The Discovery - 12. Chapter 12

Michelle stood in the elevator next to Kevin and they patiently waited for it to carry them to the thirtieth floor of the Manhattan high rise building. From the décor of the foyer and the elevator, it wasn’t hard to discern that the person they were meeting with was either rich or married rich. Kevin held his hands in front of him, having opted to let Michelle lead this interview. He was better at listening and reading someone than taking notes. When the elevator opened, they walked down to the hall to the last door. Michelle took a moment to compose herself before knocking. When she spoke to Mrs. Spencer on the phone the day before, she got a little emotional talking about her dead friend. Hopefully things would go better in person, though it seemed more likely that things could get difficult.

She knocked on the door and waited. Only a moment passed before the door opened and a woman in her late thirties opened the door with a polite smile. “Hello?”

Michelle smiled and introduced herself. “Hi. Rhonda Spencer? I’m Michelle and this is my associate, Kevin. We spoke on the phone yesterday.”

“Oh, yes. Please, come in.” She escorted them into a well-appointed looking New York City apartment that Kevin guessed sold for seven figures. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Some water would be fine. We just have some questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

“About Sharon, right?” Rhonda’s smile waned as she led them into the kitchen. “There are times I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

“Were you friends with her for very long,” Kevin asked as he followed the women into the kitchen.

“Since high school,” Rhonda replied before she opened the fridge and sat two bottled waters in front of them. “Let’s move into the living room so we can sit comfortably.”

Michelle dutifully followed her and sat down on a plush sofa. “Thank you. Did you go to college with her as well?”

“Actually, yeah, in Pittsburgh. We were both studying for an art degree.”

“So, you’d say you saw each other frequently in school and after you graduated?”

“Oh, yeah.” Rhonda chuckled softly to herself. “We all hung out at the same spots. There was a gaggle of about twelve of us. Sometimes more, just depended on who was dating who and when.”

Michelle felt good about where this was going. “What was Sharon like back then? When you were in college together?”

Rhonda sighed. “She was fine the first year or so, but then she got into drugs, and it all went to hell by her senior year. She just barely managed to graduate. Then she got arrested on possession a few times and it kind of went downhill from there. Her life never really came into focus until she got out of rehab.”

“She met Joshua Carter in rehab, didn’t she?” Michelle already knew the answer, but she felt it was best to let Rhonda think she was the first person being interviewed. It may also reveal details others may not know.

Rhonda nodded. “I think he was the real reason she got sober. I’ll never forget when she called me after she got out. She was just over the moon for that guy. Five years older than her and she was just hooked. She tended to like older guys. Not real old, but a couple years or so was her ideal, I think.”

“Just so I understand everything, how soon after graduating did she enter rehab?”

She stopped to think about the answer before answering. “I think it wasn’t more than a couple months, really.” There was a pause as she frowned in thought before she continued with more confidence in what she was saying. “Yeah. I’d say it was around late August that year. She was in a six-month program, I think.”

Kevin watched the exchange silently. Rhonda was very open, and by her body language that she was relaxed so much so that there was no way she could be making things up. “You remember the first time she told you about Josh?”

Rhonda smiled sadly and nodded. “Yeah. She called me and we talked for hours about him. Said he was sexy and sweet. Kind of quiet until you got to know him. She didn’t say it right away, but I knew she was in love with him. And to be honest, they made a great couple. Kind of meshed well and really supported each other. And he let her be her own person.”

“Did you spend a lot of time around Josh,” Michelle asked.

Rhoda made a kind of noncommittal sound. “I mean, yeah, kind of. Sometimes when we went out together, we would talk. It was always polite and all. But he was kind of shy. I thought at first, he just didn’t like me. But when I told Sharon about it, she told me it was just how he was since he grew up in foster care. I guess he had a rough life before going into rehab. And he was a blue-collar guy and the rest of us weren’t. After she told me that, I could tell he was a bit of a loner in some respects, but he was just so great with Sharon. He would light up whenever she was near him. He had this great big smile and those eyes… Just so gorgeous.”

Michelle nodded in understanding. “It must have been a shock then when you found out he was accused of murdering her, I bet?”

“I was stunned,” she said, leaning forward in her chair to emphasize her words. “I figured they’d get married, not killed. In fact, I remember one of the last times I saw him… about a week or two before she died, he actually came to me and asked me what I thought about him asking her to marry him.”

Michelle blinked in surprise. This wasn’t something she remembered Josh telling her. “Really? What did you say?”

Rhonda shrugged. “At the time I thought he’d be an idiot not to marry her. I mean, before her murder, they looked damn near perfect. They supported each other and helped keep each other clean. She didn’t even drink that last night we went out together. Lord knows enough people were trying to get her to.”

Kevin’s eyes narrowed slightly, feeling that there was a clue here somewhere. “Rhonda, tell us about that night. What do you remember happening.?”

She paused in thought before she spoke. “We got together sometime around seven. Sharon showed up late because she said Josh was sick. She almost left right after dinner, but we talked her into going to a friend’s house for some games and hanging out. We tended to pull out a pack of cards and play whatever came to mind. Just for fun, you know. Hearts. Spades. Euchre. That kind of thing. There was about a dozen people there. We took pictures and had some drinks. I don’t remember whose house it was. But we just sat around and talked. Laughed and caught up like we usually did. It was something we did every so often back then.”

Rhonda’s eyes suddenly lit up, remembering. “Oh yeah. It was Grant’s house. Grant… Grant… Grant Dawson. That’s right. I don’t know how we ended up there. Oh, yeah. He and Amy were dating then. Or was it someone else? Anyway, I’m sorry I got sidetracked.”

“It’s okay,” Michelle assured her. “Go on. Anything can help.”

“Well, I remember Sharon saying she was only going to stay for one game and then she wanted to get back to Josh because he was sick or something like that. We talked her into staying for a few more after we took a few breaks. It was just a big party of twenty-somethings in there, from what I remember. I do remember a few drunk guys there though. I don’t remember their names. You’d have to ask one of the other girls. Later on she started acting antsy. Like she was getting desperate to leave. Not long after she just hurried out the door.” Rhonda sighed and her voice trembled slightly as she finished. “And that was the last time we saw her.”

Kevin wasn’t totally convinced. He felt she wasn’t lying but she seemed to remember a lot of details. “Ma’am, can I ask, how do you remember that so well?”

Rhonda looked from Kevin to Michelle. “Yesterday, after you called, I started getting nostalgic for those times and I went looking through some old files on my computer. I saved most of my stuff back them from off my phone so I wouldn’t lose it. I came across a picture of all of us that night someone took and sent to me online before we heard the news.”

Kevin’s eyes lit up. “Can we see it, please?”

Rhonda looked at him oddly. “You don’t have it?”

Kevin and Michelle looked at each other, confused. “Why would we have it,” Michelle asked.

It was Rhonda’s turn to look confused. “Well… I mean, I gave a copy of some of the pictures to the detective I talked to back then.”

Kevin felt a chill go up his spine. He went over every piece of evidence in that file and didn’t see any pictures other than the coroner’s photos of the crime scene. “What detective?”

“The one who came to my door a few days later after Sharon died. He asked me some questions and I gave him a copy of the pictures. Here. I’ll show you.” Rhonda stood and stepped out of the room.

Michelle leaned closer to Kevin and whispered, “do you remember seeing any pictures in the case file?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” he muttered softly. This was the second time they heard some oddity in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

“Here,” Rhonda said as she walked in holding a tablet in her hands. “That’s a picture from the night she was killed.” She handed the device to Michelle before resuming her previous seat.

Michelle held the tablet up so she and Kevin could examine it. The picture was obviously taken around a large table in a kitchen. Nearly a dozen faces were in the picture. Some smiling and others just looking at the camera. They could identify Sharon and Rhonda, but the others were unknown to them. “If you could, I’d appreciate it if you could give me a list of names for everyone on this picture.”

“Sure,” Rhonda said. “I’ll send a copy to your email with names.”

Kevin pointed to a face in the background. “That person looks familiar.” The face was a dark-haired man with piercing, brown eyes. He had a more serious look and his face appeared tanned but there was something about him that struck him as odd.

Rhonda leaned in to see where he was pointing. “Oh.” She rolled her eyes. “That’d be Dylan Goode.”

Kevin looked up at her curiously. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Maybe you’ve heard of Robert Goode. That’s his father. He’s a big wig in the state. Rep or senator or something. Dylan was on the city council in Pittsburgh last I heard.”

“What was he like back then,” Michelle inquired.

Rhonda shrugged. “I barely knew him. I had the feeling I wasn’t his type. I know he dated a few girls, but it never lasted long. I heard through the grapevine he finally got married a couple years ago.”

Kevin started to wonder. “Did he date Sharon?”

Rhonda laughed. “Yeah, in our freshman year, I think. She went through them pretty quick back then. Not that it was a bad thing. She liked sex back then and she liked certain kinds of guys.”

“You never dated any of these guys?”

“Oh, no,” she responded. “I met my husband in junior year of college, and we moved here a few years ago. Our daughter is in preschool now.” She leaned in again and pointed to one of the faces in the back. “See? That’s Phil. My husband. We were just dating back then though.”

Michelle looked up from the picture to regard her. “I take it he’s the only one in this picture Sharon didn’t date?”

“That I know of,” Rhonda confirmed.

Michelle sighed. “When is he expected to be home?”

“Later today after the markets close,” she replied. “Why?”

“He was there, in the house the last night Sharon was alive,” Kevin pointed out. “He might know something you don’t.”

Rhonda took a step back as she got defensive. “We’re not in trouble, are we?”

“Oh, no, no,” Kevin assured her. “We just want to cover all the bases.”

“The detective I spoke to never talked to Phil,” Rhonda said absently. “Just me and a couple of the other girls.”

“About this detective,” Michelle began. “Do you remember his name or what he looked like?”

“No. I only saw him once. He asked me about that night, same as you did. Didn’t ask me about Josh though. I never heard back from him, and it wasn’t long after that we heard Josh was on trial for her murder.”

“No one from the district attorney’s office called you, or asked you to testify?”

Rhonda shook her head. “Never. Is there something going on? I mean, you’re lawyers, right?”

“We think someone else killed Sharon Ellington,” Michelle stated. “There wasn’t a proper investigation into her death and we’re trying to find the real killer.”

Rhonda’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh God. Well… I mean, it would make sense I guess.”

“Is there anything else you can think of that can help?”

Rhonda struggled to think. “It’s… it’s been so long. I’d been drinking that night so the details are a little fuzzy. And the detective… he was a tall guy. Over six foot. Short, brown hair. Maybe in his forties.” She paused, trying to remember before she finally shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could remember more. You really think Josh is innocent?”

“We believe so,” Michelle said as she stood. It was clear they had learned everything here they could. “I don’t suppose you know where we could see your husband right now?”

Rhonda. “I’ll call him and tell you where to meet him. And I’ll email that picture to you. I hope you’re right.”

After a few minutes of text messages and setting up a time, Michelle and Kevin were heading down to the financial district for their next appointment. After a cab ride, they went down Wall Street to a small Mediterranean place. When they got to the door Kevin stopped her and said, “I think you should let me handle this one.”

Michelle looked up at him with an amused smirk. “Any reason why?”

“Just a hunch. Guys in college don’t tell their girlfriends half of what goes on when they’re not around.” He didn’t want to say it, but he felt he should. “Also, having handled a lot of divorces in my time, I’ve gotten to know how married couples are. Rhonda might not be hiding anything, but I get the feeling her husband knows a lot more about that night than she does.”

She tilted her head slightly, wondering if she should feel insulted or not. “And what makes you say that?”

Kevin looked around, feeling a little embarrassed but also knowing that they have a job they need to do right. “Experience. Trust me on this. I think I can get more out of him than you could.”

Her eyebrow arched slightly. A little annoyed that he could be right and impressed that he came to a solution all on his own. “Alright then.” She smirked and said demurely, “I’ll just be the pretty blonde on your arm then.”

“Thanks. I think I’m going to owe you something before this is over.” They went inside and got a table, waiting for Phil Spencer to arrive. They made small talk while they had a drink. Michelle sent Kyle a text to update him on their progress and after a few minutes, they saw a man in an expensive suit walking their way. Remembering the face from the picture Rhonda Spencer gave them, it could only be her husband.

When he stepped up to the table, he made introductions with them. “You’re the two investigators Rhonda talked to earlier?”

Kevin and Michelle rose to their feet and Kevin extended his hand to shake. “Kevin Bryant. I’m a lawyer actually. This is my associate, Michelle Crowder.”

Phil’s face showed a little worry as he shook their hands. “I don’t need a lawyer in this, do I?”

“No,” Kevin stated as they took their seats. “Your wife told you this is about Sharon Ellington’s murder six years ago?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I thought they already put the bastard in prison though?”

Kevin opted to keep his tone professional in this. A little authority in his voice would probably both put Phil at ease and make him more receptive to answering questions. “Mr. Carter has been serving a life sentence since his conviction. However, we’re working on uncovering new evidence that could point to someone else. In that process, we’re looking to learn more about the events that preceded her death.”

“Okay,” Phil nodded and losing his unease. “I probably can’t tell you much though. I remember that night, but it was a while ago.”

“Of course, we understand. You and your wife were pretty serious at that point in your relationship?”

“Yeah,” Phil confirmed. “About six months later I proposed.”

“What about before that? Did you spend any time with Sharon?”

“Not really. If I did it was either with Rhonda or Darren Michaels.”

Kevin frowned. He only had a few moments to read the names Rhonda gave them from the picture and that wasn’t one he remembered. “Who’s Darren Michaels?”

“The college drug dealer,” Phil replied with a dismissive tone. “Total loser. But he was hot, and Sharon was involved with him for a while back in college. There were a few other guys she banged between college and rehab.”

“Rhonda said that other than you, almost all the other guys at the house that night had gone out with Sharon at one point or another.”

Phil nodded. “Pretty much, yeah. She was all over the place for a few years in college. That’s when I met her. Not to say anyone is without sin in that respect in college. I think everyone likes to experiment then. She was cute, sexy, had a quick wit and when she wasn’t high, she was pretty smart. Darren kind of sucked her into that world. Her and a few other people. Dylan and Rodger, to name a few.”

“Dylan Goode? Darren was selling to him to?” That was an interesting piece of gossip to remember.

“Oh, yeah,” Phil said as he sat back in his seat. The waiter came to the table and took their lunch orders and drinks before he continued. “Dylan was like the uber rich guy in the group. His dad’s a politician and had a good portfolio in the market so Dylan was always flashing the new cars and clothes. He dated about as much as Sharon did. Though his were more like conquests. Most girls gave him a wide berth after breaking up with him.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m not sure,” Phil admitted. “I just know some of them never said a nice thing about him afterwards.”

“What did Sharon say about him?”

“Nothing. Not to me, at least. To my knowledge they hooked up, but it was never serious. She was polite but she kept a distance between her and Dylan after that. Dylan always acted a little pissed about it, but never said anything to me about her. They saw each other at the parties at Grant’s house but that’s about it. Then, she got serious with the last guy.”

Kevin felt they’d gotten off track, so he decided to go back to the original point of the interview. “Going back to that night. Do you remember any interactions between her and the others that seemed odd?”

Phil stopped to think. “One of the guys… Rodger, I think. I guess he was riding her about her boyfriend. Saying he was just a loser and wasn’t going to do anything with his life. Was making fun of her, saying something like, ‘going from a mansion to a trailer park,’ or something like that. She resented it, but she kept her head high. Told Rodger to go suck a dick like he used to at all the frat parties.” He chuckled at that. “She could be vicious when she needed to be.”

“How did Rodger take that?”

“As pissy as he ever does when he’s outed like that in front of a crowd,” he replied with a smirk. “No one’s fault but his own. He was bisexual I guess, but he was also a football jock, so you kinda had to keep it quiet in that kind of environment. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s living in San Fran down in the Castro by now, if you know what I mean.”

Kevin smirked politely and didn’t push it. “What happened after Sharon left?”

“After she left, a few others took off and after that the party just petered out.” He shrugged. “We weren’t college kids anymore. We were about to all go our separate ways and start our careers, even if we didn’t know it at the time. We didn’t stay up until the early morning hours like we used to.” He sighed. “So, yeah, once she left, the party was pretty much done. Dylan, Rodger and Mindy left first. Then after that, everyone else was heading out the door.”

Michelle spoke up. “I’m sorry, but whose house was this that y’all were at?”

Phil turned to her with a look like he had forgotten she was there. “Oh, uh, Grant Dawson. It was his parents’ house, actually. They just were out of town that night.”

Michelle nodded and smiled before writing it down, next to Rhonda telling her the same thing, so it was confirmed. She had been taking notes under the table while letting Kevin do the talking. She made a mental note to remember to let him do these more often so she could take better notes in the future. Their drinks arrived and Kevin took a sip before continuing. “Do you still stay in contact with all of them?”

Phil shrugged. “Sort of. I mean, I haven’t seen most of them since that night. After Sharon died, things just kind of fell apart. Dylan started working for his dad in Harrisburg for a year or so before he moved back and started his own political career. I think he got married two or three years ago. Rodger, I lost touch with. Nothing against it, but I got no use for a cocksucker. Grant…? Not sure what happened to him. As for the girls… they were more Rhonda’s friends than mine. She’d know more about them than I would.”

Kevin nodded. “Sounds like that’s all we needed. How well did you know Joshua Carter?”

“Not very,” he replied. “He kind of avoided us. Oh, he’d be polite and all, but he wasn’t interested in spending time with us unless Sharon was involved. Though, to be fair, I think the feeling was mutual with some of the others.”

“Oh?”

Phil grimaced slightly in embarrassment. “The guys thought that… well… You have to understand, we all came from upper middle class and above families. And he was definitely not. No money, no education. He was just a grease monkey Sharon met in rehab as far as some of the others were concerned. Even a few of the girls made a few snide remarks about him behind Sharon’s back. I thought he was an alright guy. Treated Sharon good. Well, until that last night, I guess.”

“Did he ever come off as threatening?”

“No.”

“Abusive?”

“No.”

“Violent?”

“Nope.”

“So, would you say, from your experiences with him and the experiences your wife more than likely discussed with you after his conviction, do you think it’s possible that someone else may have killed Sharon Ellington?”

Phil felt uncomfortable at the idea. “I guess not. But I barely knew him. I don’t think I’d be a good judge of what he was and wasn’t capable of.”

Kevin smirked. “All the more reason why you probably won’t be called to testify at his new trial.”

Phil relaxed and smirked. “So, why’d you come all the way down here?”

Michelle spoke up without looking up from her notes. “Because if Joshua Carter didn’t kill her, someone else did. And usually, murders aren’t random. Someone she knew killed her.” She looked up to meet his eyes and smiled slightly. “Like one of her old college friends.”

Phil absorbed that information just as their meals arrived at the table. “Well, if you’re asking me who I think it was, I’d bet it was Rodger. He was pretty pissed when she clapped back at him that night.”

“Pissed enough to kill?”

Phil shrugged. “Maybe.”

Kevin decided to end things there and just enjoy a meal. He made small talk with Phil and Michelle intermittently joined in. What they learned about him after that was mostly unimportant. Once they were done, Kevin thanked him for his time before the two of them had to get back to the airport for their trip back home. Before the day was over, they would have to report back to Kyle and tell him what they had learned.

****

Kyle parked in the lot next to the Midas shop on the east side of Pittsburgh and made his way into the office. It was much the same as he had seen in any other service station in the past. What interested him most was the man at the counter who looked up at him as he approached. “How can we help you today,” the man asked.

“I was wondering if the manager was available to speak,” Kyle asked with a polite smile.

The man’s eyebrows rose slightly, anticipating an angry customer. “I’m sorry, is there something I can do for you?”

Kyle smirk and reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a card. “I’m Kyle Howard. I’m an attorney and I need to know if your manager knows a Mr. Joshua Carter.”

His guard dropped slightly as he stepped back from the counter. “Uh. Well, let me go see and ask.”

“Take your time,” Kyle replied before he went to sit down in the waiting area.

The man returned with an older man that Kyle guessed was in his late fifties. His hair was greying and had a pronounced beer gut. When he met Kyle’s gaze, his dark eyes were clear and determined. He stood there at the counter, looking at Kyle with an almost challenging look in his eyes as he spoke. “You looking for Josh?”

Kyle rose and stepped up to him. “No, sir. I already know where he is. I just saw him earlier this week. I’m his lawyer, Kyle Howard.” He extended his hand in a sign of respect.

The man’s gaze remained wary, but he shook Kyle’s hand. “Ramon Olivarez. Why you come here?”

Kyle looked around, not feeling comfortable talking in the open like this. “I have a few questions to ask you. I was wondering if you had a few minutes.”

Ramon remained cautious, but decided to give Kyle the benefit of the doubt. “Come with me.” He led Kyle through the doorway to a back office where there was a small metal desk and two chairs with barely any room to stand. Once he shut the door and they were seated, Ramon looked across the desk at Kyle. “Is he okay?”

“As good as you can expect,” Kyle replied. He wasn’t sure how trustworthy this person was for now. He felt it best to give only what information he had to for now. “I wanted to ask about his time here. How long have you managed the place?”

“Ten years,” the older man replied. “I hired everyone in here and fired a lot of people in that time.”

“So, you hired Josh?”

“Yup,” he answered with a nod.

“How long ago? I know he had been in rehab for a drug addiction. How long after that before you brought him on?”

“Right after,” Ramon said. “He was honest when he filled out his application. Told me everything that happened. Most guys would bullshit me or not even say anything. But he was upfront and promised he’d do his best. But he needed a job. So, I took a chance on him.”

“And he worked out well?”

“Well?!” Ramon laughed. “The kid busted his ass from day one. Did everything he was asked and then some. I remember first time he finally relaxed. Like he’d realized that he was going to be okay here. Saw his eyes light up and…” He shook his head and sighed with a sad look on his face. “I just felt bad for the kid, you know? I mean, he was really busting his ass out there. Never had a problem with him. No fights, no drinking… I don’t think he ever even called in sick until the day he hurt himself.”

Kyle leaned forward slightly. “Why did you go out of your way for Josh?”

Ramon shrugged, showing no shame. “I used to have a drug habit. Long time ago. I managed to kick it on my own. He got help and was trying to stay clean. I admired him for being able to do it without nearly killing himself like I did. I lost my marriage because of drugs. He was turning his shit around and had an awesome girl too! She was so sweet. She’d come in and wait for his shift to end sometimes and drive him home. We’d talk and get to know each other. I told him one time, ‘hey. You better hurry your ass up and marry that girl so you can have a kid and name it after me.’” He chuckled and shook his head. “Really awesome.”

“So, when he doesn’t show up for work after the three days I gave him off and he never calls, I know something’s wrong. I tried to call him and got nothing. I start asking around and I finally go to his place, which took me awhile to find, I see the shit going on there with the cops going in and out.” Ramon’s face falls slightly. “Then I read how his girl was murdered… and they say my boy Josh did it?! That’s bullshit, man. So, I get ahold of him in jail and ask him what happened. He tells me what happened, and it just breaks my heart. He cried on the phone and begged me to tell him that it was all a nightmare. I talked to him for a while. Tried to calm him down. He was like a little brother to me, you know?”

“You don’t think he did it,” Kyle asked.

Ramon got a dark look in his eyes. “No fucking way in hell.” He stabs his finger at the door as he says in an angry voice powered by conviction, “plenty of times in two years I see him keep cool when asshole customers and motherfucking losers that he worked with got up in his face. He never once showed hands. But the cops wanna tell me that my guy killed the girl he wanted to marry?! Ain’t no fucking way.”

Kyle smiled slightly. “Well, you and I agree on that.”

Ramon’s lips spread in a wide grin. “Then I like you. How you going to break him out?”

“I’m going to have his case retried and I’m going to get a jury to find him innocent.”

Ramon’s head shifted back and forth as if inspecting the man in front of him. “You seem pretty cocky about it. How come no one else got him off last time?”

Kyle nodded. “Because he had a public defender, not someone with the resources to really investigate his claims. This time he does. And I’m not going to give up on this until I prove he’s innocent.”

Ramon nodded in satisfaction. “Anything I can do to help you just call here and ask for Ramon. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“I have a couple more questions if you got the time.”

He leaned back in his chair and said, “go ahead. Those fuckers out there don’t need me. What do you want to know?”

“You said you got to know him a bit?”

“Yeah. We talked about shit. Told me about his foster kid days and how he survived after that. It took me a bit to get him to open up. Six months or so, I think. He’s a little shy, but then I’d be shy to if I’d been fucked over by the system. He’s never said anything directly, but I think a few of his foster families abused him. Maybe not physically, but there were some shit he just avoided talking about, you know?”

“But he warmed up after a while.”

“Yeah,” Ramon confirmed. “Sometimes I’d go hang out at his place and watch baseball and some beers. Well, I drank beer. He drank soda. Didn’t drink or do anything stronger than coffee.”

Kyle frowned slightly. “Wait. If you would hang out at his place, why did you say it took you awhile to find his place the day you heard about Sharon’s death?”

“Oh,” Ramon seemed unperturbed by that question. “He’d just moved there a few weeks before. He moved around a lot that last year. Like four different times.”

“Did he say why?”

“His girl would tell him she didn’t like the area or something like that. I guess she helped pay for the last two places.”

“Even if she didn’t live with him?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Weird, huh? The last time, he asked for a day off because of the sudden move. I guess she just insisted that he leave there. Something about it not being safe.”

Kyle’s frown deepened. Another mystery to all of this. If she was making Josh move, was it Josh who wasn’t safe or was it her? “Weird. I’ll have to ask him about that.” He realized there was an important question he had yet to ask. “What kind of injury did he suffer on his last day here?”

“He slipped and fell in a patch of oil someone didn’t clean up. Landed hard on the side of the pit on his back. I was surprised he could get back up. I called his girl, and she came and got him. Took him to the doctor to get him help. I don’t know anything that happened after that other than he called me and told me he was gonna be off his feet for a couple days. Anything else?”

Kyle stood. “Not that I can think of. Here’s my card though.” He pulled out another card and put it on Ramon’s desk. “If you can think of anything, let me know. When was the last time you talked to him?”

“Years,” Ramon replied.

Kyle nodded. “Maybe you should give him a call. I bet he’d appreciate it.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I should. Wasn’t sure those jacked up prison perras would let a bastardo like me get to talk to him. Didn’t want the feds listening in and thinking I was some undocumented pendejo or some shit like that.”

Kyle smirked slightly. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Olivarez.”

Ramon smiled and nodded. “Get my bro out of prison and that’ll be thanks enough for me.”

Kyle promised he would and then left to head back to his office, weighing everything he learned in his mind.

****

As soon as he walked back into his office, Kyle went to Rosette’s desk and asked, “are they back yet?”

Rose looked up at him from over her glasses. “Not yet. Should be here in about an hour.”

“Good. Tell them I want them in my office first thing.”

She cocked an eyebrow and replied dryly, “then I suggest you get rid of who’s in your office right now first.”

Kyle blinked in surprise. “Who’s in there?”

“Ms. Jones.” The tone in Rosette’s voice let him know something had happened while he had been away.

He sighed, wishing he could avoid this conversation. “Alright. Give me some time with her.” With a feeling of annoyance mixed with concern, he went down to his office door and walked in. Sitting off to the side near the small sofa against the wall, Monica raised her head to regard him as he stepped in. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Monica didn’t waste time. She kept her gaze measured, but unyielding. “I think you need to fill me in on what you’re doing.”

“Do I?” They were both aware that while she was the most senior of his associates, she was not a partner. Not yet at least. He couldn’t deny that she had done a competent job managing the office while he spent over a year working on the case that had paid dividends to them both, but he wasn’t foolish enough to guess that she wasn’t ambitious. Kyle crossed the room and went to sit behind his desk.

Her lips tugged down slightly in a frown of disappointment. “What I know is that you’re in the middle of investigating a cold case. Where did you get it?”

“From someone I trust.”

She slowly rose from her seat and moved to stand in front of his desk. “Do you trust me?”

Kyle looked up at her, having a feeling where this was going. “Yes. But this is… sensitive. Only three people know the details on this case.”

“Crowder, Bryant and Rose.” She stated it as if it were common knowledge. “Meanwhile, we have a few cases that are being neglected. Are we hiring?”

He sighed. “Not at the moment. This shouldn’t take more than a few months, I would think.”

She exhaled and shook her head slightly. “Kyle… you know I respect you. You’ve done an amazing job here getting this practice up and running over the years. But you can’t do it all yourself.”

Monica wasn’t wrong, and he knew it. “Monica, this is a small operation in a small town.”

She waved his excuse away dismissively. “Neither one of us believes that. I’ve wanted a more active role here. You’re busy doing something obviously important to you.” She kept her tone even, knowing she had to make her case now. “But you need help. Not just having someone run interference for you. You need a partner. A real one. Someone who can take up the mission you put forth when you first hired me three years ago. If you feel you can’t do that or that I haven’t done an adequate job for you, then I would appreciate you telling me now.”

He looked her in the eyes, knowing that everything she said was right. If anything, she had proven herself over and over in bringing in new clients, new employees and keeping the finances running smoothly when things nearly went under. While he felt like he was losing something, he realized other things were more important. “You want to be co-partner with me then. Have some say in the day to day running of things here.” She confirmed this with a single nod of her head. He also knew that if she didn’t get what she wanted, she was likely to leave. And if she did that, then he would lose more than just her. In his head he figured that likely a third of the employees would leave with her and that would leave him bogged down. “Alright then,” he said. “I’ll draw up the paperwork Monday and we can set terms and conditions.” He grinned slightly to lessen the tension in the room. “The one thing you can’t do is order Rose around. She’s my assistant. If you want to find your own assistant, you need to get someone else.”

Monica blinked, suddenly surprised that he gave in so easily. Her intention had not been to force the issue on him. But she was very aware that if he was getting involved in another big case similar to the last one, then the entire office could suffer. “I am perfectly fine with that. I doubt I will find someone as good as her, but there’s no harm trying. You seemed to just come to that decision pretty fast, don’t you think?”

“I go with my heart in things like this. You are right and I do need someone who can step in as a partner in this place with the proper authority to hire and fire as needed. I don’t see a point in dragging office drama out if it can be avoided. You’ve proven yourself, you’ve earned it, so let’s cut the bullshit and just do it. Worry about the rest later.” Having made his decision, Kyle felt a little better about it. He’d still retain a majority control, but she really did deserve to have a bigger role in the office. “Now, sit down. You’re right, I do need to tell you about Josh Carter and everything we’ve learned about his case up to now. But there’s some parts that I need you to keep secret.”

“That’s fine.” She slowly slid into the chair in front of his desk. “What’s the big secret?”

Kyle felt the need to emphasize this point. “You cannot tell a soul. Only Michelle and Kevin know this. Rose doesn’t even know.”

Monica sat up a little straighter. She had a feeling this was bigger than she guessed. “Go on.”

He paused for a moment, weighing the implications in his head again before finally saying in a low voice, “Joshua Carter is my brother-in-law.”

Her face betrayed her bewilderment. “I don’t understand. How is that possible? Last I heard, your husband didn’t have any relatives.”

“None that we knew of at least. Not until a few months ago when a DNA test revealed a genetic match for him. After some searching, we learned he did have a brother. Who was born almost two years after him.” He sighed, knowing this was going to get harder. “We tried to find out more information, but we ran into a lot of walls. Finally, Jacob told me to let it go. He seemed more reserved about it all than I expected. We had an argument and I told him I would drop it. And I did.”

Monica stared at him, watching every shift in his face. “Then how did you come to find him?”

He leaned forward, feeling relieved he could finally tell someone this. “Before I made that promise, I had sent a copy of his DNA to a friend in Harrisburg. I didn’t hear back for nearly a month and kind of forgot about it until a couple weeks ago when I was given Josh’s file. And now, I’m trying to find out what happened to him and what proof, if any, I can find to exonerate him.”

The pieces started to come together in her head. “You haven’t told him, have you? Jacob?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I’m trying to get him to soften on the idea and then tell him. I have a feeling that if I just told him, things could get very uncomfortable at home.”

“Then you should keep yourself as far from this case as possible,” she reasoned.

“I can’t. Not now.”

“Why not?”

“Because Josh needs me.”

Monica smirked, finding that an absurd idea. “Needs you? He needs a lawyer, yes. But you specifically, no. You could be jeopardizing your marriage. Michelle can handle this. She’s done criminal defense before.”

Kyle shook his head slightly, knowing she didn’t understand it entirely. “No. He needs me. I told him I would be there for him, and I can’t abandon him after everyone else in his life abandoned him in the past.”

There was another moment of silence as they regarded each other. When she responded, she did so with a softer voice that showed her concern for him. “But at what cost?”

The idea of a high cost weighed on him. And it wasn’t something he had not thought of before. It was true, he was putting a lot of faith in his ability and in his marriage. Hopefully, that will be enough. “I can’t turn my back on someone I know I can help.”

Monica nodded slowly and accepted that as a universal truth in the life of Kyle Howard. In the few years she has known him, he has always put the needs of others ahead of his own. Only now, she saw him putting the needs of his family on the line as well. “I’ll keep your secret. But these things have a way of not staying hidden for long. What if he finds out through the news or something?”

“I’ll think of something.” That wasn’t a thought he wanted to entertain just yet. He pushed his concerns to the side and focused on the next step. “Now, let me talk you into this and you can tell me what you think.”