Maroon / bella 8

Maroon / Bare naked ladies













She was still annoyed, but Kate had to admit, Alex, as the attorney insisted she be called was helpful and she liked the woman. She had not wanted to after the first five minutes, but she found herself doing so none the less. Her upset had also been tempered by the fact that despite her brother’s refusals, Alex had obtained all the information possible from the police.




“I don’t understand…” Kate stammered as Alex had a large file brought to her.


“We all think Jake is innocent. The problem is proving it.” Alex sigh taking the folder. “The is circumstantial, but frankly it looks damning.” She opened the folder. “I don’t have to tell you your brother’s past record, or that he likes to ‘party’ a little too much.” She frowned.


Kate sighed, exasperated. How many times had she told him…


“The girl - Sophia Esposito – unfortunately is a bit of a local celebrity. Twenty-two an a reputation to rival Paris Hilton, and a father to match. She was engaged to the son of a local thug with definite mob connections…”


“Well that’s good right?” Kate interrupted. “That means there are other possible…”


“No. That’s bad. It means that if someone saw something, they are not likely to come forward. It means that they have lots and lots of money behind this. It means that daddy’s business deal is probably now going south and besides loosing his baby girl he’s lost his investment. Need I go on?” Alex raised an eyebrow, Kate shook her head. “What is known concretely is that Sophia and a group of her friends went to the Seahorse Cove area for a little party. She was with a large group. All of them said the same things: out to party, Nick, Sophia’s fiancé was out of town with his daddy and she was mad. She invited Tom and Jake out to party because she knew Nick would be furious about it when he got home. Tom went off with an Amanda Curick, Jake hooked up with Sophia. People saw them go off together into the dunes in the direction where she was later found.” Alex paused and looked at Kate.


“What?” Go on.” Kate’s voice quivered a bit.


“This is going to be a hard road Kate… I…”


“It’s fine.” Kate interrupted “What else is known?” She hardened her look and the other woman sighed before going on.


“Sophia was found at 6 a.m. by a man out with his dog. She was naked and strangled. The coroner places the time of death between 2 am and 3 am. DNA confirms that … that she and Jake had sex prior to her death. She had enough alcohol and drugs in her to choke a horse.” Alex cringed. “Jake was found unconscious, also with dangerously high levels of cocaine in his system about 200 yards away.”


“So they think they got high, had sex and then he strangled her? Why? That makes no sense.” Kate frowned.


“Why? Because he’s like that? Because he has a temper? Because he told her she loved him and she told him she’d just had sex with him to get even with Nick? Who knows? And Jake’s not saying a goddamned word.” Alex snapped back her own frustration clear.


Both women sighed in unison.