Mr. Palmer leaned toward Morgan. “Whose side are you on?”
“There are no sides here,” Morgan said. “Nick is innocent until proven guilty.”
Mr. Palmer’s face darkened. “There most certainly are sides.”
“The justice system takes time,” Morgan said calmly. “You have to have faith in it.”
“What about Tessa?” Mr. Palmer’s face turned stroke-red. “What about justice for her?”
“I’m so sorry,” Morgan said. “Is there someone I can call for you? A family member?”
“There’s no one. Tessa was all we had.” His anger crumpled. “She’s gone, and there’s no way you can bring her back.”
Deflated, the old man slumped and turned away. The frail blonde woman at his side stepped forward, getting right in Bud’s face. She raised a hand and slapped Bud hard. Bud didn’t move. Though he’d seemed prepared to hold his ground with the old man, he appeared resigned to taking whatever punishment the elderly woman dished out.
“Your son is a monster.” Mrs. Palmer pivoted on an orthopedic shoe, took her husband’s arm, and led him away.
Murmuring, the crowd eased away. Someone spit on Bud’s lawn.
After the crowd dispersed, Morgan turned to Bud. “Are you all right?”
A red handprint colored his cheek, but Bud didn’t so much as acknowledge it with a touch. “I guess I should have expected some hate. Tessa was a sweet girl, and everyone is appalled about her death. But I thought these people were our neighbors too. I’d hoped they’d stand by Nick.”
He’d thought wrong.
“They’re scared,” Lance said. “They don’t want to think this can happen in their own backyards.”
The media was fueling their fear and rage with sensational headlines like LOCAL GIRL KILLED BY BOYFRIEND and GIRL NEXT DOOR MURDERED BY LOCAL MAN.
“It’s easier to take their hate out on me and Nick than face it.” Bud turned toward his house. Someone had spray-painted KILLER in bright red paint on the front of his garage. “I guess I’ll go scrub that off.”
“I’m sorry, Bud.” Morgan touched his arm. “Do you want some help?”
“No.” He shook his head. “You’re already doing more than anyone could ask. The work will give me something to do.”
Bud disappeared inside his house. Morgan and Lance walked across the street.
“What are you doing for Bud?” Lance asked. “You should stay out of this.”
“No chance of that now.” Morgan’s long legs covered the driveway quickly.
“What do you mean?” Lance drew even with her.
She paused. “I’m defending Nick.”
What?
Lance reached for her arm and spun her around. “Are you insane?”
She was throwing her career away.
“No. Naive maybe.” In her flat-soled shoes, Morgan was barely a head shorter than Lance. But with her chin up and her shoulders back, she seemed taller and more imposing. Her face held a mask of determination he’d never seen before. Her blue eyes went from pretty to piercing. If this was her courtroom face, it was intimidating as hell.
“The town has already tried and convicted Nick. When the neighborhood finds out you’re on his side, they’re going to turn on you too.”
“I don’t think so. They know me. They’ve known my family for fifteen years. They respect my grandfather.”
“Morgan, they think Nick murdered the proverbial girl next door. Mr. Palmer summed it up. Everyone will have to choose. You will be part of the opposing side. You will be the enemy.”
“So I should turn my back on Nick because I might become unpopular?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then what did you say?” Morgan asked.
Lance faced her. “I’m worried about you.”
She nodded. “I can understand that, but what kind of person would I be if I didn’t help Nick?”
“Do you really think he’s innocent?” Lance asked.
“I do. Evidence isn’t everything.” Morgan looked over her shoulder at the Zabrowski house. “A group of facts can have more than one logical explanation.”
“You once told me you could never be a defense attorney because you couldn’t live with yourself if you had to help criminals get away with crime. I understand that you think Nick is innocent. Even if you prove it, what will you do after the trial? Bryce will never hire you after this. You’ll be out of a job.”
“I know.” Morgan sighed. “But I can’t let that stop me.”
But Lance wasn’t sure she understood the rage she’d encounter when her choice to defend Nick became public knowledge. People were going to be very angry—and angry people were dangerous.
“You need to see this.” Lance pulled out his phone and played the video of the fight at the lake.
Morgan paled. “Where did you get this?”
“From a kid who was at the lake party last Thursday night, but it’s on YouTube.” Lance explained about his search for Jamie Lewis. “Your client has a temper.”
“Shit.” Morgan hurried toward the house, calling over her shoulder. “Who is the boy Nick is fighting with?”
“His name is Jacob Emerson.” Lance rushed to catch up with her. “Where are you going?”
“I need to file an injunction to have that video pulled from YouTube before it’s all over social media and the news. Our entire jury pool will be tainted.” She opened her front door and went into the house.
Lance thought the chances of an impartial jury pool had sailed halfway to China already. He followed Morgan into the house.
“Morgan, you’d better look at this,” Art said from his recliner.
A BREAKING NEWS banner scrolled across the bottom of the screen while the video of the fight between Nick and Jacob Emerson played.
So much for preventing the contamination of the jury pool.
Chapter Thirteen
Jail, day 1
Naked, Nick shivered as he hustled into the room, a bundle of clothes under one arm.
The door behind him closed with a surreal and metallic clank, muffling the moaning and shouting of the booking area. With almost everything made of block and steel, sounds echoed with a harsh intensity that made him jump constantly for the whole first hour at the county jail.
The small room was built of cinderblock with a locked steel door on each end. There was one small, wire-reinforced window in each door. Every few seconds a guard looked in. The room smelled like bleach and piss. A puddle of urine surrounded the stainless steel toilet in the corner. Nick needed to pee but couldn’t figure out how to do that without getting piss all over his feet.
But, on the bright side, this holding area was empty.
For the first time since he’d been brought to the building, Nick could almost draw a full breath. Even though he knew the camera in the ceiling corner was watching, the absence of other inmates was a sweet, albeit brief, relief. Inside his belly, nerves hummed like a swarm of bees.