White Collared Part Four: Passion (4 page)

Lisa chewed on her lower lip. “Well . . . I am late for an appointment. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

She waved her hand. “Not at all.”

The secretary dropped the stack on Kate’s desk. “Thanks. I was supposed to have these filed last week, but with all the press scheduling I ended up doing for you both, I never got around to it. Would you mind not telling him?”

Lisa looked so nervous, Kate felt a bit sorry for her. Nick did have a way of intimidating those who didn’t know him. Hell, she considered him a close friend and he still intimidated her sometimes.

Kate made a motion like she was zipping her lips. “I won’t say a word. Don’t worry. I’ll do it right now and he’ll never know.”

Lisa huffed out a sigh and relaxed her shoulders. “Thanks. Because I’ve waited three months for this appointment and I’d hate to have to cancel.”

She shooed her out of the office. “Go. I got this.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.” Lisa smiled shyly and closed the door on the way out.

Kate picked up the top file and flipped it open. She’d grown tired of thinking about nothing but Jaxon for the last few days. How could she help it when every interview was about his wife’s murder and how hard she and Nick had worked to prove his innocence? Thank goodness her undercover work as a submissive remained secret. They were able to circumvent certain questions by using the attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine as an excuse and simply left out the details of how they got the information that led them to Joseph’s computer and the knife in his desk.

With several hours to kill, she figured she may as well read through his caseload. That way, when he assigned her some of them, she’d already be familiar with the facts and where they were in the legal process.

As she studied them, she discovered Nick had taken most on contingency and at least a quarter of them
pro bono
. Why hadn’t he told her? It was rare for a high-profile attorney to take so many free cases. Usually, they went to the lowest-ranked lawyers in the firm and only for appearance’s sake. Nick hadn’t even publicized it.

Of course, based on the 30 percent he’d make on his successful contingency cases, he’d still earn plenty of money both for himself and the firm.

The last few days she’d wavered on whether she wanted to pursue a career at a large law firm or not, but seeing this side of Nick cemented her conviction that she’d made the right decision when she’d chosen her path all those years ago. Like him, she could have it all. She didn’t have to turn her back on the people who couldn’t afford to pay an attorney. She’d get the chance to help those who really needed her.

Taking a sip of her bottled water, she checked the clock and realized Nick would be back in the office soon. If she didn’t want to get Lisa in trouble, she’d better finish the filing. She hadn’t had the opportunity to go through all the cases, but at least she had gotten a better picture of what her life could be like in ten years if she stayed at Joseph and Long.

Not that it would be called that for much longer. She couldn’t imagine the remaining partners wanted the name Joseph associated with the firm after the scandal. It wouldn’t surprise her if they voted it to become Trenton and Long. Nick’s name would bring it the recognition they wanted, especially when there was talk of him going into politics.

She could see him someday as a member of the Senate or even as President of the United States. He had that suave, confident demeanor and all-American good looks like some of the more modern politicians. She couldn’t imagine herself as the wife of a politician. It wasn’t solely because of her background, but the fact was, it wasn’t a life she’d want for herself. She wanted to be free to speak her mind and not worry about the repercussions. Ironic since she’d been on her best behavior for the last eight years, keeping her mouth shut and hiding out from the ones who’d passed judgment on her.

Jaxon had taught her more than she’d realized in the short time they’d spent together. He’d freed her from the bonds she hadn’t known even existed, and without them, she’d rediscovered her voice. It was time for her to stand up for what she believed in and not cower behind the invented persona of Kate Martin. She didn’t have to go around announcing her past as Katerina Martini but neither was she afraid of it any longer. The tragedy and the years that followed were as much a part of her as her DNA. It made her who she was today. She just wished she knew who exactly that was.

One more case and she would have them all put away. She picked up a thin folder, figuring she’d read through it quickly. Oddly, there was no name on the file, and inside she found only the complaint and no other paperwork. Usually there would be at least some notes and an agreement for legal services. She flipped to the last page of the complaint and discovered it was never filed with the court. Maybe the client had decided not to proceed with the lawsuit.

Her gaze fell to the names of the defendants, and her stomach plummeted to the ground floor of the building. Reverend Pierce, the camp Angelus Tredecim, and the church where Pierce worked.

Hands shaking, she turned to the first page. There were three plaintiffs, all listed as Jane Doe. Carefully, she read through the fifty-page complaint, paying close attention to the facts of the victims. Each woman asserted that she’d been sexually assaulted by the reverend at age thirteen. The civil claims were for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, and defamation.

She bit her lip as she tried to make sense of the lawsuit. The facts were the same for all three women, but no personal information about who they were was given. Since the statute of limitations required the victim to bring suit within two years of the violation, the girls would all have to be fifteen or younger, but there was no mention of age.

It was as if Nick were anticipating the victims but hadn’t yet discovered them.

She blew out the breath she’d been holding. Of course, that must be it. After he learned about what had happened to Alyssa at camp, he must have begun preparing the lawsuit, knowing a pedophile like Reverend Pierce would have abused a number of girls throughout the years. He must intend to investigate it once everything settled down. Maybe it was his way of dealing with Alyssa’s death. A way to honor her memory by bringing to justice the man who’d abused not only her body but her faith.

She closed the folder, wondering how she could bring it up to Nick when she wasn’t supposed to have seen the file. Hopefully, he’d assign her to help him on it. Although she’d never known Alyssa, she understood what it was like to have your future shaped by a tragedy. Even though she was dead, perhaps by protecting other girls from the reverend, Alyssa’s spirit would find peace.

Kate scooped up all the files into her arms and started across the room to the filing cabinet when it hit her. The complaint was dated October 1.

Almost a month before Alyssa’s murder.

Chapter Five

A
FTER QUICKLY FILING
the other case files, Kate searched the firm’s database for any mention of Reverend Pierce, the camp, or the church and cross-referenced all of Nick’s assigned cases to his clients, coming up empty on all fronts. It was as if the case didn’t exist. She didn’t even know how to file it in the cabinet. For safekeeping, she slipped it in her briefcase. Then she went to go find Lisa. She’d know what to do with it.

She stepped into the hallway and had started toward Lisa’s desk when a crash from inside Joseph’s office startled her. Who was in there? She’d thought the police had finished inspecting it. The door was closed, but curiosity got the best of her. She turned the knob and slowly inched open the door.

Camille Joseph was crouched in the corner of the room, staring at the shattered pieces of a crystal vase and brown withered flowers. To see the confident woman, a Michigan Supreme Court judge, as broken as the glass beneath her fingertips brought the reality of Miles Joseph’s death to light. Kate had been relieved to have it over. They’d found Alyssa’s murderer and proven Jaxon innocent while also giving closure to Mrs. Webber for her daughter. But for Joseph’s wife, the hell was just beginning.

Feeling uncomfortably voyeuristic, Kate began to shut the door to give her some privacy. At the creak, Mrs. Joseph whipped her head around and caught Kate standing behind the door.

Seeing no other choice, Kate entered the room and crossed to the widow. “Your Honor, I don’t know what to say . . . I’m sorry for your loss.”

The woman instantly regained her composure and stood, brushing her hands down her thighs as if to iron out the wrinkles. “Thank you. And I’m sorry my husband tried to kill you.”

Her blunt comment threw Kate for a loop. “You shouldn’t apologize. You didn’t know.”

“That’s true, but I can’t help feeling somewhat responsible. I’ve been with the man for forty years. We have two children and one grandchild. In all that time, how could I not know I was sleeping next to a murderer?”

In her fitted designer pantsuit, Camille Joseph looked every inch of the powerful woman she was. Unlike the night they’d met at Benediction, she wore her hair in a conservative bun and thick glasses were perched on her nose. It was hard for Kate to believe this was the same woman who’d cavalierly mentioned her husband was off with one of his sluts.

After spending time at Benediction, Kate had learned not to judge anyone for their kink and that who they were in the bedroom didn’t define them. Just because the Josephs had been swingers didn’t mean they’d loved each other any less.

“I don’t know, Your Honor.” Kate shook her head, noticing the blood dripping down the side of Judge Joseph’s hand. She pulled a tissue from the box and took the widow’s hand, inspecting it. She must have cut her thumb on a piece of glass. Carefully, she wrapped tissue around the finger, tucking the paper in to create a makeshift bandage.

Judge Joseph’s eyes widened as she focused on her finger. She must have not known she’d injured it. “Thank you. And please, call me Camille.” She wrapped her other hand around it like a fist, putting pressure on it to stop the bleeding. “In my sixty years, I’ve come to learn everyone has a part of themselves they keep hidden from the world. I never imagined my husband could be responsible for these things. That he was evil.”

“Do you think people are born evil?”

“Maybe some, but no. I think it’s shaped by the conscientious decisions we make. If I accidentally hit someone with my car and rather than stay to help I drive away, it may make me a coward but it doesn’t make me evil. It’s the lies I tell afterward—not only the ones to the auto mechanic and insurance company but to myself—those lies darken the soul just a little bit more until there’s nothing left.”

Kate couldn’t help wondering if, after her father’s death, when she’d slept with anyone with no regard to those who might get hurt . . . when she’d spent her nights hopped up on cocaine and ecstasy . . . when she’d woken up in the woods naked and bloody with no memory of how she’d gotten there . . . If Caden hadn’t pulled her from the pit of hell she’d dug for herself, would she have turned evil? Indifferent to the consequences of her actions and incapable of empathy?

A shudder ripped through her.

She had the feeling the answer was yes.

Kate gulped down her revelation and handed Camille another tissue to replace the blood-soaked one. “Is that what you think happened to your husband?”

Camille sighed and applied the new bandage to her thumb. “I’d like to think so. The alternative is too awful. That the man I fell in love with all those years ago wasn’t the man I’d thought.” The corners of her mouth tugged up in a sad smile. “Perhaps it’s the only way I can live with myself. There was a time when all he wanted was to save the world. Take down big business on behalf of the little guy.”

Miles Joseph’s clients were some of the largest auto, aviation, and banking corporations in the world. That didn’t sound anything like the man whom his widow had described.

She leaned on the desk with the palm of her hand. “What happened?”

“Life. Representing the little guy didn’t pay the rent, and so he took a job that paid well, thinking once he’d made enough money, he’d give back.” Camille glanced at the broken glass on the floor. “And in a way, he did. Once he made partner, he didn’t represent any company he didn’t believe in. Still, I can’t help thinking we would’ve been better off had he never taken that first job.”

Isn’t that what Kate was doing? Choosing the path with money and stability when she’d rather help those who truly needed it? But she’d planned for this for years. What else could she do?

She knew from experience that second guessing decisions wouldn’t help Camille heal. “I understand. But we can’t change the past. We can only learn from it and move on.”

The widow tilted her head. “You’re very wise for such a young woman. I see why Jaxon is so enamored of you.”

Her breath caught in her chest. “Jaxon? I don’t know what—”

“I know it was you at Benediction. The mask may have given you a sense of security, but we all knew your identity the moment you stepped inside.” Camille moved closer as if to tell Kate a secret. “But you don’t have to worry. No one there would ever out you as a fellow kinkster.”

A slow leak of panic seeped from her lungs in the sound of a gasp. “Oh, I’m not—”

“Honey, you are. Don’t be one of those people who lie to themselves.” Camille took Kate’s hand in her uninjured one. “Embrace it. I’m sure Master Cole would welcome you at Benediction any time.”

Would he? She wasn’t wealthy or part of the upper class like the other members. As comfortable as she’d felt there, as much as it had felt like coming home, she’d only been pretending. “I couldn’t afford it.”

“You belong to Jaxon. That makes you a member.”

She pulled her hand back, uncomfortable with the woman’s unwarranted compassion. “Jaxon and I aren’t together anymore.”

“I’m surprised to hear that. Everyone was talking about his collaring you.” She eyed Kate’s neck. “And you’re still wearing it.”

She slid her fingers across the circle of gold. “I can’t seem to make myself take it off.”