“Not exactly.” Molly faced her over the kitchen’s breakfast bar. Clothes and towels were piled on the only two stools. “Reuben Cote, the key witness, in the Van Solis murder trial passed away yesterday.”
Gina sipped her coffee. The edges of her eyes softened, but nothing else. “That’s sad.”
“And unfortunate.” Molly pulled the bag of strawberry lemon scones from her purse and set them on the counter. “Reuben died before we gained his sworn statement regarding his first video testimony. And now he can’t speak in person at Drew Harrington’s hearing either.”
Gina held her cup in front of her mouth and stared at Molly. Fear tinted the anger, turning her words into an accusation. “You want me to testify at Drew Harrington’s hearing instead.”
“We need someone who can authenticate the video and the identities of the two people in it.” Molly kept her voice calm and her gaze on Gina. “That’s you.”
“You want me to come out and publicly accuse Cory Vinson of misconduct.” More anger rushed into her voice. But the fear widened her dark eyes. “The current and very popular district attorney, who will be up for reelection this fall.”
“I know what I’m asking,” Molly said.
“Do you?” Gina flung her hand out. “You want me to challenge the district attorney. I have a daughter. My whole family’s livelihood depends on that restaurant. I never came forward before in order to protect what little we have. Exposing my secrets exposes them too.”
“I can help you.” Molly indicated the stack of law books in the corner. “That was your dream, wasn’t it?”
“Dreams die.” Gina frowned at her coffee cup.
“No,” Molly said. “You were forced to leave paralegal school because of one man. Blacklisted in the legal community because of that same man. I want to remove that stain you’re carrying around.”
“I don’t care about the stain on me.” Gina flung an arm out, pointing to Harper’s toys. “I left the DA’s office to protect my daughter from her lying father. And that flash drive was my insurance that Cory stayed out of our lives for good.”
Vinson was the father of Gina’s child. Molly more than understood Gina’s motives to protect her daughter. She smoothed her expression into neutral. “But you sent the flash drive to me.”
“Because I trust you to make things right.” Gina raised her chin. “Cory needs to be stopped. He’s done enough damage.”
“I will make things right. For you, too, if you let me help you.”
“But you need my testimony.” Gina tilted her head as if assessing Molly’s sincerity.
“It’s not complicated, Gina.” Molly reached into the outside pocket of her briefcase.
“It comes down to your conscience. Pokes at your integrity.” Integrity she knew Gina possessed. Molly set her business card on the edge of the counter. She walked to Gina’s front door and turned back. “You need to decide if it’s better to risk everything for someone who deserves it, or to remain silent for someone who doesn’t.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
JUST BEFORE DINNER that evening, Molly opened the door to her apartment and considered her client. No enthusiastic greeting slipped free. No welcome back.
“I tried calling you earlier.” Drew rubbed the back of his neck.
“I had business to take care of.” Molly leaned against the doorjamb and folded her arms across her chest rather than invite Drew inside. She had to restore those boundaries, starting now. “Then I spent the afternoon with the real-estate agent.”
Drew nodded. “Did you find a suitable office space?”
“I have a few options.” And no intention of elaborating further. She’d chosen to cross those boundary lines and she’d only hurt herself in the end. She had to stand firm now. “Why are you here? The hearing is tomorrow morning and you insinuated last night that we had discussed all we needed to.”
“I’m sorry about last night.” He winced, and the corners of his eyes flinched as if his apology jarred him too.
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
He cleared his throat. “I’d like to talk about the hearing. The video will be submitted to Judge Bartlett and the trial counsel at the opening of the hearing.”
“A patient doesn’t get to tell his cardiac surgeon how he wants his pacemaker put in.” Molly narrowed her gaze on him and never budged from the doorway. “The surgeon is the expert. The surgeon knows how to proceed. It’s why the patient chose the best cardiac surgeon in the state.” It was why Drew had chosen Molly.
Drew tucked his hands in his dress pant pockets, rocked back on his heels, but never retreated. “I’m not just a client.”
Nor was she just an attorney. “But you are my client. I’m still your attorney. And I need to advise against this course of action.”
“We have to submit the evidence,” Drew argued.
“And let Judge Bartlett and the trial counsel determine that you are the one in the video with Reuben Cote,” Molly countered. “There’s no one to deny it without Reuben.”
Other than Gina, and as of five minutes ago, Molly hadn’t heard from the woman. She believed Gina Hahn had a conscience; otherwise the woman would not have collected evidence on Cory Vinson over the years she had worked as his legal assistant. And if Gina had intended to use the information to blackmail Vinson, she would never have mailed the flash drive to Molly in the first place.
“What other choice do we have?” Drew tipped his head back and scowled at the porch overhang.
“We need to convince them that their evidence is compromised.” With Gina Hahn’s testimony, that would be a given. Molly wanted to pull out her phone and check to see if Gina had finally called. Molly had other arguments prepared just in case Gina decided to keep silent.
“This isn’t a jury of citizens we hand-picked,” Drew said. “It’s specially selected judges and trial counsel peers who are scholars more versed in the law and all its subtleties.”
“I know who we are facing.” The State Bar Association wasn’t a trivial
