Page 70 of Falling for a Killer

Fine.

I’ll sit on this uncomfortable ass bench just outside the courtroom doors holding my nephew Noah like a lifeline while my sister looks at me like I’m nuts. “Don’t judge me,” I mumble.

“We’re in a courthouse, Joey,” she deadpans. “If I can’t judge you here, where can I judge you?”

“Nowhere, that’s the point. You’re supposed to blindly support me.”

She sighs, scooting closer and moving my niece Avery to her other side. “I do. But you know everything is going to be fine. From everything we’ve heard, the prosecution doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

“When has that ever mattered?” I snap quietly. “People make their own decisions, and jury verdicts are rarely a reflection of the strength of the prosecution’s case. No one just says ‘oh, I think he did it, but the prosecutor didn’t bring enough evidence so I guess he’s innocent’ and you know that. It’s all biased.”

Violet nods as Avery speaks up. “But people like Uncle Killian, don’t they? Why would they think he did the bad thing?”

I don’t know what gets me more, the fact that she just called him Uncle Killian or the fact that she knows people like him. It makes my chest tighten, so I hand baby Noah over to Violet and pat my lap as Avery climbs up. “You know what, Av? You’re so right. People do like him, because he’s a likeable guy. You’re gonna love him.”

“I bet he’ll let you braid his hair,” Violet whispers, eliciting a joyous laugh from her daughter that sounds so out of place bouncing off these walls. “What do you think, Joey?”

The thought alone nearly makes my heart explode. “I think he’d love that. We’ll get bows and clips and you can make him look just as cute as you.”

Avery smiles widely, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I like Noah even though he does bad things.”

“What bad things?”

She pokes his little nose gently. “He pulls my hair and throws up.”

“Sounds like the men your mom dated in college,” I tease, earning a playful glare from my sister. I guess I deserve that. “You’re a smart kid, you know that? I don’t think I was half as smart as you when I was your age.”

“You weren’t,” Violet agrees. “You were scared of blankets, do you remember? You were convinced if you slept with one, it would wrap around your neck in the middle of the night, fling you off the bed and hang you.”

“What does hanged mean?”

Oh, god. “Nothing, sweetie. Your mom is just being silly.”

She’s not wrong though. I really was scared of everything, and it’s funny to me now that I’ve dealt with real-world problems and things that should actually terrify me. The blanket noose doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

We fall into silence until the courtroom doors open and a couple of people file out, but I can’t see Killian anywhere no matter how I strain my neck. Donna comes up a couple of minutes later looking grave. “Okay. I told you this would be a quick trial, right? I warned you?”

It can’t be over already. “Yes, but it’s only been a couple of hours. What the hell happened?”

“Nothing, we’re just breaking for lunch. We laid out our opening arguments and the prosecution began with their case. After lunch, we’ll hear from the prosecution’s experts. There are only two, so their side will likely rest today. Tomorrow it’ll be my turn, then our closing arguments, then it’ll be up to the jury.”

Killian’s life will be up to the jury, she means.

Forcing myself to stay calm, I nod. “And? How’s it looking so far?”

“I don’t know,” she says honestly. “I still don’t believe the prosecution has met the burden of proof, but the jury seems... undecided. Just based on body language, I’d say we have about a 70/30 shot at a not guilty verdict.”

That’s better than the reverse, but she was almost a hundred percent sure before the trial started. This isn’t good. “I understand. How is he? Is he holding up okay?”

For once, she smiles. “He’s holding his head high, staying calm, and doing everything he needs to be doing. I’ve never seen someone with so much poise in my life. It may be the thing that turns this in his favor. He’s coming across as confident but not arrogant, capable but not cruel.”

Of course he is. That’s my Killian. “Good. Thank you again, Donna. You’ve been incredible.”

“Don’t thank me until it’s over. Just hang tight, okay? I’ll come find you when we’re done for the day.”

Nodding, I watch her walk away and let my shoulders slump. “I knew the jury would be a problem. We should’ve never left the cabin that night.”

“So it would’ve happened the next time, anyway,” Violet reminds me. “You weren’t ever going to be able to stop this. Prolong it maybe, sure. But not stop it. If you ask me, it’s better this way.”

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