Dark and Deadly 00 - Secrets Exposed by Lisa Renée Jones Read Free Book Online

prepared to face this damn case. So don’t go turning back the clock now.”
    He laughed in disbelief. “First of all, I did not run off. I had a meeting.”
    She smirked and crossed her arms in front of her body. “Uh-huh.”
    “To be clear,” he said, his voice now more intense, his eyes direct as they held hers, “I trust your abilities in and out of the courtroom.” He let the words linger a moment. “Probably more than you trust yourself.”
    “You have a terrible way of showing it.”
    Mark opened the file that sat in front of him. He spread five pictures out on the table, and leaned back in his chair. Watching her. “What do these girls have in common?”
    The dark reality of the images made her swallow hard. She’d seen plenty of crime scene photos, but these brought back memories she preferred to avoid. “They’re dead,” she said flatly, her eyes lifting to his. She’d seen enough.
    “What else?” Mark shot back.
    She swallowed, and forced herself to look down. “They all fit a profile, of course.”
    “What profile, Lindsey?” he pressed.
    “I’ve seen the file,” she said in a clipped tone, giving him a hard stare. “I know these are the women Williams is accused of killing.”
    “They fit another profile too, though, don’t they?” He was challenging her. Waiting for her reaction.
    She glanced up at him and then back down at the photos, her stomach churning with realization. Her response was a harsh whisper. “They fit the Hudson profile.” She dropped her pencil and ran her now-damp palms down her thighs.
    His eyes narrowed. “We both know the other obvious factor.” It was a question, but not really. They both knew the answer.
    He wanted her to admit it out loud, and she knew it. Why, she wasn’t sure. She stiffened, feeling the tension of the moment. And frustration, even a hint of anger. She didn’t want to deal with this, but he was making her. “You think I don’t know they all look like me?”
    He leaned forward. “Then you understand why I am going to first chair.”
    She snapped, heat filling her gaze. “Stop trying to protect me. I am perfectly capable of handling this damn case.”
    * * * * *
    Lindsey was, if nothing else, unpredictable.
    Just this morning, she had all but refused to first chair the Williams case. She’d been ready to choke him when he had made his announcement. He’d seen it in her eyes. Who would have figured she would now be accusing him of being protective?
    “You can scream, throw things, do what you will, but I am not—I repeat, I am not—letting you first chair.” His eyes dared her to argue. She wanted to, too. After a long, tension-filled moment, he asked, “How well have you read the file?”
    The question took the wind out of her sails. The truth was, and they both knew it, she hadn’t even been able to bring herself to read it cover to cover. “I started to . . .” her voice trailed off.
    “But you didn’t.” He let the words linger in the air. “I’ll first chair. You can ease back into the courtroom, and deal with the implications of the past with less pressure. It’s for the best.”
    “Just this morning—”
    He cut her off. “I hadn’t seen the pictures of those women.” He reached for the photos, ready to get them out of sight. The way they resembled Lindsey was downright scary. “Now, I have. Now you second chair.”
    A knock sounded. Ms. Moore, her father’s assistant, peaked around the door. “Sandwiches are here,” she said in her normal, cheerful voice.
    “Come on in Maggie,” Mark said, waving her forward as a boyish grin filled his face.
    Mark had a soft spot for Maggie. She was like everyone’s grandmother , a sweet, older woman with a nurturing tendency. Near sixty, she needed to retire, but refused. She liked being busy. Even seemed undaunted by Edward’s constant harsh ways.
    Maggie was smiling at Mark as she rushed into the room. “I have your favorite, Mark,” she said smiling. “And I