A Good Killing (21 page)

Anna looked at Jody with interest.

Jody shook her head. “No.”

“Do you plan to tell him?”

Jody let out a short, sharp laugh. “No. He’s not the sort of person who’s able to raise a child at this time.”

The doctor asked about Jody’s last period, then looked at the chart and did some calculations. “You got pregnant five weeks ago. Which means, technically, you’re considered seven weeks pregnant. Your due date is March second or so.”

Anna did some calculations of her own. That meant her sister had gotten pregnant about a week before the coach died.

The doctor turned off the lights and had Jody lie back on the examining table. The sonogram monitor looked like a small, fuzzy black-and-white TV. It lit the walls with a dim light and produced a static noise, making the room itself feel womblike. The doctor squirted a clear jelly onto Jody’s abdomen and put a thick plastic wand onto her stomach.

The machine crackled then settled into a whooshing sound. There was a strong, slow heartbeat, which the doctor said was Jody’s. She slid the wand around. At first, the screen was just a jumble of fuzzy gray splotches, with no discernible shape or meaning. The doctor angled the wand to the side and pressed into Jody’s lower abdomen. A picture materialized on the screen: a round, black pool. Within the pool was a bright little bean that held a flickering white light inside it. The sound of a second heartbeat filled the room: faster and more urgent than Jody’s, like a little bird falling out of a nest.

“That’s the embryo.” The doctor pointed to the white bean. “With a nice healthy heartbeat. You can see the heart there.”

The tiny bright pinprick flickered in rhythm with the sound. The doctor pointed out the embryo’s head—round and slightly bigger than the rest—and tail, tapering at the end. It lay curled in Jody’s womb: just a bit of light in the darkness. Anna stared at the speck of a heart, its little white light pulsing hard and fast.

Jody stared at the screen like it was the most incredible thing she’d ever seen, which maybe it was. She might have felt conflicted about this baby before. Now, she was a woman in love. Anna reached out and held her sister’s hand.

“Oh my God,” Jody said. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes.”

“I can do this.”

“It’ll be hard. But you can do anything you set your mind to.”

Jody turned to her. “Annie, I can’t let my baby grow up without a mother. Please, will you help me?”

Looking at Jody’s eyes, shining with tears, Anna knew two things. Jody was keeping this baby. And Anna would do anything in her power to keep her sister out of jail.

“Of course,” she said.

“I’m sorry,” Jody said. “For everything I said to you. You’re not alone.”

“You’re not alone either. I’m here for you and this baby. And I’m sorry too.”

•  •  •

That night, the sisters curled up on Jody’s couch in front of the TV, a bowl of plain unbuttered popcorn between them.

“This tastes like wood,” Jody said.

“It tastes healthy,” Anna said. “Do you know what artificial butter is made of? Your baby eats everything you do.”

Jody grimaced and took another handful. The show switched to a commercial for Ginsu knives. Jody put the volume to MUTE. “Did you see Jack while you were in D.C.?”

“Yeah.”

“What was that like?”

“It hurt like hell.” Anna watched the knives flashing on the TV screen. “Her presence was all over the house. She belongs there. I don’t really.”

“I’m sorry, Annie. But maybe seeing that was like having a bone reset. It hurt, but you needed to have that hurt in order to heal. You had to know that he’s moved on to move on yourself.”

“Maybe so.” A paring knife sliced through a tomato, which bled juice onto a cutting board.

“You don’t want to talk about it?”

“Neither of us wants to talk about our love lives, eh?” Anna turned to her sister and smiled, trying to keep it light.

“Fair enough.” Jody met her eyes. “So I was watching an episode of
CSI
.”

“Uh-oh.”

“This client was, like, confessing to her lawyer. And her lawyer was all, ‘Don’t tell me anything. If you tell me it happened one way, I won’t be able to put you on the stand to say the opposite. I’m not allowed to suborn perjury. So don’t tell me anything yet. We’ll keep our options open.’”

“Yeah, I know that scene.”

“What do you think of that strategy?”

“I don’t agree with that strategy. I can defend you much better if I know what evidence I’m defending against.”

“But—can we do it that way, Annie? You’re the best lawyer I’ll ever get, and definitely the one who cares the most. That public defender couldn’t even remember my name. Represent me, defend me, kick some ass. But don’t ask me any more questions. Can you work the case like that?”

Anna didn’t like the idea of doing it that way. She wanted to learn as much as possible in advance, so she could get around the government’s strengths and exploit its weaknesses. But she couldn’t force her sister to tell the truth, and she didn’t want to force any more lies out of her.

“Okay. I hope you’ll reconsider. For now, I’ll focus on getting everything I can from the government and other witnesses.”

“Thanks, Annie.” Jody leaned over and hugged her. “I love you.”

Anna breathed in her sister’s clean shampoo scent and let the relief wash over her. “Love you too, Jo.”

•  •  •

The next morning, Anna unloaded groceries into Jody’s refrigerator: everything BabyCenter.com said was good for an expectant mother. Organic milk, yogurt, and cheese sticks; kale, broccoli, and carrots; oatmeal, almonds, raspberries, and blueberries. She’d get cherries and apples from Cooper’s farm. She pulled out a whole organic chicken, fresh pasta, and a loaf of seven-grain bread. No soft cheeses, no cold cuts, no alcohol or sushi, not that you could get sushi at Meijer.

As she set bottles of purified water on the counter, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. She glanced at the number. It was Jack.

She sank down at the kitchen table and stared at the screen. It was the first Saturday in July—the day that was their wedding in some alternate universe. Anna closed her eyes and allowed herself to imagine it. She was wearing a strapless white dress and walking down the aisle. Jack was waiting for her at the altar. Olivia was wearing the flower girl dress she’d chosen, the one with rose petals sewn into the tulle. There were heaping trays of cupcakes, a big band, an inn in the Shenandoah Valley, strings of white lights against a starry black sky. Fireflies floated up from the ground as Anna and the man she loved danced their first song as husband and wife.

She opened her eyes and returned to the hard Formica world of Jody’s kitchen. Her phone flashed the words
Jack Bailey.
She let the call go to voice mail. She held the phone to her chest for a long time.

Jody came into the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas. “Morning, sis! Are you using that as a defibrillator?” She started rifling
through the grocery bags. “Healthy, healthy, healthy. Where are the potato chips? Where are the Oreos?”

Anna looked up. “You don’t want those. BabyCenter says that every bite you eat is a chance to send nutrients to your baby.”

“My baby wants to get her nutrients from Cool Ranch Doritos. And a Blizzard.”

“Your baby is going to be glad that Aunt Annie brought you some nice organic blueberries.”

“My baby is going to be very glad for her aunt Annie, period.” Jody sat next to her. “Seriously. You’re all the family she’ll have. If something happens to me, will you take care of the little bean?”

“Of course, Jo. But nothing’s going to happen.”

“If I go to jail—”

“You’re not going to jail,” Anna interrupted, too loudly to be convincing. She lowered her voice. “But if you do, I promise I’ll look after the bean.”

“Give her potato chips every once in a while.”

“Whole-grain, free-range potato chips, of course.”

“Of course.”

“If I’m going to be this kid’s guardian, can you please tell me who the father is?”

“If there’s a father in the picture, would he have rights to the baby? To see her? To custody? Would his family have rights?”

Anna thought about it. “Yeah, probably.”

“Then let’s just say there’s no father. No father means nobody to hurt the kid.”

Jody got up, walked out, and returned a few seconds later holding a plate full of colorful cupcakes. “Me and the bean made these for you last night, while you were sleeping. We know what today is.”

Anna’s eyes misted. “Thanks, Jo.”

“Now put on some hiking boots and pack a bikini. We’re going to the Sleeping Bear Dunes. No work today. No moping. Only cupcakes, sand, and seashore. Got it?”

“Got it.” Anna stood.

She chose a bright pink cupcake and took a bite. The buttery sweetness melted in her mouth, overwhelming all the bitterness. Jody gave her a hug. Anna’s lungs expanded to take in more air than they had in days. Neither one of them might have the tools necessary to save the other. But they would both try their best. That counted for something.

34

T
hree weeks later, Anna sat at the defense table in Judge Upperthwaite’s courtroom, waiting for the judge to take the bench. She glanced at Desiree Williams, who sat at the prosecutor’s table, the one that by tradition was closer to the jury. That was where Anna belonged. Here, on the other side of the courtroom, Anna felt like she was living in a mirror.

Both she and Desiree wore black pantsuits. Both had wheeled in boxy litigation bags. Both nodded at each other as their eyes met, then went back to looking at their papers.

Jody came in and sat next to Anna. This was her third trip to the bathroom since they’d arrived at the courthouse forty minutes earlier. Anna wondered what life was going to be like when Jody reached her third trimester. For now, at ten weeks pregnant, Jody was still not showing. She wore a pair of black pants and a white blouse that wasn’t meant to tuck in. Her clothes were tighter than usual, but not scandalously so. Anyone who knew Jody might think she’d put on a few pounds; anyone who didn’t know her would just think she was naturally curvy.

At precisely 9:00
A.M.
, a side door opened and Judge Upperthwaite stepped through, followed by a stenographer, law clerk, and court security officer. “All rise!” called the clerk.

“Be seated,” the judge intoned. “We’re here today to hear arguments on the defendant’s Motion to Unseal Five Sealed Cases.”

Anna looked behind her. In the audience sat two people: an intern from the prosecutor’s office and Cooper, who was allowed to come in as Anna’s “investigator.” The judge had closed the court
room to the public because the mere existence of these police files was under seal.

“I’ve read the motions from both sides,” the judge said. “Ms. Curtis, you may begin.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Anna stood. “The constitutional guarantee of due process requires that the prosecution turn over all sealed files involving Coach Owen Fowler. These documents are necessary for my sister to prepare her defense.”

“In what way are these documents relevant to your theory of the case?” The judge’s voice was slow but kindly, a smart but aging man trying to understand the argument.

“I don’t know, exactly. That’s our point. There is information that the coach was involved in some criminal activity. Contacts with the criminal justice system are often relevant. But we don’t know if the coach was a crime victim, suspect, or witness. We don’t know if the cases pertain to assault or identity fraud or a credit card scam. There might be all kind of leads to follow up.”

“What are you currently planning as your defense?”

She shook her head. Jody didn’t want to go with a blame-Wendy strategy. At this point, Anna wasn’t sure
what
her strategy would be. “We are planning as the facts develop, Your Honor, and keeping our options open. Which makes this information all the more important.”

“Mm. So you have no reason why they are relevant, and no theory of defense, but you’re hoping if I give you these sealed files anyway, a theory will be found within them. Ms. Williams, do you have anything to add to the papers you’ve already filed?”

“No, sir,” the prosecutor said. Desiree was apparently acquainted with the important courtroom rule
Shut up when things are going your way.

“I have reviewed the files
in camera
,” Judge Upperthwaite announced, “and determined that there is nothing that needs to be turned over to the defense at this time. The files have nothing to do with the incident charged in the indictment. There is no exculpa
tory material within them. The court will bear their facts in mind, however, and if at any point they do become relevant, I will alert the defense.”

“Your Honor.” Anna stood. “Can you give us any information about these cases at all? Was Coach Fowler the victim or suspect? Was it a crime of violence or dishonesty or something else? Might there be other people who had a motive to hurt him?”

“I appreciate your fervor, Ms. Curtis. But my decision is made.” He smiled down at her. “Don’t fret. If you did see these files, you would understand just how irrelevant they are to your sister’s homicide case. Meanwhile, you’re doing an excellent job of representing her. I have been very impressed with your writing, research, and mastery of the local rules.”

Was he trying to distract her from the motion? Or just being a sweet old man? “Thank you, Your Honor. But I would ask—”

“Court is adjourned.” The judge stood and walked out.

•  •  •

Jody declared herself hungry, again, so Anna, Jody, and Cooper went to the diner across the square. It looked like it had been built in the 1950s and not renovated since, with peeling linoleum, a flickering Bud Light sign, and a menu written with detachable letters on a wall board. They sat at the window, looking across the square at the courthouse, whose gold dome gleamed under the July sun. The rest of the diner was empty.

“I found some good information,” Cooper said, after the waitress took their order.