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“For old time’s sake,” Marcus mused.
“Then she could clean him out for all I cared. Shit, I even told her I’d help. You know, show her how he was hiding his money.”
“Because as your divorce lawyer, I would have told you where his money was and how much there was,” Marcus commented.
“That was my plan.”
“But Aisha wasn’t going for it.”
“Told me to get out her house with that nonsense. Told me that I better freeze his assets quick because she was about to take a chunk of it.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. What could I say? I was going to take her advice and have you proceed as quickly as possible. So I started to leave, but then she brings up Otis.”
“She was still mad about you leaving her and taking half the money.”
“Very. So we started arguing. She pushed me, I pushed her back, but she tripped and fell into the coffee table.” Panthea started to cry. “It was an accident, Marcus. You’ve got to believe me. It was an accident. Please say you believe me.”
But Marcus had no words for her.
32
“Have you reached a verdict?” the judge asked.
“Yes, your honor, we have,” the jury foreperson said as she stood and handed their verdict to the bailiff, who in turn handed it to the judge.
The judge looked it over carefully and then looked briefly in the direction of the prosecutors. “Will the defendant please rise.” Panthea and Marcus stood up. The judge turned to the jury. “On the first count of the indictment, murder in the first degree, how do you find?”
“We find the defendant, not guilty,” the foreperson answered.
Panthea threw her arms around Marcus and squeezed him with everything she had. She was free. “You did it, Marcus. I’m free.”
Marcus gave her a halfhearted hug and freed himself from her embrace.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Marcus said as he gathered his papers and prepared to leave. “Congratulations.”
Panthea didn’t say anything, she just looked at Marcus and hoped that this was just more of his, we’re out in public posture, but she knew that wasn’t true.
Marcus looked at her. She looked the same but he wondered if he ever actually knew Panthea Daniels. He tried to reason that it was an accident, or at least that’s what she said. The facts fit her explanation, but it didn’t change the facts. Marcus had been duped by an old pro.
Now, Marcus had to ask himself was the love and affection that Panthea showed him all part of some plan? Had she, like her former partner, made him fall in love with her so he would do whatever it took to acquit her?
How could he love her? How could he trust her? The answer, of course was; he couldn’t.
Once the last person had filed out of the courtroom, Panthea took a step closer to Marcus. “What’s going on here, Marcus?”
“You’re a free woman, now, Mrs. Daniels. You have nothing to fear from the police. Attorney client privilege prevents me from telling what I know about you.”
“You know what I’m talking about, Marcus. I mean what’s going on with us?”
“There is no us, Mrs. Daniels. Maybe there never was,” Marcus said sadly.
“But I love you, Marcus. I want us to be together,” Panthea pleaded with him.
“We can’t be together, not now. Not after this,” Marcus said and walked away with a heavy heart, leaving Panthea alone.
