Sisters (12 page)

‘You got the coat,’ Alex said.

Marisol grinned broadly. ‘It was just where you said it would be. The police searched through it in my presence. The receipt was there, in her pocket. Date and time,’ she said.

Alex let out a cry of surprise.

‘And, in the nick of time too. The hearing date has been set for Friday.’

‘Friday? Oh my God,’ said Alex. ‘Did you tell Dory?’

Marisol sat down at the desk and indicated the nearby chair. ‘Not yet. I thought I’d wait till you got here to call her. We’ll put her on speaker.’

‘OK,’ said Alex, sitting down.

Dory sounded depressed when she came to the phone.

‘Dory, hi. It’s me. It’s Marisol. Alex is here with me. We both wanted to tell you this news,’ said Marisol.

‘What news?’

‘You tell her, Alex. You found the missing piece on this one.’

Alex blushed with pleasure and began to explain about the receipt. ‘Marisol got a warrant for the police to confiscate that one item of clothing, and there it was. In the pocket of your pea coat. Right where you left it three years ago.’

‘Wow,’ said Dory. ‘Really? What are the chances it would still be there?’

‘It was still there,’ Alex affirmed.

‘This is good, right?’

‘Yes,’ said Alex.

‘It’s excellent,’ said Marisol. ‘It couldn’t have come at a better time. We found out today that your hearing is set for Friday. With this new evidence which supports your alibi, I feel very confident that we will win the appeal for a new trial.’

Dory was silent for a moment.

‘We thought you’d want to know right away,’ said Alex.

‘I do. I don’t know how to thank you.’

‘I’m just glad we found that receipt,’ said Alex.

‘Wow. Me too. What did my mother say?’ Dory asked.

‘Your mother?’

‘Yes. Was she upset about the police coming into the house?’

‘I . . . don’t know,’ said Alex. ‘I wasn’t there.’ She frowned at Marisol.

‘I hope she wasn’t too upset,’ Dory fretted.

‘She’ll get over it,’ said Alex impatiently.

‘Listen, Dory, you and I have a bunch of things to go over before Friday. Tomorrow I’ll come up to the prison with Mr Gathman, who is going to actually be pleading your case in court.’

Alex looked at the law student quizzically, pointing at herself and then at the door.

Marisol shook her head and frowned. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Dory.’

‘OK. Whatever you think,’ said Dory. ‘Listen, Alex. And Marisol. I’m really grateful to you both. I can’t believe you’re doing all this for me.’

‘I’m glad to do it, Dory,’ said Alex, feeling a surge of affection for her.

‘You’re lucky your sister came along when she did,’ said Marisol.

‘I know,’ said Dory sincerely.

Tears rushed to Alex’s eyes. She took a deep breath.

‘I’ll speak to you tomorrow,’ said Marisol. ‘Try not to worry. Everything is going to be all right.’

‘Promise?’ Dory asked, in the voice of a small child.

‘You get some rest,’ said Marisol.

When they’d hung up Alex leaned back in her chair and found that, despite her lingering misgivings, she was genuinely happy and excited. When she set out to find her sister, she had never dreamed that she would be involved in an effort to save her from a life in prison. But it was getting closer. She could feel it. Then she looked at Marisol and saw that she seemed preoccupied.

‘What’s the matter?’ she said. ‘Aren’t you excited?’

‘I am,’ Marisol said, nodding.

‘But . . .’

‘There’s something else you and I need to discuss,’ she said.

Alex frowned. ‘What’s that?’

‘Well, if the judge does grant her a new trial, her attorney will be asking for bail.’

‘Bail? How could she get bail?’ Alex asked.

‘The judge has the right to grant her bail, with very limiting conditions, until the new trial takes place. Or until the DA decides not to refile the charges. This is kind of a long shot. But, there are precedents. We need to consider the possibility.’

‘OK,’ said Alex slowly.

‘Dory would need to have someone to pay the bond. It’s ten per cent on the amount of the set bail, which is returned at the time of trial. I don’t know how much money that would be but, if the judge agrees to it, I don’t think he’ll set an exorbitant amount. He wouldn’t agree to it unless he was pretty well convinced that she was wrongfully imprisoned.’

Alex felt the question in Marisol’s statement. ‘My parents had insurance and some savings. I guess my mother would want me to do that. Yes, I’m sure she would,’ she said.

‘Good,’ said Marisol. ‘That’s one thing settled. Also, in this unlikely event, the judge is going to ask who is willing to accept responsibility and take her in.’

Alex grimaced. ‘Her mother definitely won’t do that.’

‘What about her father?’ said Marisol. ‘Does he feel the same way?’

‘I’m not sure. I mean, I would think if the judge grants a new trial, they might be willing to look at Dory in a different light. Certainly if they drop the charges. That would be a reason for them to consider that she might, indeed, be innocent.’

‘It’s possible,’ said Marisol.

‘Well, we won’t know until it happens,’ said Alex.

‘But our attorney needs to know before he makes the request for bail,’ Marisol said. ‘The judge will want specifics.’

‘I really hope they would agree to take her in,’ said Alex. ‘She is their daughter, after all.’

‘Or there’s you,’ said Marisol.

‘Me?’

‘She’s your sister,’ said Marisol. ‘You’ve got that big old house to yourself. It’s not as if you don’t have room for her.’

Alex looked at her anxiously. It was one thing to try to be supportive of Dory’s cause, to pay a bond. It was another thing to imagine living with her in the house. ‘You probably think I’m terrible,’ she said. ‘Frankly, I feel guilty for hesitating. But I barely know Dory.’

‘I don’t think you’re terrible. Let’s be honest. The woman has been in prison for murder. And now we’ve learned that she had a violent incident in her past. Anybody would be concerned. That’s why I thought I should warn you.’

‘Do I need to answer you right away?’

‘No. But soon.’

‘I want to get to know my sister. I do. But . . . I think I will try to talk to her father. I’m sure, if she had a choice, Dory would rather be with her family. In the home she knows.’

‘Wasn’t there some poem about home being the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in?’ Marisol said.

‘Robert Frost.’

‘I always liked that phrase. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry. The chances are slim to none that, even if they agree to a new trial, any judge would grant her bail.’

‘But he might,’ Alex said.

‘Is that what you want?’ Marisol asked.

Alex hesitated. ‘I want her to be able to go home.’

‘Wherever that might be,’ Marisol said.

THIRTEEN

A
fter she left Marisol’s office, Alex drove directly to Jamaica Plain in search of Garth Colson. She knew that Details, the architectural salvage firm which Garth owned, was situated in a large warehouse in that traditionally blue-collar neighborhood bordering the Jamaica Pond. Details served everyone from high-end designers to construction workers and weekend do-it-yourselfers. Alex parked her car down the block and entered the warehouse, picking her way through the historic remnants to reach the spot where Garth was working.

She found him sorting through a collection of brass and crystal doorknobs. He stood at a counter surrounded by piles of wooden window frames, Mexican tiles and an assortment of cement garden statues. Ornate mantelpieces, floating free from any fireplace, leaned against walls. Grecian columns stood alone on the cement floor.

Garth looked up when she called his name, and his expression darkened.

‘Mr Colson, can I talk to you?’

‘I suppose so.’ He pointed to a free-standing oak church pew. ‘Have a seat,’ he said.

Alex nodded her thanks and sat down on the curved wooden bench. It was chilly in the high-ceilinged warehouse, and Garth was dressed for it. He wore a dusty parka, jeans and boots. His half-glasses hung on a chain around his neck.

Alex made no attempt to disguise the reason for her visit. ‘Dory is having her hearing on Friday. To decide if she gets a new trial,’ she said.

‘I didn’t know it was going to happen so soon,’ he replied without enthusiasm. ‘Of course, we’re not really in touch.’

‘That’s why I came here to see you. The fact is, if the appeal is successful, and Dory is granted a new trial, the attorney is going to ask for bail.’

‘Bail? She’s not going to get bail,’ Garth scoffed.

‘It’s unlikely, but not out of the question.’

‘Hmmph,’ Garth murmured. He frowned and resumed his search through the doorknobs without comment.

Alex hesitated in the face of his silence. ‘If that happens,’ she said, ‘the judge will need to know that Dory has somewhere to go and someone who can take responsibility for her. I was hoping that you and Elaine might be willing to do that.’

Garth shook his head. ‘That’s not going to happen. My wife doesn’t even speak to Dory if she calls. She’s not going to let her back in the house.’

‘You could ask her,’ Alex pleaded.

‘I don’t need to ask her. This is not something she’s about to forgive and forget. Look, you have no idea what you’re asking.’

‘But if the court decides that Dory didn’t have justice, and that she deserves a new trial, I would expect that her family would at least support her.’

Garth shook his head, and seemed to be weighing a crystal doorknob in his hand. ‘Doesn’t matter what the court says. Some things can’t be denied.’

‘Like what,’ said Alex angrily.

Garth sighed. ‘It’s not just what happened to Lauren. Obviously none of us will ever get over that. Or even that incident in school. There’s a whole history there. You know, Elaine and I tried for years to have a baby with no luck. Then the adoption was another long procedure. We were just waiting to take Dory home with us when Elaine realized that she was pregnant.’

‘So you were doubly blessed,’ said Alex.

Garth frowned. ‘People always say things like that. But it’s not that simple. As they grew up, the two of them never got along. Dory was always the aggressor. She would pull Lauren’s hair, or knock her over. It was like she wanted to . . . eliminate Lauren from day one. Of course, Lauren wasn’t much more than preschool age when we realized that she had this beautiful voice and this . . . knack for performing. Elaine has a beautiful voice too, you know. But no one had ever really encouraged her as a child. So Elaine devoted herself to being sure that Lauren had every chance for success. She had to home school Lauren so that she could take her to all her lessons and auditions. It was the only practical thing to do, but Dory always took it personally.’

‘But she must have felt like Lauren was your favorite child. Could you blame her for being jealous?’ Alex asked.

‘I didn’t blame her. I just didn’t realize how vicious it had become. Since she moved to Branson for her career, Lauren was hardly ever home. On those brief visits all we wanted was for those two to get along. But that never happened. You know, when Dory started dating that doctor . . .’

‘Rick Howland,’ said Alex.

‘That’s right,’ said Garth. ‘Rick. She finally seemed happy. Everything was Rick. We were kind of hopeful about it. We thought she might be calming down. Might even get married and move out of the house. But no. In the end, it became about Lauren.’ Garth shook his head. ‘That was our mistake. Thinking her jealousy was under control. If it hadn’t been the dog-loving podiatrist, it would have been something else.’

Alex began to shiver. ‘Maybe this guy, Rick Howland, and Lauren were involved. Some men are born cheaters. It’s his word against Dory’s? Why do you choose to believe him?’

Garth’s gaze was implacable. ‘Why? Because I knew my daughter.’

Even though she was still wearing her coat, Alex was trying to keep her teeth from chattering. ‘Lauren, you mean?’ she said acidly. ‘Lauren, who could do no wrong?’

‘No,’ said Garth sadly. ‘Lauren, who was gay.’

Alex stared at him.

Garth smiled at her with bitter satisfaction. ‘That’s right. There was no way that Lauren was trying to steal Dory’s boyfriend. She only liked girls.’

‘I don’t understand. Didn’t Dory know that?’ Alex asked, incredulous.

‘No one knew. Especially not Dory. We had to keep it from her. She would have used that information against her sister. Lauren was making a mark in country music. Believe me, I grew up out west. I know. There is no room for gay people in the country and western world. None whatsoever. Do you remember what happened to that pretty thing, a country singer, when she came out a few years back? Her career was over. Dried up overnight. I think it’s wrong, but it’s a reality. Lauren had worked too hard to have her dream.’

Garth’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out and looked at it. He frowned. ‘I better take this. It’s Elaine.’

He got up, walked away from the desk and spoke into the phone. Alex could hear the murmur of his voice and see anguish on his face. Finally Garth folded up the phone and stuffed it into a pocket inside his parka. He looked at Alex, unsmiling. ‘She was calling me from work,’ he said. ‘She’s fit to be tied. She just got back to the school. She had to go home because the police came to take some old coat of Dory’s.’

‘I know about that,’ said Alex.

‘I thought you might. You better just go, Miss Woods. And keep on going if you know what’s good for you.’

‘Come to the hearing, Mr Colson,’ she pleaded. ‘You might find out that you have not been entirely fair to Dory.’

‘Oh, I’ll be there,’ he said wearily. ‘You can be sure of that.’

Alex hesitated, then got up from the church pew. She realized that she was not going to get anything more from the Colsons. She also realized, as she picked her way back through the salvaged embellishments, that Dory’s only hope for getting out on bail now rested entirely with her.

FOURTEEN

‘A
ll rise,’ said the bailiff. Everyone stood up and watched as the judge left the courtroom by the door behind the bench. He was returning to his chambers to deliberate, his black robe billowing out behind him.