The Secret Child

“Sounds bad.”

“It is.”

“Care to talk about it?”

Marni found herself responding to his gentle coaxing, and before she realized it, she was telling him all about the defendant‘s contentions of coercion of a material witness, explaining that if the appellate court overturned the trial court‘s ruling, Kendell would have to be retried without the testimony of the witness. And if that happened, the prosecution‘s case could be weakened. “What‘s even worse is that the defense knows our strategy. It‘ll be like starting from scratch, and this case was tough enough the first time round.”

Cole leaned back in the soft executive chair of his office overlooking Century City. He smiled as he listened to Marni relate the legal issues involved in the murder trial. When she talked about her work, there were no barriers. “Is it true?” he asked.

“I don‘t know. I have to talk to the officers who took his statement. If they promised him anything, we could be in big trouble.”

A light tapping sound drifted over the phone lines. He pictured her drumming the tip of her pen on the desk, deep in concentration as she planned her counterattack. “Could Kendell be freed?”

“Not unless a new trial proves him innocent.”

“But if the press paints a picture of impropriety on the D.A.‘s part–”

“Exactly,” she said. “I‘ll be fighting an uphill battle. April Burnell will tear the state to shreds, and who knows how many other members of the press will join ranks with her.”

He didn‘t miss the despair in her voice and wished he could do something to help her. “How important is this witness?”

“Very,” she stated emphatically. “He testified that Kendell told him in intimate detail how he murdered those girls.”

Cole stood and looked out the twentieth-story window at the heavy traffic below the elegant offices of Ballinger Electronics as Marni finished her account of the importance of the witness testimony. “I wish I could help,” he told her.

“Me, too.” Her voice softened.

Cole smiled into the phone. He was reluctant to let her get away from him again. Grasping for something to say to keep her talking, he asked, “Who‘s Jenna?”

CHAPTER THREE

M ARNI COULD FEEL the blood drain from her face at his question. Her stomach churned from shock. “Who?” she managed to choke out, surprised she could utter the simple word.

“Jenna.”

She swallowed with difficulty. “Who?” Cole probably thought he was talking to an owl. An unintelligent owl.

“You asked Peg to tell her you‘d be late. Is she a friend of yours?”

Marni tried to ignore the humming in her ears and stirred uneasily in her chair. “Oh, yes, yes. We did have plans for dinner, but well, you know.” She closed her eyes and prayed. Prayed he‘d accept her feeble explanation and drop this line of questioning.

“Marni, are you all right?” The concern in his tone only increased her wariness.

“Fine,” she said with forced brightness. Her hands shook uncontrollably. “I‘m just thinking about all the work I have to do.”

“Hmmm. So I guess you‘ll be working through the weekend now.” He spoke tentatively, as if he hoped she might be free, after all.

“Yes, I will. I really have to go.” Marni tried to lower her tone an octave. She took a deep breath and willed her hands to stop shaking. The limbs refused to cooperate.

“I‘ll call you next week, then.”

“Sure. Bye, Cole.” He‘d sounded disappointed, but she practically flung the receiver back onto the cradle before he could ask her anything else about Jenna.

Marni leaned back in the worn burgundy chair and stared at the phone, concentrating on resuming a normal breathing pattern. What was she going to do? He couldn‘t keep calling her or following her to the courthouse! Marni glanced at the framed school photo of Jenna on her desk. If he came to her office and saw the photo...Marni refused to think about it. She couldn‘t or she‘d go crazy.

The door to her office opened and Rebecca Parks stepped in. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I‘d stop by.”

“Really? Come to get a copy of the warrant?” Marni didn‘t believe her friend for a minute. She‘d come here for one reason, and it had nothing to do with law. Rebecca wanted to know about Cole.

She smiled sheepishly. “Obvious, huh?”

“Uh-huh.” Marni nodded, still shaken by her near disaster with Cole.

Rebecca lowered herself into the chair across from Marni‘s desk. “Can you blame me for being curious? Who is he?” Her blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Who?” Marni seriously doubted her ability to converse logically. If all she uttered were inane animal sounds, her career would be over.

Rebecca sighed heavily. “The hunk, Marni.”

“An old friend.” Full custody. The dreadful words reverberated through Marni‘s mind.

“Ha! You don‘t expect me to believe that, do you?” Rebecca drummed her fingers impatiently on the coarse fabric of the chair. “Give up, Rodgers.”

Marni stood abruptly, crossing the room to the bookshelves. She stared at the titles, unable to concentrate. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Marni could feel Rebecca‘s eyes on her.

“Who is he? Really.” Her friend spoke quietly, her demeanor serious.

Marni slipped a law book from the shelf and continued to peruse the other titles. “I told you, an old friend. We grew up together.”

“High school sweethearts?” Rebecca teased.

“Something like that,” Marni mumbled, fingering one of the books filled with precedent-setting case law.

Rebecca issued a deep, throaty chuckle. “Where‘s he been all your life?”

Rebecca‘s pumps hit the floor with a thud, a sure indication her friend wasn‘t leaving until she got the information she wanted.

Marni pulled another book from the shelf and rested it against her hip. “Married.”

Rebecca sighed dramatically. “Why are all the gorgeous ones taken?”

“He‘s not. He married someone else two months after I moved to California, but they divorced.” Marni pulled two more books from the shelves and returned to her desk, still not looking at Rebecca.

“Someone else?” Rebecca asked in a silky voice. “Marni. Who is this guy?”

Marni let out a long, audible sigh. Now Rebecca would have to know everything. She would need her friend‘s legal expertise if Cole found out about Jenna. “I really hate to burden you with my problems.”

“Sweetie, if you can‘t talk to me, who can you talk to? Jenna? I know the kid‘s bright, but she doesn‘t have much experience in the male gender department.”