Betrayal - Fern Michaels [74]
“Why?” Coleman asked her.
Kate snickered. “For starters, I don’t think the timing would ever be right. Alex and all. Then there is my cooking classes. The pottery. I still want to try my hand at another set of earthenware.”
He knew about the incident in her studio since it figured so prominently in the attempt to get a new trial on the basis of ineffective counsel, but she’d never told him her dream of having her own line of baking dishes.
“What sort of earthenware?”
He opened the door. What could it hurt to tell him? It was now just another dream she’d have to tuck away.
“When Sara destroyed my studio, I’d just finished a line of cookware. I’d worked on it for months and months. I was getting ready for a show in Asheville. I’d hoped to market my own line of bakeware someday.” Kate felt silly explaining this to Coleman. He was a professional man. An attorney. He would probably think her dream silly.
“You mean like Martha Stewart?”
Kate laughed. “Something along those lines. Though not quite as grand. It was something I really wanted to do.” Kate looked away from Coleman. The intensity of his stare made her uncomfortable.
“Why would you toss your dream out the window? I would think you’d be . . . I don’t know. I guess I’ve always believed that if you have dreams, you should pursue them, no matter what.”
“I used to believe all that, too. But that was before Sara ruined our lives. I don’t think I’ll ever dream again. My only focus now is Alex. I want to see that justice is done, or I’d never be able to live with myself. That’s what you’re here for.”
Was Kate mistaken, or had she actually seen a look of hurt on his face? She had to be. Coleman was Alex’s attorney.
“Yes, it is.” He sighed. “I do have a few things to discuss. First, I finally got through the trial transcript. All I can say is if there was ever a case of an improper defense, this one is for the books. Though I hate to discredit a colleague, James Conroy didn’t even bother with a defense. Oh, he made a few inquiries into the Winters’ financial situation, which isn’t good. He could have used that as motivation for a civil suit. Without the criminal suit, there wouldn’t have been the need for the civil filings. He could have claimed false reporting of a crime. That’s a third-degree felony in the state of Florida. There were many other avenues for him to pursue, even apart from the absolute alibi Alex had for the last alleged incident, Kate.”
She shook her head. “It’s obvious that James Conroy is a shyster. I just don’t understand why he didn’t give the case his best efforts. We told him about the sequence of events the last time Sara and Emily stayed with us. Still, he made no effort to try to discredit her testimony. What’s with that guy?”
Coleman looked away. The waitress brought their iced teas and took their order.
Kate knew something was bothering the attorney. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Because if there is, and you don’t, well, then you’re no better than James Conroy!” Kate stood, ready to make a hasty exit from the restaurant.
Coleman grabbed her hand. “Wait, there is more, but I don’t want to hurt you and Alex.”
Kate sat back down. “Tell me what it is. You have no right to keep something from us if it will help Alex.”
He nodded, “You’re right. I just hate to tell you what I learned. It surprised me.”
“I’m listening.” Kate urged.
“James Conroy is a very, very distant relative of Don’s. I’m not even sure Don was aware of this. Apparently Don’s great-grandmother on his father’s side was married to a cousin of James’s great-grandfather. It’s complicated, but maybe family loyalty played a part in his lack of a defense. This is just a guess. I only came across this information a couple of days ago. My investigator is beyond thorough, and she just happens to be into genealogy. With the Internet, she said you could find just about anything if you search