I See You Read online

  Hearing the alarm in her grandmother’s voice, Sydney, still seated in the grass, began to cry. Hannah looked helplessly from her daughter to her granddaughter. ‘It’s all right baby,’ she crooned, although the panic in her voice betrayed her. Sydney started to wail.

  Lisa stared at the police officers contemptuously. ‘You’re making a mistake,’ she said. ‘And you’re scaring my daughter.’

  ‘Can’t be helped,’ said Hammond. ‘I have to explain your rights. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one …’

  ‘This is ridiculous. You are making a big mistake. My daughter is a brilliant student. Lisa,’ Adam barked, ‘don’t say a word. I’m going to call a lawyer.’

  Detective Hammond looked at Adam with a gaze that was almost sympathetic. Then he shook his head, and followed behind the patrolman who had cuffed Lisa’s narrow wrists and was leading her off the deck and down to the waiting squad car in the driveway.

  FOUR

  Adam made one call after another until they were able to reach Marjorie Fox, a top-flight defense attorney from a big Nashville firm. Ms Fox told them to meet her at the courthouse. In a daze, as if she were moving through a bad dream, Hannah called Rayanne to ask for help.

  Rayanne immediately agreed to come over and watch Sydney while they went downtown. Hannah and Adam sat numbly in court while Lisa and Marjorie stood before the judge. An indifferent clerk read out the charges of larceny and first-degree murder. Hannah gasped but Marjorie frowned at her, and indicated that she should keep silent. When asked, Lisa proclaimed herself ‘not guilty.’ The district attorney asked that bail be denied but the judge agreed with Marjorie that Lisa be granted bail. Bail was set and Marjorie advised them of a bail bondsman to contact. Feeling stunned, and cornered by circumstance, Adam and Hannah agreed to put up their house for collateral. Then they returned home.

  Sydney was fed and in her pajamas. Hannah scooped up her granddaughter and sat shaking, leeching warmth from the toddler on her lap. Rayanne wanted to know everything but Hannah shook her head. ‘Ray, I can’t, right now,’ she said. ‘I just can’t.’

  Rayanne nodded. ‘I understand,’ she said. She quietly let herself out, leaving them, in a delayed state of shock, to wait for their daughter’s return. Hannah felt as if the world had suddenly spun off its axis. She thought that for as long as she lived, she would never be able to forget the sight of Lisa – her brilliant, determined daughter – being led away in handcuffs by the police. She had another indelible image in her mind of a defiant Lisa, standing in the dock wearing the skirt and sweater her mother had brought to the courthouse for her.

  The phone rang and Adam went to answer it. Then he came back into the kitchen. ‘That was Marjorie Fox. The bail has been paid and they are heading home.’

  ‘Adam, I just … I don’t believe this is happening,’ said Hannah.

  ‘Me neither,’ he said. ‘Hey, little one, isn’t it past your bedtime?’

  ‘I wanna see Mommy,’ said Sydney.

  Hannah shook her head in a warning. ‘She’ll be here soon,’ she reassured the child.

  Adam sighed and nodded, realizing that they had to allow Sydney to stay up long enough to see her mother. After all, she too had watched Lisa being removed in handcuffs. She needed to see her mother walk back in the door. He grabbed the remote and put a cartoon network on the television and beckoned for Hannah to follow him. Reluctantly, Hannah slid her granddaughter off her lap, and propped her up among the pillows on the sofa. Then she went and joined her husband in the kitchen.

  ‘Did Marjorie say anything else?’ Hannah whispered.

  Adam’s face was drawn. ‘Just that she’s bringing her home.’

  ‘I don’t understand any of this. It makes no sense.’

  ‘Well, apparently she did cash his paycheck, Hannah.’

  Hannah sighed. ‘I know. But why? There must be some explanation …’

  ‘And, apparently, they have evidence that the explosion was not an accident, according to Ms Fox.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter. You know Lisa isn’t capable of doing this.’

  ‘I know that. But the police don’t. They just know that she was there right before it happened. And that she cashed his check.’

  ‘Adam, I don’t believe my ears. You make it sound as if you believe this might have happened the way they said.’

  ‘I don’t,’ he said stubbornly, ‘but you know what Lisa is like. Sometimes she doesn’t think before she acts …’

  Of course Hannah knew what he meant. Lisa had always been moody, and volatile and a magnet for mischief. But she was also a hard worker who had distinguished herself with her grades and her honors. She shook her head in disbelief. ‘You mean, like, borrowing a kid’s bike, or somebody’s earrings, and forgetting to return them? Or skipping school? Those are normal things. Kid things …’

  ‘Having a baby, and not even telling us who the father is.’

  ‘Having a baby is not a crime, Adam,’ Hannah reminded him coldly.

  ‘I sometimes think we made excuses for her,’ he insisted.

  Hannah felt her knees wobble. ‘What are you talking about? She was an extraordinary child. No one knows that better than you. She was always the youngest in her class. And the smartest. And, let’s face it – nobody ever likes the smartest kid in the class. I think she felt left out so much of the time.’

  ‘Even extraordinary children have to play by the rules,’ he said.

  ‘We taught her that,’ Hannah cried. ‘You know we did. Just because she was … a little bit unusual, you can’t possibly think she could have …’

  ‘I don’t think that,’ he protested. ‘I don’t.’

  ‘I would hope not,’ said Hannah.

  ‘I’m just so … frustrated. How could this have happened? How could the police have made a mistake like that?’

  Hannah looked at her husband tenderly. Tears stood in his eyes. He had devoted his life to their family. The most illegal thing he had probably ever done was to get a parking ticket. He was completely lost in this maze of crime and legalities. ‘I know,’ said Hannah. She slipped her hand through his arm. ‘I feel the same way.’

  Adam nodded and sighed, wiping his eyes.

  ‘There’s some explanation,’ said Hannah. ‘There has to be.’

  There was a sound of the front door opening and suddenly they heard Sydney yell out, ‘Mommy.’ They hurried back into the living room to see Lisa on her knees, holding the toddler close. Marjorie Fox stood behind them, her hands clasped over one another on the handle of her briefcase.

  ‘Lisa,’ Hannah cried, and rushed to her child.

  Lisa shook her head, as if in warning. She looked down at Sydney. ‘Must be past your bedtime,’ she said calmly. Then she straightened up. ‘I think I’ll take Sydney up to bed,’ she said. ‘Marjorie, can you fill them in?’

  ‘I will,’ said Marjorie.

  Sydney offered each of her grandparents a kiss, and then climbed cheerfully into her mother’s embrace. Lisa carried her off.

  Hannah indicated a chair and the attorney sat down. ‘Can I get you anything?’ Hannah asked.

  Marjorie shook her head. She was a striking brunette, about forty, with a strong jaw and penetrating brown eyes. ‘I’m fine,’ she said.

  Adam turned off the TV with a remote and sat down in the other chair. Hannah sat on the sofa. ‘Okay. What’s the bottom line?’ he asked.

  ‘Well, as you know, they’re charging her with murder in the first degree. Second degree larceny.’

  ‘Oh my God.’ Hannah doubled over, devastated anew at the gravity of the charges.

  Marjorie shook her head. ‘Don’t despair. The fact is, these outrageous charges are actually going to work in our favor. I don’t know how much you follow local politics but we have a district attorney who is embattled. He’s new and somewhat inexperienced and he has lost several of his biggest cases in this town. He’s hoping to hit one out of the park and redeem himself with this case but he
’s seriously overreaching and he’s made a very poor decision in my opinion. He is never going to be able to prove first degree,’ said Marjorie calmly.

  Hannah looked up at her, skeptical but hopeful. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Well, this is my job. I’m pretty confident. No guarantees, of course.’

  ‘We understand,’ said Adam grimly.

  ‘Everything went smoothly with the bail bondsman,’ said Marjorie. ‘There are certain conditions, which I explained to Lisa. She can continue to go to school and do her rounds. Otherwise, she has to stick pretty close to home. No alcohol. No drugs. Not so much as a traffic violation. She has to report for every court appearance. The normal stuff …’

  ‘She will,’ said Adam firmly.

  ‘I don’t understand this,’ said Hannah. ‘Why would they blame Lisa for this horrible thing?’

  Marjorie said, ‘Well, I haven’t looked at the evidence yet. I’ll have the results of discovery in the next few days. I’ll be able to tell you a little more then. I had a brief consult with the prosecutor. They’ve got her dead to rights on this check-cashing charge. Security camera footage that shows her doing it. So we have to explain why she did it. Show that there was no criminal intent.’

  Hannah’s face flamed. The thought that her daughter would do such a thing filled her with shame. ‘What did she say about that?’ Hannah asked grimly.

  ‘You’ll have to ask her that yourself. Everything she tells me is privileged.’

  ‘Even though we’re paying the bill,’ Adam observed angrily.

  Ms Fox did not blink. ‘Regardless,’ she said.

  ‘And the …’ Hannah could not bring herself to say it. ‘Troy’s death.’

  ‘Well, the prosecution maintains that the explosion was not an accident. And that apparently, Troy had been knocked unconscious before it occurred.’

  ‘That doesn’t mean that Lisa had anything to do with it,’ Hannah protested.

  ‘No, it doesn’t,’ said Marjorie.

  ‘And beyond that?’ Adam asked.

  ‘I’ll know more tomorrow. I will have my investigators on this right away. We have to find out if Troy had enemies. I don’t know yet if he had a record. But there has to be someone else who would be more likely to blow up his house than his medical-student girlfriend.’

  ‘Right,’ said Hannah. ‘Of course.’

  ‘From what I know so far, this case sounds very circumstantial,’ said Marjorie reassuringly. ‘I feel fairly confident that we can beat them on this.’

  Lisa returned to the living room. She had changed into her jeans. Her curly hair looked matted and lifeless, and she had twisted it up into a lopsided bun. She wore no makeup, and her gray eyes looked faded behind her glasses.

  ‘Is she OK?’ Hannah asked.

  Lisa nodded and sat down at the other end of the sofa.

  ‘I’ve been explaining to your parents what will happen next. You know the rules about bail.’ Marjorie pointed an index finger at her client. ‘Don’t mess it up.’

  ‘No way,’ said Lisa with a shudder. ‘I had enough of that jail this evening.’

  ‘Good.’ Marjorie stood up. ‘I better run. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.’

  Adam and Hannah thanked her, shaking her hand, and Adam walked her to the door. Hannah sat down again beside her daughter. She wanted to reach out and pull her into her arms, but Lisa had always resisted physical affection. It made her uneasy. Hannah settled for patting her hand.

  ‘Are you OK?’ she asked.

  Lisa shrugged. ‘Not really, Mom. I still can’t believe any of this.’

  ‘Ms Fox seems to think that their case isn’t very strong.’

  Lisa shook her head. ‘Whatever. They seem to have something to prove, and for some reason they are focused on me.’

  Adam closed the front door and came back into the room. He sat down in a chair opposite Lisa and rubbed his hands together.

  Lisa sighed. ‘Go ahead, Dad. Say whatever’s on your mind.’

  ‘All right, I will,’ said Adam. ‘Why in the world did you cash Troy’s paycheck?’

  Lisa laughed. ‘Really? Is that all you want to know? I expected you to start accusing me of murder.’

  ‘Lisa, don’t even say that word. We would never think that. And your father is moving heaven and earth to try to help you,’ said Hannah sharply.

  Lisa nodded. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘The paycheck?’ Adam demanded.

  ‘He owed me money. It was that simple. He signed the check and handed it to me before I left. I went to the store near the hospital where they cashed our paychecks. I wanted to get the money before he changed his mind.’

  ‘You don’t have any money to lend,’ said Adam. ‘You can barely make ends meet as it is.’

  Lisa sighed and closed her eyes.

  ‘Can you answer me?’ Adam said impatiently.

  ‘Look, I gave it to him because he seemed desperate for the money. I think I wasn’t the only one he owed money to. But I wanted to be paid back. I took the check and I cashed it. Like you said, I can’t afford to lend people money. I got angry, OK, and I insisted on getting what was owed me.’

  ‘And that was it?’

  ‘That was it.’

  ‘Did you tell the police that?’

  ‘I did,’ said Lisa. ‘They didn’t seem to care.’

  ‘And you have no idea how the explosion happened?’

  ‘Are you kidding?’ Lisa cried. ‘How would I know? Thanks a lot, Dad.’

  ‘I want to believe you, Lisa. More than you know. But the police don’t just arrest people for no reason.’

  ‘Well, in this case they did. OK, Dad?’ Lisa shook her head in disgust. ‘I should have known you wouldn’t believe me. I hear you going around bragging about me being in medical school. When you’re talking about that, I’m your precious little girl. But let one thing go wrong, and you turn on me …’

  ‘One thing go wrong?’ Adam cried. ‘This is a little more than one thing going wrong.’

  ‘Sorry I didn’t say what you wanted me to,’ Lisa yelled at him. ‘This is exactly what I would have expected from you.’

  Hannah shook her head. The peace between Adam and Lisa was always tenuous. Since she had become a teenager, Lisa had resisted her father’s every effort at discipline. There was some struggle between them that just could not be resolved.

  ‘Mommy …’ Even though the sound was muffled, Hannah could hear Sydney’s cries coming from her bedroom down the hall. Lisa heard them too.

  ‘I’ll go,’ she said more quietly. ‘I’m exhausted anyway. I think I’ll go to bed.’

  Adam took a deep breath, and when he spoke his voice was shaky. In fact, his whole body seemed to shake. Hannah felt immediately protective of him. It was true that he held Lisa to a high standard but no higher than he expected from himself. ‘Look, Lisa, I’m sorry. I’m upset. Maybe I’m not being fair.’

  ‘You’re not being fair,’ said Lisa. ‘Nothing unusual there. But I don’t have to defend myself to you. Goodnight, Mom.’

  ‘Goodnight, darling. Try to get some sleep,’ said Hannah, reaching up to her.

  Lisa bent down and placed an awkward kiss in the vicinity of Hannah’s eyebrow. ‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ said Lisa, avoiding her father’s gaze.

  After she was gone, Hannah turned to her husband. ‘Adam, what are you doing? We have to be on her side. She needs us now. We have to support her through this. You know that, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes, of course. I know it.’

  ‘So why are you acting this way?’

  Adam held his head in his hands. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Can’t you do that? Can’t you be on her side?’

  ‘I’m scared, Hannah,’ he groaned. ‘I’m just so scared. Our daughter arrested? Charged with murder?’

  Hannah shook her head. ‘It’s a mistake. It’s all going to be resolved. Meanwhile, we have to be strong. For Lisa and for Sydney.’

  ‘You’re right,’ he
said. ‘And I will. I’ll do my best. I promise.’

  Hannah looked over at him, the man she had fallen in love with at eighteen. He was good through and through. He always tried to do his best for them. Lisa knew how to push his buttons but all he had ever wanted for her was the sun and the moon and the stars. Hannah got up from the sofa and went over to where he sat. She was frightened herself but, right at that moment, Adam needed consolation more than she did. She perched on the arm of the chair and rubbed his back. ‘I know you will,’ she said reassuringly. ‘You always do.’

  FIVE

  A fragile peace held in the house as they edged closer to the date of Lisa’s trial. Lisa went to class and did her rounds and pretended not to hear the whispers in the hospital. She had frequent meetings with Marjorie Fox, though she reported very little about their conversations to her parents. The news coverage was continuous. Every day some article appeared with a photo of Lisa glowering and looking stressed, and an inset photo of Troy, his soft blond hair falling across his forehead, his biceps bulging under his nurse’s scrubs. The deceased. New information was scant but there was no shortage of photos. Photographers trailed in Lisa’s wake.

  Adam sat up late going over their accounts, to see where they could borrow enough money to pay the high-powered attorney. After three nights in a row of watching him struggle, Hannah sat down beside him. ‘Tomorrow,’ she said, ‘I’m going to take Sydney and go visit my mother.’

  Adam shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I know what you’re thinking but I don’t want you to do it. We’ll manage somehow.’

  ‘I’ve made up my mind,’ said Hannah. ‘She can help us. You know she can.’

  ‘That’s not the point,’ said Adam. ‘I know how you hate to ask anything of her. I don’t want you to have to do that.’

  ‘It’s for Lisa,’ said Hannah. ‘I’ll go there and beg if I have to.’

  ‘You’ll have to,’ Adam predicted. ‘I wish we didn’t have to involve her in this.’

  Hannah shook her head. ‘It’s no sacrifice on her part. She’ll never miss it. Besides,’ she said with a grim smile, ‘she loves to see me grovel.’