17 - Sucker punched

Cade ran his fingers through his hair. It was longer than he usually liked it, but he wasn't leaving the apartment for a haircut. Google image searches hadn't produced a hit. "Maybe she stays off social media."

Leigh sighed. "You need to eat."

"My gut feels sick."

"Without your tan face, you'd look dead."

Running had helped him get some color. Although he knew he needed to eat, the food kept getting stuck in his throat and churned in his gut. He stared at the plate of pasta she put in front of him.

"Just eat some. You owe me for saving you."

He scoffed. "You haven't saved me yet. If you had, I'd be eating cake to celebrate. Even if I'm not convicted, I'm going to jail until the trial."

"Just eat."

He picked up his fork and took small bites. Leigh sighed with relief. He loved her enough to try to eat. Neither spoke; small talk seemed meaningless with the albatross around his neck. When her phone rang, he jumped. More skittish than a neglected cat, his heart raced. One day, someone pressed the buzzer when he was home alone and he hid in the bathroom panting. Embarrassed by his weakness, he tried to visualize being arrested and being behind bars. It was hard to imagine the unknown, but he was definitely afraid of it.

Leigh bit her lip. "Um, he's here with me."

Sweat collected on his back as he pushed his plate away. "Who is it?"

She held up a finger. "I trust you but off the record. I'll text it."

She held her phone in front of her and tapped. "That was the ADA. He knows her identity, but he wants to talk to you."

"Me? Why?"

"He has some questions. Off the record, he said."

"Who is she?"

Leigh shook her head. "He wouldn't say. He's coming over."

Cade paced as Leigh cleared the table. He stopped. "I can help."

"You keep wearing out my rug. I've already picked out the new one you can buy me."

"Really? I will."

She laughed. "No. I'm kidding, but I'll remember your offer."

As much as he prepared himself, he jumped at the buzzer. Leigh had moved around straightening up. It reminded Cade of his mother when they lived in the old house as a family with his father. Anytime a neighbor stopped by she picked up the junk mail and other things left around. One day Cade watched as she hid them in the oven. Good thing she didn't forget and turn it on.

Leigh met the guy at the door. "Remember off the record."

He nodded. "It turns out it's personal for me."

When Leigh stepped aside, a tall man with dark hair walked in. The guy overtly studied Cade.

"Eli Hathorne. Cade Maloney."

The men didn't shake. "Why not Daniel?"

"I've always gone by my middle name. Daniel is my father's name."

Eli nodded. "I'm confused about how you ended up with Meg."

Cade looked at him. "You know her?"

"Since she was a girl. She's engaged to my brother."

Cade shook his head as the pasta hit the bottom of his gut. "She would have told me. There was a bride." He waved his hand. "It doesn't matter. Her friends were there and they would have pulled her away, right?" He looked from Leigh to Eli. Only Leigh nodded.

"She's engaged now. To my brother, Tyler."

Cade's eyes widened. "Tyler was there. She said he was her best friend, but they definitely weren't even dating." It had only been six weeks. He felt sucker punched. "Does she know what your people are trying to pin on me?"

He nodded. "She said you wouldn't hurt a bug."

Leigh rolled her eyes. "It's true. He's been like that forever."

Eli looked from Leigh to Cade. "You two have known each other for a long time too?"

Leigh nodded. "Yeah, you could say that."

Cade sat forward. "She told you I didn't do it right? I was with her until the cops woke us."

Eli cringed. "I don't like that part and Meg knows a lot of other people won't either. She's worried about her involvement with you becoming public."

"I'm innocent. She's my alibi. Case closed." Cade's voice sounded like a pubescent boy.

Eli shook his head. "We have you on tape."

Leigh's voice cut through. "Allegedly. You have a guy dressed like Cade."

"I talked to Pacheco that night when Meg and I were in the bar. Did she tell you?"

"No. I didn't ask."

"Ask her why I talked to my mother's low life husband. She'll tell you the same thing I told the police when they questioned me."

"If they're relying on video. Maybe they should focus on the video of where Cade was." Leigh added.

"Where were you?" Eli stared at Cade.

"After I talked to the fucker."

"Pacheco." Leigh translated.

"We went to my room, and I never left until I volunteered to go to the lobby with the cops. I didn't know what was happening, but I wanted to give Meg some privacy. Next thing I knew I was going downtown."

Leigh added, "They didn't let him get shoes. They knew your friend was in his room, but they didn't question her. They should have established an alibi that night. There were some shoddy moves by Boston's finest."

Eli cleared his throat. "I won't respond to those accusations. I will say that Meg's identity played a role."

Cade stared at the guy. "Identity? She works for a magazine."

Eli cleared his throat. "Her father."

"Who's her father?" Leigh asked.

"She's Margaret Rice."

"Fuck!" Leigh looked at Eli who nodded.

"Who?" Cade felt five steps behind.

Leigh looked at him. "Cade, she's Brian Rice's daughter."

"Who?" The name sounded familiar but honestly he worked to much to keep up with the news.

"Our state's attorney general." Hathorne said it like the guy was the president.

His jaw dropped. "Really?" The outfit she wore to dinner suddenly made sense.

Eli nodded. "Before he ran for AG, he was a federal prosecutor. Taking down guys like Pacheco was his business."

"He's a fair man. What good is sending Cade away, when Vinnie set him up."

Cade nodded. "The guy hates me. I have spent the last ten years avoiding him and staying out of his way."

"Until the night of the murder?"

"Yeah. No, I went to see my mother the day before. The jerk showed up, so I left. If he's around I leave. I don't even know who the dead person is. If you showed me ten pictures right now, I wouldn't know which one he was."

Eli frowned. "Why were you at the hotel?"

Leigh said, "It's in the case file. They questioned him about it." Eli looked puzzled for a moment. Leigh sprang on him. "You should review the tapes to familiarize yourself with the case."

"My notes said he lawyered up."

"Yeah, so he was smart enough to keep quiet until I arrived, but we sat for questioning. It was probably after they illegally searched his hotel room and left evidence behind."

"What evidence?" Hathorne shifted slightly.

"A long hair and some DNA evidence which shows a male and female in the room that night."

"Who are you working with?"

"Prichard took the case."

Eli whistled. "And you're paying his fees?"

"Cade is."

Eli looked at him. "Were you really part of CEJ Games?"

Cade nodded. "Me and my business partners went out to celebrate the sale, but the cops know all that."

Eli looked at his watch. "It's late."

Cade leaned forward. "What about Meg?"

Eli shrugged. "She's scared."

Cade cried, "Tell her I'm scared."

Eli nodded, as Leigh said, "If they indict. She'll be on my witness list."

Cade's shoulder's slumped. "Leigh, give her time. It must be a shock to her. I'm still trying to grasp what's happening to me. I've never even had a parking ticket."

Eli looked at him for a few moments before nodding. Leigh walked him to the door, and they exchanged a few words.

When Leigh returned, Cade said, "So. What did he say?"

"He wants us to go easy on her. Then he reminded me she's moved on."

"Being on death row, I can't think about her being engaged."

Leigh pushed his shoulder. "You aren't on death row. Even Eli knows the case is flimsy."

"Fishy too."

"Very fishy. There is corruption in the police station or the district attorney's office. Both."

"I don't care as long as I'm not convicted." Emotions swirled. "Maybe the purpose of that night was for me to have an alibi. If I went home alone?"

"I would still have a defense. We can poke holes in all their circumstantial evidence and that's reasonable doubt. Why would she sleep with you if she was almost engaged?"

"Why would he be there and not stop her? We spoke. He seemed cool."

"Is he like the ADA?"

"I don't know. He was tall."

"You aren't very observant."

Cade smirked slightly. "My attention was elsewhere."

Leigh tapped on her phone. "I can see the resemblance."

She held up images of Tyler and Meg together. It looked like they had been dating for years. "I don't understand. She told me I was her birthday present."

Leigh frowned. "Maybe young Hathorne is impotent. What guy let's his girlfriend hook up?"

Cade shook his head. "It doesn't make sense."

Leigh scrolled. "Margaret Rice. She was here all along."

"I just hope she helps me." His memory of that night felt completely tainted.

Leigh frowned. "I'll message Jason to let him know we found her. Look on the bright side, the encounter in the lobby shows you don't walk like that guy."

Cade nodded. He needed to cling to any hope possible.

They both know the other's identity. Thanks for voting ⭐️