Courthouse Steps. Ginger Chambers

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       CHAPTER NINE

       CHAPTER TEN

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

       CHAPTER TWELVE

       CHAPTER THIRTEEN

       CHAPTER FOURTEEN

       CHAPTER FIFTEEN

       CHAPTER SIXTEEN

       CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

       Extract

       Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

      AMANDA SAW him across the lobby. He was standing in a cluster of people, but he was easily the most likely to draw the eye. Tall, dark-haired, in command—the set of his handsome features reflected a quick mind and a steely determination. The group he was with seemed to hang on his every word. Several individuals nodded; one left to do his bidding. He turned to a shorter man at his side, murmured something for his ear alone, then broke away from the small group himself. His walk was assured as he started across the room.

      Amanda’s heart rate jumped when she saw that he was coming toward her. She looked around for somewhere to hide. She didn’t want to meet him like this! She wasn’t ready! When she’d come to the courthouse in Sugar Creek, it was to tie up the last threads in a case that had nothing to do with her grandfather. She hadn’t expected to run into Ethan Trask!

      She sidled quickly toward a high rectangular table where other people were filling out forms. Picking up a form herself, she pretended to study it, but in reality she continued to watch the man...her adversary. His reputation had preceded him. He was the state attorney general’s “Avenging Angel.” When he was assigned to a case, he almost always won it. Brilliant, she’d heard him described. Merciless, as well.

      She held her breath as he paused near her. Had someone told him that she was here? She spared a glance toward where he’d been standing and saw that the group had dispersed. No one was waiting to see what would happen next. Her blue gaze whipped back to the man and moved quickly over his angular face and strong, straight nose. She braced herself for his sharp word of greeting and the reactive flash of confident recognition that she would be no match for him.

      Instead, his gaze lingered only briefly on her face before moving on. She was just another woman among many who had business in the courthouse. She might have been there to arrange bail for a boyfriend or to act as witness at a trial. He had no business with her, as far as he knew. No reason for recognition. Amanda remained frozen near the table. It was only when she saw him walk safely through the double doors of the building’s main exit that she allowed herself the freedom to breathe again. Her heart rate took longer to settle.

      She had known he was coming. Everyone knew he was coming; his picture had been in the Tyler Citizen on and off for a week. It was only a matter of when. Now he was here. In person. No longer a face in newsprint or a terrifying reputation to be feared. She had seen him, looked straight into his eyes, and she had discovered that this time reality was every bit equal to the gossip.

      “Amanda...hello,” someone called from a short distance away, drawing her out of her panicky thoughts.

      Amanda looked up to see a fellow attorney struggling to contain an armload of notebooks and files. She forced a smile. “Sharon! Hello to you, too! I thought you were still visiting your parents in Florida.”

      Her friend grimaced. “I’m supposed to be, but I got called back. A custody hearing was moved up, so here I am. Have you heard? Ethan Trask is scheduled to set up his office in the courthouse today. Have you met him yet? Walk with me—I’m already behind schedule.”

      Amanda checked over her shoulder to make sure that Ethan Trask hadn’t changed his mind and reentered the building. “No,” she said, settling in at her friend’s side. “I haven’t met him yet, and I wish I never had to.”

      Sharon Martin glanced at her with compassion. “I don’t envy you one bit. Neither does anyone else, with the possible exception of our usual showboater. He’d love to take on Ethan Trask. Winning or losing wouldn’t matter, as long as he got plenty of media attention.” Sharon hesitated. “Have you given any more thought to finding a co-counsel? I’d offer to help, but I’d be next to useless. You need someone who really knows their way around a criminal court.”

      “I could always ask Larry,” Amanda murmured dryly. Larry Richardson was the “showboater” Sharon had referred to. Not only did the man have an ego the size of Wisconsin concerning his abilities as a criminal defense lawyer, he also thought he was God’s gift to women.

      “Yeah, sure.” Sharon’s tone held just the right amount of sarcasm. “First he’d insist on being lead counsel. You’d have to do everything his way. Second, he’d inflate his fee. Third, you’d do all the work and he’d take all the glory. Fourth, you’d have to fight for your virtue every time you stepped into an empty room with him. And fifth...he wouldn’t care nearly as much as you do about proving your grandfather innocent. Don’t ask Larry!”

      “I’ll take your advice under consideration, Counselor.”

      Sharon, who looked tanned and rested from her week in Miami, ignored Amanda’s teasing words. “The strain is starting to show, Amanda. Seriously, get some help. Have you thought of asking Professor Williams?”

      Sharon and Amanda had attended the same law school in Illinois, and Professor Williams had been their favorite instructor. Several years ago he had retired and moved back to his family’s longtime home on nearby Lake Geneva.

      “I’ve thought of him,” Amanda admitted.

      They paused at the base of the wide, curving stairway that was the centerpiece of the graceful old building. Sharon glanced toward the upper floors. “I’ve got to go. Give him a call, Amanda. If our positions were reversed, I would.”

      Amanda waved her friend away and continued down a long hall that branched off the lobby. She had contemplated placing a call to Professor Williams on more than one occasion, but had hesitated each time because he’d been reported to be in ill health. And with all the upset about her grandfather’s upcoming trial, she hadn’t taken the time she once would have to pay him a friendly visit. She had been too busy trying to catch up loose ends so that she could devote herself completely to her grandfather’s case.

      As she neared the county clerk’s office, a man who’d been slouching against the wall looked up and jerked СКАЧАТЬ