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I looked at the letter in my hands ""Bella, I need you to know that I'm not guilty of what they're accusing me. Something happened on the beach that night that I don't yet fully understand. I only hope you'll still be by my side when the truth finally comes to light.""
i sighed.
Nolan walked in.
Me " What do you want? "
Nolan "Well, world peace, but I'll start small. Croissan'wich? Look, when was the last time you ate? Or slept, for that matter? "
I shook my head "I don't have time to sleep. Daniel's about to stand trial for murder and Victoria's circling Amanda as a patsy. "
Nolan sat down next to me "the second they pick her up, she gets arrested, it'll all come out. It's gonna be over for you. "
Me "Takeda has her. She's secure. "
Nolan "For now, but if he finds out you're going against him by trying to get Daniel sprung, well... Takeda just might release the kraken. "
Me "Then I'll deal with it. "
Nolan looked at the note "I wonder what kind of box he'll make you in woodshop. "
Me "Takeda was right about one thing. I lost focus. I became emotionally involved. That won't happen again. "
His phone buzzed and sighed "Jack needs me"
At the Grayson's.
I walked in, sighing "What's going on? "
Ashley "We're waiting for a trial date. "
I looked at the others "Conrad, Victoria"
Brooks looked at us "The People vs. Daniel Grayson will commence the first week of December. "
Conrad nodded "Well, it's as speedy a trial as we could've hoped for, I imagine. "
Victoria "What about revisiting bail?"
Brooks " Unfortunately, we're dealing with a hard-line judge. Barring a life-threatening condition, Rikers will be Daniel's home for the foreseeable future"
Me " I think the best thing that we can do for Daniel right now is to track down Amanda Clarke. "
Victoria "As of this morning, Amanda Clarke is no longer our sole focus. The sketch artist has come up with an equally compelling suspect. "
She handed me the sketch and my stomach dropped.
Ashley looked at it "This looks like Jack Porter. "
--
Victoria "You're friendly with Jack Porter. How well do you know him, exactly? "
I shrugged "Well, how well I know him is gonna be far less important than how he's known around town. Do we really want to suggest to the people who are gonna make up the jury pool that Montauk's favorite son could be the killer? "
