SUV.

The
Saturday night crowd hadn't found its way to the Corral yet, and Jess couldn't
help but notice that there was plenty of space on the dance floor.

"Would
you like a drink?" Jess asked.

"Maybe
later," Harriett said.

Jess
saw their reflection in a floor-to-ceiling mirror that ran the length of the
bar and even she had to admit that they made an attractive couple. She was only
slightly taller than Harriett and everything about them seemed to fit together.
She slipped her arm around Harriett's waist and drew her closer. "You look
beautiful tonight."

"So
do you," Harriett said, shifting her weight slightly to lean against
Jess's shoulder.

As
soon as a new song began, Jess led her onto the dance floor, and taking her
into her arms, began a slow two-step. She fit so well against Jess's body that
it was as if they were one person as they glided smoothly together. Jess
reached up, and using her fingertips, brushed Harriett's hair back from her
face, seeing the tenderness in her eyes as Harriett looked at her, softly
stroking the back of Jess's neck.

It
was nearly midnight when Jess asked, "Ready to go?"

"I
think I'll request something to finish our evening," Harriett smiled.

"What
did you request?" Jess asked when she returned a few minutes later.

"It's
a surprise, but I used to love dancing to it."

"Ah,"
Jess grinned, "I love a mystery."

"She
promised to play it next."

"How
much did you have to pay her?" Jess laughed.

The
music stopped and a moment later, a deep driving drumbeat began swelling
through the speakers as Harriett stood and took Jess's hand.

"Do
you remember this one?" she grinned. "Now we'll see how good you
really are."

Jess
laughed as she followed Harriett onto the floor, already feeling the beat of
"Hungry Eyes."

She
pulled Harriett into her arms and moved immediately into the dance. Other
patrons of the bar seemed stunned not to be hearing the usual country-western
tunes that had been playing all evening. As their bodies touched and teased one
another, Jess placed her hands on Harriett's hips and pulled her into the
sultry, suggestive dance. Eventually, a number of other couples joined them,
but neither woman seemed to notice. As the music began to fade away, Harriett
kissed Jess lightly and said, "Now I'm ready to go."

HARRIETT
OPENED THE front door to her townhouse, reaching in to flip on an inside light.

"Coffee?"
she asked.

"Sounds
perfect," Jess answered, following her into the kitchen and leaning
against the counter as she scooped grounds into the coffeemaker.

"I
haven't had as much fun as I had tonight in a long time, Jess. Thank you,"
Harriett said, taking two mugs from the cabinet next to the sink.

"I'm
glad. I had a great time, too."

An uncomfortable
moment passed between them as they waited for their coffee. Neither of them
wanted the evening to end, but both seemed uncertain what to do about it.

Clearing
her throat, Jess said, "I should be getting home after this."

Bringing
her eyes up to Jess's, Harriett asked, "Are you trying to get away from
me, Jess?"

"No,
of course not. I just....," Jess started.

"Do
you remember that song we danced to the night we met?" Harriett
interrupted.

"Which
one?"

"Shut
Up and Kiss Me," she said huskily, stopping inches from Jess.

Jess
smiled as she leaned forward and kissed her softly, shyly. Harriett wrapped her
arms around Jess's shoulders and pressed against her, enjoying the closeness
and warmth of Jess's body as her lips parted slightly, inviting her to deepen
their kiss.

"Stay
with me tonight, Jess," she whispered as strong arms caressed her.

"I...I
want to," Jess breathed, "but I can't. I'm sorry."

Breaking
their embrace, Harriett looked at her, an unasked question in her eyes.

"I...um...I
haven't been with anyone since I lost Renee. It isn't you, Harriett. God knows
you're beautiful and desirable, but I want to know more about you than just
your body. I don't want us to rush into anything."

Kissing
her softly, Harriett smiled. It hadn't been long since she had said the same
thing to Alex only to give in to her desires. She hadn't heard from Alex since
that evening. It had been a mistake that she didn't want to repeat. "It's
been a long time for me, too. I understand, Jess. Thank you."

Harriett
filled their mugs with coffee, offering Jess cream and sugar.

"Would
you still consider going out with me again?" Jess asked as she stirred
creamer into her mug, suddenly afraid to hear the answer.

"Absolutely,"
Harriett smiled. "How would you feel about letting me fix a late breakfast
for you tomorrow morning?

AT
NINE FORTY-FIVE Sunday morning, Harriett opened the front door of her townhouse
to greet Jess.

"Good
morning," she said cheerfully. "Hungry?"

"Starving,"
Jess said as she followed her into the kitchen.

"Pull
up a stool. This will be ready in a minute" Setting a cup on the counter,
Harriett poured a cup of coffee for her. Before she could return to preparing
breakfast, Jess stopped her and pulled Harriett's lips to hers. "Thank you
for last night," she said.

"It
was wonderful," Harriett smiled, meeting her lips a second time.
"There's milk in the fridge and sugar in the canister. The paper is on the
dining room table."

Jess
was amazed at how natural everything felt when she was with Harriett. She was
sipping her coffee and glancing through the paper when Harriett set an omelet
in front of her. "Hope this is okay.” she said.

"It
looks delicious," Jess smiled, diving into her food as she continued to
read.

Harriett
picked out a section of the paper and began reading while she ate as well.
"Hey, guess what?" she said with a chuckle. "The city council's
decided that MoPac needs to be extended."

Jess
laughed. "It needed that almost as soon as they completed it."

After
a few minutes, Jess stopped eating and picked the paper up. "Damn,"
she said under her breath.

"What?"

"Another
girl was killed last night." Looking at Harriett she asked, "Didn't
you say your niece attends St. John's Prep?"