Robin Lane Legal Thriller 03-Blind Trial Read online

  Blind Trial

  A Robin Lane Legal Thriller

  Freya Atwood

  Contents

  Before You Start Reading…

  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

  Epilogue

  Extended Story

  Also by Freya Atwood

  Loved this book so far?

  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

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  About the book

  Robin Lane’s brother is murdered and it’s up to her to find out who did it.

  * * *

  Robin Lane takes a case that could tear her career to pieces. Her young and impulsive brother, Landis, is accused of homicide against her younger brother, Kit. The evidence is overwhelming, but Robin refuses to accept it. Could her family be capable of murder?

  * * *

  As Robin digs up the truth, dark clues come to the surface. And to find out what happened, she has to put her life at risk...

  Chapter 1

  Oh, Brother, What Have You Done?

  I knock on the door and wait. In the last couple of years, I have become closer with both of my brothers, and we are starting to feel like a real family again, but all of that has still not prepared me for what is happening today.

  * * *

  “Robin!” Kit’s face lights up when he answers the door. I look at him and shake my head.

  * * *

  “How do you have a two-year-old little girl already?” I ask, shaking my head some more. I still can’t get my head around the fact that my big brother is a dad.

  * * *

  “Life,” he says vaguely, pulling me in for a hug. I sink into his embrace. He is a changed man since the birth of his daughter. I can’t express just how much I like it.

  * * *

  “Life?” I ask when we part from each other. I stare at him with one eyebrow raised. “Can you be a little less vague, please?”

  * * *

  “You know, just stuff happens, right? To tell you the truth, I still can’t believe it myself. And, I shouldn’t say this, but… actually, I better not. I’ll speak to you about it later.”

  * * *

  “Objection,” I say with a smile. “You can’t leave me hanging like that! Come on, Kit! Tell me, tell me, tell me.”

  * * *

  “Come on, get inside. Landis is already here. He’s excited to see you.”

  * * *

  “As he should be,” I respond with a smirk. “It does feel like he has been gone a long time, but what is it? Three months he was off backpacking?”

  * * *

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  * * *

  “Auntie Robin!” shouts Lizzie as she barrels down the hallway toward me.

  * * *

  “Lizzie!” I scream, scooping her up. “I swear that you are getting taller and taller. Have you grown since the last time I saw you?”

  * * *

  “Yes,” she says. “It’s my birthday today, Auntie Robin. I must have grown because I’m older now.”

  * * *

  “How old are you?” I ask. “Six? Seven? Not ten?”

  * * *

  “No.” She giggles in my arms. “I’m two!” She holds up two fingers as she says it.

  * * *

  “Two! That is so old. Are you going to go to school? Get a job? Start a family?”

  * * *

  “Noooooo!” She throws her head back this time as she laughs, and I feel like the funniest person in the entire world. I wrap my arms tighter around her and snuggle into her neck, taking in her aroma—the smell that you only get from young children.

  * * *

  “Here,” I say, handing the bag to my brother as I hold Lizzie. “You can add that to the present pile.”

  * * *

  “Is that for me, Auntie Robin?”

  * * *

  “Of course. I knew that it was your birthday today and I got you a very special present.”

  * * *

  “Thank you, Auntie Robin.”

  * * *

  I place Lizzie back down on the ground, and she immediately runs off in the other direction. I glance over at my brother, and I can see the obvious pride on his face. Two years ago, I never knew when he would be in trouble next. Now, he is a model citizen, a better father than our own father ever was.

  * * *

  I place a hand on his shoulder, and that causes him to break into a bright smile. “You did good,” I say. He smiles wider, and the two of us walk toward the kitchen. The sounds of people talking waft toward us, with the screaming of children coming from behind where they must be playing out in the backyard.

  * * *

  Landis comes at me as soon as I enter the kitchen. He has managed to grow an impressive beard in the three months that he has been backpacking around Mexico and the other Central American counties.

  * * *

  “You going to shave that fluff off before you start your job?” I ask with a smile.

  * * *

  “That’s what you go to first? No grand reunion with your favorite brother? No running into my arms after all this time? No tears?”

  * * *

  “You were only gone three months,” I say. “And how many times did we speak on the phone? Besides, I talked to you over video chat last night! Come on then; I guess I could give you a hug—you are in my top two brothers of all time.”

  * * *

  Landis grabs me in his embrace, and I squeeze him tight. He’s a recovering addict, two years off of the drugs, mainly thanks to Kit, but his addiction has flared in other ways, and that has manifested through constant adventures. This latest one is the longest he has been away, and I hav
e no idea how he managed to get a job again on his return.

  * * *

  “It is really good to have you back,” I whisper into his ear. “You will stay around longer this time, right?”

  * * *

  “You know me,” he says, another vague answer from one of my brothers. If only he could find a job where he gets to travel constantly, I think that he might find true happiness. As long as he is healthy and relatively happy, I’m happy too.

  * * *

  I have both my brothers here, along with my sister-in-law Debbie and my niece freshly turned two. Growing up, we didn’t have the safety and security that Lizzie will have.

  * * *

  There is a lull in the conversation, and Debbie steps forward, taking the opportunity to get things started now that most of the people have arrived.

  * * *

  “I will call the kids through in a second to sing Happy Birthday and have some cake, but I wanted to run something by all of you before I give it to Lizzie.” Landis hands her a t-shirt. She unfolds it and holds it up. “What do you think? Is this a good color for Lizzie?”

  * * *

  I am the first to scream out. I run to Debbie and hug her. “Are you serious?” I ask.

  * * *

  She nods her head against my shoulder as I cuddle with her. On the front of the t-shirt, it says “Best Big Sister.”

  * * *

  I let go of Debbie and grab my brother next. He holds me tight again, and he doesn’t let go immediately. When he does, his eyes are red, and I find the tears coming to my eyes too. The only thing that I can do is shake my head at him. He replies with a large smile. Before I know it, Kit is there too, and he has embraced the two of us.

  * * *

  “The next one is not due for six months, and we don’t know if it will be a boy or a girl, but we are very excited,” says Debbie. “I’m just glad that we could tell all of you first and that Landis was back to hear the news face to face.”

  * * *

  “It’s amazing,” I say, turning from Kit to Debbie. “Our family is growing.”

  * * *

  “On that note,” says Debbie, taking my arm. She whispers the next part. “When are you going to have some kids of your own?” She does not give me time to answer before she thrusts me in front of a guy who I have not seen before. “Frank, this is my sister-in-law Robin.”

  * * *

  “Robin, I have heard a lot about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you finally.”

  * * *

  I look around to find that Debbie has dashed off. I can’t help but smile, even though my blood is boiling. I turn my attention back to Frank—it’s not his fault that I don’t really want to be with anyone right now after coming out of a long relationship.

  * * *

  “It is nice to meet you too,” I say. “Look, I don’t know what Debbie told you, but I just came out of a relationship, and I’m not ready to date anyone right now.”

  * * *

  “That’s a relief,” says Frank. “I am not interested in you, Robin.”

  * * *

  “Wait, what is that supposed to mean?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.

  * * *

  “Just… how can I put this? Okay, so you are a beautiful, sexy, intelligent woman. You have a good career; from what I hear, you care about your family, you dress well, have obvious confidence, are insightful and wise, put family first, and have a drive to always be better. Do I have that right so far?”

  * * *

  “Yeah, I mean, Debbie has spoken a lot about me, hasn’t she?”

  * * *

  “She loves you. When she found out that I was single, she told me that you would be the perfect woman for me. She’s an astute woman. And having another kid, can you believe that?”

  * * *

  “Wait, so why wouldn’t you go out with me?” I ask, curious and frustrated.

  * * *

  “It doesn’t matter,” he says. “You’re off the market, and I respect that.”

  * * *

  “Yeah,” I say. “Say I wasn’t though, what would stop you from dating me?”

  * * *

  “So, you’re on the market and ready to date again?”

  * * *

  “Sure,” I say.

  * * *

  “Well, I would take you to Luigi’s on Tuesday for pasta and wine, and then we could take a walk through the botanical gardens. They open late on Tuesdays and do some sort of adult night where you can get a glass of wine, and there are no children running around. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, but you need some adult time too, right?”

  * * *

  “Yeah,” I say. “That doesn’t answer my question, though.”

  * * *

  “Sounds like a pretty good date, though, right? So what do you say?”

  * * *

  “I… wait… I don’t understand.”

  * * *

  “One date, and then we can take it from there. No expectations,” says Frank. “Agree, and I’ll tell you why I won’t date you.”

  * * *

  I look wildly around to see if I can find Debbie, hoping to get some help here. I have argued against the best in court, but I feel disarmed. “Tell me the reason and I will consider it.”

  * * *

  “I’ll take that,” says Frank. “Nothing.”

  * * *

  “Nothing, what do you mean nothing?”

  * * *

  “There’s nothing to stop me from dating you. From what I have heard, you would be perfect for me. So, how about it? Tuesday evening? You’re free, right.”

  * * *

  “Is this some weird pickup technique?” I ask.

  * * *

  “I don’t know; is it working?”

  * * *

  “It might be,” I say.

  * * *

  “Then I will give you my number and get out of here before I mess it up. Tuesday, it is.”

  * * *

  “Tuesday it is,” I repeat, unaware of how I have agreed to date again on a whim. It has been two months since I broke up with Logan after finding out that he cheated on me. When you fall off the horse, you should get right back on, right? I’m not sure if that applies to dating, but it makes me feel a little better about my decision.

  When the phone rings, I don’t initially know where I am, and then the familiar wallpaper and bedside table comes into view. I see my alarm clock, and I have to rub my eyes to see the time—six o’clock. No one calls this early unless it is bad news.

  * * *

  I pick up my phone, but my vision is still too blurry to see who is calling.

  * * *

  “Hello,” I manage.

  * * *

  “Robin, it’s Kit. They think that I killed him. You have to get down here.”

  * * *

  “Woah, slow down,” I say. “They think you killed who? Who’s dead?”

  * * *

  “Landis,” says Kit.

  * * *

  I try to process the information. “What do you mean Landis? What’s he got to do with this?”

  * * *

  “Landis is dead, and they think I did it.”

  Chapter 2

  Nothing Makes Sense Anymore

  I leap out of bed, almost tripping as I do. I steady myself, trying to come to terms with what I have just heard. Kit has been arrested, and Landis is dead. My body and mind are working together, moving me forward, helping me to get ready quickly so that I can get down to the police station, but I can’t think about Landis. I won’t believe that he is dead. There has to be some sort of mix-up. Kit must have meant something else.