Beyond Innocence by Carsen Taite Page A

died. He picked Eric by his photograph—a mug shot the police showed him. There were a few other details that connected Eric to Nancy, but nothing that pointed to him as a killer.”
    Cory interjected. “Someone gave the cops a picture of the two of them that a witness testified was taken at her birthday celebration at the bar about a week before the murder. Running theory was Eric had a thing for McGowan and, when she rejected him, he took matters into his own hands.”
    “Any other suspects?”
    “Doesn’t appear that they investigated anyone else. Once they had Eric in their sights, they were done.”
    “DNA?”
    “No.”
    “They didn’t test for it or it just wasn’t there?”
    Serena quoted what she’d been told. “‘Tests were inconclusive for DNA other than the victim’s, and it doesn’t appear that a rape kit was done.’”
    Skye shook her head, muttered “small-town cops,” and made some notes. Serena relaxed. The fact they were in a lesbian bar and Cory’s sudden distancing of herself from the case, had her on edge, but Skye’s sharp, no-nonsense style of questioning bolstered her confidence.
    “Give me your impression of the trial attorneys.”
    And bam. Just like that, a question she couldn’t answer and for an embarrassing reason. Serena took a deep breath and plunged in. “I don’t have an impression other than what I’ve read in the legal papers. I wasn’t at the trial.” She looked back and forth between Skye and Cory. Neither was particularly good at hiding their surprise at her statement. She didn’t blame them. How many defendants went on trial for their lives without a single family member to see them through the process? She could imagine what they thought of Eric. So unredeemable that even his sister couldn’t stand to be in the courtroom.
    “Surely, you were in court for the punishment phase of the trial?”
    This from Cory. She had some nerve, pressing the point. Serena rewarded her candor with a string of answers. “I wasn’t. I didn’t know Eric had been arrested and charged with this awful crime. I didn’t know he was convicted. I didn’t know he’d been sentenced to die. I didn’t know he’d exhausted his appeals. I didn’t know anything about this case until a few weeks ago when he wrote to tell me he was scheduled to die. We don’t have a lot of time. If you’re going to work on the case, I need you to get started right away.”
    She leaned back in the booth, waiting for their shocked responses to her confession. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, and Serena absorbed the surreal atmosphere of exposing her vulnerability accompanied by a light disco beat. She pondered how she could escape without them noticing. Return to her safe, secure life back in Florida, the comfort of family, and the security of her job. No crime, no questions, no recrimination.
    Cory’s hand on hers stopped her thoughts cold. Warm, accepting, and not completely unwelcome. Seconds passed. She couldn’t bring herself to meet Cory’s eyes, but she couldn’t avoid Skye who looked between them with the hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. She gently withdrew her hand and placed it in her lap. The entire exchange likely only lasted a couple of seconds, but the effect lingered. Would she have pulled her hand away if Skye hadn’t been right there? Didn’t matter. She was here on a mission and she would not be distracted. She focused her attention on the reason for this meeting.
    “What do you need to get started?”
    Skye leaned back and stared at the ceiling. Serena watched and waited, resisting the desire to shake an answer out of her. She’d started out this meeting relaxed, but after speaking out loud about Eric’s plight, anxiety now had a firm grip. Action. She craved action. Eric had waited long enough.
    Thankfully, Skye spoke before she exploded. “I need to make a couple of phone calls. I’m in business for myself, but I need to make sure I can clear my