“Tessa?” Sam asked. “Say something.”
Shaking her head from side to side, she took another gulp of water, then returned the bottle to the table. “Why? I don’t understand. Why now? Why didn’t they believe me then? I told the detectives at the scene the truth. My . . . truth somehow matters now?”
“It’s not always about the truth, Ms. Jamison. Right now it’s about your rights, and the law has changed since your conviction.” Steven Kilhefner spoke for the first time. “I’m Mr. Whitlow’s investigator, but I’m also an attorney. I just choose the investigatory side of the law. I’m going to assist you in getting out of this place while we wait and prepare for your new trial. The circumstances won’t be perfect, but they’ll be colossal compared to your current . . . situation.”
For the second time, the lights blurred, and the room became dimmer. Darkness sought her out, and this time it found her.
Chapter 3
Tessa’s eyes opened as soon as she smelled the ammonia beneath her nose. She was still inside what she had called the bereavement room, but she was on the floor, her upper body leaning against Sam’s chest.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she tried to sit up. Embarrassed, she stood, using the seat of the metal folding chair to hold on to for support.
Bethany placed an arm around her, helping her back onto the chair she had just fallen out of. “Here, try this,” she said, handing her a chocolate bar. “Sugar helps everything.”
Tessa took the candy bar, briefly wondering why Bethany carried candy with her.
“I’m diabetic,” Bethany said as though she had read her mind.
“I wondered why,” Tessa said softly. “Thank you. This . . . news comes as quite a shock.”
Sam sat next to her. “Are you okay?”
Was she? Physically, yes. Emotionally, she didn’t know. Not wanting to upset or humiliate herself by not showing her gratitude to these people who’d made it their mission to help her, she said, “Yes. I am. The news is just so unexpected, to say the least. I had no idea. Randall never mentioned anything.”
“That was because I asked him not to,” Lee Whitlow offered. “We didn’t want to get your hopes up until we had your conviction overturned.”
Hope? She had never had any hope, so when one doesn’t have any, there is no chance of losing it. Expect nothing and never be disappointed, a motto she had lived by when she was a young girl, and it had helped her to live her life in prison one day at a time. When she had been accused and convicted of murder, she had picked her earlier self’s motto up again.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m still shocked,” she explained. “I have never heard of this happening in the ten-plus years I have been here.”
Whitlow spoke. “That’s because the law has changed. I suspect you won’t be the last . . . person”—he stumbled over the last word—“to receive a new trial after the Florida Supreme Court’s long-overdue decision.”
Steven Kilhefner cleared his throat. “Ms. Jamison, there is a process we will be going through—”
“Please call me Tessa,” she interrupted him.
He nodded. “Tessa, there is a process we’ll go through. I need to know that you understand this.”
“If you explain, I’m sure I will,” she said.
“We will go before a judge next week, and he will issue the terms of your release. Bail will be set, and I’m sure it will be seven figures if Judge Crider’s past orders are indicative of his future orders. Sam has assured us that funds for the bail won’t be a problem. From there, once the conditions of your release are met, you will be released into Sam’s custody. Of course, if there is someone else you prefer, we will suggest this to the judge. However, I would advise you to stick to the plan as we do not want to give the court any reason to change his mind. And it can happen, despite the fact a new trial has been ordered. It is very rare that someone charged with three counts of first-degree murder gets released. The Supreme Court’s ruling is in our favor. However, we must follow the law to the letter, or any chance of keeping you out of this . . . place will be gone. Are you okay with Sam as your guardian?”
“Guardian?” Tessa didn’t understand.
“It will be in the terms of your release that you have a guardian. If you’re not agreeable to this—”
“It’s fine by me, as long as Sam is agreeable,” Tessa said.
“I suggested this, Tessa. I hope you don’t think I was being too forward,” Sam responded.
She wasn’t sure what she felt about Sam’s offer. Since she was unsure about this entire process, it was going to take time for her to get used to the idea. Tessa had a nagging fear that if she allowed herself to get her hopes up, something horrible would happen.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “I don’t know what to feel. This is all such a shock. I don’t know if I want to chance another trial, another guilty verdict. I have tried to make peace with this”—she motioned to the room around her—“and resigned myself to spending the rest of my life here. What happens if I’m found guilty again?”
The small room was silent, no one offering an answer to her question.
“It’s a risk, but we think it’s one you should consider,” Lee Whitlow explained. “You are correct that the mere fact that we have succeeded in having your conviction overturned is no guarantee that you will be found not guilty in another trial. But if I didn’t think we had a chance at winning you an exoneration, I wouldn’t be here.”
Tessa knew what it would take for her to be found not guilty at a new trial. “You have new evidence? You have managed to locate Liam?” she
