were devoted to family. Dani wanted to believe they’d chosen each other because of those attributes, but she knew it wasn’t true. They’d been too young then to realize the people they would become and what would be important in their lives. She knew it was luck that the choice they’d made so many years ago turned out to be so remarkably right.
“We’ll manage,” Doug said. “Besides, I always have Gracie to cuddle up with at night.” Gracie was their cat, fat and affectionate. Usually, she’d have no one but Dani, purring loudly as she nestled herself in the crook of her arm at night. But in Dani’s absence, she made do with Doug.
“Well then …”
“So, it’s settled.”
“Yes, I suppose it is.” It wasn’t her fear of leaving Doug and Jonah that held her back. It was the case. When she handled only the briefs, HIPP had already decided the defendant was innocent. As an investigator, she’d have to make that decision. And to do so, she’d have to relive the brutal murder of a little girl. She wasn’t sure she was prepared for that.
CHAPTER
2
When she arrived at HIPP the next morning, Dani saw through Bruce’s open office door that he was sitting behind his desk. She hung up her coat and settled into her office, sipping the lukewarm coffee she’d picked up at the corner deli. Behind her functional brown laminate desk was a black swivel chair, its thin cushions flattened from years of overuse. Yesterday’s stack of folders had been reviewed and now sat on her secretary’s desk for follow-up. One folder remained. Inside was a single sheet of paper, the handwritten letter from George Calhoun. She stared at his folder while she finished her coffee and then walked to the office Xerox machine to photocopy a legal brief she’d written at home. With a copy of the document in hand, she marched into Bruce’s office and dropped it on top of his already-cluttered desk. Bruce had the only window office in HIPP’s spartan space. The other attorneys were housed in a row of small boxlike rooms, and the investigators and paralegals sat at desks on the open floor. It was as far removed from a Wall Street firm as a lawyer could get.
“Here’s the Brigham brief,” Dani said.
Bruce looked up from his computer, startled. “Already? That was fast. It’s not due for another week.”
“I know. This’ll give you more time to go over it.” As director of HIPP, Bruce reviewed all the filings that came out of the office. He rarely marked up Dani’s work, though, and she’d gotten into the habit of turning in her drafts only a day or two before they were due. “Besides, I’ve been thinking more about the Calhoun case.”
Bruce leaned back in his chair and, with his arms behind his head, fingers entwined, he smiled like a fisherman who’s reeled in his catch. “You want HIPP to take his case, don’t you?”
Dani took a deep breath. She’d tossed and turned for much of the night as she wrestled with her decision. Finally, she’d given up on sleep, crept downstairs to the kitchen and, after brewing a cup of coffee, begun a list. On the left side were the reasons to reject Calhoun’s request, on the right the reasons to follow up on his letter. She had easily filled the left side. The right column contained only one entry: find out what happened to Angelina Calhoun. “I do.”
“Are you willing to handle it from the start?”
Dani nodded. “I think it’s time. Can I pick my team on this?” Considering HIPP’s nonprofit status, with underpaid and overworked staff, an impressive roster of credentials was attached to the attorneys, paralegals and investigators on salary. Even though everyone there was top-notch, Dani had her favorites.
“Who’ve you got in mind?”
She knew just who she wanted. “Tommy and Melanie.”
“Should be okay. I’ll check their assignments and see if they can free up some time.”
Dani walked back to her office and busied herself with paperwork until she could put in a call to State Prison in Indiana, where George Calhoun was incarcerated. She’d already researched the head of State Prison and knew that Jared Coates counted as one of the new breed of prison wardens—smart, tough and fair.
When she reached the prison, Dani identified herself and asked to be put through to the warden. A few minutes later she heard a deep voice say, “Good morning, Ms. Trumball. How can I help you?”