Hostile Witness

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12

Josie breathed deep, filling lungs that seemed to have had all the air sucked out of them. This was not the triumph of architectural living space she originally thought. It was an exquisite tomb, and the time spent in it made her feel intellectually brittle and emotionally dry. Hannah, Kip and Linda, all with their own issues, their own guilt, their own needs, were now going to be locked together through the eternity of this trial because Josie had forced the issue.

The things Josie had known when she arrived - the trial schedule, the essence of her strategy - now seemed less the beginning of a stunningly constructed defense and more a desperate attempt to dazzle a jury that would have the same concerns that Kip had. Worst of all, she hated Kip for making this so damned personal. Josie didn't know if she fought hard because she believed in Hannah, because she wanted to prove that she could win, or because Kip Rayburn's reticence seemed inhuman even under the circumstances.

Still, it bothered Josie that she hadn't acknowledged the fundamental problem. In this family the accused and the victim's survivor were linked together by the tenuous thread of Linda. One of them would lose - or perhaps all of them - and still Josie would be standing. She could retreat to her office at Baxter & Associates when this was all over. She had an escape route. She wasn't in danger of losing a husband, or a daughter. That realization put Linda in a whole new light. She deserved a heck of a lot of respect for what she'd done tonight.

Josie walked back over the flesh colored tiles, past the horridly graphic statue and thought of Hannah, a girl who had no say in her future. Hannah was Fritz Rayburn's charity case; not even a blip on the radar for Kip. Maybe that was what bothered Josie the most. They spoke of Hannah as if she was a leaking faucet that annoyed everyone, but not enough to fix it once and for all.

Josie pushed open the huge copper door and walked back out to the real world.

The stars were brilliant. A near full moon made the white sand sparkle, and spilled a shimmering path of light right down the center of the ocean. Josie lifted her face as a surprisingly cool breeze sifted through her hair. The night was pungent with sea smells, but still she was ill at ease. Something was forgotten. It wasn't until Josie saw Hannah sitting behind the wheel of her Jeep that Josie remembered what it was. She should have said goodbye to her client.

"Hey," Hannah called as Josie ambled toward the Jeep. The floodlights made the black finish look like onyx and Hannah like a vision.

"I thought you were going to leave without saying anything to me." Hannah's lashes covered her eyes in a long, languid motion. Her head swirled and when she looked at Josie again her expression was almost vacant.

"I was," Josie admitted. Whoever said the truth never hurt anyone was wrong. It hurt Josie. She wasn't sure what it did to Hannah. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have forgotten. I was just thrown off base a little by our meeting."

"Still trying to figure out what happened?"

"I guess so," Josie admitted. She put her hand on Hannah's shoulder and gave her a gentle shove. "Move over."

Hannah crawled over the gearshift into the passenger seat. Her right hand touched the door handle as she settled herself in the new place. Josie waited, forcing herself not to count along. When Hannah was done, she said:

"Kip's jealous, that's what it is. He's supposed to be getting all the attention and everything, but I'm getting it. Plus, he doesn't like things to be complicated. I'm the complication. The trial is a complication and now you are, too."

"What about your mom? She doesn't think you're a complication, does she?"

Hannah whispered. "My mom loves me. Nobody can say different."