Storm (Linear Tactical #10) - Janie Crouch Page 0,66
“In some ways I would totally approve of you handling it yourself. I got the case files. I know Marilyn told us some about what Ellis did to her, but it’s bad, Noah.”
“She’s told me a little. Sick stuff. The physical abuse was what got him arrested, but the other stuff he did to her…” he trailed off. “I don’t even think she’s told me all of it.”
His helplessness and rage at her words earlier this week would haunt him for the rest of his life.
She blamed herself.
God, the agony of that still rocked him to his core.
Having enough experience to understand the physical pain of what she’d gone through was bad enough. She never complained, but she was still stiff sometimes—old injuries that would plague her for years, maybe forever.
But imagining the emotional trauma she’d kept buried for so long was devastating. She could adjust to the physical pain, but that sort of internal scarring of her psyche?
No wonder she suffered from PTSD. He had no idea how she’d functioned day in and day out at all.
He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her she was the most amazing woman he’d ever known.
He planned to spend the rest of his life proving that to her.
Tanner studied him, knowing Noah wouldn’t provide details about Marilyn’s abuse. That was her decision—whatever she decided to or not to share, he’d be right next to her in support.
“I’m sure most of it isn’t in the police report, either,” Tanner finally said. “But hell, what was in the report was bad enough. Ellis should be looking at eight to ten years.”
Noah shook his head. “Not long enough, if you ask me.” Not nearly long enough.
“It’s too bad we can’t pin the stuff in the wilderness on him. Whitaker is still looking into that. He’s gotten warrants to go through Paul Wyn and George Pearson’s phone records and texts. If he can tie it to Ellis, you know he will.”
“Good.” Noah took a sip of his beer. “Accessory to attempted murder is going to hold a much longer sentence, I’m assuming.”
“Hell yeah. And that would be much better because I really don’t like how Oscar Stobbart seems so confident about the case and how Ellis won’t see jail time.”
“That’s his job, right? Hell, someone who’s as good at this sleazy lawyer stuff as he is knows that the appearance of confidence can get them a long way.”
Noah wasn’t sure if Stobbart had also raped Marilyn, but even if he hadn’t, the guy was a fucking bastard to have stood there and watched.
He had to purposely loosen his fingers around his beer glass, afraid he might actually damage it.
“I thought that, too.” Tanner shrugged. “But it’s almost like they have a plan. They aren’t worried at all. And that worries me. I know confidence is his business, but I have no idea how Stobbart can look at this evidence and be so sure Ellis is not going to jail.”
“Maybe they plan to pay off jurors or something. I know most of Ellis’s accounts are frozen, but you know he has to have stuff stashed away somewhere.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he’d be great at finding the weakest link in the jurors.” Tanner took another sip of his beer.
In some ways Noah wished Ellis would be acquitted at his trial. That he would come after Marilyn.
It would be the last thing the man ever did.
Tanner leaned back in the booth. “Or maybe they don’t plan on going to trial at all.”
“You mean making a run for it?” Even better. Noah and the law could be on the hunt for him sooner and get this over with.
Tanner shook his head, mumbling something about how Bree would’ve caught any weaknesses in the ankle monitor. Noah agreed. Look at how fast it had detected when Ellis had messed with it tonight.
Tanner looked up at him, some sort of realization falling over his face. “There are no weak links in the computer system.”
They knew that already, had confirmed it. But something had his brother’s law enforcement spider senses tingling. Tanner reached for his phone, made a call, then cursed.
“Who are you calling?”
Tanner hit redial. “Adam Sowers, the marshal who was checking on Jared. He isn’t answering.”
“You think that means trouble?”
“I just don’t like it,” Tanner said. He tried one more time for good measure, but still nothing.
Tanner made a call to another marshal to see if Sowers had checked in. Noah wasn’t sure exactly what the other law enforcement agent said on the