Page 109 of Regards, Mia

Birchland looks at Elena one last time. She nods at the door, and he scowls. “Your loss,” he says.

When he leaves, Elena rests her head in her hands. “There goes my savings.”

My chest tightens at the rough deal Elena has been handed. But I know she didn’t kill Warner Mattson in cold blood.

I take the seat across from her and pull out my notebook. “Don’t worry about the money,” I say. “I’m doing this for justice.”

Elena drops her hands and shoots me a look full of skepticism. “I thought you were on the other side. You’re the one who puts people in jail.”

If only it was that simple. “Innocent people don’t deserve to go to jail.”

“I’m not innocent.” A sob catches in her throat. “I stabbed him.”

“You’ve got to stay strong,” I say. “Do it for your kids.”

She blinks back her tears, and when she looks up at me with a determined glare, I know she’s ready to start.

“Start at the beginning. Why did he come to your house?”

Elena runs a hand through her hair. It’s thick and a little wild from not seeing a comb for more than a day. “He texted me. Said he wanted to talk.” She picks one of her fingernails. “At first I didn’t answer, but then I thought it might get you what you wanted. I thought I could trick him into a confession.”

“Elena.” Frustration brews inside me, and I tamp it down, force myself to remain calm. “That wasn’t the plan. You were supposed to wait until I had more evidence.”

Her jaw flexes. “I had an opportunity, I took it.”

I grimace, but I’m not cruel enough to point out where her impulsiveness landed her. “What did you say when you answered?”

“I told him I’d meet him. My neighbor took the kids—” She holds back another wave of tears. “And I went to meet him at the park.” Her shoulders tremble. “I was so stupid. I never should have gotten in his truck.”

I bite my tongue. It’s too late to lecture her now. “So, you got in his truck at the park?”Bad move.“Then what?”

“He started telling me how the office was falling apart without me. He begged me to come back.” She swipes at her tears with the back of her hand. “So stupid. I fell for it. I thought, maybe it had been all in my head the way he treated me. The harassment, the sexual jokes, the way he pawed at me.” She shakes her head. “It seemed like maybe I made it all up. I just wanted everything to go back to normal. It was a good job. The pay was great, and I could get time off whenever I needed to. If I would just let him touch my ass every once in a while, maybe cop a feel in the break room, I could be making eighty grand a year again. It wasn’t so bad.” Her lips curls. “Then he pounced on me.”

My pen stills. “He did what?”

“He grabbed me and pinned me down. Forced my seat back and started groping me.” The tears pick up their pace, sliding down her cheeks to splash on the table. “I grabbed around in the back of his truck. He had a bunch of hunting gear. Binoculars and gloves, a bunch of crap. I managed to get the knifeunsheathed, and I—” She shakes her head, folding her lips together.

“Take your time.” My pen races across the page as I try to keep up with taking notes. The bastard got what he deserved if you ask me, but I’m not the one Elena has to convince.

“There was so much blood. So much…” She presses the heels of her hands into her eyes as if trying to block out the image. “I don’t even remember stabbing him.”

My heart aches for the young woman sitting across from me. If I would have had my way, Warner Mattson would be sitting in a jail cell right now. Instead, he’s in a casket.

The door opens, and District Attorney Jordan Adler strides in. He’s wearing his navy suit and a pale blue shirt, his hair is perfectly combed, and he’s carrying a tray with three coffees.

“Mia.” A smile stretches across his mouth. “I brought you coffee.”

I glare at him. How did he know I would be here? “I’m fully caffeinated, thanks anyway.” I gesture at my to go cup I brought from home. “What are you doing here?”

He sets the tray down on the table and offers Elena one of the cups. I shake my head, indicating she should decline.

Jordan catches the exchange. “It’s just coffee, Ms. Rogers.” He takes a sip from his own cup. “You should take advantage seeing as you might not get anything of this quality for quite some time.”

“What are you doing here?” I repeat the question with an edge in my voice.

“Ms. Rogers was getting ready to give her confession. It was all arranged with Birchland.”

I rise from my chair. “Birchland is out, and she’s not confessing. I’m requesting a bail hearing immediately. My client is innocent on grounds of self defense.” I call for the guard to take Elena back to her holding cell. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I tell her. “And try not to worry.”

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