Page 5 of Steal My Heart

Gigi jumped down and bounded into Hilliard’s lap, while Poppy climbed into his. Brian petted the dog, happy for the comfort.

Brian shook his head. “It’s a small town. I always thought that someone would open their mouth and say something they shouldn’t, but nothing has happened other than the fact that everyone thinks it was me.”

Hilliard sighed. “It must be hard making a living here with all that. Why didn’t you move to Fort Bragg, or even down the coast toward the city? You could have found a lot of work there and pretty much left your past behind.”

“I thought of that, but then I’d have to leave Gran. She can do some things but has arthritis really bad, so she is limited in what she can do for herself. I stay with her and look after her. She and Gramps were the only family I had left, and now it’s just her. I can’t leave her all alone, and I won’t put her in a home. That would kill her. All her friends are here, and the church is here. So I stayed, and I’m doing the best I can.” He found it hard to believe that Hilliard seemed to accept his story. So few people did.

“Well, it seems you have defenders. Ruth was definitely sticking up for you.”

Brian leaned forward. “But why do you believe me? Most people don’t.”

Hilliard smiled. “In part because I had already figured out some of what happened. I’m a lawyer, and part of what I do is dig up information. It wasn’t hard to find. The case seemed thinenough to me, especially given that the rest of the items have never turned up… just the one they found on you. Now why would you be dumb enough to leave something lying around to be found while being so good at hiding the rest that the police can’t locate it?” Hilliard watched him like a hawk. “It doesn’t make sense. Do you know if the police ever looked at your alibi, or did they simply discount it and go on?”

Brian shook his head. “I don’t know what they did. The prosecuting attorney just went after me and Gran like we were members of some crime syndicate. She cried all the time, and they made me start to think that I might have done it.” God, it had been so confusing. “In the end my attorney tried to get me a plea deal, but I was innocent and I wasn’t going to say I did it, so….”

“They found you guilty, your attorney put in minimal effort, and you did six months for it.”

Brian was speechless. “You actually believe me?”

Hilliard shrugged. “I have no reason not to believe you. It doesn’t make any sense for you to make up a story like that. If you had broken into the house, you could simply have said that you made a mistake and that you were working to turn your life around or something. People make mistakes—God knows I have—but frankly, the details of your story are easy enough to check, so why bother to lie in the first place?” He sat back, and Gigi settled on his lap, soaking up the attention.

“Exactly. I suppose records of the burglary are public, and it’s easy enough to verify the day Gramps died. As for the rest, I wish there had been a way for us to prove where we were. Gramps and I spent most of the day in the car. The coast around here is so rugged, and Gramps just wanted to drive and take in the scenery.” God, they must have driven over two hundred miles that day. He would have been able to stand up for Brian and say where they had been, but with him gone, all theprosecutor had done was harp on the fact that Brian’s alibi was a man who had passed away. “Anyway, I’m grateful.” It was like a weight lifted off his shoulders.

“What, did you think I would fire you?” Hilliard asked. “Look, you showed up on time and did good work. What more could I ask?”

“Well, thank you.” Brian felt better in some ways. “When I was first arrested, I told my story over and over and no one listened to me. Gran knew where I was that day, and she never doubted me.” It had gotten him through those horrible six months of fear and worry that he had usually been able to keep out of his mind during the day, but otherwise….

Hilliard set Gigi gently on the floor, and she hurried over. Brian clipped on the leash and led the dogs out the front door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Brian smiled and waved before doing his best to lead the dogs down the walk back toward Gran’s, already feeling lighter.

“You were gone a while,” Gran said from in front of the television once he went inside. He unleashed the dogs, and they bounded right to Gran, one settling next to her and the other on her lap.

“He was nice,” Brian explained.

Gran stilled. “You told him… everything?” She knew he never talked about it if he could help it. Those months were something he wanted to forget.

“I did, and he believed me. Hilliard is a lawyer, and he already knew part of the story. I think he looked me up on the internet. But he believed me.” Though why he felt so inordinately happy puzzled him.

“He’s a lawyer?” Gran asked. “Do you think if he believes you that he might think of a way to prove you didn’t steal anything in the first place?”

Brian shrugged. That was almost too much to hope for.

Chapter 3

SOMETIMES ITseemed like nothing would go right. Hilliard was grungy and desperately needed a shower, but Brian was having trouble getting the new water heater installed. As of the last report, he thought he was getting close, which Hilliard hoped was the case. To prevent himself from hovering, he went upstairs to go through more of Aunt Grace’s things and add more items to donate to the sale. He even managed to get his office set up, at least rudimentarily. With a place to sit and the window open, he logged on to his computer and accessed some of the legal websites he subscribed to.

It wasn’t difficult to find information on Brian’s case and even access the court records, since they had been digitized. The more he read, the more his blood boiled. Without thinking, he pulled over a pad and began making notes of items that seemed mishandled. It was fairly easy to see that Brian’s defense had been minimal at best, and at worst, the lawyer was incompetent. Questions piled up as he read and wrote, but one thing was clear: Brian should definitely appeal his conviction. While Hilliard had wanted to believe Brian last night, everything he read now reinforced that he was right. Brian had been railroaded in a huge way, and he was still paying for it.

“Hill,” Brian called up the stairs, “you have hot water.”

Thank goodness. “That’s great.”

“I’m going to start on the steps,” Brian said as Hilliard locked his computer out of habit and stood to head down the stairs. “They should take a few hours.”

“Good. I was wondering if you could give me a quote for some additional work. I need the outside painted, and Ineed the wallpaper in the dining room stripped and the walls prepped for paint… along with the living room.” The town had a lot of ordinances regarding the maintenance of properties in Mendocino, and he did not want to be ticketed or get on the bad side of any of the powers that be.

“I can do that,” Brian said with a relieved smile. “Let me take some measurements when I’m done and I can work up an estimate. I have the equipment to spray the exterior, so that won’t take long. What color were you thinking?”

“Aunt Grace painted the house butter yellow, and I like it, so I was thinking of keeping it the same color, just freshening it up.” He snapped his fingers. “Also add a quote to paint the fence white.” That should take care of the outside, especially once he got the garden under control.

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