Carla looked around, her eyes anxious. “Because I don’t know who I can trust.”
The prosecutor’s eyes narrowed. “I seriously doubt it’s this street gang you’re with.”
“It does seem odd, but I do trust them. I think they have my best interest at hand. They aren’t involved in this case or what I wasforced to do.”
“You mean when Mr. Holland tried to force you into sexual relations?”
Scott cringed but kept his eyes turned away from Carla. He didn’t want Virginia to think he was trying to intimidate the witness.
“He didn’t do anything to me other than try and keep me from falling. The whole thingwas a set-up.”
The tension in his body eased out like water rushing down a stream. Would the prosecutor believe her? Or push to gethim convicted?
“Are you being coerced to say this?”
Carla shook her head, her eyes lowered.
“You purposefully made us think Mr. Holland attacked you? Why?”
“I borrowed a lot of money for some medical bills. I was having a hard time paying it off. These people approached me and said they’d pay it off if I did them a favor. I didn’t realize part of the deal was to have the crap beat out of me. I never would have agreed.”
She sent a sideways glance at him and grimaced. “I’m sorry. It was a lousy thing to do. But I was scared what they’d do to me if I couldn’t pay back the money.”
“Who are these people who wanted Mr. Holland charged?”
Shrugging, Carla said, “I don’t know. The guy who approached me said he worked for someone else. Someone willing to pay off my debt. All I had to do was stumble into this guy, make a fuss. I didn’t know why. Until they beat me up and the police found me. One of the men who beat me said I needed to say it was the guyfrom the bar.”
Tears slid down her cheeks and her lip trembled. “After what they’d done to me, I didn’t dare sayanything else.”
“Can we speak privately for a minute?” Virginia tilted her head towarda nearby bench.
Drew and Jian nodded while Scott remained silent. The two women strolled away and spent a few minutes conversing. Scott’s heart beat faster, wondering if the prosecutor was attempting to get Carla to stick to her original but false story.
When they came back, Virginia chewed her lip then looked at Scott. “Looks like charges will be dropped. I’ll need a written statement from you, Ms. Findley. And descriptions of the men who did this to you.”
“No, I can’t give you any more information. The first guy wore dark glasses and a big hat. The men who attacked me dragged me into a dark alley. I couldn’t see what they looked like. And they’d kill me in a second if they knew what I was telling you now.”
“We’ll keep her safe until you can figure out this mess,” Jian said quietly.
Virginia’s expression was skeptical. “I’m still curious about this connection you have toScott Holland.”
Jian lifted his head. “A few years back he saved my sister from a gang rape. For that he is considered under our protection. And anyone else who he feels needs it.”
“And I think Ms. Findley needs to be protected until we can figure out what the heck is going on,” Scott said. “Because something strange has been happening since I bought this mill building to renovate.”
“Yes, Andrew mentioned the troubles you’ve been having. None of them sound harmful, but I want to be kept informed if there’s any new information that comes along.”
Carla held out an envelope and handed it to Virginia. “This ismy statement.”
“I’ll need contact information for you.”
Jian stepped forward. “If you need to contact her, let the lawyer friend know.” He indicated Drew. “Scott knows how to get in touch with me and I’ll get the word to Ms. Findley.”
“I really don’t think—”
“No,” Carla cut her off. “I don’t want you having direct access. It’s not that I don’ttrust you but…”
Virginia tilted her head. “You don’t trust too many people right now. I understand. Hopefully we can correct that soon.”
