Page 62 of Studfinder

I am potentially overstepping my bounds with Jake and his parole officer, but I didn’t know how else to get Jake to see reason. From a personal perspective, Nolan’s confession isn’t mine to share as it was hearsay through Jake. On the other hand, I had an obligation as Jake’s supervisor through Building Buddies and our relationship with the prison system to disclose information I feel would be beneficial regarding our ward. The same went for damaging information, which was why Jake had been concerned about our first kiss. Reporting that kiss could have been a strike against his parole.

Sensing that our night together had been Jake’s farewell, I didn’t approach him about the possibilities before him. First and foremost, Jake could be exonerated of the crime if Nolan confessed. His record could be wiped clean and his status restored, although technically, the damage had been done to both Jake’s reputation and his mental health. The confession from his brother was another crushing blow. If Jake didn’t turn his brother in or if Nolan refused to confess, Jake would live forever with the stigma of being a convicted criminal, and he’d continue to live with the knowledge he hadn’t done it when he knew who had. His brother was the culprit.

By the time Ryan James returns my call, I am too worked up to think straight.

“As his parole officer, can’t you prompt him to talk to you?” I encourage.

“Rita, if you know something, you should just tell me. I can’t help Jake if I don’t know the facts.”

“But it’s not my place to tell you what I know. It should come from the source.”

“Is that Jake?” Ryan’s question stumps me as Nolan is the one who would have to confess. “It’s obvious you have a relationship with Jake Drummond. Maybe you can convince him to come forward with this new information you think he has.”

I had to be as vague as I could without giving away any hints of what I now know. I wanted answers without exposing either Nolan or Jake. I wanted to free Jake without damning his brother.

I had to fight for Jake the only way I knew how at the moment. He needed the truth exposed to set himself free. After a long talk with my law partner, I had a plan, and thankfully, May agrees. Things could be tricky, but I am determined for Jake. I’d already lost a man I’d loved once before, and I recovered. I survived, as Scarlett said. I would risk Jake’s hatred if it meant giving him a future he deserved by wiping out his past. I would recover again, as I once told Jake. I always do.

On Thursday, Jake is called by his parole officer to attend a meeting. At Building Buddies, we allow release for such appointments, so this part of my plan is easy to orchestrate. The harder part is when Jake arrives to find me present after days of silence between us. I’d reached out to check on him with no response. I was hoping he’d change his mind about Nolan, about leaving, and about us. I wanted him to come back to me, but I needed him to decide we could work something out together.

Confusion is written on Jake’s face as he enters the small meeting room and takes a seat beside his parole officer instead of me. Across the table from us is Parker Avery.

“Okay, Rita,” Officer James begins, waving out a hand as he tilts his chair in my direction.

“It’s come to my attention that my client has information that could exonerate him of his crime.”

“Rita,” Jake hisses two seats away from me. I don’t look at him. Instead, I focus on Parker.

“Before revealing this information, I’d like to know what Mr. Drummond’s options are?” I’d already discussed a few things with Parker in a vague, hypothetical sense, but I need her to explain the facts to Jake.

“First, if we can obtain a written confession from another party, there’s no reason not to present the information before a judge. I’m certain the conviction on Jake would be overruled, and a full pardon would be granted.”

“Rita, what are you doing?” Jake hisses again, and Parker’s eyes drift to Jake, but mine focus forward. Looking at him might break my resolve. I need to remain impartial to him despite the emotional connection between us, but after several seconds of silence, I can’t fight the pull. Glancing at him, I beg him with my eyes to trust me. Instead, I see more hurt and more betrayal etched in those lovely blues of his.

“What if the new information is sensitive and my client doesn’t wish to share?” I turn back to Parker.

“If this were the court, he’d be held in contempt for concealing evidence,” Parker warns me.

“But this isn’t court,” I reiterate, so Jake is clear. “This is an informative meeting of Mr. Drummond’s options.”

Parker again addresses Jake. “Then Mr. Drummond would complete his sentence as currently stated by the State’s sentence. You had a ten-year sentence and were released in seven on good behavior with a six-month parole as a contingency to re-acclimate you into the workforce.”

Jake huffs, disagreeing with that assessment. His position as a worker with Building Buddies isn’t job potential. We can give him a reference for his skill and his dedication to quality work, but the referral will come with the information of why he worked for us. He’s in a restorative justice program through the prison system.

I have one more question for Parker. “If another party were to come forward and accept responsibility for the crime, exonerating Mr. Drummond of all grievances against him, what would happen to that person?”

“Jail,” Parker states immediately. Even seats away from Jake, I feel him go rigid.

“What are other options?” I ask.

Parker glances at Jake. “Taking into account the time lapsed since the crime and the circumstances, it is possible another party might be placed on probation. But this isn’t an answer or a guarantee I’m speaking of. We’re talking very hypothetically here, Rita,” Parker warns.

Ryan James steps in at this point and swivels his chair to Jake, noting Jake’s indignation. “Is there something you’d like to share with us?” With Ryan’s back to me, I glance over his shoulder to find Jake staring across the table, eyes not necessarily on Parker but the wall behind her. He wants to be free. He wants to be cleared of the scar on his record and the dirt on his name, but the way Jake holds himself—stiff and tense—he’s going to protect Nolan at all costs. It’s written in his body language. His loyalty is something I love about him, but in this situation, I’m not liking it.

“I have nothing to share.” His elbows rest on the table, and his fingertips steeple, pressing them against his lips.

“Jake,” I whisper, and Ryan turns his chair back in the direction of Parker.

“Are you certain?” Parker prompts. Parker admitted herself she never felt right about how Jake’s case was handled or sentenced. When I reached out to her with the possibility of information to exonerate him, she was willing to listen. The warehouse fires were considered inconclusive so only the high school is on Jake’s record along with Ian’s death. I didn’t want Jake to continue to suffer with these facts when it isn’t his cross to bear. He hadn’t committed a crime, but he still held the guilt that someone had, and now he knows who.