Chapter 14 – Clear conscience

Some weeks had passed and Lily and Flack were watching TV after a long day of work when the doorbell rang. She got the door and was surprised.

'Jenna, hi,' she smiled despite her astonishment. 'Is everything okay?'

'I'm sorry Lily but a girl got sick at the restaurant and I have to cover her shift. I didn't have time to call a nanny, could you look after her for a while?'

'Sure,' Lily ushered the girl inside.

'Oh, you've got company, I'm so sorry. We'll go with a friend …'

'No, it's alright. Really!' Lily nodded. 'Go back to work.'

'Thank you so much! I'll be back in a couple of hours.' The woman said goodbye to her daughter.

With a hand on her shoulder, Lily steered the girl to the couch where Flack was.

'Sally, I want you to meet my boyfriend. His name is Don. Don, this is Sally, my niece,' with a look she vowed to explain later.

'Nice to meet you, Sally.'

The girl looked down, she was shy.

'Have you eaten yet?' asked Lily concerned.

She shook her head.

'You can sit and watch TV with Don while I make dinner, sounds good?'

The girl nodded and sat on the couch.

'I'll help you with dinner,' said Flack. He wanted some answers.

Once in the kitchen he spoke again.

'Your niece? I thought you weren't on speaking terms with your brother.'

'I'm not. It's such a long story!' she pleaded with her eyes. Don't make me do this!

'I've got time.'

'I don't know if you remember but back in high school my brother knocked up a girl. It was quite a story seeing as he went to a catholic school and everything. Troy broke up with her and my parents didn't assume their roles as grandparents. Jenna wanted us in her baby's life anyway, you know? For the kid's sake. She came a lot of times to our home while she was pregnant. After Sally was born, she came with the baby thinking they'd want to become part of her life. But they didn't. I kept in touch with her, though,' she stopped to see his reaction. He was waiting to hear the whole story.

'I visited the baby a few days a week, on her birthday, that sort of thing. I sent her money too, sometimes. From my summer job at first and when I started getting a regular paycheck I sent Jenna every month a small sum. Other times I was her babysitter.'

'How old is she?'

'Twelve.'

'Why did you do that?'

'Keep in touch with them?' he nodded and she continued. 'Look, my brother is a bastard, we've already established that. But this girl has my blood and not only do I want to have a niece, but I want her to have an aunt. Troy must have knocked up dozens of girls during all these years but Jenna was the first one and the one who wanted support from us.'

'So you took over the responsibility your family didn't want?'

'Right now, Sally is the only biological relative I've got. My parents and Troy are dead as far as I'm concerned,' she crossed her arms while waiting for his reaction and for the burgers to get ready.

'It makes you a better person, you know that?' he spoke softly but firmly.

'It makes me feel ashamed that for eighteen years I called that kind of people my family,' her expression hardened.

'You're better than them and both Jenna and Sally know that,' he hugged her.

'I hope so. Lord knows I've tried,' she hugged him back.

A couple of minutes later they emerged from the kitchen with a plate full of fries and burgers and the three of them sat at the table to eat.

'So how's school, Sal?' asked Lily while serving big portions to the girl and Flack.

'Fine. Could you help me with my science homework?' she asked shyly.

'Sure,' her face lit up excitedly. 'It's my field of expertise,' she explained proudly to Don.

He smiled but doubted if Lily was any good at science. Yes, she was smart but science and law were worlds apart. Or at least to him.

After they had dinner Lily helped Sally with her homework. When they had finished they talked for a while and soon Jenna was at the door. After her niece left, Lily went to the kitchen and started doing the dishes. Flack joined her.

'Didn't know you were that good at science,' he said really surprised.

'Why? Because I'm a woman? I'm not smart enough for science?' her tone was icy.

'That's not what I meant. I just thought that working as a lawyer you had put physics and biology behind you, that's all,' he clarified.

'You really think I'm not smart enough?' hurt was evident in her voice.

'Lily …' Flack gave her a look.

'You really think so!' she shook her head. 'Then you'd be surprised to know that …'

His cell phone rang and he took the call. After it finished he got back to the kitchen.

'I have to get to the precinct but what were you saying?'

'Nothing. Go,' she ushered him to the door and sighed. If he only knew …

Some days later Lily and Flack were meeting in a nice little restaurant for their official third date. She'd gotten there five minutes early and grabbed a table. He got there panting and ten minutes late.

'Sorry I'm late, I was caught up in work,' he kissed her cheek and sat opposite Lily.

The waiter came to take their orders and when they were halfway down their dinner his phone rang. Flack took the call and after a brief conversation returned the phone to his pocket.

'That was Danny. We've got a break on our case and I've got to head back to the precinct,' he said with a grimace on his face.

'It's okay. I'll finish dinner and get back to the apartment.'

'I'm sorry,' he kissed her on the lips for a few seconds.

'Go catch a bad guy already!' she smiled to show him she wasn't mad. It was part of the job, after all.

A few minutes later it was time for her phone to ring. Grabbing her purse she left the restaurant. When she got to the precinct she walked straight to the interrogation room where her client was being held.

'What are the charges against Mr. Brown?' asked Lily in a business-like tone.

'He raped a twenty year old girl,' said Danny with disgust.

'There's something called burden of proof, Detective Messer.'

'Oh, I'll give you burden of proof. His DNA was found all over the victim,' he leaned on the table and raised and eyebrow. 'How do you like that for a proof?'

Lily looked at her client who had remained calm during the whole ordeal and spoke with concern etched in her voice.

'May I have a word with both of you, detectives?'

She stood up and directed her steps to the other side of the one-way mirror with both Danny and a still silent Flack following her.

Flack closed the door after him and finally spoke.

'What's the matter?'

'Did he do it?'

'His DNA matched the one we collected from the rape kit and we found some of his pubic hairs on her clothes,' explained Danny.

'Did he do it?' she repeated the question more forcefully.

'Yeah,' both men said in unison.

'What a bastard!' she muttered under her breath. Uncrossing her arms she returned quickly to the interrogation room and stopped the detectives when they were going to enter. 'I need to talk to Mr. Brown.'

Three minutes later she got out.

'Mr. Brown wants to call another lawyer to defend him.'

'Did he dismiss you?' asked Flack. 'That guy's dumber than we thought.'

'I refused to take the case, actually.'

'Um, I'll get back in there, see if he wants to talk anyway,' Danny got back into the interrogation room to give them some privacy.

'Want to tell me what happened? You never drop a case,' he asked worried.

'I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I've defended a lot of scum before, it's true but this guy raped a girl. That is the only crime for which I'll never defend a guilty man,' she shook her head disgusted at the thought of actually having a rapist as a client.

'What's so special about it?'

'Don, I've been spending half my life standing up for women's rights. I defend women who have been victims of abuse at a legal clinic every week, I can't go into court representing the kind of man I always fought against,' her gaze shifted to the floor.

'That's really noble of you, you shouldn't be ashamed,' Flack lifted her chin.

'Noble?' Lily rolled her eyes.

'It shows you have principles, which is more than some of your colleagues can say.'

Flack wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

'What do you say I leave Mess working alone and we both head home, huh?' he knocked twice on the glass, Danny nodded in understanding and the couple left the precinct.

When they got to Lily's apartment, she headed straight to bed – the bed in the guest room, actually. She wanted Flack's body next to her, feel his warmth, wake up with him. He obliged. Not that she had voiced her need, it's just that no words were necessary to communicate between them.

Sorry it took me so long! By the way; is anyone still reading this? If someone is, please let me know through a review or a message. Thank you.