Page 14 of Release You

Henry was the only other person who knew my story. He knew because he’d been there when Lisa had the brilliant idea of getting us a job at Cavalier Manor. She’d just turned eighteen and asked for custody of me. Getting a job as a live-in maid was the only way to keep our family together. I’d been embarrassed to go work for the Cavalier family, for Henry. What I hadn’t expected then was for him to welcome us with open arms.

In the summer we spent there, Henry and I became friends. He taught me that my life wasn’t over, that we could still be happy. For a little while, I let myself dream that Henry and I could be more than just friends.

“Come on,” he’d said when he found me in his mother’s garden under a mesquite tree. “I know exactly what you need to feel better.” He held out his hand, a strand of blond hair touching his forehead. My heart did a backward somersault when his fingers wrapped around my elbow. I stood, a few inches taller than he was, mesmerized by his brilliant smile.

“Where are we going?” I’d asked. I would’ve followed him to the end of the world.

He held my hand and led me to the far side of Cavalier Manor. Hidden behind the bushes that lined the wall was a small door, barely big enough for us to get through.

“It’s a secret tunnel. It leads to the kitchen. Only Mom and I know about it,” he’d said. “You like hot chocolate?”

After that night, he would sneak into my bedroom almost every night, and we’d hide in the tunnels to drink our hot chocolates. With Henry holding my hand, the pain of losing my parents had been bearable.

“Is that how you ended up at Cavalier Manor?” Dom asked, bringing me back to the present.

“How do you know that?”

“I went through Lisa’s files.” He pulled me toward the bed and gestured for me to sit.

“How is she?” I sat, blinking away tears.

“No idea. She wouldn’t see me. I think her exact words were: Nikki’s fancy lawyer is not my lawyer. Don’t ever let him in.”

“She wants to prove she’s innocent and thinks you’ll just find a technicality to get her out.”

Dom scratched the stubble on his cheek. “I have a friend helping. We went through her files, and I’m sorry, but finding reasonable doubt is the only way to get her out. It was a gruesome crime, Nikki.”

“She didn’t do it.” I shot to my feet.

“I believe you.” He put up his hand. “I thought we could go through her file together and see if anything jumps out at you. You were there. Maybe there’s something you missed or forgot to mention.”

“I was ten when it happened. None of it makes sense. I don’t know if I can help.” I pressed a hand to my forehead. Truth was, I didn’t want to remember. The blood had been everywhere. When Henry found me, I was on my knees dry heaving.

“I know this is hard, but if you want to help your sister, you need to push yourself to remember.” Dom squeezed my fingers.

I nodded. My pulse slowed down to a painful beat when he opened the manila folder. Pictures of Henry’s dad lying in a pool of his own blood slid onto the bed.Henry. I brushed my fingers over the pictures, moving them out of the way to see the next one. My stomach rolled, and my hands turned cold and clammy—like they did every time I tried to remember. But this was for Lisa. I swallowed and sat up straighter.

“This one right here caught…my attention.” Dom tapped on the picture.

On instinct, I looked upward. I counted to ten and forced myself to focus on Mr. Cavalier, his slack mouth, and lifeless eyes.

Dom placed his index finger on an eight-by-ten picture and slipped it in my direction. “This scratch on his arm. It doesn’t seem like much, but there’s no mention of it in the autopsy. So I had a friend take a look. It’s postmortem. A halfway decent lawyer would’ve picked up on that.”

“What do you mean?”

“A postmortem, nonviolent scrape?” He raised an eyebrow. “The body was moved.”

“Like he was dragged across a sharp edge?” I stared at the picture and the small scrape.

“Maybe. I’ll keep digging. This may be the technicality we need to get your sister out.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he put up his hand. “I know that’s not what she wants. How about you focus on remembering more details, and I focus on my fancy lawyering? Deal?”

“Darling, thank you for this.”

“No need to thank me. You did Derek a solid. We owe you.” He gathered all the pictures and stuffed them back in the folder.

“Yeah, after I sold him out.” I scoffed.

“You fixed it, though. That’s all that matters to him. Because of you, he’s happy.” With a sigh, he handed me the folder. “I’ll leave this with you. If you think of anything, call me.”

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