tremor, and she looked the judge right in the eye. She’s a perfect sociopath, through and through. Her hair was even clean and freshly done, and she wore a very sexy dress that you probably paid for.” It was shocking to hear. Tallie tried to envision it in disbelief.
“I don’t understand,” Tallie said quietly.
“You wouldn’t. Most people wouldn’t. That kind of personality is so foreign to the rest of us. That’s why they get away with what they do. We can’t even imagine it, so we don’t suspect it, while they lie, cheat, and steal, and occasionally kill someone. It’s pretty scary stuff. I feel sorry for Hunter Lloyd,” he said quietly, “but I’m glad it wasn’t you.”
“So am I,” she said, thinking about Max. It would have destroyed her if her mother had been killed.
“So what about our dinner? Does Friday night work for you?” he asked quietly, afraid she might have changed her mind.
“Perfect.” Max had gone back to New York that morning, and Tallie was free. She wasn’t going out socially, and since she wasn’t working at the moment, she had time on her hands. All she was doing was talking to investors for her next picture.
“I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty,” he promised, and they were both smiling when they hung up.
And when Jim arrived promptly on Friday night, Tallie was happy to see him. Knowing that Brigitte had pleaded guilty really had given Tallie a sense of relief all week, and she felt freer than she had in months. And Greg was moving ahead with negotiations for a stipulated judgment in the civil suit, to get some of her money back. She was slowly putting it all behind her.
And she and Jim talked nonstop through dinner about their kids, their work, their families when they grew up. The evening sped by and the food at Giorgio Baldi was as delicious as he had said. And when Jim took her home, he hesitated for a long moment as they stood outside her house, and he kissed her gently on the mouth, and then looked at her with concern.
“I just want you to know that I’ve never kissed a victim before,” he said softly.
“I’m not a victim,” she whispered back. “And I never will be again.” She was definitely coming back. He smiled at what she said. She had told him at dinner that she had taken her most recent letter from the Victim Identification Program with her number on it and thrown it in the trash when it arrived that day.
“You know what I mean,” he said. “I’ve never gotten involved with anyone through my work.” He had already told her that when they went skating, but he wanted to be sure she knew it was true. “I don’t want you to think that I go around hitting on the people I work with.” But she had never thought that. If anything, she had thought they were friends, until he kissed her.
“I have kind of a problem too,” she admitted, as long as they were being honest with each other, which she liked. It was essential to her, and always had been, but more so than ever now. “I’m not sure I could ever trust anyone again.” She looked very serious, and he laughed when she said it, which startled her. “I mean it,” she said for emphasis.
“I know, and I don’t blame you… but if you can’t trust an FBI agent, who can you trust?” She thought about it for a minute and then smiled.
“You have a point.”
“This may be the safest relationship you’ll ever have. I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but… ” Before he could finish his sentence, she kissed him back. He had forgotten what that could be like, and so had she. She had blotted everything out of her mind and heart, and he had thought he was dead after Jeannie, and now he realized he wasn’t. He was very much alive, and so was she. And as she looked up at him, she had no idea what would happen, but what she did know was that she could trust him, and she was safe.
Chapter 20
ONE OF THE last of the formalities Tallie had to go through relating to Brigitte and the embezzlement was a visit from the senior probation officer assigned to do the pre-sentencing report to recommend the length of Brigitte’s sentence to the judge. As it turned out, she was a friend of Jim’s and he knew her well. She had called him as soon as she was assigned the case, and he filled her in on the details, without mentioning that he was dating Tallie. It was irrelevant to the case.
“What’s she like?” Sandra Zinneman couldn’t resist asking him. She had been momentarily impressed when she realized who the victim was. Sandra was a big fan of her movies, and she wanted to stay professional about it, but a certain amount of curiosity got the best of her nonetheless. She had always liked what she’d read about Tallie, and when she went through the file, she was sorry about what had happened to her. “It sounds like she got a really rotten deal from her boyfriend and the defendant, to say the least,” she commented to Jim.
“She’s a very decent, down-to-earth person. She’s been through a lot with all this. Are you having her come in to see you?” Jim wished he could somehow spare Tallie having to talk about it all again, but the probation officer’s recommendation was important for the judge. He would base the length of Brigitte’s sentence on what Sandra put in the report. She was a key person in the final result. She would also be interviewing Brigitte and everyone involved in the cases, in order to offer a well-rounded suggestion, based on all the elements of the case. And she was known to be thorough and fair.
Sandra sounded thoughtful for a minute. “I was actually thinking of going out to see her at her place, for a couple of reasons. I thought it might be less upsetting for her, and I kind of wanted to see where they worked together, and what the atmosphere was at ‘the scene of the crime.’ ” She was referring to the embezzlement, not the murder. “The setting must be pretty grand,” she said, sounding slightly in awe.
“Not really,” Jim told her. “It’s a nice house, but she’s a very normal person. The defendant was the one who was ‘grand.’ Tallie Jones looks like anyone you’d see at the supermarket. Her success never went to her head. It’s the defendant who got carried away and greedy.” He liked the idea of Sandra going out to see Tallie. “What are you thinking, after reading the report?”
“That Brigitte needs to do some serious time.” She had read the defense lawyer’s request to have Brigitte do her sentences concurrently, and Sandra Zinneman didn’t see why she should. She had embezzled a fortune from her employer, committed a shocking abuse of trust, and pleaded guilty to murder. Sandra thought that consecutive sentencing was more in line with what she deserved. She wasn’t inclined to go easy on her. “I’ll go out and see the victim as soon as I can. I’ve got a couple of other big cases on my desk.” She had another murder case, and a ring of pedophiles who had been doing business on the Internet, that she wanted to deal with first. As a senior officer with an excellent reputation, the department’s biggest cases went to her.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” Jim offered.
“I need to ask her how she feels about the sentencing, and what kind of effects she’s had from the case.” Jim knew the drill, and he knew it would be disturbing for Tallie to go through it all again, but this would be the last time, until the sentencing itself. Tallie was expected to make a statement to the judge there. Jim was planning to go with her to offer his support, and he had to be at the hearing anyway, since he was assigned to the case.
Sandra called her two days later. Tallie was pleasant, and they made an appointment for Sandra to see her the following week. When she did, the visit was less painful than Tallie had feared. Sandra was extremely skilled at what she did, and exhibited real compassion, which was sincere and heartfelt. She liked Tallie immensely when she met her, and was impressed that she put on no airs or graces, she didn’t overdramatize, and she looked and acted like a regular person who had been the victim of a crime, and was severely hurt by Brigitte’s betrayal. Sandra felt deep sympathy for her, and admired her even more than she’d expected. By the time she left Tallie’s home, after three hours of serious conversation, Sandra had even more respect for her than before they’d met. And Tallie felt strangely at peace and protected. She could see that this woman, who saw so many truly shocking crimes, sincerely felt for what she’d been through. It had actually been a relief to talk to her. And Sandra had made it clear that she was going to recommend the maximum sentence, despite any deals Brigitte and her attorney might try to make. And she told Tallie that she felt fairly certain that the judge who had been assigned the sentencing would listen to her suggestions. He usually did, and her opinions were frequently followed by the court.
Tallie thanked her warmly, and when she closed the door behind Sandra, she went to sit in her garden with an enormous feeling of relief. It was almost over, and her case was in good hands. She could begin to turn her mind to other things now, and look to the happy times and better days that lay ahead.
