He ground his teeth. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Not when he knew in his gut he was on the right path.
“Then know Gale is a wonderful resource.”
Which was exactly what he needed.
What Rene needed or maybe had been hinting toward.
As pissed off as he was that it’d taken him three weeks to get here, to find a place available, Rene had returned to his dreams once to tell him the time had to be right.
Could now be it?
Any other time, he might not have run into Gale, so he had no choice but to go with it.
4
SEEK ME OUT
“Hey, Gale.” She was rushing into the courthouse but turned when she heard her name.
“Kane. Hi. Sorry, I’m in kind of a rush.”
“No worries. I got your email a few days ago about someone taking pictures on the grounds. Just wanted to let you know nothing is going on, so my guess is it’s someone new that lives there or wants to buy.” Kane McGregor leaned down. “Between us, we’ve got some more in the works. Room for another building.”
She groaned, as the last thing she wanted was to listen to more construction. She’d bought her condo two years ago hoping it was the last one built around her.
“That’s great,” she said, lying through her teeth. “More housing brings in more people.”
“That’s right,” Kane said. “And we’ve got plans for more close by, maybe not even ones people live in year round but rent or visit from downstate. Trying to capitalize on the growth.”
“Again, great for the area and tourism.”
The McGregors did a lot for the area. No one could say otherwise, even if most didn’t like working for them, or theirarrogant stance that everyone should bend over backwards for them while kissing their asses or kneeling at their feet and bowing.
“It was Ashleigh’s idea,” Kane said. “You know my wife has family downstate. They’d mentioned they’d like to invest in a property in the area, where they could stay to visit our kids, and make some money during other times.”
She hadn’t known that and didn’t care. Kane had been a year or two ahead of her oldest brother, Clay, in school, so that put him around seven years older than her. They didn’t run in the same social circles back then or now, but the McGregors liked to talk to everyone. They didn’t just have their hands in every pie, but bought and made the dough and tried to dictate the filling people used.
“It’s a great idea. I’m sorry, but I need to run. Thanks for letting me know though.”
She raced down the hall to the conference room her client was in, opened the door and saw him sitting there in his secondhand suit that was a size too big.
“I’m scared, Gale.”
She rushed over and patted his hand, pulled the chair out, and sat next to him. “I want to tell you not to be scared, Dave, but I can’t.”
Today were closing arguments. Everything was moving faster than she thought. That could be good or bad.
She was leaning heavily on the good part.
The prosecution had nothing. No evidence other than Dave being picked out in the lineup and being present at the time of the crime in the vicinity.
They wanted a plea deal, and Dave almost took it.
She advised him they were desperate to want that. To let her do her job, but she understood it was his choice.
“I should have taken the deal. They said I might not get time, just probation.”
