Straight from the Heart. Linda Warren

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СКАЧАТЬ shrugged offhandedly. “I have, but seeing you in the courtroom today, I couldn’t help thinking how proud Dad must be of you and how disappointed he must be in me.”

      “Oh, Blake, I—”

      “Evan wants to see you.” The district attorney’s secretary came up to her, cutting her off in midsentence.

      “Tell him I’m on my way,” Blair answered, knowing Evan wanted to talk about the trial. For once, it was good news.

      Blair quickly kissed Blake’s cheek again. “I’ve got to run. We’ll talk tonight after dinner.”

      As she hurried down the corridor to the underground tunnels that connected many of Houston’s downtown buildings, Blair thought about Blake and wished he’d come home to the States to live. Maybe that would mend the rift between father and son, but she knew it was only wishful thinking. Since Blake’s rebellious youth and his decision not to go to law school, things hadn’t been the same in their family, and she didn’t think they ever would be again.

      Blake worked as a journalist, but he spent a lot of his time at a school for delinquent youths in London, helping and teaching troubled teenagers. It wasn’t the future Sam wanted for Blake, but Blake was good with kids and he seemed determined to steer them away from drugs, drinking and rebellion. Blair decided not to think about her father’s reaction. She’d concentrate on spending quality time together as a family.

      It was a short walk from the criminal-courts building to the district attorney’s office, a walk that gave her a chance to clear her head. She tapped on the district attorney’s door and entered when she heard Evan’s “Come in.” Evan Holt was of medium height and almost completely bald. He stood in the middle of his domain with a golf club in his hands. He was an avid golfer and had a small putting green in his office. He studied the ball in front of him, then glanced at the cup some distance away.

      “I’ll be right with you, Blair,” he said, and swung the club. When the ball rolled in, he turned to Blair with a triumphant smile. “Well, you did it. You beat Culver.”

      “Yes,” she answered. Evan was reputed to know everything that went on in the courthouse…sometimes even before it happened.

      Evan moved around his desk and sat down. “You did a great job. Though I must say, clients like Raye aren’t usually Culver’s style. When Jim Tenney was handling the case, I figured we’d be able to put ol’ Hector away for a long time, but when Culver took over, I was worried he’d use some of his theatrics to get Raye off.” Evan picked up a pencil. “Never understood why Culver took the case at all.”

      “I heard that Tenney’s an old friend, and when he had to have emergency heart surgery, Lucas stepped in to help him out.” Blair repeated the rumors, although she was reluctant to give the man that much credit.

      Evan rested back in his chair. “You don’t like Culver, do you?”

      Blair shrugged in a nonchalant manner. “I don’t know much about him. All I know is I don’t care for lawyers like him.”

      “Your father’s a lawyer like him.”

      Blair’s eyes narrowed. “What are you getting at, Evan?” She knew he had something else on his mind besides the Raye trial. She’d worked for Evan for six years and she was well acquainted with his tactics. He’d skirt an issue before getting to the point.

      Evan leaned forward. “I was thinking about the Easton case and your father’s involvement.”

      There was not a flicker of emotion or movement on Blair’s face, even though the name Easton sent chills down her spine. She stared Evan straight in the eye. “My father was his attorney, that’s all.”

      Her father was a well-known defense attorney in Houston, in Texas and beyond. As his daughter, she was expected to follow in his footsteps—as was Blake. After Blake’s defection, as her father called it, Sam Logan focused all his efforts on his daughter. He wanted her to work for his firm, but she couldn’t because she and her father had different points of view on the law. He defended criminals and it was her goal to keep them behind bars.

      This caused more than a few arguments—with Sam insisting that her perspective was oversimplified. She knew her judgment and reasoning was colored by the past, but that didn’t make her wrong. It only made her more strong-minded, more—

      “I heard there was a disturbance in the courtroom.” Evan’s words broke in.

      “Yes.” Blair forced her thoughts back to the present. “Raye wasn’t pleased with the verdict.”

      “Are you okay?”

      “Yes.” She looked at him with guarded eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

      “You don’t have to be so tough, Blair. I’m well aware of what happened to you.”

      “It was a long time ago, and like you said, I’m tough. I can deal with it.”

      “Blair…”

      She stopped him. “If that’s all, I’ve got a mound of paperwork waiting for me.”

      Evan watched her for a moment, then said, “No, that’s not all. I brought Todd Easton up for a reason.”

      God, she knew that. Evan never did anything without a reason. She waited, wishing that name didn’t make her feel so afraid.

      “I wanted to inform you of something that’s about to break,” he said slowly. “Bonnie Davis’s family has hired a detective to find the second boy involved in her rape and murder, through new DNA testing. We’re hoping to make an arrest.”

      Blair’s eyes widened. “But the police never could identify him.”

      “Yeah. I was newly elected then, and I really wanted to find him. Skin from two different people was found under Bonnie’s fingernails. That really bothered me, but I never could link another boy to the murder. I always wondered why your father didn’t pursue it. It could’ve helped Easton.”

      “I’m not privy to my father’s cases, and I really don’t like to talk about Todd Easton.”

      “I’m sorry,” Evan said quickly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

      “It doesn’t,” she said, and they both knew she was lying. She drew a deep breath. “But I would like to prosecute this guy when they catch him.”

      Evan shook his head. “I don’t think so, Blair. You’re too closely involved.”

      “Maybe,” she admitted. “But I hope you put him away for a long time.”

      “I intend to.”

      “I’d better go,” Blair said, backing toward the door. “I’ve got a lot to do.”

      Evan stood. “Great job today.”

      “Thanks.”

      Blair closed the door, leaning against it as if she needed the support. Why did Evan have to mention the past? Why did he have to bring up Todd Easton? Ever since Raye’s outburst, she’d been trying to keep the memories at bay, but now they СКАЧАТЬ