“I wanted to hear it directly from you. Because I just couldn’t believe the rumors. You’re not seriously considering charging my client with aggravated murder, are you?”
How the hell did he know that already? I kept my face neutral.
“I am,” I said. “Ellie Luke was abducted. Brutally beaten. Left to rot in the woods alone. She was stalked. Hunted. By your client, Mr. Cutler.”
“And you won’t be able to prove any of that. Not a single bit of it. At best, you might be able to prove there were some items in the Simmons’s home that raised suspicions. But you can’t even prove how they got there. Or who put them there. Frankly, I’m surprised your boss is even willing to charge at all on this one.”
“I’ll worry about my case. You can worry about yours. Thatishow this works, after all. Is your client willing to admit what he did?”
Cutler laughed. “He hasn’t done anything. Nothing illegal.”
“Okay. Well, you can save all this for the jury. I really do have to get to court.”
“Evidence tampering,” he said. “That’s about as egregious an act as you’ll be able to prove. And I’m not saying youwillprove it. But this has ripped Jamie Simmons’s family apart. He’s eager to try to put things back together.”
“I’m not offering a deal,” I said. “Not now. Probably not ever.”
“That isn’t entirely your call to make,” he said. “And maybe you shouldn’t be so dismissive so soon. You have plenty at stake on a personal level, Ms. Brent.”
“What?”
“Your office can’t afford what this case could do to it. Hell, I don’t think the entire county is ready for what’s coming.”
“Okay. I think we’re done here. I’m not offering your client any deals at this point. He murdered Ellie Luke. And what he’s done to her family …”
“Her family supports him. They know he didn’t kill that girl. And he’s been a strong, supportive husband to their surviving daughter. They’re united in that.”
“Except for Hayden,” I snapped.
“I’m glad you brought her up. I know you understand what this trial will do to that girl. I can assure you that’s the last thing Jamie Simmons wants for his daughter.”
“Then he should do the right thing and confess,” I said.
“Hayden Simmons is a troubled girl who has become obsessed with her aunt’s murder to the point of ghoulishness. It’s sad, Ms. Brent.”
And he would try to paint that picture at trial. It was his only play really. The only way to try to explain what Jamie Simmons kept in that box. Cutler would try to imply Hayden planted it. Made it up. The forensics would say otherwise. Soon enough, when I had the full report, I would have to disclose all of it to Cutler. Maybe then he could talk some sense into his client.
“I don’t think we can help each other today, Mr. Cutler. Now if you’ll excuse me …”
“The other reason I wanted to talk to you in person,” he said. “You need to prepare yourself. Mr. Simmons is not willing to waive his right to a speedy trial. He wants this whole ordeal over as quickly as possible. He deserves that.”
Of all the things Cutler said, that one shocked me. It meant we’d likely be in front of a jury in a matter of weeks, not months.
“Well, as you said, that is his right. I appreciate the heads-up. I’ll see you at his formal arraignment next week.”
“We’ll be seeking bail,” he said.
“That is also your right. We’ll push back on that. Hard.”
“I didn’t expect anything less. I’m just curious. How do you think it’s going to look when the public realizes you’re sleeping with the sheriff?”
His words stung me like a slap across the face. I knew that was his intention.
“You need to leave now, Mr. Cutler,” I said.
“And you need to think very carefully about what you’re trying to accomplish with this case.”
“What I’m trying … Jamie Simmons murdered Ellie Luke. I’m going to prove it and seek the maximum penalty afforded by law. That’s what I’m trying to accomplish.”
