Blood's Desire (Book 1 of Blood Ties Novels)

New Employees

That afternoon, I got the green light to get to know my new employees. Armed with the knowledge that not all of the ADAs were reparable, I stayed on guard with every new face, but continued to be appreciative and welcoming. Each new face brought names, best wishes, and times when they could come in for a meet-and-greet.

One face in particular won my undivided attention, Sara Owens. She looked younger than the others I had encountered in the halls. Her bobbed blonde hair and pale blue eyes gave her the air of innocence. Sara invited me to the courthouse to view her in action. She swayed me by promising to show me around and introduce me to unoccupied judges. Getting to know my allies in the judges was part of my overall game plan. The sooner I got to know the people on my side, the sooner I could begin “cleaning house.” 

The courthouse was only a few blocks from the office. Sara briefed me on her case as we walked. When we turned the corner, the massive white building with eight columns caught my eye. 

“Oh my,” I gasped as I stared at the courthouse. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? That was basically my expression the first time I saw it last year.” She was smiling at her own memories, but her freshness caught my attention.

Is she someone I can trust? “Really, just a year ago? Where are you from?” I needed to find allies quickly. She seemed young and willing, but I kept Robert’s warning in mind. 

“I’m originally from a really small town in Texas. You’ve probably never heard of it.” 

“Try me. I’m from Arkansas, so I know a little bit about Texas.”

She giggled a little. “San Marcos.”

“Humm…Texas State University, right? Did you go there? When?” She looked at me in astonishment. Apparently no one she’d ever spoke to had heard of San Marcos. You wouldn’t either if you hadn’t applied to TSU.

“Wow,” her smile widened again. “No one knows that. It’s going to be so cool working for you.” Yep, very young. Her youthful enthusiasm excited me, making me feel young again. “I did go to TSU three years ago. I passed the bar last year, when I was hired here.” VERY young.

“I hope you don’t mind, but how old are you?” I couldn’t help myself, I had to know.

She giggled as a blush crept up her tanned neck. “I just turned twenty-six. I’m proud to be the baby of the office. I take the defendants off guard when they come in every time.” She was trying to win my respect with her courtroom tactics. I had to admit it was ingenious. She looked down at her watch. “But I do like to be earlier than the defendant.”

We entered the courthouse from the side. She ushered me through the metal detector quickly, my slow pace had made her a little tardy in her own head. As any good student, she liked to be early.

The courtroom was only sprinkled with bystanders when we arrived. She quickly went to her table and laid out her files. I sat behind her in the audience. After getting the files and notes where she wanted them, she sat quiet and serene waiting for the others. She reminded me of the beautiful sirens from Greek mythology. She was tempting, youthful, trustworthy, and beautiful. She would lure the defendants in with her song and then smash their ships. 

I watched her unveil her magic when the defendant walked in. His eyes widened and then crinkled into a sinister smile, obviously happy at Sara’s youthfulness. She smiled and waved, laying it on thick. She sat twiddling her thumbs and looking nervous. He was sure to be lured into her façade. Her innocent mask worked like a charm.

Sara’s case went quickly. She started out slow, but picked up the pace when the defendant seemed comfortable with her questions. When she was finished with him, he confessed to dealing heroine to minors. I was thoroughly impressed with her ability to win over someone and then turn around and make them confused enough to confess the truth. It could be her pace, but it’s probably her. In all, the guilty party was viewed for thirty minutes and quickly escorted back to prison. I was thoroughly impressed.

After the confession, Sara showed me around the courthouse. We stopped at a few judges’ chambers. All were polite, welcoming, and eager to work with a younger DA. As we walked, Sara gave me the low down on each judge and court reporter.

We were heading out of the courthouse when I heard a voice I recognized inside a crowded courtroom. I stopped right outside the doors and listened to the man’s voice. There were only three men in Savannah I knew well enough to recognize their voices; Robert, Seth, and Gabriel.

Sara gave me a funny look, “Why don’t you go in?”

“Oh, well, because they’re in progress. I don’t want to interrupt.” I could feel my telltale blush rising. The more I listened, the more confident I was that it was Gabriel. 

“I doubt Gabe will mind if his new boss sat in on his closing argument.”

It is Gabriel. At the mention of his name, my cheeks flared. “Oh, please don’t call me your boss. It sounds so formal.” Play off your instant Gabriel blush. You need to get yourself under control. There is absolutely no reason why you should react to him the way you do. With this internal pep talk, my blush receded and I walked into the courtroom with Sara in toe.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this man before you is under indictment for the r**e and murder of both Jennifer Wiley and Sharon Fields. Blood evidence was found in his apartment with his fingerprints all over it, two separate eye witnesses are capable of identifying him, and expert opinion on forensics identified him as the r****t of Jennifer Wiley through sperm identification and the culprit for both young ladies’ murders through blood gathered from a knife set from the defendant’s home. 

“Now, the defendant would have you believe that he has an alibi for each night in question, but remember that without photographic evidence that he was truly the person making the purchases at the time, how can you believe the flimsiness of these alibis when you have hard evidence before you.

“The defendant would also have you believe that the sperm found on Jennifer Wiley was left from consensual intercourse. However, the physical damage left behind from the attack leads experts to believe she was r***d; but more than that, character witnesses for Jennifer attest to her fidelity to her new husband. 

“When you leave this courtroom, please remember the evidence and both Jennifer and Sharon. You have the power to bring their murderer to justice. Make the right choice and come back with a charge of guilty.” He turned to return to his seat. He saw me sitting in the back and flashed me a smile before turning to listen to the defendant’s attorney. I was overwhelmed with a sudden burst of joy. Get a grip on yourself.

“That was a great closing argument, wasn’t it Ms. Bell?” Sara boasted through a big smile, cutting through my subconscious berating. Her feelings for Gabriel were so transparent, even a blind man could see she had a crush on Gabriel. He must have this effect on all women.

“Andrea or Andi, please. Yes, it was a magnificent argument. Just with the closing, I would say guilty. Gabriel is very persuasive.” Sara’s smile grew when I said his name.  I’m glad I’m not the only one.

We sat quietly through the rest of the defendant’s unimpressive closing argument. Court was called to recess until the jurors came back with a verdict. Gabriel packed his briefcase and strolled to the chair in front of Sara and sat facing us. 

“Would you ladies like to join me for lunch? Now granted, I won’t go far; I don’t expect the jury to be out long.” Arrogant much? He acted as if he already knew the outcome.

Sara spoke first. “I’d love to, but I have to get back to the office. I have another case today that I have to prepare for.” She stumbled over a few words and her pitch was up an octave. I found it amusing that a woman so skilled at getting men to do her bidding in court spoke so nervously in front of the person she obviously liked. I would have never guessed that she would be as shy as me. “But, Ms. Bell doesn’t have to come with me. I’m sure I’ve used up more than my share of time with her. You need to get to know her too.” I grimaced at her word choice – and the sudden flash of yellow in my mind – as she picked up her briefcase and stood to leave. “See you two later.”

All I could think of when she said her parting words was the unfortunate towel incident that morning. I didn’t even have time to say goodbye before she rushed out of the courtroom. “See you later, Sara,” Gabriel said. I hoped she wouldn’t notice how furiously red my neck and ears were as she was leaving. I looked up just in time to see her back. Thank God, I don’t think she saw me. Gabriel leaned toward me whispering, “I really don’t think we can get to know each other better without breaching some kind of professional/personal barrier.” And with that, my entire body lit up. I’m sure I could have been a lighthouse beckon with how bright I had to have been at that very moment. He smiled at my reaction; apparently he was having fun at my expense. “You’re so cute when you do that.” 

“Do what?” I was trying to calm my blush and probably came off more angry then confused. He shouldn’t be so forward. Maybe I shouldn’t trust him so willingly. 

“When you blush, it makes you look younger, more vibrant. It’s cute! Most women our age have heard it all and are immune. I think it’s attractive.” I did sound mad, he’s babbling. He kept going on and on, stumbling over words as he tried to swage our last moment. He finally came to an abrupt end. “So, what would you like for lunch?”

I thought about refusing lunch, but I didn’t want to eat vending machine snacks alone. He took me to Alice’s Café at the corner of the street the courthouse was on. He was on his best behavior, trying not to make comments that would inevitably make me blush. We took Sara’s advice and got to know each other. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I knew Gabriel from somewhere and I made sure to talk about significant places we could have met. We talked about our childhoods, families, and schools.

During the childhood discussion, I didn’t find out much. He played tee-ball and had been a boy scout for a few years, but never left the state. Neither had I, so we couldn’t have met as children.

The family discussion was a little one sided. He learned that I had two older brothers, one only being a few minutes older, and a much younger sister, that Alex was getting married, that my parents were still married and alive, and that my mother had recovered from cancer the previous year. I learned that he was an only child of two dead parents, that his Uncle Seth had raised him from the age of five, and that his uncle never married. Even between both families, our paths never crossed.

Schools were the exact opposite. He couldn’t stop gushing about his school experiences, and I’m sure I wouldn’t either if I graduated in the top five percent of my graduating classes from both Brown University and Harvard Law. My graduations from Fayetteville, U of A and Yale Law paled in comparison. He was in his element at school and he thoroughly enjoyed his time studying. He hadn’t even had a girlfriend in the same sorority I belonged too. Soon our conversation turned into a session of twenty questions; however, it was cut short, leaving me with no answer to why he seemed familiar. Gabriel had been correct. The jury came back quickly with a verdict.

Gabriel and I basically ran back to the courthouse. When we entered, I took my seat in the back and he went to the front. He nodded to the judge as an apology for being the last one back.

The judge grinned at him and turned to the jury. “Madam Forewoman, have you reached a verdict?” The forewoman handed the verdict to the bailiff to give to the judge.

“We have your honor.”

The judge skimmed the verdict and passed it back to the forewoman. “Jason Sanders, please rise. Madam Forewoman, will you read the verdict?”

“On the two counts of r**e, we find the defendant, Jason Sanders, guilty.” There was an uproar of sighs from the relieved families of the victims and outraged exclamations from Jason’s family. The judge banged her gavel for order. “On the two counts of murder in the first degree, we find the defendant, Jason Sanders, guilty.” Jason’s mother burst into tears and his father held her tightly. Jason looked back to her with no remorse or sorrow in his eyes. I was more than proud of Gabriel for putting the sociopath behind bars.

“Thank you, Madam Forewoman. The state of Georgia thanks the jury. You are free to go.”

I looked over to the families of the victims as Gabriel shook their hands and graciously took their thanks. His eyes flew to me every once in awhile with a grin. When the families released him, Gabriel turned to me. After grabbing his briefcase, he came back to me again with his world-illuminating smile, overjoyed by his victory. I stood waiting for him. When he reached me, he gathered me up in a big hug. Too intimate. Please put me down; no, don’t. I’m so…confused.

He put me back on the floor and his smile grew. “You don’t even know how good that felt.” Is he talking about the case or the hug? “We are going to celebrate tonight.” The case.

“Okay,” I said, a little taken aback by his delight. “How long have you been working this case?”

“A little over a year.” Wow! “For almost six months, they couldn’t find the culprit. The witnesses wouldn’t come forward. Then, the sperm DNA finally matched another case. He had been arrested for burglary. The owner had cut him with a kitchen knife when he was trying to escape, and when he went to the hospital for treatment, he was apprehended.” His smile disappeared when he talked about the early days of the case. “He’s already been tried and convicted for the burglary. It’s a ten-year sentence, but they typically get out in less than five here. When his DNA was taken and put into the system, we got our match. Within a day of his conviction being announced on the news, the witnesses of the murders came forward too.” His smile was more of a smirk, barely showing any kind of emotion. I figured it was more disgust for the witnesses than anything. “So now, more than a year after Jennifer’s death and almost a year after Sharon’s death, their assailant has been rightfully imprisoned.” 

He took his job very seriously. His passion was in his words. I couldn’t see why I shouldn’t trust him. Someone so dedicated to finding justice for two strangers couldn’t be involved in a ring of evil.

He took my hand and tucked it into his elbow again and we walked out of the courthouse. He is too much of a gentleman. I’m going to have to give Seth kudos on how he raised Gabriel. We didn’t go back to the courthouse that afternoon. He had a meeting and a few cases to review; but for the most part, he helped me feel welcome and offered to make files for each ADA to help me learn them more quickly. I had two early meetings with employees, but I welcomed Gabriel into my office anytime he came by.

When I was alone, I would work on a plan to fulfill my job description. Gabriel popped in a couple of times to make sure I didn’t need anything. I used his interruptions as short reprieves. I seemed to be the most stressed at the times he came in. The last time he came by was to pull me away from the office. 

“It’s time to go, Ms. Bell,” Gabriel stage-whispered from the door. It would have made me jump, but I felt his presence the moment he came in. It was something I started to notice through the afternoon.

“Please call me Andi,” I said without looking up at him. I knew the moment I looked into his gorgeous green eyes I’d lose myself again. “I’m almost ready to go if you want to have a seat?”

“Sounds good. How was your day?” he asked as he made himself comfortable.

“Fine, I guess. Everyone was very welcoming, no crisis to speak of, I met a few judges. It was a pretty good start. I was impressed with your closing arguments. You’re good at what you do.” I was babbling while I packed my briefcase. “So, was your afternoon productive? With all your comings and goings, I wasn’t sure.” I covered the giggle that bubbled up with a cough. I didn’t think he was fooled. His smile widened when he answered.

“Yes, it was very productive. Let’s discuss everything over my celebration dinner. Are you ready to go?” I had locked my briefcase sometime during my rambling and we were just sitting there.

“Yes, of course. How does one celebrate a big win in Savannah?” I inquired as I stood and gathered my things.

“How do you feel about great wine and a beautiful atmosphere?” He took my briefcase from me, hold both his and mine in one hand as he offered me his arm once again.

Why does it shock me every time he does this? He’s done it every chance he’s had since you’ve got here. I took his offered elbow and we left for a quiet night of celebration at ‘The Sapphire Grill.’