Ties That Bind (19 page)

She caught Reese’s profound gaze across the room; his expression mirrored her thoughts.

o0o

THE AIR WAS filled with the homey smell of oven-fried chicken and French fries—and a calmness that had been missing for a long time whenever Sofie was in the room. Reese watched her push her empty plate away and smile up at him. “It was great, Daddy. Thanks for cooking.”

Grinning, he ruffled her hair. “Lucky for you, Mom had chicken to defrost.” After the initial tearful reunion, he’d cooked her favorite meal.

Sofie sniffed the air. “I love that smell.” She turned to Kate, no animosity on her youthful face. Reese suspected the truce was temporary, but he was enjoying it while it lasted. Sofie was in control now that she’d seen Kate was all right. On the phone earlier, he’d made that case to her principal at school, hoping to avoid punishment for her leaving without permission. It was decided she’d stay overnight here, and Jillian, when she called to check on Kate, had volunteered to drive Sofie back to school tomorrow.

Sofie said, “Go rest, Mom.”

Kate smiled softly at her daughter. “I’ll help clean up.”

“No, I’ll do it.” Reese stood. “Sof, why don’t you take your mom upstairs and lay in bed with her. Like you used to.”

For a minute, Sofie stiffened. Reese sent her a stern, Don’t you dare start again look. “Sure, okay.” She stood, too. “Come on, Mom.”

“Go on, Kate.”

Kate stood, circled the table and put her arm around Sofie’s shoulder. “You’re on, honey.”

“Jeopardy! is gonna start soon.”

“In ten minutes.” Kate glanced at Reese. “Come up when you’re done. Join us. We’ll all play.”

Left unsaid was Just like old times.

The girls left Reese alone, and he made quick work of the dishes and storing food. It was so odd cleaning up Kate’s kitchen. He didn’t like the place much; it just wasn’t her. She should have some warmer colors, plants in the corner, copper pots hanging from the ceiling…Hell, what was he doing mentally redecorating her house to resemble the one they used to live in?

Trying not to deal with your feelings, Bishop.

Yeah, he knew that. Things were happening fast here. So fast he couldn’t keep up emotionally. That’s why he had taken the walk. Why he was glad when Sanders showed up.

Sofie’s presence, however, brought back those feelings of loss. Simultaneously, the appearance of their daughter made him affirm that they hadn’t put her through a divorce only to be having second thoughts at this juncture; he had to play this right now.

“Dad-dy!” he heard from upstairs. He’d lingered too long with the memories. “Come on, the show’s starting.”

Setting the dishwasher, switching off the lights, Reese made his way upstairs to join them, like he’d done a thousand times when they were a family. He braced himself for what he’d find, and good thing. The sight of his wife and daughter, snuggled in bed together, Kate propped up on pillows, Sofie cuddled into her chest, could have cold-cocked him if he hadn’t been prepared. “Now there’s a nice picture.”

Sofie patted the other side of the mattress. “Missing one person. Come on, Dad. Hop in.”

Reese hesitated.

“Da-ad!”

Slowly he crossed the room. He kicked off his shoes and slid onto the bed. Sofie moved over and plunked herself on his chest this time, just as the familiar strains of the game show began. Reese held her close, rubbed her arm up and down, and breathed in the wonderful scent of his baby girl, momentarily close to them again.

Afraid to look at Kate, he tried to concentrate on the show. But after a while, she was so silent, so still, that at last he glanced over to check her out. She was staring at them, not the TV. In her eyes was a yearning so potent he almost gasped at it.

He looked down when he felt Sofie tremble. Then heard the sniffling. His arms tightened around her.

Moving closer, Kate brushed back her hair. “Sof, are you okay?”

No answer. More sniffles. “Sofie?” Reese added. “Honey, what is it?”

“I want it to be like this again,” she said burying her face in his chest and gripping his shirt. “Just the three of us. In our old house together.”

Reese’s gaze connected with Kate’s. He didn’t flinch from it. And though she didn’t say anything, he’d swear on a Bible that the same the words formed in her brain as his.

So do I.

THE LAW OFFICES of Benning and Benning were smaller than those of Bishop Associates, but just as classy. Their firm consisted of a paralegal, an assistant and a husband and wife team. The assistant showed Reese and Kate into a conference room. She gave them a pleasant smile. “Julia will be right with you, Judge. Mr. Bishop.”

Reese pulled a chair out for Kate, then sat. He ran late picking her up after lunch, as he’d been in Allenstown all morning, where he’d gone for some pretrial work on the bullying case. His body was tense in his light gray pinstripe suit, which he wore with a snowy shirt and paisley tie. He shifted in his seat.

“Can I get you some coffee?” the assistant asked.

“No, thanks.” Reese’s tone was cold. “I’ve had too much caffeine already today.”

“I’ll have some, if you don’t mind,” Kate said.

As soon as the woman left, he opened a file. He was all business today; they’d discussed nothing personal on the trip over, just what newly discovered facts Kate had discerned that morning while reading over Anna Bingham’s prison files. She recognized his demeanor as the mode he went into when something was really bothering him.

While he ignored her, Kate studied the nicely decorated conference room. Grass-cloth walls. Teak bookshelves. Her gaze landed on one of the many pictures displayed there. Julia and James Benning with a small boy. Her heart stuttered at the sight of it. She remembered other pictures—of a newborn child, a happy couple smiling for the camera; she and Reese had displayed their photos at their law firm, too.

Thankfully, Julia Benning entered the room soon. She was about forty, with pretty gold-red hair, a friendly smile and an easy manner. Kate appreciated the tailored beige suit and guessed it was Ann Taylor.

“Hello, Reese. Judge. We haven’t met formally, but I’m Julia Benning. James will be joining us soon.”

“Thanks for changing the schedule, from last night,” Reese told her as he stood and shook her hand.

Kate shook hands, too. “Call me Kate, please.”

Julia inspected Kate’s bruises. “Reese told me about the mugger when he called to reschedule. Have they found him?”

Smoothing down the skirt of her severe black suit before she sat again, Kate shook her head. “No, and I’m thinking they don’t expect to.”

“This is all you guys need, isn’t it?”

Kate smiled at the woman’s candor. Liked it. “It’s been tough enough as it is.”

“Then let’s see what help I can be.”

Reese leaned forward, his shoulders stiff. “We need some insight from you about Anna Bingham when you defended her.” He held up the file marked Legal Visits. “We’ve subpoenaed her records and see that you had contact with her while she was in Longshore. We’re not asking for details that would violate lawyer/client privilege” —which in most cases continued after the death of the client— “but more about her state of mind, and your visits to jail.”

“I think I can tell you that without crossing the line.” Julia shook her head. “We try not to take such blatant fraud cases, but we needed to balance out our caseload at the time.”

Just like she and Reese used to do, Kate thought.

“So we took her on. She was a character, I’ll tell you that much.”

“How so?”

“I never saw a bit of remorse in her. She did time, got out and went right back to her old ways. The only thing that seemed to sober her was being sentenced to a higher security facility.”

Reese fired questions at the lawyer as if he was interrogating a witness. “Was she depressed about her situation?”

“More worried, anxious.”

“Enough to cause her suicide?”

“Objectively, yes. When she committed the last crime—it’s public record that she went in for tax evasion—she didn’t expect what she got. The bars, the razor wire, the incarceration with drug addicts. It wore on her.”

Checking his notes, Reese scowled. “What can you tell us about your visits with her while she was at Longshore?”

“Her life there—”

The door swung open and in rushed James Benning. His light complexion was flushed, and his hair was askew. “Hello, Judge. Mr. Bishop. Sorry I’m late. Personal emergency.” Before he sat, he squeezed his wife’s shoulder. From the corner of her eye, Kate saw Reese’s gaze narrow on the gesture and his expression became even darker.

“I hope everything’s all right,” Kate said.

He shrugged. “Sick child.”

There was worry on Julia’s face as she looked up at her husband. “Did Bret settle down?”

“Once Grandma got there. She’s a godsend.”

Kate stifled a groan. God she remembered those days. Balancing a baby, a law firm, life.

“So, where are we?” James asked.

“We were just about to discuss your legal visits with Anna Bingham when she was at Longshore.” Reese’s tone was gruff and his hand gripped the pen he held. “She met with you four times in six months. Can you tell us why?”

“She wanted to scrutinize the trial proceedings. She seemed to think there was a loophole. Apparently she’d been reading up on cases in the prison library where she worked.”

“Was there a loophole?”

“Not that we knew of. Truthfully, she was a pain in the butt about it. But her prison advocate kept feeding her incorrect information and she jumped on it.”

Reese asked, “Who was the advocate?”

James checked the file, “John Aiken.” He glanced at his wife. Distaste was communicated with just a look. “We weren’t too crazy about him.”

“In any case,” Julia put in. “We went over the transcript with her, and sent her the books she wanted.”

Reese found a document Kate had highlighted. “Is this list accurate, Julia?” he asked, handing her the record from Barnes & Noble. Prisoners could get orders from bookstores, unopened and paid for by someone else.

Julia reached for her glasses, which weren’t in her pocket. Without asking, James got up, crossed to the desk in the corner and retrieved them. Julia read the list and then pulled a paper out of a file on the table and crosschecked them. She read aloud. “How to Succeed After Prison, Letters and Papers from Prison: One Woman’s Story, Major Loopholes and Other Faux Pas of the System, Prison Advocates: What They Can Do For You.” She shook her head. “There’s one missing. It was a journal, too—the blank page kind. I remember it because this was always an interesting anomaly about her.”

“What was?” Kate asked.

“Apparently she became a writer in jail. She kept journals during her incarceration at Tallahassee, where we had the most contact with her.”

Kate and Reese exchanged a surprised look. “Did you ever see the journals?”

“No. But she told us about them. Asked for new blank books.”

Reese scrambled for a paper and studied it. “Did she keep one at Longshore? Getting a blank one from Barnes & Noble might indicate she did.”

“I don’t know.”

Kate felt a burst of hope. “Do you have any idea who might have her personal effects?”

“She was divorced twice. Parents are dead. She has a sister. Maybe Nancy Bingham knows.” Julia stood. “I’ll get you the address.”

She left the room, and James had some other suggestions for them to follow up on. Julia returned with the sister’s particulars, which she gave to Reese. Then she crossed to get a cup of coffee for her husband. He hadn’t asked for it. Her hand went to his sleeve as she set the cup down on the table. She smiled at Kate. “We were up most of the night.”

“I remember those days.”

Julia cocked her head. “James and I always admired you two.”

“Us?” Kate practically choked the word out.

“Yeah, you’re quite a legend in this town. Successful practice. Beautiful child. How did you balance it all?”

James grasped her hand. “We’re having trouble.”

“We did, too,” Kate said. “You manage.”

“Were there days like these? Where office time was difficult?”

Kate remembered trading off time at home with Reese. “Yes. We played tag team, like you are. We also brought Sofie with us sometimes. Our assistant was only too happy to pitch in.”

Reese was stonily silent. He’d even averted his gaze.

“Did you have family to help?”

“Not in town. We were pretty much on our own.”

No one mentioned that in the end, Reese and Kate did not make it after all. When the omission made the air uncomfortable, James touched Julia’s hand. “Honey, the case?”

“Sorry.”

They finished their discussions and Kate and Reese bade good-bye to the Bennings. Kate’s mood was somber when they left the law offices, and as they strode to the parking lot, Reese’s was even blacker than before. With stiff formality, he opened Kate’s door and she slid into the car. Once he got inside, he reached to start the engine, but she stayed his hand. “Wait a second.”

He checked his watch. “I’ve got a meeting in a half hour,” he said tightly, not looking at her.

Leaning back against the leather seats of his car, she cracked a window and let in the warm mid-afternoon air. “We haven’t had much time to talk today. You seem distracted. And angry.”

He gave her a sideways glance. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

For some reason she pushed it. “It went well with Sofie this morning.”

“Did it?”

“She fixed me pancakes for breakfast and we took a walk.” Kate snorted. “I should get mugged more often.”

He wasn’t looking at her. He was staring out the window. “Sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind us of how much people mean to us.”

The words hung heavily in the air.

She tracked his gaze. It was focused on the logo printed on the law firm’s shingle, Benning and Benning. “You never changed your name,” he finally said.

“Where did that come from?”

Instead of answering, he shook his head. “Remember how we fought over it?”

She did. And how they resolved it. “I compromised, Reese.” She’d used Bishop socially, and Renado professionally, which was why Sofie had his name.