Betrayal - Fern Michaels [43]
“I’m afraid not. The judge released him into my custody. Why don’t you go have lunch. There are some great restaurants on the waterfront. You might like Tin City.”
Kate didn’t even want to think about food, let alone worry about a fashionable area in which to dine.
“Thanks, but I’m going to wait for Alex. I’m sure I can find something to occupy the time.” Kate paused. “James, I can’t tell you how much this means to Alex and me. I don’t know how we’ll ever thank you.”
James shook his head in the negative. “We’re just over the first hurdle. Wait and thank me when Alex goes home for good.”
“I’m confident that you’ll see that he does go home for good, James. Now, if you tell me how to get to the DOC, I’ll let you do your job.”
James pulled a yellow legal pad from his briefcase, wrote down the directions. “If you have any trouble, just call this number.” He scribbled the DOC’s number on the bottom of the page. “They’ll help if you get lost.”
“I’ll see you there.” Kate took the sheet of paper, folded it into a small square, and tucked it inside her purse.
Chapter 13
When Kate saw her husband three hours later, she cried in his arms. “Oh, Alex, I’m sorry. I’m so glad you’re out of that . . . hole.”
“Not half as glad as I am.” He wrapped his arms around Kate even tighter, holding her close. “Now, let’s get the hell out of here. I want to take a shower and eat some real food.”
James left them on their own for the rest of the day. The following morning Alex would undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Then the three of them would spend the next week going over Alex’s case.
“Let’s go back to the house. I’ll make lunch, and you can clean up.” Kate didn’t want Alex out of her sight. She drank him in as they walked to the rental car.
Alex laughed when he saw the silver Mercedes. “Gertie?”
“How’d you guess?” Kate grinned. “Nothing but the best.”
“That’s my Gertie. Nothing but the best for my girl.” Alex took the keys from Kate. “I might be a criminal, but I still have my driver’s license. You relax. You’ve had enough stress the past few days.”
“And you haven’t?” Kate dropped the keys into Alex’s open palm.
“Yes, I have. I can take it. I hate what this is doing to you. You look worn-out.”
They got in the car and headed for the house.
“I am tired, but I don’t care. I don’t ever want to see you locked up again, Alex, and I mean it. I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you here with me.” Kate meant it, too. Even if she had to ask James to do something legally unethical, she would. No way was Alex going to jail for Sara’s lies.
“James is confident the grand jury won’t formally charge me. That’s next week. If all goes as he says, we can go home after the hearing.”
“I hope so,” Kate said. “But what about . . . you know. This was on the news in Asheville.”
“I’m not concerned with what other people may believe. If they chose to think I’m some sort of... molester—God, it sickens me to even say that word—then they weren’t that crazy about me in the first place.” Alex reached for her hand. “If this makes you uncomfortable in any way, we’ll move. I don’t care where we go. I can take the dogs and go just about anywhere in the world.”
“Let’s not borrow trouble. We’ll get through this somehow,” Kate added.
“Thanks for your faith. I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t believe in me.”
“And you’ll never have to find out, Alex. I love you, and I trust you immensely.” Kate never doubted for even a minute that Alex was innocent of the charges against him. She knew him, knew he wasn’t some evil pervert lurking behind a facade.
“James said Sara would have to testify, but there are special circumstances for children. She may give her testimony through closed-circuit.”
“Then how will James question her?”
“He’ll be able to question her, the same as the prosecution. The jury, if it comes to that, and we don’t believe it will, they’ll view her testimony by video. And speaking of prosecution, what did you think of Wykowski?”
Alex stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of Highway 41 and Immokalee Road. “From what I hear,