Spencer Adams Legal Thriller 01-Frozen Truth Read online

  FROZEN TRUTH

  A Legal Thriller

  FREYA ATWOOD

  Contents

  About the book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Extended Story

  Loved this book so far?

  Also by Freya Atwood

  About the Author

  Two Exciting Gifts Await You

  Thank you for purchasing my book! It means so much to me and it strongly encourages me to keep writing.

  As a gift for your loyalty, I have written a book for you called “The Price of Justice”. It’s only available to people who have downloaded one of my books and you can get it for free by clicking this link here.

  And let me not forget about a second gift that you can get for free on Amazon!

  “Pursuit of Justice” is available for all of you by clicking this link here.

  Freya Atwood

  About the book

  A case of murder brings Lawyer Spencer Adams, face to face with her past. The battle with herself is indescribable…

  Kevin, a man with a powerful influence on social media is accused of killing his girlfriend. Spencer enters the court fight, becoming the focus of social outcry. But she has a sacred duty: Justice for the dead.

  Everything is videotaped, but the Internet world is here to trap us. If Spencer doesn’t want to lose a loved one again by her own mistake, she must be very careful.

  The truth can freeze the blood..

  Chapter 1

  The slow jazz music was being squeezed out of the air by the sound of semi-silent chatter all around me. I tried to listen, drinking in all the noise along with my beer. There was no one interested in talking to me at that moment, and I loved it. I turned to the man behind the counter as he continued to show off his impressive skills with the bottle, flipping it and drawing the attention of everyone on the other side of the counter. I watched as well, seeing the bottle roll the length of his forearm, threatening to fall. But he caught it right in time.

  The move drew a yell from the onlookers as they clapped for the bartender who smiled and prepared for his encore. The bar was well lit, but not to the point where all the light blinded the customers. A few bulbs here and there, the neon lights placed strategically, flashing intermittently. The stools were comfortable too, almost as though they had become the perfect place for one to sit for hours on end, drowning themselves in the cool embrace of alcohol.

  I took another long sip of my bottle and felt the liquid on my tongue. I held for a few seconds, allowing the bitter taste to really sting me, and then I swallowed it. A memory of when I had first tried alcohol flashed through my mind. I was just a little girl taking a huge gulp of my father’s beer. It was the vilest and most disgusting thing I had ever tasted, and I could not understand how the old man could bring himself to drink something so vehemently bitter and aggressive to the taste. It made no sense to the child who loved sugar.

  But as time went on, the lie behind the taste of sugar began to fade away, giving way for the truth that everyone who is an adult knows. Life is bitter; just like the man at the end of the bar, a mean drunk who will not stop punching, even when he is down. Life is bitter, so much that even the sweet things do not seem to make much of a difference. There is no taste in the sweet things, and the only place I could feel something was in the same vile liquid that my father loved so much.

  “If you keep brooding like that, Spencer, we are going to have to sign you up for the replacement Batman or something!” Melody spoke, getting my attention as she sat next to me.

  I turned to the woman and smiled at her. She was the one person who knew me, who understood why I am how I am, and despite all my bitterness, Melody has stuck by my side. Not just as a coworker, but as a friend. Melody McVoy is the best friend a person could ask for.

  “Well, I am the vengeance, and it is nighttime,” I replied, drawing a laugh from her.

  The group laughed, and Melody and I turned to look in the direction of the rest of our coworkers, listening to one of them rattle off a story which we all knew too well. Alejandro had come into work early, looking to play a prank on his colleague and decided to duct tape his chair to the ceiling. He did it and waited for his target to show up, but apparently, they took a sick day. However, the DA decided that it would be a good day to visit at that moment, and when he did, the chair fell off the ceiling and got him right over the head.

  “They pretty much crucified this guy, man!” Cornell exclaimed as he told the story excitedly. “He was grilled for weeks on end. The DA was fine, and heck, he was a bit of a prankster himself, but this was the one that literally almost killed him. Funny thing is, we haven’t seen Alejandro do another prank since then!”

  Cornell took another sip of his drink before he spoke. “You know another crazy story of two partners who used to work with us? This one is a little grim, but you need to hear this, hilarious stuff.”

  Someone I didn’t know tapped Cornell on his shoulder, trying to get him to be quiet, but the alcohol seemed to be doing its very best, working double time on the man. Cornell shrugged him off and laughed, turning to Jermaine who seemed to be enjoying the spotlight. “So, are you ready to hear the craziest story to come out of the office?”

  “Big time Prosecutor Spencer Adams, really hot stuff. You do not want to be on the opposing side with this woman, Hell no. Hell to the no, and that is just because you know how good she is at her job.”

  I felt a sick knot begin to form in my stomach as I stared at Cornell, hoping he would shut up and go back to his seat, but he had become unhinged and wanted to tell his story. The others sitting beside him refused to make eye contact with me, but they listened either way, and so did I, looking for the perfect chance to either cut him off, or smash the bottle over the side of his face when he crossed the line in front of him.

  “So, a couple of years back, Adams and her partner, I can’t remember the name, but she’s on the board of the fallen right now. Newest addition to it, cause all of the others there had either died of some sickness or were just really old members of the DA’s office who passed on. But it was totally different in this case,” Cornell continued.

  “I’m talking about the old one. Lee Park, yeah. That was her name. Sweetest thing, tough as nails. Adams and Park would rip through any defense, and they would not rest until they had gotten the jury and judge on their side, heck, they’d make you confess to murder right there. They were an unstoppable pair, but the one thing about those two was that they loved to get their hands dirty.”

  “So, Park decided that it would be a good idea to go check out one of the suspected homes of the drug dealer who they had been trying to put away. She walked right into the lion’s den, all on her own, looking for clues. One of the dumbest things I have ever seen, and yet, straight out of an action movie. To put it softly, let’s say Lee Park parked her last car that day.” Cornell finished off, laughing loudly at his pun. He managed to get a few groans from everyone at the table, and looked around, wondering why.

  I grabbed my bottle and began laughing hysterically, as though the pun was something worthy of a professional stand-up comedian. I began walking toward the table, knowing I would be able to knock a fair amount of his intoxication out of his head with the right strike to his temple. Cornell stared at me, wondering why I was the only one laughing. He spotted the bottle in my hand, just as Melody got in front of me and pushed me back to a stool behind me.

  “You better put that away before you hurt someone, Spencer,” said Melody.

  “Oh, I think you understand that is my intention right now.”

  “Fuck Cornell, he’s an asshole. Don’t let him get to you, just focus on other stuff, okay?” Melody added. She gingerly took the bottle away from me and placed it back on the counter. “Look, I know things are rough, and I can’t even begin to help you with everything you have to go through, but, Spence, you know I’m here for you, right?”

  I sighed, shaking my head. “I need to use the toilet.”

  I walked past Cornell, refusing the urge to bump shoulders with him, knowing just how upset that would make me. I walked into the toilet and grabbed some tissue and shut the stall behind me, feeling the weight of everything. A lot of people were not aware, but Lee was not just my partner, she was the woman I was in love with. And on the day she died, she had gone in, because I was too lazy to get off my own ass and go instead of her. I was meant to die that day, not Lee. I let that happen to her, and I would have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life.
r />   I felt the tears roll down my cheeks and I turned on the cold water in the faucet, dousing my face in the cold liquid until I felt numb and the tears mixed with the water. I felt a bit of the water on my lips and I tasted it, and felt the bitterness. This is my life.

  I walked out of the toilet a few minutes later after I was certain that my face was dry and the signs that I was crying are gone. There is still some redness to my eyes, but that can always be blamed on the alcohol. I walked up to the counter and asked for another bottle, and the bartender got it immediately. He put down the bottle and I twisted the top and threw the contents into my mouth, hoping it would drown out the feeling of pain and bitterness that lingered inside of me.

  I saw Melody in the distance, her black hair bobbing and weaving through people as she stepped out of the toilet, searching for me. I considered calling out to her, but the sound of the music was too high, and I knew my voice wouldn’t carry. So, I just stared at her, watching as she looked from face to face, trying to figure out where I am. I have known Melody since law school.

  She was a year beneath me, but was one of the most hard-working people I had ever met. Lee and I would usually run into her at the library, and after multiple meetings, we became friends.

  We had only recently started working together, as I had a long period after Lee’s death that I did not feel the desire to do anything else. I let someone else take over the case as I fell into depression.

  Melody spotted me and began shuffling through the crowd toward me again, she smiled at me and picked at something at my jaw. “You got a bit of tissue on your face. I understand the term shit-faced, but that doesn’t mean you have to wipe your face when you are drunk.”

  “Oh, I get it, thanks,” I replied, smirking at the comment. “I’m not drunk yet, regrettably. Do you have something that can instantly make me feel like that?”

  “Saw a guy by the door on our way in, I can bet my ass he sells coke, want to try some?” Melody replied.

  I laughed and she took a seat next to me, realized that there is a jacket on it, and moved to another one. The bartender moved the same bottle Melody had started with, setting it before her in her new seat. He gave her a subtle wink before he wandered off to serve others. I noticed the wink and raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. “What was that about?”

  “What was what about?” Melody shot back, taking a swig of her drink and looking back at the bartender. “He’s hot, and I think he wants my number.”

  “Are you going to give it to him?”

  Melody stared at him and bit her lip for a moment. He turned and made eye contact with her and she looked away, blushing hard. “Yeah, he might have to work for it, but yeah, I am definitely letting him have my number. Did you see that jawline?”

  I turned to take another look at the bartender and realized that the young man really does look hot. “Yeah, you two look like you’d have a lot of fun. Dammit.”

  I looked down at the bottle in my hand and realized that it’s empty. I considered ordering another bottle, but from the time on my watch, it’s already late, and I had to get to work by morning. So I decided to do shots instead, looking at the bartender who seemed to want to respond to every single order we make instantly. He put out two shot glasses and poured out for Melody and me.

  “It’s on the house, enjoy,” he said in a deep baritone.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. I just realized I have never heard his voice, and the fact that it sounds that good is simply amazing,” Melody swooned.

  The sound of loud horns reached our ears and we turned to the window on the far side of the bar that gave a glimpse of the road outside. A man is standing in the middle of the road with a camera. He spoke into the camera, but no one inside of the bar can hear him. From what I can tell, the man was visibly distressed and looked as though he was scared of something. A car barely missed him and brakes before it hits a nearby fire hydrant. The driver jumped out and yelled obscenities at the man as he rushed toward the door of the bar.

  As he pushed the door open, a man at the door hurried up to him and grabbed him, asking if he is okay. Melody and I watched, transfixed by what we have just seen. The man was out of breath and seemed to be fine, but the sound of police sirens startled him. The sirens are seemingly far away but drawing closer to the building. The man pulled free and turned off the camera, frantically looking around the bar and yelling, “I have to go! I have to go.”

  He began to run for the back of the bar, looking to get away. But a few men stepped in front of him, not certain if the man is a crook or trying to escape the police. Jermaine got to his feet and walked up to the guy, “Hey, you need to relax, man. Whatever it is, as long as you talk to the police, everything should be all right.”

  “Get out of my way!” he yelled.

  Jermaine stood his ground, refusing to move. “No. If you did something wrong, you are going to have to pa–””

  The man shoved Jermaine backward with such force, the drink in his hand went flying to the ceiling and Jermaine hit the floor. The doors of the bar flew open and the police rushed in, one of them holding up a badge. I looked at his face and instantly recognized him. Detective Bingwen of the Seattle Police. He ordered the officers to cuff the man who had come in from the street and he watched as the man was read his rights.

  “Sorry for the disturbance, people, just in a day’s work. Get back to it,” Bingwen said after the man was taken away. “You okay?”

  Jermaine nodded slowly, and I smiled a little knowing that seeing him fall like that is the most hilarious thing I have seen in a long time. It would have been better if it was Cornell, but the man is too much of a coward to even stand up to anybody.

  The entire bar was shaken by the event, with a few people actually leaving. I watched, overhearing small pockets of conversation as they deliberate on what exactly had happened. A young girl at the far end of the bar seemed to have the most information about the entire debacle, but I’m too far away to hear her.

  I turned back to the bar and saw that Melody and the bartender were giggling by themselves, already recapping their version of the event that just occurred. I wanted to care and be bothered by all that has just occurred, but I had more to worry about.

  I shut my eyes and allowed the music to move through me, remembering the nights like these, the ones that were fun. There were so few, and they only existed in the relatively short amount of time I had spent with Lee. I had not known any of the goodness all of my life. As a foster kid, I moved through different families, seeing the worst of humanity, and often wanting to end it all. But I had kept my head high and done my best. I thought if I worked hard and got a great job, I would find happiness.

  It seemed to work for the while I had Lee, but even that was taken away from me. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Melody staring at me. The music has been turned down from the upbeat songs that were on to a more relaxed jazz. There were less people in the bar than when I had shut my eyes, and I realized that I had fallen asleep.