Beyond Innocence (28 page)

“Here you go.” He handed her the stack of papers designed to save Eric’s life. She couldn’t resist flipping through, feeling the weight of the arguments in the heft of the document. When she reached the last page, she saw Paul’s scrawling signature in the space where Eric’s counsel was to sign, and she was surprised. She’d expected to see Cory’s name, since she’d put in all the work. Maybe it was customary to have the head of the clinic sign all the documents they filed. “I know Cory worked really hard on this. Is there a reason she didn’t sign it?”

“My call. She may be back working at the DA’s office by the time the case is set for a hearing. The judge will expect whoever signed the writ to make the arguments. I thought it would be easier on everyone this way. Cory has brought me up to speed on all the arguments, and I promise I’ll do his case justice.”

Serena had no doubt Paul would do a great job on Eric’s behalf, but she couldn’t help being distracted by his reference to Cory’s return to the DA’s office. She shouldn’t be surprised. Working as a prosecutor was Cory’s career, her entire livelihood. Did she think that would change because of one night of sex? She had to admit, she’d dared hope it might. A tinge of worry settled in. Had she risked too much? She’d finally experienced true intimacy, but without knowing what came next, the satisfaction was hollow.

You’re being too dramatic. You should talk to Cory, see what her plans are for the future before you write yourself out of them.
“Do you have any idea when Cory will be back? I’d like to thank her for her work.”

“I’ll be happy to pass along the message. I told her to take the rest of the day off, and I heard someone say her supervisor at the DA’s office called here looking for her earlier. I don’t expect to see her until tomorrow, if then.”

If then.
Serena struggled to process the implication, but she could barely breathe. Cory’s words from this morning echoed. “I’ll call you when I’m done…I’ll hurry.” But those promises flew out the window when the call came from her past. She hadn’t even called to say there’d be a change of plans.

Julie Dalmar’s face loomed in her memory. Possessive, controlling, gorgeous. Seemed like Cory found another call more worthy. Serena thanked Paul for his work and rushed out. When she reached her car, she let out a bitter laugh. She had nowhere to be, no one to meet, nothing she had to do. Before Cory, she wouldn’t have cared, would have even enjoyed the lack of connection to anyone or anything that could evoke feelings of affection, want, love. But now, she’d glimpsed what was possible when she let herself feel. The thought of losing what she’d barely found was the loneliest feeling of all.

*

Cory stood as Melinda approached. She’d been waiting in the lobby of the Dallas DA’s office for thirty minutes and Julie had stuck her head out several times, impatiently asking if Cory was ready for their meeting. She’d held her off each time. She could handle a meeting with just Julie, but she’d been called back to meet with the elected DA, Frank Alvarez, and since Julie had made it clear her future with the office was on the line, she wanted her attorney present.

“Hey, girlie, where’s the fire?”

Melinda made her usual ruckus entrance, and Cory was grateful. She needed someone she could trust to be completely in her corner. Julie’s phone call had left Cory wondering if she even wanted to take this meeting.

“I talked to Alvarez, told him I wanted to go ahead and bring you back on board. He wants to meet with you. This morning.”

“Okay.” Cory kept her tone cautious.

“Wow, thought you’d sound a little happier than that.”

As usual, Julie hadn’t even considered that Cory might have mixed feelings. She’d been ousted from her job and forced to work against everything she believed in just to have the chance of getting back to her chosen profession. Julie had made promises at the onset, but she’d done nothing in the interim to bolster the blind trust Cory had placed in her, in their relationship. They’d handled the Nelson case as a team. The only reason Cory had taken the fall on her own was because Julie had more at risk. She’d been at the office longer; she was on the fast track for a leadership position in the new administration. An accusation of prosecutorial misconduct would have meant sure termination. On the other hand, Cory had no aspirations to be part of “management.” Her goal was to be the best litigator she could be, and Julie had assured her when things blew over, she could return to the work she loved. Yet, now Julie expected her to jump when she called and pant with joy at the prospect of possibly getting her job back.

“I am happy,” Cory said, even though she wasn’t entirely sure she was. Things had changed. Not just between her and Julie. Being with Serena had given her new perspective about not only relationships, but her career path. She wasn’t sure she could return to the job with the same sense of righteousness she’d had when she left. Maybe she’d be a better prosecutor for the experience. But was that what she wanted?

“Good, because this was harder than I thought it would be. I had to do a lot of talking to get Alvarez to come around. I convinced him that all this do-gooder work you’ve been doing makes you more well-rounded, and since he’s really into the whole integrity of the process crap, he agreed to meet with you and at least talk about it.”

“Well, aren’t you generous?” Cory didn’t try to hide the sarcasm, but Julie was unfazed.

“Do you want the meeting or not? I told him your schedule was flexible since you’re just a volunteer at that place and he’s got an opening in an hour. I suggest you be here by then.”

She’d disconnected the call and studied her internal angst. She had always trusted Julie, but her confidence that Julie would do the right thing had shifted recently. Julie took and took, only giving when she could benefit from the bargain. She’d admired Julie’s tenacity, her willingness to sacrifice everything for success, but witnessing Serena’s situation gave her a different perspective. Serena had given up her home and risked her career for a brother she barely knew anymore. Her willingness to sacrifice meant giving up what she wanted, not what others needed. The difference was stark.

No longer sure Julie would protect her interests, Cory had called Melinda and asked if she would join her for this meeting. She wasn’t sure what she wanted Melinda to do, other than level the playing field. Cory had filled Melinda in but left out the part about how she’d agreed to take the fall for Julie when the Nelson case fell apart. She’d keep that secret as long as Julie kept her end of the bargain.

“I feel a little silly for dragging you down here. Guess I just want a witness for this meeting. I think Alvarez is going to reinstate me, but I don’t know how that plays into the state bar suspension. I figured you could help navigate that part of things.” The look on Melinda’s face said she knew Cory was holding something back. She felt bad for fudging the truth, but that was as much as she felt comfortable saying at this point.

“Sure, but you’re going to owe me a really good bottle of wine when this is over.” She stood. “Let’s go take this meeting.”

Frank Alvarez was an extremely tall hulk of a man. His imposing physical presence contrasted sharply with his kinder, gentler approach to prosecution. Cory had only met him in passing, which wasn’t surprising considering the large number of employees in the office, but she was generally impressed with his knowledge of the law and his apparent willingness to make changes in an environment that many viewed as stagnant. His first step as the newly-elected DA had been to set up a new unit within the office to handle writs claiming prosecutorial misconduct and actual innocence claims. Julie bitched about him behind his back about what she called his soft on crime approach, but in public, she sang his praises. She’d do whatever she needed to do to climb up the ladder, but Cory had never considered that Julie’s ambition extended to stepping on her back on the way up.

“Cory, it’s good to see you. Thanks for coming by on such short notice.”

She shook Frank’s outstretched hand and returned the firm grip. “Thanks for the opportunity, sir.” She introduced Melinda as her attorney, and added, “She’s assisting me with the proceeding at the state bar. I brought her along in case there are any issues that overlap.”

He motioned for both of them to have a seat. “Good idea. Frankly, I don’t know what’s involved with regard to this probationary period they have you on, but I’m ready to discuss having you back here. Julie has described the work you’ve been doing, and I’m impressed that you’ve taken it upon yourself to get some perspective.”

Julie sat in a chair close to Frank’s desk and beamed as if Cory’s work at the clinic had been her brainchild. Cory wanted to smack her, but she had to admit, Julie was keeping her end of the bargain. Still, she couldn’t resist a slight jab. “I can’t take the credit for the clinic work since it was Melinda’s idea. She negotiated the deal with the state bar and convinced Paul Guthrie to take me on.”

Melinda chimed in. “Mr. Alvarez, I can assure you that your word would go a long way with the bar examiner assigned to Cory’s case. Her probation is almost over anyway.”

“Then I’m prepared to call whoever I need to. We’re shorthanded around here, and it’s been a real hardship being without one of our more experienced prosecutors.”

Cory breathed a sigh of relief. When she’d entered the doors of the courthouse, she hadn’t been entirely sure she wanted to return, but now it seemed the decision had been made. Julie had kept her promise; the new boss was willing to intercede with the state bar to get her back, and judging by Melinda’s big smile, she considered Cory’s reinstatement a win. Who was she to argue differently? Besides, what else would she do? She worked her whole life to have this career. She had a second chance to make it work and she wasn’t going to squander it.

“Julie has drafted a formal apology for you to sign. We’ll need your signature before you can return. I assume you and Ms. Stone will want to review the language, but I’ll tell you right now, I’ve already approved it and there’s not a lot of flexibility.” He handed her a sheet a paper. “There’s an empty office down the hall if you need a moment to talk it over.”

Cory read the first few lines:

I, Cory Lance, acted on my own and improperly withheld evidence from the defense in a pending case. No one else at the district attorney’s office was either aware of my actions or instructed me to act in this manner. I sincerely apologize for my actions…

Seeing the words on paper stung. Especially since she knew she hadn’t done anything wrong. Knowing that Julie had penned the apology, formally shoving the blame solely onto her shoulders was another blow. But she’d made the bargain, and no way was she going to back out now. She pulled a pen from her suit jacket, but before she could uncap it, she felt a hand on hers. She looked up to see Melinda with a firmly fixed “we need to talk” expression. She shot back an “I know what I’m doing” look, but Melinda was not dissuaded. She stood and yanked the paper from her hand and, after skimming the lines, announced. “We’ll take a look at this and get back to you tomorrow.”

Cory followed her out of the office, fuming. She contained her growing anger through the long, crowded elevator ride, but once they reached the steps in front of the courthouse, she let loose. “What was that all about?”

“I don’t know, pal. Why don’t you tell me? Why are you so anxious to take all the blame for that case while your trial partner stands there sucking up to the new boss? You realize you’re going to have a reputation as an unethical prosecutor that will never go away?”

“None of your business. It’s my job, my decision.”

“Is that so? Then why did you have me tag along if you aren’t interested in an objective opinion? You’re a lawyer. Maybe you should represent yourself from now on.”

Melinda’s frustration was palpable, and Cory bit back an angry retort. After all, Melinda was right. She was the one who’d reached out for help. She’d known what she was going to do when she’d gotten Julie’s call. Why had she felt the need to drag Melinda along to witness her sacrifice her pride one more time? Why was she having mixed feelings when her career was back within her reach? Why now?

“Look, Cory, I’m sorry I barked, but I get the impression there’s something you’re not telling me. That’s fine. I’m not trying to invade your privacy. You want your job back, and I get that. Obviously, they need you back. Sleeping on it isn’t going to kill you, and my advice is that you do just that.”

She was right. Tomorrow she could quit the clinic and march into Alvarez’s office and sign the apology. In the meantime, maybe she could figure out why the excitement of returning to work carried a sour tinge.

This morning, Serena had been in her bed and her future seemed bright and hopeful. Now, she faced the reality that her career as a prosecutor would never be the same. She wondered what else wasn’t as it seemed. Was the writ she filed on Eric’s behalf good enough to give him a second chance? Was the passion she felt for Serena strong enough to sustain a relationship? Part of her wanted to run to Serena’s arms, relive the ecstasy of their lovemaking. For a few hours, they’d managed to block out the painful reality of their tenuous real lives. Would they be as successful in the light of day? Was what she felt for Serena really love, or was it only escape?

She didn’t know the answers, but she did know that she had begun to question her instincts in a way she never had before.

Serena grabbed her ringing cell phone and fixed on the caller ID. Skye. Disappointed, she considered letting it go to voice mail where it could sit with the message she’d gotten from Cory an hour earlier. Cory’s message had been simple, yet vague. Something had come up and she’d have to miss lunch. She’d call later. Serena had imagined many variations of the conversation, but since they all ended with Cory returning to her job, leaving the clinic and Eric’s case, she assumed every version of their talk would end in some form of good-bye. Probably inevitable. She felt foolish for letting herself assume any other conclusion, but after last night, she couldn’t help fantasizing a future between them. Time for the walls to go up again.