By the time Ryan James returns my call, I am too worked up to think straight.
“As his parole officer, can’t you prompt him to talk to you?” I encourage.
“Rita, if you know something, you should just tell me. I can’t help Jake if I don’t know the facts.”
“But it’s not my place to tell you what I know. It should come from the source.”
“Is that Jake?” Ryan’s question stumps me as Nolan is the one who would have to confess. “It’s obvious you have a relationship with Jake Drummond. Maybe you can convince him to come forward with this new information you think he has.”
I had to be as vague as I could without giving away any hints of what I now know. I wanted answers without exposing either Nolan or Jake. I wanted to free Jake without damning his brother.
I had to fight for Jake the only way I knew how at the moment. He needed the truth exposed to set himself free. After a long talk with my law partner, I had a plan, and thankfully, May agrees. Things could be tricky, but I am determined for Jake. I’d already lost a man I’d loved once before, and I recovered. I survived, as Scarlett said. I would risk Jake’s hatred if it meant giving him a future he deserved by wiping out his past. I would recover again, as I once told Jake. I always do.
On Thursday, Jake is called by his parole officer to attend a meeting. At Building Buddies, we allow release for such appointments, so this part of my plan is easy to orchestrate. The harder part is when Jake arrives to find me present after days of silence between us. I’d reached out to check on him with no response. I was hoping he’d change his mind about Nolan, about leaving, and about us. I wanted him to come back to me, but I needed him to decide we could work something out together.
Confusion is written on Jake’s face as he enters the small meeting room and takes a seat beside his parole officer instead of me. Across the table from us is Parker Avery.
“Okay, Rita,” Officer James begins, waving out a hand as he tilts his chair in my direction.
“It’s come to my attention that my client has information that could exonerate him of his crime.”
“Rita,” Jake hisses two seats away from me. I don’t look at him. Instead, I focus on Parker.
“Before revealing this information, I’d like to know what Mr. Drummond’s options are?” I’d already discussed a few things with Parker in a vague, hypothetical sense, but I need her to explain the facts to Jake.
“First, if we can obtain a written confession from another party, there’s no reason not to present the information before a judge. I’m certain the conviction on Jake would be overruled, and a full pardon would be granted.”
“Rita, what are you doing?” Jake hisses again, and Parker’s eyes drift to Jake, but mine focus forward. Looking at him might break my resolve. I need to remain impartial to him despite the emotional connection between us, but after several seconds of silence, I can’t fight the pull. Glancing at him, I beg him with my eyes to trust me. Instead, I see more hurt and more betrayal etched in those lovely blues of his.
“What if the new information is sensitive and my client doesn’t wish to share?” I turn back to Parker.
“If this were the court, he’d be held in contempt for concealing evidence,” Parker warns me.
“But this isn’t court,” I reiterate, so Jake is clear. “This is an informative meeting of Mr. Drummond’s options.”
Parker again addresses Jake. “Then Mr. Drummond would complete his sentence as currently stated by the State’s sentence. You had a ten-year sentence and were released in seven on good behavior with a six-month parole as a contingency to re-acclimate you into the workforce.”
Jake huffs, disagreeing with that assessment. His position as a worker with Building Buddies isn’t job potential. We can give him a reference for his skill and his dedication to quality work, but the referral will come with the information of why he worked for us. He’s in a restorative justice program through the prison system.
I have one more question for Parker. “If another party were to come forward and accept responsibility for the crime, exonerating Mr. Drummond of all grievances against him, what would happen to that person?”
“Jail,” Parker states immediately. Even seats away from