he said. âNot by a long shot. Iâm a tax attorney. I could run it by some of my friends, though, if that would help.â
âOh, no, you donât have to do that.â She suddenly felt guilty for asking.
âHow did it happen exactly?â he asked. âYour mother.â
Between bites of seafood, she told him about the battered womenâs shelter and how her mother had saved the life of Zachary Pointerâs wife. Rick listened with rare attentiveness for a man, barely touching his food as she spoke.
âItâs heartbreaking,â he said. âShe sounded very special. Iâm so sorry.â He reached across the table for her hand, and she let him hold it. His touch felt friendly, brotherly. She thought he actually had tears in his eyes, but she wasnât sure. One thing she was certain of was that she really was safe with this guy. Maybe he could be a friend. But she lether hand rest in his only a moment before gently withdrawing it.
âWhatâs your goal?â he asked. âI mean, with the legal system. Do you want to punish him longer or do you want to keep him off the streets because you think he might hurt someone else?â
âWell, weâmy father and brother and I and all the people around here who loved my motherâwe just feel that twelve years is not long enough. Heâd be out, alive and healthy and free and getting on with his life, while my mother can never come back.â
âIâm going to look into this for you,â he said with sudden determination. âI can check with people who know that part of the law better than I do.â
âThatâs so nice of you.â
âI have one important question for you first,â he said.
She set her fork on the edge of her plate, waiting for him to continue.
âI may beâ¦I apologize, because this might not be fair of me to ask, butâ¦have you thought about what pursuing this will cost you?â
She opened her mouth to reply, but he stopped her.
âI donât mean financially,â he said. âI mean emotionally. It could be long and drawn out. You and your family need to really think this through. You need to be sure youâre up for going through the whole thing again.â
âI think we have to do it,â she said.
He moved a scallop around on his plate. âIâm just playing devilâs advocate here, all right?â he asked. âI canât possibly know how this feels to you, how it feels to lose your motherâ¦but have you thought ofâ¦just letting it go? Putting it behind you? Maybe even taking it one step further by forgiving the guy who did it?â
He must have seen her stiffen, because he continued quickly.
âMaybe not forgive him, exactly, although I have to tell you, I believe strongly in the power of forgiveness,â he said. âIt brings peace to the person doing the forgiving. I understand thatâs probably too much to ask. But you might consider not fighting his release. Not wasting your energy on him. As long as the parole board decides heâs not a danger to anyone else, as long as heâs truly been rehabilitated, can you just let it go?â
She shook her head. âNo,â she said.
âLacey, Iâm not talking about letting it go for his sake, but for yours,â he said, his dark eyes searching her face. âIf you fight this, youâll have to relive everything that happened.â
âIâll never stop reliving it,â she said, but she was frankly touched by what he had said. He was a kind man, and she knew there was wisdom in his words. âYou sound like youâve been through something like this.â
He shook his head. âNo,â he said. âNot really.â He pressed his napkin to his lips, then smiled at her again. âI havenât known you long,â he said, his voice soft, âbut just seeing you with customers at the studio, seeing
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