“After that argument, did they reconcile?”
“The last message was from Mr.Reddick.He said he was coming over so they could talk about the baby.”
“And what else did he say?”
“He told her he loved her.”
A murmur rippled through the room.One juror glanced sideways at another, eyebrows raised.Nicole’s stomach clenched.Damn it.She knew about that message.Hoped it would stay buried.Now it was front and center.
“Were there any messages from other men?”Tripp asked.His tone was smooth, deceptively casual.
Nicole shot to her feet.“Objection, Your Honor.The officer is not qualified to speculate.”
“Sustained,” the judge said evenly, though Nicole caught the faint narrowing of his eyes.He knew what Tripp was doing, planting the seed without needing the answer.
But Spencer continued.“No.Only from Mr.Reddick’s mother.”
Nicole braced herself.
“What did she say?”
“She accused Miss Laurent of trapping her son, said the baby would never be accepted, and suggested she get an abortion.”
“And Miss Laurent’s reply?”
Spencer chuckled.“She told her to go fuck herself.”
The courtroom erupted in laughter, the sound rolling through the gallery.Even a couple of jurors cracked reluctant smiles.Nicole’s jaw tightened.
This wasn’t a comedy routine.It was a murder trial.
“And how did Mrs.Reddick respond?”
“She called Miss Laurent white trash and accused her of chasing their money.”
“And Miss Laurent’s reply?”
“She didn’t respond.Phone records obtained by a warrant show that she blocked his mother’s number after that.”
“No further questions, Your Honor.”Tripp returned to his seat, expression carefully neutral.
Nicole sat back, forcing her breathing to remain even.Inside, frustration burned.He managed to plant the idea of other lovers in the jurors’ minds without evidence.And worse, he softened them with laughter.Damn him.He is good at this.
Nicole’s eyes flicked toward him again, a warning.He met it with a flicker of regret.How strange that she could still understand his body language.
“We’ll adjourn for the day and resume at nine a.m.I would like to remind the jury that you are not permitted to discuss this case with anyone.”
Nicole exhaled, feeling utterly exhausted by the day’s trial.
“Good job, counselor,” Craig said.“I’m going to make some calls and then I'm going home.”
“See you in the morning,” she said, noticing that her friends had slipped out.She’d told them she couldn’t speak to them in the courtroom.But they were there for moral support, and God, how she appreciated them.
In the hallway, the world seemed to stop.
Nicole leaned against the wood-paneled wall.
Tripp approached slowly.Their breath collided.
