The Accused (13 page)

“I appreciate it.”

“Watch your back, Trahan. I want to collect on that drink you owe me.”

“You got it.”

He stepped back into the bedroom and secured the patio doors. As he turned around, Alaina walked into the room. She wore pink cotton shorts and a matching T-shirt. Her damp hair trailed down her back and she wasn’t wearing a stitch of makeup. Flip-flops separated her bare feet from the dirty floor, and it almost made him smile when he saw her toenails were painted the same color pink as her clothes.

Without a single bit of effort, Alaina LeBeau was the most attractive woman he’d ever known.

She was drying the end of her long tresses with a towel, but when she caught sight of him standing there, she froze. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

He didn’t want to scare her, but the time for hiding stuff was over. “I just got off the phone with an attorney friend of mine from Baton Rouge.”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “You were checking up on me?”

“I suppose you can look at it that way, but I choose to think I was following up on anything that might follow you to Calais.”

“You had no right!”

“I had every right. I have a responsibility to the citizens of Calais. If trouble followed you here, then it’s my job to find it and eliminate the threat.”

She glared at him for several seconds, but he’d seen the shift in her eyes. The anger was still there, but she knew he was right.

“Fine,” she finally said. “Then I guess you already know about the Warren case.”

“I found the particulars on the internet and asked my buddy about it from an attorney’s perspective. After we talked, he contacted a friend of his with the Baton Rouge Police Department about the vandalism to your ex-boss’s car.”

He relayed the information he’d gotten from Rob.

The last remnant of anger dissolved from her expression and worry replaced it. “Both of them have disappeared? How can that be? What are the police doing?” Her voice rose as she talked.

He placed a hand on her arm. “The police are looking for them. They’re taking this very seriously.”

“Because of the case.” She took a couple of steps forward and slumped down on the bed. “Sometimes I feel like my entire life is going to forever be defined by that one massive failure.”

Carter studied her for a moment. He had plenty of bad things to say about defense attorneys. He couldn’t even count the months he’d spent pursuing criminals only to have slick lawyers get them off on technicalities or bend lies so far it looked like the truth to gullible jurors. He’d assumed that Alaina was no different—that she’d done everything possible to win her case and it had come back to bite her in the rear. But after talking to Rob, and seeing how distressed she was now, he wondered just how wrong he’d gotten it.

He sat on the bed next to her. “The case wasn’t your failure—it was your job.”

“How can you say that? You were a cop in New Orleans—how many criminals you arrested got off because they had a good lawyer? Can you honestly tell me you felt no animosity toward me based on what I did for a living, even without knowing me at all?”

“It’s true I wasn’t happy when William told me your profession.”

“See, even you—”

“But I was wrong,” he interrupted her. “Not about all defense attorneys. I still think a lot would do anything this side of legal and some on the other side to win a case. But I don’t think that about you. It’s clear what happened eats at you. Is that why you quit?”

She shrugged. “Yes and no. My discontent with my job had been growing for a long time, but that case was like being hit in the face with a shovel. When Everett told me I was being passed over for the partnership I’d been promised, I knew exactly why and I knew no matter how much time passed, the partners would never forget.”

Carter frowned. So far, Alaina’s story matched up with Rob’s suspicions about the fallout after the murder. “Did you ever wonder why you got assigned lead on that case?”

Alaina stared at him for a moment. “Not at the time. Everett had already told me I was up for the partnership when the old partner retired. I thought the case was a test—a way to make sure I was capable of handling anything that came my way.”

“And what do you think now?”

A flash of anger passed over her face. “I think Everett made sure that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t be responsible.”

“I agree.”

“You do?” She looked a bit surprised.

He nodded. “I’m sure you’re good at your job, but it made no sense to put an attorney so green to criminal proceedings as the lead, especially on such a high-profile case.”

She looked relieved and grateful and so vulnerable that his heart tugged. He ought to be disgusted. After all, her prowess in the courtroom had set a rapist free to claim one more victim, but it was impossible to remain angry when she was clearly distraught over what had happened.

“Was there any indication that the kid was insane?”

“No! There’s a part of me that still can’t wrap my mind around it. I spent hundreds of hours with him, talking about everything from his birth to the arrest for molesting that little girl. He was smart and funny. When the girl broke down on the stand, it only confirmed my belief that she was making up the story.”

“Or lying about who the real perpetrator was.”

Alaina nodded. “That crossed my mind more than once. But he had me fooled. He had me fooled but good.”

“He had everyone fooled. The jury acquitted him.”

“Based on the case I presented. I keep thinking, if I’d looked harder or if that girl hadn’t broken down...”

“Did you push her to the breaking point?”

Alaina’s eyes widened. “No! During break, Everett chewed me out for going too easy on her, but I told him I wouldn’t be part of traumatizing the child more than she already was. I did believe she’d been molested. I just didn’t think it was my client who did it.”

“What happened after the break?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was just being in the same courtroom with her molester. She was only seven years old.”

A tear slipped out of Alaina’s eye and down her cheek. “She was barely older than I was when I was sent away from here to live with strangers. I was scared to death and I’d never been molested. How must that little girl have felt with everyone pushing her to relive the most frightening thing that had ever happened to her?”

Carter reached up and wiped the tear away with his finger. “You have to stop blaming yourself. You didn’t know.”

“But I should have.” Her voice cracked and she began to cry.

Carter wrapped his arms around her and held her while she sobbed, stroking her hair with one hand. The dam had finally broken, and he knew she’d been holding it in all this time. It was far too much for one person to carry around with them. He knew that firsthand. In New Orleans, he’d been unable to escape the ghosts of all the people he couldn’t save. Finally, he’d returned to Calais, attempting to outrun his past with distance.

It had taken a long time to adjust, but he was finally coming to peace with everything he’d seen.

“I’m sorry.” Alaina pulled back a little and wiped her cheeks with her fingers, staring down at the floor. “I didn’t mean to fall apart on you. Picking up the pieces of my disastrous life hardly falls under your favor to William.”

Carter placed his hand under her chin and gently lifted her head until she looked at him. “Comforting you had nothing to do with William. And neither does this.”

He lowered his lips to hers, softly kissing her.

Chapter Thirteen

Alaina stiffened slightly as Carter’s lips brushed against hers. Then for the first time in her life, she allowed emotion to override logic and relaxed against him, pressing her body into his. He deepened the kiss, tasting her lips, then parting them with his own. She moaned as their tongues mingled together, then lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair.

He ran his fingers down her cheek and neck and then across her swollen breasts. She felt a rush of heat run through her center as his fingers brushed her hardened nipple. He moved his lips from hers and began to trail kisses down her neck, pursuing the path his fingers had followed just seconds before.

She reached for the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Even the thin cotton was too much fabric between them. He took a moment to look at her breasts and there was no doubt that he liked what he saw.

When he took her nipple in his mouth, shock waves ran through every square inch of her body and she gasped. “I want you,” she whispered. “Now.”

He rose from the bed and pulled off his clothes. The sight of his naked, toned body sent another wave of heat running through her, the anticipation making her almost dizzy. He pulled a condom from his wallet and rolled it on as she shrugged off her shorts and panties.

She lay back on the bed and he stood over her for a moment, taking in every square inch of her body. Then he moved over her and entered her in a single fluid motion. She cried out and dug her fingernails into his back as she felt the hard length of him press into her. Never had she wanted a man like this and never had a man made her feel so primal.

He lowered his lips to her again as he set the pace. She matched him in rhythm until they both tumbled over the edge.

* * *

C
ARTER
MOVED
to Alaina’s side and stretched out beside her. He had never felt so sated—so satisfied—and from the look of pleasure on her face, he deduced Alaina felt the same. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him, tucking her body next to his.

“You were incredible,” he whispered.

She smiled. “You’re not so bad yourself. Who would have thought a defense attorney and a cop could have such chemistry?”

“Sometimes chemicals that don’t mix properly lead to explosions. That was pretty explosive.”

She laughed. “Maybe you’re right. I’ve always played it safe with men in the past—stockbrokers, investment bankers—never anyone near the law enforcement arena. I didn’t want my entire life to be about work.”

He nodded. “I was the same way. Unfortunately, that presents problems, as well.”

“Boy, does it. People who aren’t in a related profession don’t understand the intensity and the hours.”

“And all the hours and intensity make it difficult to meet people outside of that arena.”

“Exactly.” She smiled. “Maybe we were both overthinking it instead of making the obvious choice.”

“Maybe, but before now, I still couldn’t see myself with an attorney. Another cop, maybe.”

“I suppose the answer is to keep the adversarial part of the relationship in the courtroom and not the bedroom.”

He grinned. “There was nothing adversarial about what we just did, that’s for sure.”

He leaned over to kiss her. Despite the workout he’d just given her, she felt her body respond again.

“Round two?” he asked.

“I’m game if you are.”

He ran his hand across her hips and pushed his body tighter into hers.

Then suddenly, his entire body tensed. She looked up at him, but as she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, he laid a single finger across her lips. Immediately, her pulse spiked.

He slipped out of the bed and pulled on his jeans and shirt, then retrieved his pistol from the nightstand, where he’d left it earlier. “Stay here and lock the door behind me,” he whispered before slipping silently out of the room.

Alaina hurried to the door as quickly as she could without noise. Carter had already disappeared downstairs in the darkness. She strained to make out any sound, but all she heard was the sound of her own heartbeat. But she knew Carter had heard something. He’d gone from erotic god to cop in a split second.

She eased the door shut and pulled the dead bolt into place. Then she shuffled back to the nightstand and took her own pistol from the drawer, checking the clip. She pulled on her shorts and T-shirt but didn’t take the time to put on her tennis shoes. A quick scan of the room identified the far corner as the best tactical location. It offered a clear view of the bedroom and patio doors, and she could duck down behind the school desks.

Before sliding into her hiding place, she double-checked the patio doors. All was well, so she crouched behind the school desks, keeping a close watch on the bedroom door, her pistol clenched in her right hand.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to remain as calm as possible. Nervous people didn’t shoot well. It felt like an eternity, but when she checked her watch, only minutes had passed. Her mind raced with all the possibilities of what could have drawn Carter’s attention downstairs. None of the possibilities were good.

Why hadn’t she insisted on going with him? If something happened, how was she supposed to even know unless it happened so loudly that she heard it upstairs and through the door? And while she had no doubt that Carter was skilled at his job, if someone knew how to get into and around the house without being seen, then they’d been working that angle for some time. No matter his skill set, Carter was still at a disadvantage.

Maybe she should go downstairs...in case he needed help. What was her other option? If something happened to Carter, she’d either have to get out alone or hide there, hoping the intruder didn’t come after her. It would be a long night and even longer morning. Eventually, Carter’s mother would send someone looking for them if he didn’t appear the next morning, but that was far too much time for the intruder to strike.

Despite hours spent weekly at the gym, her thighs began to burn and she cursed her personal trainer for making her do all those clearly useless squats. Given the current situation, she’d have been better served taking a martial arts class or concentrating on sprinting.

Enough of hiding.

She’d been doing nothing but hiding her entire life—hiding from her past, hiding from her future, afraid to form meaningful relationships or permanent ties to any place. Her resignation from her position at the firm had as much to do with her unwillingness to commit to an unknown as it did anything else. Life was a constant risk. Sometimes you gambled and won, and sometimes you didn’t.

Like tonight. She’d let her guard down with Carter and the time they’d shared had been incredible. Even though it couldn’t work in the long run, she was glad she’d taken the chance and had that one special moment to remember. If she made it out of this house alive, she was going to start taking more chances—probably not the sexual kind—but risk was something she needed to get comfortable with.

She rose from her hiding place and crept over to the bedroom door. Pressing her ear against the thick wood, she strained to hear anything moving on the other side, but all was silent. She took a deep breath and blew it out, then slid the dead bolt back and eased the door open a crack. She peered outside but couldn’t see beyond the edge of the stairwell, as that was as far as the hallway light extended.

Her hand tightened on her pistol and she slipped out the door and down the hall, hugging the wall as she shuffled. The creaking of the wood floors echoed throughout the house and her heart fell. The intruder would have no doubt where she was. The house would give her away. She paused for a moment to collect herself, then picked up the pace to the balcony, no longer concerned with hiding her movement.

She peered over the balcony and into the darkness below but couldn’t make out anything but the dim shape of the furniture and art in the center of the entry. The downstairs lights had been on when she left the bathroom earlier. Had Carter turned them off to give himself cover or had the intruder planned another accident for her?

At the edge of the stairwell, she stooped down and ran her hand back and forth between the newels, ensuring that no wire was present. This time, the stairwell was free of wiring, but she knew the intruder may have constructed traps elsewhere in the house. Crouching next to the inside rail, she crept down the stairs until she reached the first floor.

As soon as her feet hit the marble floor, she scurried to a life-size suit of armor that stood against a nearby wall and huddled beside it. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the dim light, turning the entry from black to hazy gray. Scanning the open area, she looked for any sign of movement, but everything was still.

Where was Carter?

She bit her lip, fighting the urge to call out his name. If he was on the trail of the intruder, her cries would ruin everything. Of course, her getting in the way could ruin everything, as well. She was beginning to think she should have stayed in the room. Her training was all about courtroom combat, not dark-spooky-house-gunfire combat.

Suddenly, a door hinge creaked throughout the tomb of silence and she jumped, covering her mouth with her free hand. Was it Carter or the intruder?

She scanned the open area, trying to determine where the noise had originated. It sounded as if it had come from the direction of the hallway leading to the laundry room, but the way sound echoed in the vast openness, she couldn’t be sure. No matter, she couldn’t stay where she was. The intruder’s eyes would have already adjusted to the darkness, and he’d be able to easily spot where she was.

Her pulse racing, she slipped from behind the suit of armor and crept down the wall, circling the downstairs. The first two doors to offshoot rooms were closed and she continued without pause, but the third door was open. Drawing up close to the edge of the opening, she held her breath, listening for any sound of movement inside.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

She took a deep breath and hurried across the opening, but before she reached the other side, a hand clamped onto her shoulders. Her scream rang out in the open room, echoing back on her as loudly as it had left. She tried to spin and get a shot on him, but he grabbed her wrist, preventing her from raising her arm.

“It’s me,” Carter hissed into her ear.

She slumped against the wall and her breath came whooshing out. A wave of relief washed over her so strongly that it made her slightly dizzy. “Where is he?” she whispered.

“Get in this room and wait here.”

She edged around the door opening and into the room as Carter slipped silently by. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest that it ached from the strain. Her hands shook and her breathing was still shallow. She had to get control.

Suddenly, the entry lights flicked on, flooding the downstairs with light. Carter stepped into the room seconds later and she felt the pounding in her chest lessen.

“Is he gone?” she asked.

“As far as I can tell.”

“But he was inside the house, right? You heard him?”

He nodded. “I heard a tinkling sound, like glass breaking.”

“Was it in the kitchen?”

“No, it was here.” He pointed across the room to a window on the back wall. A single pane in the multipaned window was missing.

“He broke the pane to reach the lock on the window,” she said.

“That’s what he’d like us to think.”

Alaina stared at the broken window. “What do you mean? That pane wasn’t broken when I did my inspection, and you heard the glass breaking.”

He nodded. “Yes, but he didn’t get in the house through that window. It was broken from the inside. Look at the floor.”

She scanned the floor below the window, but only a couple of flecks of glass reflected in the light. “But why?”

“To throw us off his real entry point. He didn’t come through the doors—of that much I’m certain—and all the windows are still locked tight.”

“There’s another way into the house.”

“Yeah. That’s the only explanation.”

Alaina’s pulse spiked again and she slumped onto a chair next to the door, searching for another explanation—one that made her feel better about staying in this house for the rest of her time. “Maybe he was already inside the house when we got here this afternoon. Maybe he’s been hiding all this time and just left.”

“That crossed my mind, too, but I checked all the doors and windows. Nothing is unlocked, and there’s no way he could have exited the house and locked the windows or doors behind him. Not without the keys or the ability to reach through glass.”

“What about upstairs?” she asked, not wanting to let go of an answer that made her feel safer.

He shook his head. “He didn’t have time to get back upstairs after breaking this window. I was out of the room too quickly and would have seen him.”

“Unless he was using a secret passage, like the one from the laundry room to the master bedroom.”

Carter frowned. “I suppose it’s possible, but at the moment, I don’t care. Let’s get upstairs and grab whatever we need to leave. You’re staying at my place tonight.”

“I can’t. I’ll have to start over my two weeks and given how difficult they’ve been, I really want credit for the time I’ve already put in.”

He glanced down at his watch. “It’s past midnight. That’s good enough for a day for me. We’ll come back tomorrow morning. You could stay in town all day shopping and it counts, so why would it matter if part of the time you spend away is at night?”

“Well, I... Hmm.” She couldn’t think of a single logical argument against what Carter was saying.

“Besides,” he continued, “no one even has to know. We can be back here before dawn.”

“Then maybe we don’t have to tell William?”

He nodded. “Or my mother.”

Despite her anxiety, she smiled. “I wouldn’t want to smear your reputation.”

“I’m not sure it’s good enough for a smearing to matter. Let’s put on shoes at least, and I need to grab my keys.”

“What about the window?”

“I don’t have the tools to deal with it tonight and I’m sure Amos has been asleep for hours. Quite frankly, if someone wants to come in after we leave and roam all night, I don’t care.”