“No,” he said, the word flat at first, like his brain hadn’t caught up. Then sharper. “No, that’s—that can’t be. Riverbend?”
“She wouldn’t be there,” he said, voice climbing. “She wouldn’t— I never—” He broke off, swallowing hard.
Margaret shook her head, tears spilling over.
“Caroline’s not…” She couldn’t finish it.
Danny swore softly and looked away, one hand dragging across the back of his neck.
“They’re sayin’ they found her,” Danny said quietly.
Eleanor nodded once.
“That’s what the State will say,” she said. “I haven’t seen Dr. Cade’s full report yet. I’ll get it in discovery, but preliminarily—yes. They believe it’s Caroline.”
David swallowed hard. His eyes went to the back window, then back to her.
“So that’s it,” he said. “They found a body and decided I did it.”
“It’s not that simple,” Eleanor said. “The grand jury only hears the State’s side. No defense, no cross-examination. The DA presents what he has; they decide if there’s probable cause to ask the question in open court. That’s a low bar. It is not a verdict.”
David’s mouth twisted.
“The DA,” he said. “You mean Reid.”
Her pulse kicked once, sharp and unwelcome.
She didn’t let it show.
“He’s the one who took it in,” David said. “He’s the one who asked them.”
His eyes locked on hers.
“You and him still… whatever this is?”
The room went very still.
“David—”
“Don’t,” he snapped. “Don’t give me lawyer talk. They’re sayin’ your name with his all over town. Those women on that damn podcast are sittin’ there talkin’ like you’re crawlin’ into Reid Calloway’s bed at night and walkin’ into my house in the mornin’ pretendin’ you’re still on my side.”
Margaret flinched. Danny looked away.
The words hit like a slap.
Not because they weren’t ugly.
Because some small, shameful part of her knew exactly why people believed them.
Reid’s mouth on hers in the dark. His hands at her waist. The way she’d left his house Sunday morning, already half in love with him and half terrified of what that meant.
She shoved it all down.
Eleanor held his gaze.
“I am your lawyer,” she said evenly. “Not his. I do not discuss your case with Reid. I will not discuss your case with Reid. And if I believed for one second I could not represent you fully and fiercely, I would have withdrawn already.”
David stared at her for a long moment.
