3
Piper
After teaching her nine o’clock yoga class, Piper went back to her office to work on her new blog post. The alarm on her phone sounded, reminding her of her next appointment, and she barely had time to throw a shirt over her sports bra and yoga pants before there was a tap on her office door.
“Hello, come in,” she said, rising from her chair.
As Leo Drakos walked in, she was immediately struck by his dark good looks and brooding eyes, and when he put his hand out to shake hers, she took in his well-groomed nails and firm grip. Then her eyes traveled to his perfectly tailored gray suit and starched white shirt, silver cuff links, and paisley Zegna necktie—the same brand Matthew had always worn. In the pictures she’d seen of Leo Drakos online, she had thought he was nice-looking enough, but his charisma came across in person in a whole different way.
“Thank you for making time for me so quickly, Ms. Reynard.” His voice was deep and pleasant, and she felt herself not wanting to let go of his hand.
“Of course. I’m glad to help in any way I can. But please, call me Piper. Won’t you have a seat?” She indicated a deep-cushioned armchair, and Leo waited for Piper to sit before settling himself into it.
“As I told you on the phone, my client, Fred Grainger, has authorized me to speak with you about the time he’s spent here, in addition to his work in AA.”
Piper nodded. “Yes, when he told me, I had him sign a release.”
“He worked through some addiction issues here with you, is that right?”
“Yes,” she said. “He was very committed to the process. Worked very hard.”
“Was he receiving any counseling here in addition to the recovery work?”
Piper shook her head. “We don’t offer one-on-one therapy sessions here, but work on a group approach.” She could have filled him in more but didn’t want to sound like too much of an expert. Her new identity here in Westport didn’t include a master’s in clinical psychology from Pepperdine and her work at a private practice in San Diego.
“He’s been coming here for six months, right?”
“Regularly—twice a week, in addition to his AA meetings. I have the records here.” She indicated the file folder in her lap. “He needed a place that was safe, where people listened without judgment or condemnation.” She paused and smiled at Leo. “You know, it’s what everyone needs, really—a place where they can spill their insides and let it all out. It’s like a cleansing of the soul. All of us have wounds we bury deep inside, and they affect us without our even realizing it.”
He stared at her for a moment. “Do you . . .” He put a hand up and shook his head. “Back to Fred. Did he do well here?”
She sat up straighter, giving him a professional nod. “Fred made great progress and stayed clean and sober. I believe he truly wants to turn his life around.”
“I agree,” Leo said with a nod. “We’re going to need character witnesses. Would you be willing to testify?”
Piper shifted in her chair, thinking of all the possible ramifications of taking the stand in a high-profile murder case. “Well . . . it might be better if some of my staff did, specifically Morgan Timmons. He worked more closely with Fred. I oversaw his progress, but Morgan had more direct interaction.”
“Okay, then. Could I speak with Mr. Timmons today?”
“Of course. He’ll be in this afternoon. I’ll have him call you as soon as he gets here. In the meantime, if you’d like, I can take you on a tour of the facility so you can see what services Fred participated in.” She stood, annoyed with herself for her gym clothes and messy ponytail. If she’d known how attractive Leo Drakos was, she’d have taken more care with her appearance today.
He glanced at his watch. “I’m pressed for time. I’ll take a rain check.”
Though unsettled by how disappointed she was to see him leave, she nodded. “I understand, I’ll walk you out.”
When they reached the door, he stopped and handed her a business card. “If you think of anything else that would help, you have both my cell and office number here. And again, thanks for passing it along to Mr. Timmons.”
After Piper returned to her office, she leaned back in her chair and took several deep breaths. She was sorry that she couldn’t testify—it would certainly have given her an excuse to get to know him better. She was a little surprised by how strongly attracted to him she was, but she couldn’t deny it felt good. There was something strong and powerful about the way he carried himself and how he spoke. She’d read that he could mesmerize a jury, and she could see why. She pictured him now, as he’d sat across from her, handsome and debonair. Piper had taken in everything about him—especially the gold ring on his left hand. That was the one detail that troubled her.
4
Joanna
Sometimes life has a way of taking care of things for you. It was serendipitous that Leo’s case had led him to the Phoenix Recovery Center right here in Westport. With this trial imminent, Leo needed to be able to focus and not dwell on things he couldn’t change. He’d always been the one to light up a room, his infectious laugh and passionate way of speaking drawing everyone in, but the spark in his eyes had dulled, and he barely looked at any of us when he got home at the end of the day. Even Stelli’s antics failed to perk him up lately.
Keeping one eye on the kids, who were bouncing on their trampoline, I checked the time on my phone. Almost six. Leo would be home from the office any minute now.
“Time to get off. Daddy will be home soon.”
Stelli kept jumping, ignoring me, but Evie scooted off and came toward me.
“Can we have ice cream for dessert tonight?” she asked.
I smiled at her. “Sure.”
Stelli yelled and continued bouncing. “Can I do one more flip? Please.”
I pushed away my frustration at Stelli’s pushing the boundaries, reminding myself that boys needed to work off their energy. “Okay, one more. Should we rate you?”
He bounced up and down, his face scrunched up in concentration. He bounced higher, put his hands up in the air, and executed a perfect somersault. When he landed, I applauded, and Evie joined in.
“Fantastic! An eleven,” I pronounced.
He jumped off and ran to me. “It only goes up to ten, silly.”
“Well, it was so super-duper that a ten wasn’t enough.”
I let them watch a show while I finished making dinner. There was a roast in the oven, and I opened the door to check it. Leo was a meat-and-potatoes man, and though I’d tried to get him to eat a little more adventurously, in the end it was easier to cater to his tastes.
I’d just uncorked a bottle of Stags’ Leap cabernet when I heard the door chime.
“Daddy’s home!” Stelli jumped up from the sofa and went to greet him. I always loved to see their special bond. No one could make Stelli’s face light up the way his father could. Of course, lately, it’d been a little more difficult, but I knew Leo was doing his best.
“Hi, buddy,” he said to Stelli before looking to me and Evie. “Good evening, ladies,” he called, sounding a little like his old self. Evie ran up and hugged him. I was encouraged by the enthusiasm in his voice, but when he smiled at me, it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Smells good in here.”