Cross Justice (Alex Cross 23)

“Nothing for a while. It was just like flirting with each other.”

“And then?”

“It went further,” she said quietly.

“When was this?”

“Like, a few months after Billy Jameson and Tyler Marin overdosed and died, and a week before Stefan killed Rashawn.”

“Objection!” Naomi cried.

“Sustained,” Judge Varney said. “The jury will ignore that.”

“So tell us what happened,” Strong said.

You could see Sharon Lawrence wanted to be anywhere but in the courtroom as she mustered up her energy and said that after the two overdoses, my cousin became obsessed with finding out who the drug dealers were.

“He talked about it in class,” she said. “Asking anybody who knew anything to come forward.”

“Did they?”

“I don’t know. And it didn’t matter anyway, it was all a bunch of lies.”

“Objection,” Naomi said.

“Overruled,” Judge Varney said.

Strong said, “Can you tell us why you think they were lies?”

“Because Coach Tate was the one dealing the drugs,” Lawrence said.

“Objection!”

“Your Honor, with the court’s indulgence, Miss Lawrence will explain the basis of her contention.”

“Proceed, but you’re on a short leash, Counselor.”

“What makes you think Coach Tate was dealing drugs?”

“He told me,” Lawrence said. “He showed me.”

“Where were you when this happened?”

“At his place.”

“How did you come to be at his house?”

“At school that morning, he’d asked me to stop by,” Lawrence said. “He said Ms. Converse would be down in Raleigh at a doctor’s appointment.”

I glanced over at Patty Converse, who looked stricken.

Strong said, “And Coach Tate showed you drugs?”

“Yes.”

“Did you do drugs with Coach Tate?”

“Yes.”