“I disagree,” Donald stated bluntly. “Sure, the evidence was solid, and Mrs. Knowles’ testimony and audio recordings were damning to the defense’s case, but you were second chair during the original trial. You knew the case inside and out, and since Robert has moved on to greener pastures, you were the obvious choice.”
Robert being Robert Graves, King County’s former Assistant Deputy Prosecutor.
“No, the obvious choice would have been to keep this one in-house and let Robert’s predecessor handle it.” Ellie repositioned the hold she had on her briefcase.
“Paula is good, but she’s not you. Plus, no one can pull off a closing argument quite like you can. Present company included.And after watching you in there again, I have to tell you…I really wish you hadn’t left.”
But shehadleft Pierce County. Nearly five years to the day, to be exact. And her leaving her position as Pierce County’s up-and-coming prosecutor had nothing to do with Leonard Knowles or the trial she’d just won.
It did, however, have a whole hell of a lot to do with this place.
A different man’s face filled her mind’s eye. It lasted only a moment, but that was all it took for a sliver of residual fear to race the length of her spine.
“You know why I had to leave,” she reminded her old boss.
Donald pushed open the heavy door leading to the outside, shifting to the side to give her room to pass. “I do,” he agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t still want you back on my payroll.”
At the time she’d left the prosecutor’s office in Tacoma, she’d been the youngest Assistant Deputy Prosecutor to ever practice in the state of Washington. In fact, she’d done such a good job during her time working for Donald, she’d been on the fast track to take over his position as the D.A. once the man following her out the door retired.
Instead, Ellie had tried—and won—the most intense case of her career. And then she’d left.
“Admit it.” Donald continued arguing his case as the two made their way down the sidewalk toward the spot where she’d parked. “You enjoyed being back on this side of the fence.”
Refusing to let old ghosts of the past threaten her otherwise great mood, Ellie forced the haunting image away and focused on the present.
“It wasn’t awful,” she commented truthfully.
If she were being completely honest, it had been sort of…fun. Not that she’d ever tell Donald that.
“Oh, please.” Her former boss rolled his eyes with a gravelly chuckle. “You may not have noticed, but I slid in a time or two during the trial. I could see the glimmer in your eyes, even from all the way in the back of the courtroom. And I’ve gotta tell you, it was just as strong today as it was five years ago.”
“Compliment me all you want, Donald. It won’t change my mind.”
“What if I told you an opening just came up in my office?”
“I’d tell you to fill with someone who isn’t me.”
“It’s full-time, Ellie. No more of this special occasion bullshit. You’d be the top dog, answering only to me.”
“You and the Mayor, you mean.”
That was another reason she’d switched from being a prosecutor to opening her own defense firm. She and Tacoma’s mayor had never really seen eye-to-eye. Mainly because the man lived for politics, and Ellie, well…she’d never been one to mince words or kiss ass. And if a person wanted to survive in the world of politics, they had to do a hell of a lot of both.
“All I’m asking is that you at least think about it,” the man insisted.
“This is me.” She stopped near her white BMW. “I don’t need to think about it, Donald. I left for a reason, remember?”
“I do.” Empathy filled her former boss’s brown eyes. “And I completely understand and respect your need to put some space between yourself and this place after what happened that day. But that was five years ago, El. And you just proved you can still go into that courtroom and kick some major ass.”
“I only agreed to come back and retry the case against Knowles as a one-time favor to you. Not because I’m considering coming back.” Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she tried to makehim understand. “Having my own practice now, Donald. I get to choose which clients I take on. No more going after almost serial killers or murdering bastards with ties to organized crime.”
No more losing sleep at night out of fear that someone I put away will come for their revenge.
Ellie considered herself to be as tough as the next gal. But that didn’t mean she had a death wish.
“Things are different now, El. Security is much tighter than it used to be, and the police department here has started taking threats to lawyers or witnesses much more seriously.”
Yes, she’d noticed the added measures taken to ensure safety for those inside the courthouse. But added metal detectors, more thorough bag searches, and more diligent policing still weren’t enough to stop a determined killer out for revenge.