Chapter XIX

Looks ...

Stolen looks ...

That was the only personal thing that had happened between the two, during the two weeks they had been working together on Billy's case.

After they were in the courthouse parking lot, and she had offered to help, they had barely spoken.

He had taken her to the motel where Joanna was going to settle ... for now ... Her car had been parked at the entrance to the hospital; after spending the day with Luna, she had decided to go find Billy, walking alone, while thinking how she would react to seeing him ... and above all, what to say to him.

The two, still inside their shells, simply did not let themselves be carried away. Molly's illness caused that all the situations of their lives were veiled by a dark halo, and although they were dying to make the other participate, of what they felt, none felt that it was time to do so ... fundamentally because neither of them knew how the other would react ... for now they would settle for being together and let time go by.

Billy accompanied her to the motel room, and there they said goodbye until the next day ... as if a whole year had not happened, where Billy had not missed missing her ... and she had not just done a lot of kilometers to go back to Millwood.

It was true that the two weeks they had worked together had been a lifeless ... Joanna had been working tirelessly from the beginning, and a few days later she knew all the details of the case at Billy's level ... they had tried everything so that their client could leave the jail while proceeding to the instruction of the case, by the lawyers, but the judge had not admitted it.

While Billy argued with the judge, and investigated on his own with the help of Owen, Joanna was dedicated to interview the two sisters ... There were some disconnections in their statements that he wanted to check ... These "disconnects" caused her some concern because they did not define their relationship very well, with their husbands. According to Mary's statement, her husband was incapable of harming anyone ... but Billy had found in court, a complaint made by their father, about two years ago where he accused him of beating his daughter. The complaint was withdrawn the next day by Mary herself. When Joanna asked, she just said, quickly, that she had been misunderstood. As it seemed, the patriarch of the family, sadly deceased and whose inheritance seemed to be the cause of everything, had never got along well with any of his sons-in-law ...

In Rachel's case, the doubts that Joanna had were at the time of the murder ... there was no clear temporal development that night ... The times she had spoken with her, the hours danced ... she could not specify exactly when she had heard the noise on the ground floor of the house ... the same thing that was not clear to her if her husband was with her in bed when she heard it or not ... Sometimes it seemed as if she wanted to defend her husband all costs, but deep down, it was not clear where he was when everything happened ... Not in vain, many couples did the same. We always defend who we want.

In Rachel's case, the doubts that Joanna had were at the time of the murder ... there was no clear temporal development that night ... The times she had spoken with her, the hours danced ... she could not specify exactly when she had heard the noise on the ground floor of the house ... the same thing that was not clear to her if her husband was with her in bed when she heard it or not ... Sometimes it seemed as if she wanted to defend her husband all costs, but deep down, it was not clear where he was when everything happened ... Not in vain, many couples did the same. We always defend who we want.

Joanna took a breath and slowly read again, the two statements from the women about the last movements of their husbands, while she savored her coffee.

At that moment, the door of the office opened, and Billy entered, just out of court, with the face of few friends.

Joanna looked at him expectantly, while he left the briefcase and the newspaper of the day, on the table, and turned to look at her. A fuzzy smile lit up her troubled face, which Joana came to see, before returning to her frowning expression, and telling her:

- I could not delay the trial ... After tomorrow at 10 o'clock ...

He loosened his tie and leaned on the table. Joanna looked at him sadly.

- Sorry, Billy ... .- I knew that was very bad news. They had nothing but Rachel's statements to defend Adam ... and that was not much. Billy had a hunch that he was innocent ... but there was no proof in favor of that being true ... and yes, some of it was not ...

Billy sighed and nodded.

- How are you going with that?

Joanna shrugged.

- Same ... I am clear that Devin was not an angel ... That complaint and the fact that the father was the complainant gives me a bad spine ... Also, when I was at home I realized that there was no the living room no picture of him ... Many of the family but in no photo of him ... I do not know, it seems strange to me ... .- she shook her head from one side to another- .. it's not that I'm Very sentimental, but it seems to me that if your husband has just died ... it is usually kept in mind ... It is as if she had erased him from her life.

Billy smiled, thinking there was one thing Joanna was right about. I was not very sentimental.

He turned around and picked up the newspaper, sat in his chair, and opened it.

- I need to oxygenate myself before getting back into the case ... .- He looked at Joanna -... we will have to prepare the statements of Rachel and her children ...- her look was lost in the near past-. He had to tell me that he had money problems as soon as he took charge of his defense ... Now the prosecution lawyers will cling to the fact that he had a reason to want to inherit as much as possible.

Joanna looked at him sadly again. She knew that Adam and he had known each other for many years and that this case was personal.

Billy leaned back in the chair and began to read the newspaper calmly, while Joanna kept a discreet silence, continuing with her work.

One news immediately caught his attention ... As he did so, he slowly got up from his chair. Something had clicked in his brain.

He approached Joanna's desk without stopping to read.

-What if...? - He began to say with a dry throat. The pieces of the puzzle had just come together and everything made sense ... although he felt that it had affected him physically. Not only him throat had gone dry, but him heart was runaway, and him face had the whitest white color.

Joanna saw him coming and seeing her expression raised her eyebrows in surprise.

- What if ...? - asked scared -... what's wrong Billy?

He came to his table, left the newspaper and turned around, telling her to read a news, while he began to say:

-The psychiatric hospital where your mother was and the land that was not around, was owned by Adam's father-in-law, and entered into the inheritance ... although I admit, I had not realized ... I guess I would be in the group of Real estate ... He had a few ... - He shrugged.

Joanna started reading.

Joanna started reading.

- So it seems they are going to make a luxury holiday center in the facilities ... A company is going to buy everything .- she opened her eyes amazed-. ... Wow, a lot of money! ...

Billy put his hands on Joanna's desk and said slowly:

- ... what if ... the sale of the hospital is the cause of all this? ... It will take a great injection of money to add to the inheritance ... and frankly after reading so many times the statements of Rachel and Mary ... you always said there was something that did not fit you .- he looked Joanna directly in the eyes, could not help sighing, but he kept talking, trying to keep his composure -... and if they ...

Joanna rose like a spring from her chair, guessing where Billy wanted to go:

- ... they did not want them to put their hands on their money ... one was a ludopath ... and the other ... an abuser ...

Billy grinned and both of them, united in the resolution of the case, said at once:

- Their father's money! They organized everything!

They stared at each other with broken breaths, feeling the rush of truth discovered ... even if they did not have proof, yet, to prove it.

When they were carrying a few seconds like this, they realized that they had fallen into the spell that was trapping them and that it was getting harder and harder to bear ... Their breaths were shaking and their eyes went from their eyes to their lips ... the only one that prevented both from melting into each other's arms was the promise without words that had occurred the day Joanna returned ... the wide oak table that separated them ...

... and at that moment, Luna's impetuous entrance, telling them, with an excited voice, that Taylor has just returned to the city.

To be continue...