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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781452585574 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Balboa Press |
| Publication date: | 01/10/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 274 |
| File size: | 843 KB |
Read an Excerpt
The Balance
The Awakening of the Goddesses
By Morgan Shores
Balboa Press
Copyright © 2014 Morgan ShoresAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-8556-7
CHAPTER 1
Lilith's alarm clock went off at exactly six o'clock every morning; she reached over and pushed the button and lay back down. As was a habit taught to her by her grandmother, she began her meditation, then her morning affirmations and prayers. She attempted to plan her day; as a detective, her day never went as planned. Today is the final day of the Edwards trial; the key witnesses would take the stand. Pandora Moore would testify that a bottle of oleander extract had come up missing the day Dr. Edwards's wife was in her shop. Dr. Grant Fargo, head of research at UTMB, would explain the side effects from ingesting the extract. Dr. Jeff White, the medical examiner, would give Ms. Brooke's cause of death, and the victim's medical records would be presented to the court, all because Dr. Edwards could not testify against his wife, Pauline. Pauline Edwards is also to take the stand today. Lilith wonders if Pauline would finally admit her guilt. Her attorney showed up before Lilith had enough time to get a confession. Lilith couldn't believe that was over a year ago.
Within minutes, her cell phone was ringing, interrupting her thoughts; she looked at the caller ID and saw it was her partner, Manny Ramos.
"Good morning, Ramos," Lilith answered.
"Good morning. Did you want to meet at the station and ride together to the court house?" Ramos asked.
"Sure, give me about forty-five minutes or so," Lilith said, and then she added, "Hey, it's your turn to pick up breakfast." She laughed as she hung up.
Lilith got out of bed and headed to the kitchen, where she started the coffee pot, and then she went back down the hall to the bathroom and turned on the water for her morning shower. After all, she only lived fifteen minutes from the station, and Ramos had to drive across town and pick up breakfast.
Lilith finished showering and pulled a towel from the rack; she wrapped herself in it and walked into her closet. Today she would wear her navy pinstripe suit with her white cotton blouse. As she dressed, she remembered she had the dream again last night; she had been having this dream occasionally since she was a child. However, the last several weeks, it seemed to occur more often. This time, though, she had a different feeling about it. She knew there was something she was missing. She made a mental note to ask her grandmother about it. Her grandmother was known as the family psychic; she was Lilith's rock and had always been there when she needed advice. Yes, she would call her today and arrange to have dinner with her later this week.
Lilith combed her long brunette hair and pulled it back, and then she began to apply a little makeup, hoping she could cover the dark circles caused from the past few nights' lack of sleep. Lilith loved the way the bluish-gray eye shadow brought out her eyes. Eyes as dark and blue as the midnight sky, her childhood friend Michael used to say.
She had been thinking of Michael a lot lately. She finally realized why. The anniversary of his death was next week. Once again, she blocked the memory from her mind and continued to dress. Lilith looked in the mirror and then mumbled, "That's as good as it is going to get, boys and girls."
Lilith walked down the hall to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. She looked out across the back deck; she knew she needed to water her plants. She picked up her coffee, walked out on the deck, and turned on the water, giving the plants each a drink as she sipped her first delicious cup of coffee; oh, how she loved her coffee.
Lilith noticed the air was heavy this morning, with the threat of a storm in the air; she continued indulging the thirsty flowers.
Lilith looked at her watch and realized she needed to get going; she turned off the water, headed back inside, and locked the door behind her. She rinsed out her cup, put it in the dishwasher, unplugged the coffee pot, and turned off the light.
As Lilith drove down Avenue Q, she saw a young boy on his bicycle; again she was reminded of Michael. She wondered whether he knew he had been her driving factor for joining the force. Lilith had become a detective against her family's wishes.
Lilith's father came from one of the oldest families on the island. He had inherited the family funeral home, which was one of the oldest funeral homes in Texas. Henry George Nolan never seemed to enjoy being a mortician; as the business grew, so did the staff, giving Henry the opportunity to venture into the local political scene. Lucille Rose O'Toole Nolan met her husband at a social during college, and as she tells it, she fell in love with him that night. After they had married, they returned to the island where Henry grew up. Lucille studied art in college, and she sold a few paintings through the years, but mostly she dedicated her life to being a mom and the perfect politician's wife to Henry. Lilith's grandmother, Sarah Marie O'Toole, lived in a small cottage behind Lilith's home. She had moved from Ireland after the death of her husband. Lilith never met her grandfather, but she felt she knew him from the stories her grandmother told her. Sarah Marie often spoke to Lilith about Ireland and the ways of the old country.
Lilith had always been intuitive; her parents called it just a gut feeling, but her grandmother liked to call it the gift. Her childhood friends, Cal and Michael, just thought it was cool. It was always the three of them, until Michael's death. Her parents had called them the three amigos. She remembered that day Michael vanished as if it were yesterday; Cal had encouraged her to tell her parents what she had seen when Michael disappeared. However, her parents always dismissed her visions due to their fear of community opinion; discussions were discouraged, and not spoken of, except with her grandmother. When Michael was missing, she tried to tell her parents about the visions she had seen, of his murder. They didn't believe her until Michael's body was found, and by then it was too late. Lilith recalled that Sunday evening, sitting at the dinner table when the phone rang; her father came back to the table and told them Michael's body had been found. Lilith had often wondered about the events that evening. Her father looked at her in amazement, and she saw fear in her mother eyes. Was it fear for her, or of her? Her grandmother only gazed at her in a loving, knowledgeable way; she reached out, touched her hand, and whispered, "Not to worry, my wee one; you have a gift. It will be our secret." That was not the first time her grandmother had offered her comfort and understanding when her mother would not.
The sixteen-year-old who committed the crime went free. His parents hired a high-priced, high-powered attorney, and if the truth is known, they bribed the judge, so Michael's death went unpunished. Lilith and Cal were both crushed by the events and vowed to become police detectives, as their way of honoring Michael, to solve crimes and punish the guilty, no matter what their social status was.
Lilith and Cal graduated top in their class from Galveston College, where they both had earned a degree in criminal justice. After graduation, Lilith had been offered positions with various police departments but chose to remain in her hometown of Galveston. She joined the Galveston Police Department and worked her way up to detective after three years. Then she was promoted to lead detective, making her the youngest lead detective in the department; her parents were so proud. Cal, on the other hand, had been offered a position with the Dallas Police Department and left the island shortly after graduation. Lilith smiled; Cal was her best friend to this day, and Lilith adored his wife, Devin.
Lilith, reminiscing, arrived at the station as if on automatic pilot at seven forty-five. Exiting her car, she had the strangest feeling she was being watched by someone. She looked around and saw no one; she walked across the parking lot and went into the station. When she entered the elevator, she thought she saw a shadow move in behind her; she looked around but no one was there. Lilith chalked it up once again to the lack of sleep and promised herself she would go to bed early tonight. Exiting the elevator on the detective floor, she saw Ramos pouring coffee. As she sat down at her desk, he tossed a bag of pastries from her favorite bakery to her. She knew it would have one of her favorite treats in it. Opening the bag, she smiled when she saw the lemon tart.
"So today is judgment day for Ms. Edwards," Ramos commented.
Lilith, with a mouth full of lemony filling, could only nod her head.
She wiped her mouth and hands and said, "I was thinking this morning, I wonder how long she'll lie on the stand before she breaks down."
Smiling, Ramos said, "I don't know, she has been pretty rigid about her innocence. How would you like to make a bet?"
"You're on! You know I love taking your hard-earned money. Twenty bucks says she cracks within the first ten minutes on the stand," Lilith teased.
"Okay, deal. I say she'll hold to her, 'Poor me, I do so much good, and people just don't like me. I'm the victim here, just because I'm Mrs. Dr. Anthony Edwards.'" Ramos pranced around with his nose in the air and his head held high, as if mocking the doctor's wife.
Lilith couldn't contain her laughter; she stood up from her desk and said, "Let's go; the court room will fill up fast today, and I don't want to miss the good doctor's wife's performance."
Just as she predicted, when they arrived at the court house, there was a crowd waiting for the doors to open. Luckily, law enforcement had their own parking in the garage, so they could not be harassed by the crowd or the reporters. Lilith and Ramos rode the garage elevator up to the fifth floor, and when the doors opened, Lilith saw Pandora Moore waiting in the lobby. Standing next to her was an attractive young blonde. Pandora saw Lilith and began to wave. Lilith smiled as she approached.
"Good morning, detectives; quite a turnout this morning," Pandora remarked.
Lilith said, "Good morning to you, Ms. Moore, and yes, it is the talk of the town. I expect it will be standing room only in there today."
"Oh, my, I forgot my manners," Pandora said. "Sophia, this is Detective Nolan and Detective Ramos. Detectives, this is my daughter, Sophia."
The three exchanged handshakes. Lilith immediately felt a familiarity.
Pandora added, "Sophia came along for moral support, however; she also works in the university's research department under Dr. Fargo."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Ramos said.
"Yes, you must be very proud of your mother for her contribution to justice," Lilith replied.
"Nice to meet the two of you as well, and I would expect nothing less from my mom. She has nothing but praise for the two of you and how quickly you charged Dr. Edwards's wife for that poor girl's murder."
"Being charged is one thing; let's go in and see if justice will truly be served today," Lilith said.
"Oh, it will be served. Archangel Michael has assured me he is on it," Pandora replied.
Lilith smiled, leading the way; she looked up at Ramos and whispered, "I forgot Ms. Moore was a little different."
Ramos shrugged and said, "She is spiritual in her beliefs. That doesn't make her different; who knows? Archangel Michael may be in the court room today."
Lilith held her laughter and replied, "If he can make her confess and put an end to this trial, bring him on."
As the judge entered, the powerful, booming voice of the tall bailiff called out, "All rise."
As the judge sat, he knocked his gavel on the desk and announced, "Be seated." Then he added, "I warn all of you, if this gets out of hand, I will clear the court room; I will not have another day like yesterday." A hush fell over the room. "Counselor, please call your first witness of the day."
"The state calls Dr. Jeff White, the county medical examiner, Your Honor."
Dr. White testified that they had found traces of the poison oleandrin in Ms. Brooks's system. However, she had died from heart failure, not poisoning.
Next, the State requested that the deceased medical records be submitted as evidence. The judge granted the request, and the state attorney read the report aloud, stating that Ms. Brooks suffered from a mild heart condition.
Feeling smug, the high-priced defense attorney stood and said, "I object, Your Honor. That has no relevance on this case."
The state attorney replied, "If it pleases the court, Your Honor, we're getting to that."
The judge nodded and said, "You better. Over-ruled; call your next witness, counselor."
"Your Honor, the State calls Pandora Moore to the stand."
Lilith watched as Pandora rose; Sophia smiled and squeezed her mother's hand. Again Lilith had a familiar feeling when she looked at Sophia; she disregarded it, as she met lots of people in her line of work.
Pandora was sworn in and took the stand. "Ms. Moore, as owner of the Herb Emporium, you get to know your clients, don't you?" asked the prosecutor.
"Yes, very well, I might add," Pandora answered.
The prosecutor continued, "Ms. Moore, could you tell us the events that took place last year on February 12, when Mrs. Edwards visited your shop?"
"Let's see, it was midafternoon, around three o'clock, when Mrs. Edwards came in for her usual beauty supplies. I remember because I had closed for inventory at one o'clock; I called my regular customers who pick up monthly items and asked them to come in by twelve thirty. Mrs. Edwards placed her order but said she could not make it until around three o'clock. I couldn't close the register out until after I rang her up, due to balancing the books. My accountant gets very upset if I don't balance out the register as one of the inventory processes. I had her order bagged and sitting on the counter for her, so as not to get it mixed in the inventory count. I was finishing up inventory when she came in. You see, most of my inventory grows in my herb garden, much more natural and less to count."
A calm laughter rounded the court room; the judge cleared his throat, and the laughter ceased. The judge said, "Please continue, Ms. Moore."
"Yes, Your Honor. Well, we chatted a few minutes; she was all aglow, telling me of a romantic anniversary she was planning for her and her husband, their thirty-seventh, I believe she said. I had the oleander extract on the counter. I had just counted and logged it on the inventory sheet. You see, I keep it on hand for the UTMB research department, as it is already filtered. Mrs. Edwards was asking all kinds of questions about it; she said she had just read somewhere that it could reverse the signs of aging around the eyes and mouth area. I explained that it is very toxic and would make her very ill if she got it anywhere near her mouth. I also said that if ingested, it can make you feel like you have a severe stomach virus, if it didn't kill you. When Mrs. Edwards left, I noticed a cylinder of oleander extract was missing. I thought I must have miscounted, though I was sure I had thirteen cylinders, and there were only twelve. I looked everywhere and then decided I must have miscounted. I thought nothing else of it until the police showed up and questioned me about the extract. Mrs. Edwards's name was on a list of suspects in the death of that poor dear Linda Brooks."
"Objection, Your Honor, that is the witness's opinion," bellowed the defense attorney.
"Sustained; the jury will disregard the last comment," announced the judge.
"No further questions, Your Honor," said the prosecutor.
The defense attorney stood and asked, "Now, Ms. Moore, how can you be sure that Mrs. Edwards was the only customer that came in after you closed for inventory?"
"After she left, I locked the door and set the alarm. It is listed on the security company's report as 3:19 p.m.; then I closed out the register. It is digital, and it clocked out at 3:20 p.m. I gave the receipt and the log to the state attorney," Pandora said.
The prosecutor picked up three pieces of paper and handed them to the clerk, who in turn handed them to the judge.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Balance by Morgan Shores. Copyright © 2014 Morgan Shores. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
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