Page 27 of Steal My Heart

“It’s fine for now.” Hilliard placed his hand at the small of Brian’s back, his touch gentle and reassuring. “It’s good to meet you.” Hilliard shook Grant’s hand. “Just so you know, I have been acting as a friend to both Beverly and Brian. I am an attorney in Ohio, but not here in California.”

“I see,” Grant said. “A lawyerly answer and a good one.” He smiled. “I understand the desire to help. Thank you.” He handed Brian a folder. “Beverly asked me for a copy of the police file on your case. Since the case is officially closed, it’s part of the public record.”

“Shall we go to the table?” Gran offered, and they all sat at the kitchen table.

Brian opened the file and looked over the front page.

“May I?” Hilliard asked, leaving Brian to read while he took the rest of the file. “Okay. Take a look at this. Here’s Violet’s statement. She says she left the house at twelve thirty for her meeting at the church and got home at a little before three, when she discovered the burglary had taken place.” He pulled out a tablet and made notes. “That narrows down the timeline even more.”

“May I see that?” Grant asked.

“We found video footage of Brian and his grandfather visiting the light station on the day of the burglary. I added the times from the tape.”

Grant shook his head. “Jesus,” he whispered. “And they never bothered to check earlier?” He blinked. “They never would have been able to bring charges if they’d had this.”

“I figured that. But the burden of proof is much higher now that Brian has been convicted. Reasonable doubt isn’t enough any longer. I’m not licensed here, but I did my research, and the best way to prove his innocence is still to find the real thief.”

Grant pulled the file to him and flipped through the pages. “Here are the suspects that the investigators were initially looking at. Kevin and Kendall Trainer, as well as Michael Rogers and Nathan West. It’s well known that those four are thick as thieves and definite troublemakers. They have all had minor run-ins with the law over the years.”

“Tell me about it,” Brian said between clenched teeth.

“Anyway, the department had asked all of them to provide alibis, and they seemed to be having trouble explaining their whereabouts. Evidently the investigators were looking pretty closely at them until we received an anonymous tip, and then one of the stolen pieces was found in your truck with your fingerprints on it.”

“And that was that,” Brian muttered. “They asked me for an alibi, and all I had was a day away with Gramps, who was dead, and I was on the hook.”

“I have to tell you that any decent lawyer should have been able to put the pieces together that you were framed. Looking at it, I would have gone so much further.”

“Grant joined the department a little over a year ago after he retired from the LAPD and moved up here.” Gran smiled, and if Brian didn’t know better, he’d have said that she had a thing for the police officer.

“So what do we do?” Brian asked.

Gran added, “Can you help us?”

“Yes. I think this was botched from the get-go, and it needs to be made right. Can I get a copy of the video, as well as the timeline you put together? I want to do some more work and see what else I can dig up. The officer who headed this investigation isn’t with the department any longer, so I doubt I’m going to meet with resistance. But still, I want to get approval.”

Brian nodded, relieved that more people were beginning to believe in him. Hilliard once again put an arm around his shoulder, and Brian leaned into the touch.

“At least you have the support you deserve,” Hilliard said softly.

“I know, but where do we go from here?” Brian asked. “I mean, do we have to get a court to declare that I was wrongly convicted?” That could take forever.

“Yes. But if we can get rock-solid proof, then I can take it to the police department as well as the prosecutor’s office. They can help you move this through the courts. Petitions like ours take a while through the normal processes, but if the prosecutor goes with us before a judge with a proper writ and asks that their original verdict be vacated, then that can be a much faster route. Justice can be slow, but I like to think it will happen in the end.” Grant wasn’t particularly encouraging.

“Look, what we can do is get the proof, and then we can get the local media to pick up the story. Once they see the proof, then everyone is going to know that you were wrongly convicted. This is about the town knowing you aren’t the thief as much as anything else.” Hilliard held Brian’s hand tightly. “So please don’t worry about it.”

“He’s right,” Grant said softly. “And I think that we could be getting close.”

“So what do we do from here?” Brian asked.

Grant huffed. “You know my official answer would be to let the police do their work, but considering the fact that we didn’tdo that the first time around, I’m going to say this: everyone you talk to could be the thief, and you have no idea how desperate they may be. They broke into your truck to plant evidence the first time.” His expression was stone-cold serious. “They have spent the past almost three years thinking they got away with it. The thief has gone on with their life, likely cashed in their ill-gotten gains, and maybe used it to build the foundation of their life. Now all that is threatened. The snake is most dangerous when it’s been backed into a corner.” He gathered the report and put it back together. “Just remember to be careful.”

“I know. If we stir up a hornet’s nest, expect to get stung,” Hilliard said. “But if we don’t do a little stirring, we might never get to the bottom of this.”

Grant nodded. “But think about this. Right now, we have proof that casts great doubt on Brian’s conviction. He is home and rebuilding his life. Beverly is doing well, and….” He smiled. “It seems to me that things are going well on all fronts. Going around nest-stirring could jeopardize all of that.” He picked up the file.

“Is it possible for you to leave that with us?” Hillard asked.

Grant set it back on the table. “It’s a copy, but don’t flash around that you have it.” He said good night and left the house.

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