Propensity For Love (A Brooks' Family Values Series Book 3) Read online

  "We got the message, Mr. Brooks," Detective Ryan stated. "Please accept our apology for interrupting you on such a sad occasion." He hit his partner on the shoulder. "Let's go, Burke."

  Robert Burke glared at Vernon. "Your brother is not going to be able to get you out of this, Brooks. I will be watching your every move. Give me a reason and I will arrest your ass on the spot. I don't give a damn who your brother may be."

  "I believe that sounded like a threat, Detective Burke, is it?" Calvin and JD walked out of the study and took the card from James' hand.

  "Robert Burke." JD looked up from the card.

  A shocked Burke looked up. "Mr. President."

  "Yes," JD replied. "I happen to be a friend of the family. I would take it as a personal favor if you resume your intimidation tactics on another day."

  "What the President is saying," Calvin stepped in, “is this is the day of the funeral. We in no way want to interfere in the investigation. However, this is the day Mr. Brooks has laid his wife to rest. We would appreciate it if you could ask your questions tomorrow." He pulled out his card. "Here's my card. If your Commissioner has any issues about this slight delay, please have him give me a call."

  "Yes, sir, Mr. Attorney General, Mr. President. Will you come to the station tomorrow, let’s say around ten?" Ryan asked as Burke stared at them.

  "He'll be there at nine," JD replied as he shook Ryan's hand. "Thank you, Detective," he said to Ryan, then looked at Burke. "Bedside manner," he said to Burke. "Have a good day."

  Burke and Ryan walked out the open door to their vehicle, which was parked in the circular driveway. They climbed into the vehicle before either of them spoke.

  "I told you this was a bad idea before we left the station." Ryan shook his head as he drove down the long driveway to the double gates.

  "Who gives a shit?" Burke grumbled.

  "You will when the Chief gets a call from the Commissioner."

  "He gets questioned like any other suspect."

  "But he's not any other suspect, Burke. He's Vernon Brooks and like it or not he is connected. Well connected as you can see."

  "That doesn't mean he gets away with murder."

  "No, but look at what we have so far. I'm not convinced he's our guy."

  "He was standing over the freakin’ body with the murder weapon in his hand."

  "True, but you heard the recording on his phone. He spotted the body when he entered the house."

  "How do we know that is exactly what happened," Burke questioned. "He could have made the recording after he killed his wife."

  "Why would he call the police if he did it?"

  Burke turned to his partner in disbelief. "Haven't you ever heard of a plot? He staged the scene, made the call and waited until he knew the patrol car was on its way, then he started the recording."

  Ryan shook his head. "That's a mighty elaborate plot."

  "Well, we are talking about Vernon Brooks," Burke said as he looked at the estate as they passed by. "The way I see it, he had motive, opportunity and he definitely has the means."

  "I don't know, partner. It sounds like you have something against this guy because he has money. The point is both of us know when we have suspects of a certain status we handle them a certain way. Showing up on their doorsteps on the day of the man’s wife's funeral was a bad call." He sighed.

  Burke watched as the house disappeared. "I'm taking his ass down, one way or another."

  #

  "The last of the guests are gone," Naverone said from the bottom step of the veranda. "Taylor is in for the night."

  Vernon sat at the table looking out on the gardens. The sun had set, the staff was cleaning the area and Naverone was still keeping her distance from him. He’d noticed it all day. When they all gathered at the house earlier that morning, he knew that Naverone stayed outside by the car. Granted, she was Taylor's body person. And that’s where she needed to be. However she was also a woman who he had chosen to be in his life. He needed her by his side much more than Taylor would ever need her. She was his power source, the force that got him up and helped him make it through the days this past week. From the loss of his wife, the humiliation of being arrested, to the devastation of Nick's injuries, Naverone had been his beacon, his own ray of light to guide his way through this trying day. Yet she remained out of reach.

  "Why don't you come up and have a seat. You've been on the run all day."

  Naverone looked around, hesitating as she thought about what her next move should be. If she got anywhere near him, she was going to touch him. As much as she wanted to comfort him, she did not want to overstep her boundaries. She did not want to disrespect his deceased wife in anyway. This was the woman's home. Her mother taught her to never disrespect another woman's home. The karma will come back on you.

  "You know, I think I'm going to call it a day and head home."

  “But not before you tell me why you have been avoiding me all day."

  "I haven’t been avoiding you. I have been keeping my distance from you, but not avoiding."

  Vernon nodded in agreement as he looked off to the side in the distance. He brought his eyes back to hers. It didn't matter how dark it was outside, he could always capture her eyes. "I'll concede to the word distance. Now I need you to tell me why."

  "I'm not going to disrespect your wife's memory by being with her husband in her home."

  "Technically, this hasn't been her home in years. Being Taylor’s manager, she made her home in Atlanta five years ago." He looked around. “This address may have still been on her driver’s license and on her major documents but this hasn't been home for a while."

  "This is where you and Connie lived together as man and wife. This is where you raised your daughter, together. This was her home. And I will not disrespect the memory of that."

  "Will you come up and take a seat to just talk to me before you leave?"

  Naverone hesitated then took the four steps leading to the veranda's landing. She took a seat next to him. As soon as she crossed her legs he pulled her chair closer to him.

  "I have one point that I want to make and one question for you to answer."

  She nodded her head. "Okay."

  "First and foremost you need to know Connie and I never lived as husband and wife."

  A confused Naverone frowned at him. "Excuse me?"

  Vernon laughed at her expression. It was the first time all day that he actually felt laughter down in his soul. "Okay, let me try this again. Connie and I never consummated our marriage. Before we were married Connie broke my number one cardinal rule. She broke my trust. Once that trust is broken it’s not easy to get it back. I will be the first to admit I did not try and maybe that was my downfall. But I couldn't bring myself to ever touch her again. I married Connie for one purpose only and that was to be an integral part of my child's life. I did not want Taylor to grow up wondering who she was. I wanted her to have the benefit of both her mother and her father in her life."

  "You mean to tell me, you and Connie have been living under the same roof for 21 years and you never touched her?"

  "No." Vernon drank his wine. Suddenly, they both fell out laughing.

  When they finished, Naverone wiped the tears from her eyes. "You have lived a sad life."

  "Not really," Vernon said. "I had my family and my daughter." He shrugged his shoulders. "After I caught Connie with her first lover, I have to admit I went a little wild. I did not rein things in until my brother caught me in bed with his wife."

  "The first time you told me about that, I thought it was a wonder he didn’t kill you. James may be quiet, but there is an element of danger beneath his exterior."

  "Oh, there is," Vernon, laughed as he turned and pointed to a balcony off to his left. "He held me over the balcony, right there. My father had to pry his fingers from around my throat. He made James pull me up. The railing I was clinging to was about to break but my dad wasn't strong enough to pull me up on his own. I wish he had. James
pulled me up over the bannister then threw me across the floor, bare assed and swinging in the wind."

  Naverone laughed at the visual. "Putting a visual to it makes it hilarious."

  "That's why the family gets such a big laugh out of it." He paused. "But it cost me my brother for years. I don't ever want to experience that kind of loss again."

  "I don't think you will, but you do have an uphill battle with this case."

  "I'll beat it. It's going to cost me my reputation, I'm sure. But I didn't kill her. And I have to believe the justice system will work."

  "Why, Vernon Brooks, don't tell me beneath all the big talk is a man who believes in the sovereignty of justice?"

  Vernon smiled. "I do."

  "But you are a defense attorney. You get the bad guys off."

  "No. That's not what I do at all. The scale of justice is balanced. The prosecutor and the defense have the weight in their hands. To find justice we have to put all the evidence on the scale and pray that the truth will balance out. When you go to trial the evidence is the evidence. The trick is how you present that evidence to the judge or jury. The prosecution gives their version of events and I give mine. More often than not, I do my job a lot better than the prosecutors do theirs."

  "And why is that?"

  "My motivation is different. Every time I defend a client, I look at it as me defending myself. Each time I free a client, I've freed myself from one monstrous thought or another."

  "You can't have that many bad thoughts."

  "I can and I do." He sat forward and exhaled. "The more I learn about Isaac Singleton, the more I learn about who I am."

  "You are nothing like Singleton."

  "No, listen. I am. What saves me from crossing that line is I had a balance, with my parents. Singleton did not. This is how I know we can beat him. All I have to do is let my mind cross that line. How far would I go to get what I want? We know Singleton wants his inheritance. Once his father died, there were certain obstacles to him getting that inheritance; his mother and Bobby's mother. Now, it's Bobby and me. He thinks he has me because of this charge. Once this is done he's going to go after the kid. I know it."

  "We know he's tried it once. You think he will try it again?"

  "He has to," Vernon stated. "To reach his goal he has to eliminate two obstacles. Me and Bobby."

  "Bobby should be on notice," Naverone stated.

  "I agree, but so should Isaac."

  "What do you mean?" Vernon smiled. Naverone gave him a side eye. "What are you up to?"

  "I think Bobby is taking a closer look at his mother's death. I believe he will find the evidence to prove Isaac killed his mother."

  Naverone frowned. "You think the kid will go after Isaac."

  "I hope not. I'm not sure he has what it will take to bring the man down. And I don't want the kid to get hurt. I do, however, want him distracting Isaac while this case is pending. It could give us time to find the evidence we need to prove I'm innocent."

  "We'll do it. We'll find the evidence."

  Vernon reached out and pulled her onto his lap.

  "You know I could have stopped you, right?"

  "If you had wanted to, but you didn't." He rubbed his hands up her thighs. "You know I’ve been dying to get up underneath this dress all day."

  "Is that right?" She straddled him in the chair. "Mr. Brooks, I'm so wired up, you wouldn't be able to handle me tonight."

  He pulled her lips to his. "Is that a challenge, Rene?"

  Her lips touched his as she spoke against them. "Fact, Vernon. I want you more than the next breath. But not here and not now. I want you free and clear. No baggage from a bad marriage, or a murder charge. Can you respect that?"

  He ran his tongue over her lips and parted them. His tongue entwined with hers, in the sweetest, most sensuous kiss he had ever experienced. Then he slowly pulled away.

  "Yes." He pulled her ponytail. "Are you staying at your place in Quantico or going back to Richmond?"

  She sighed from the sensations that were still swirling inside from the kiss. "Quantico until this ordeal is over."

  He kissed her cheek, allowing his hands to roam up her thighs to her behind. He jerked his hand back and pulled up the front of her dress. "Where are your panties?"

  She pushed her dress down. "There was a small problem at the burial site. I ripped them taking care of it, so I took them off and threw them away."

  "You've been walking around here all day in that dress with no panties on?"

  "Yes." She grinned. "Nice of you to notice."

  "Rene Naverone, you are scandalous."

  "I know."

  Chapter Seven

  "This is that case," Maddie expressed. "You know, the one that will make or break you as a political candidate."

  "You say that as if concerned, Maddie." Neal sat back in his chair. "You don't think I can beat Vernon Brooks?"

  "I have no idea. Vernon isn't who you are up against. The defense attorney is James Brooks."

  "Yes." He sat forward, pulling a document up on his computer. "From what I've read the man hasn't stepped foot in a courtroom since law school. I doubt if he knows courtroom etiquette. He's been what, a commissioner appointed by the governor, then campaign manager for Harrison and now he's a political advisor. Please--explain why I should be the least bit concerned with James Brooks in a courtroom?" He all but laughed.

  Maddie delivered a humorous huff. "Neal, only an unintelligent man underestimates their opponent. This is the first time I've ever considered putting you in that category." She stood, closed her tablet, then glared at him. "Do me a favor, while your team is building your case against Vernon, take a good look at James Brooks, the man, before you dare to enter a courtroom against him." She raised an eyebrow, then smirked as she walked out.

  Neal watched as she walked out the office. Everyone thought he selected her as his political advisor just to sleep with her. The truth was, he saw the depth of her knowledge and the drive to win during her interview. He could get a sleeping partner anywhere on any day. What he wanted was a political office and Madison Gresham could give him that.

  He picked up his phone. His secretary answered. "Give me everything you can find on James Brooks. All his court cases, interviews and news articles. Then send Murdock in here." He hung up the telephone.

  #

  Bruce Murdock was the lead prosecutor in the homicide division. It could be due to the fact that he had no life outside the office, or that he ranked in the top ten graduates from Brown, or that he came from a long line of litigators. All would be valid reasons for his success rate; however, the truth of the matter was Bruce was good because he believed in the justice system. He believed in punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent. Unlike his current boss, whose guilt or innocence judgment depended on which argument would get him a spot on the six o'clock news or on the front page of the newspaper. Kirkland’s take on a case changed with public opinion and everyone knew how often that changes.

  "Did he give you a reason why he took the Brooks case?" Bruce’s assistant Jasmine Clarke asked as they went over the results of the docket hearings from the night before.

  "No," Bruce replied without looking up from the files. "He just rode in with the merry pipers known as the media behind him and declared the judge should recuse himself."

  "He actually said that to the judge?"

  "Not in those exact words, but yes." Bruce placed another file on the pile in front of Jasmine.

  Jasmine pulled another file from the pile. "Vernon Brooks is a big name and the fact that his brother will be defending him will surely bring the media into the courtroom. I'm sure it has nothing to do with your ability to handle the case, Bruce."

  Bruce looked up. "You think my feelings are bruised?"

  "I know they are." Jasmine gave him a sideways gaze as she smirked.

  "When was the last time Kirkland handled a case in court?"

  Jasmine thought. "I've been here three years and I can't
say I ever remember him in court."

  "That's because he hasn't been in court since he was elected DA. Who do you think he's going to ask to second chair this case?"

  "If he was smart, you. However, we know Joelle Michaels will be his second chair. He'll find a way to make you work the case, without being in the courtroom."

  Bruce picked up another file, knowing she was right and continued to work. "I'm not sure he has much of a case."

  Jasmine frowned. "I thought Brooks was found standing over the body with a gun in his hand."

  Bruce nodded. "He was, however, there was no blood on his clothing and there is a recording of his steps when entering the home."

  "So why is Kirkland taking the case?" Jasmine looked up, confused.

  "You want the politically correct answer or an honest one?"

  "Honest."

  "I think he's going to try to put Vernon Brooks behind bars on GP."

  "Come on, just on general principle?"

  "Yep. The man has beat us on every case he represents. Think of the political boost he will get for putting a member of the prestigious Brooks family behind bars."

  There was a knock on the door before it opened. "Excuse me, Mr. Murdock. DA Kirkland would like to see you in his office," A young woman stated as Jasmine looked over her shoulder and Bruce looked up.

  "Thank you." Bruce stared at Jasmine as she turned to look at him. "Don't say it."

  Jasmine shrugged her shoulders as she picked up another file. "I'll begin the preliminary investigation into the case."

  Bruce pulled his suit jacket on. "Bet you dinner, Vernon Brooks is not guilty."

  "I know two things, Bruce. Kirkland is about to use you and I never take frivolous bets."

  #

  Bruce knocked on the door.

  "Enter,” Neal responded.

  Bruce stood in the doorway. "You needed to see me?"