Beyond Innocence Read Free Page A

travel out of state. She said she’d only be gone a few days, but she really had no idea what to expect. She purchased her flight, leaving the return trip open. Marion drove her to the airport.
    “Do you want me to come with you?”
    Serena almost said yes. She hadn’t been back to Dallas since she’d first stepped on a plane, a week after her thirteenth birthday. As reluctant as she was to leave her life behind on that day, she was just as scared to return to it now. Although she’d resisted making connections here, she’d managed to weave her way into the lives of the couple who’d adopted her. But one thread remained unraveled, back in Texas. Eric. For a few months after she’d been whisked away to Florida, they’d written letters back and forth. Hers, timid descriptions of her new life in a distant place. His, thinly veiled missives of resentment. Eventually, one or both of them realized that no matter how they tried, they weren’t connecting. The letters stopped. If the Clarks had ever moved, Eric wouldn’t have been able to reach her that first time. He’d explained on the phone how he’d kept her last letter. How tenuous their family tie must be, reliant on a simple fact of geography.
    The gate attendant called her boarding group. She rose to join the cattle call, wishing she’d purchased a book to distract her from thoughts of Eric during the flight home. As if he could read her mind, the gentleman who’d been sitting next to her offered her his newspaper. “I’m about to toss this. Would you like it?”
    She smiled and accepted the paper. Within moments after boarding, she was completely immersed in an article about a recent conviction that had been overturned because of prosecutorial misconduct and the organization that had won the appeal. Hope renewed, she started making notes and planning a strategy to help Eric. She would not give up without a fight.
     
    *
     
    Cory opened the door a crack, but only because she couldn’t figure out how to disable the doorbell. The Nelson hearing had been five days ago, and she hadn’t spoken to a soul since she’d been placed on indefinite leave. Melinda Stone, hands on her hips, dripping wet from the rain, said, “Thank God, I was about to melt. And I was almost certain I could smell your rotting corpse. What’s for dinner?”
    Melinda has always made her dizzy, from the first moment they met as 1Ls in law school. The last thing she needed right now was an infusion of her energy. Needed or wanted—Cory wasn’t sure of the difference. Didn’t matter. She’d get rid of her quickly. What the hell was she doing here anyway? Cory didn’t open the door any wider. “I’m alive, but I’m really busy.”
    Melinda pushed her way in. “You’re barely alive and you’re not busy at all. You’re about to have your license suspended, and word on the street is that you’re letting it happen. Where’s the tiger I remember? She wouldn’t go down without a fight.” She rubbed Corey’s chin. “Where’s my tiger? Where is she?”
    Cory pushed her away. “Not funny. I think you have me mistaken for someone else. Some other victim who might actually desire your house calls. Seriously, Mel, I have stuff to do.”
    Melinda shook her head, conveying her opinion that Cory was pathetic, and walked into the kitchen. “You look like shit. When’s the last time you washed your hair?”
    “I washed my hair this morning,” Cory protested. She hadn’t felt like combing it though, and the dark strands hung like thick ropes around her face. She looked down at her usually lanky frame. Her sweats hung in loose folds. She’d definitely lost a few pounds. She was a tall, skinny, shaggy, former lawyer. Dressed like a homeless person. Appropriate.
    As Cory watched, Melinda riffled through a few drawers, finally uttering an “ah ha” when she located the plastic folder housing a variety of takeout menus. She thrust her find toward Cory. “Pick one. It’s on me.”
    Cory