Page 114 of Return Policy
“Mm-hmm,” Mark repeats, and I roll my lips together, thankful the topic is off me and Sophia.
We continue our meal, and the conversation comes easy. I update them on my football season and school, Cole talks about the cases he’s working on, and Mark beams like the proud dad he is.
There’s a question that’s been swimming in my mind since Sophia shared her secret with me, and I’ve been trying to think of the best way to breach it.
“So… one of my friends is taking a pre-law class, and they were wondering if I could ask you some questions about a mock trial he’s working on.”Hopefully it doesn’t sound like a crock of shit.
“Sure, what’s up?” Cole says, taking a sip of his coffee.
“So there was a hit-and-run case. The person died, and there was no evidence.” They both stare at me expectantly. “If the lawyer found a witness who would talk, is a confession enough?”
“I had a case like that earlier this year,” Cole says, and my stomach sinks.Abort. Abort. Abort.“Unfortunately, with only a witness and no evidence, there’s not much we can do besides have probable cause to interrogate the suspect. But if there’s no proof… there’s nothing to bring it to trial. It just turns into a giant game of ‘he said, she said.’”
“Oh, damn… okay.” I push around the food on my plate. “What should I suggest to him to strengthen his case?”
“Hmm.” Cole twists his mouth up. “He could check the street cams in the area to see if there’s any video footage.”
No street cams in the woods.
“He already tried that, no luck.”
“Without video evidence these days, it’s really hard to make a conviction,” Mark adds in.
“What if he found a second witness?” I ask hopefully.Maybe we can convince Charlie to come forward too.
Cole ponders the question. “Honestly, it’s still not enough. There needs to be hard evidence, or it’s never gonna lead to a conviction. Innocent till proven guilty, remember?”
“Yeah,” I smile softly. “I’ll let him know, thanks.”
“Happy to help.” Cole smirks, then reaches over and ruffles my hair.
I laugh, ducking away. “Dude.”
“Sorry.” He chuckles. “I’ve been dying to fuck up your perfect hair since you walked in here.”
After breakfast with Mark and Cole, I knock on the front door of Sophia’s childhood home. She insisted we go downtown today so she can show me all her favorite spots. When she swings it open, a wide smile spreads across my face.
“Well, hey there, Honey Bee.” She grins before stepping forward and throwing her arms around me.
“I missed you too, Sunflower.” I chuckle, holding her tightly and planting a kiss in her sunshine hair.
She spins around, skipping back inside, and I trail after her.
“You just missed breakfast,” Will says from his position washing dishes at the sink.
“That’s okay. I just ate.”
“Cup of coffee?” Jake asks, pouring some of the dark liquid into a mug. The nutty smell hits my senses, and I can’t resist.
“Yeah, that would be great actually.”
He grabs a mug out of the cupboard and pours another black coffee, handing it to me.
“Thanks.” I’m not about to show them I’m a basic bitch by asking for cream and sugar.
He tips his coffee at me, and I tip mine back. Just as I’m about to bring the mug to my lips, my girl comes over, sets down a jar of honey, and pours a healthy serving of creamer in my cup. I smirk down at her, and she leans her head against my shoulder before putting it back in the fridge.
I take a sip, the sweet liquid hitting my tongue, and my lips curve upward.
