Frank shook his head. “I’m not sure I did the right thing when I argued for the death penalty.”
“You told me that you thought he was guilty.”
“Oh, he killed Prescott. It’s just…”
Frank shook his head again. Katherine wrapped her arms around him and he laid his cheek against hers.
“I love you,” Frank said.
“Ditto,” Katherine answered as she hugged him tighter.
Frank pulled back. “Hey, watch out. You’re squashing Frank Junior.”
“You mean Nelly Melville.”
Frank patted Katherine’s stomach, where her baby bump had just started to show.
“That’s definitely a boy.”
“You wish,” Katherine said. Then they kissed again and Katherine steered Frank toward the stairs that led to their bedroom.
“Get changed and I’ll get dinner.”
“Okay,” Frank said, smiling because he knew that he was the luckiest man in the whole wide world.
By the time Frank came down to dinner, the fate of Jose Alvarez was only a faint source of discomfort. By the end of the next week, he was deep into the prosecution of a gangbanger who had murdered a rival gang member and Jose was a distant memory.
CHAPTER TWO
1997
After the Alvarez case, Frank started losing enthusiasm for his work, and two years after Jose Alvarez was sentenced to death, Frank Melville left his job at the Multnomah County district attorney’s office for a partnership in the law firm of his old friend Lawrence Trent.
Frank found that he had a knack for personal injury work and he felt good every time he got a judgment for someone who needed the money to help them on the road to recovery from an accident.
Frank also took on the occasional criminal case. The reputation for excellence he had earned as the top prosecutor in the DA’s office brought many potential criminal clients to Trent and Melville, and the money he was making allowed him the luxury of being able to pick and choose who he would represent.
The day Frank’s life began its descent into hell started ona high note. Frank dropped Nelly Melville off at her school on her second week in first grade. He beamed as he saw her two best friends race up to her and escort his daughter inside, and he smiled all the way to his office.
After spending his time in the trenches at the DA’s office, where the horrible and the bizarre were commonplace, it took a lot to surprise Frank, but he was genuinely surprised when his receptionist told him that Archie Stallings was in the waiting room. Frank had not seen Stallings since thanking him after his testimony in the guilt phase of Jose Alvarez’s trial, and he wondered why his star witness wanted to see him.
When Frank walked into reception, he almost didn’t recognize Stallings. In college, Archie had been on the tennis team and looked like an athlete. His thick chestnut-brown hair would often fall across his brow; there had been a twinkle in his eye, and he projected a look of boyish charm.
Seven years later, Archie didn’t look so good. He’d put on weight around his middle, his face was fleshy, and he was going prematurely bald. But the grin was still in place, and he stood and flashed it when Frank walked over.
“Hi, Mr. Melville.”
“Hello, Archie. What’s up?”
The grin faded. “I’d rather not talk about it here.”
“Of course. Follow me back to my office.”
Frank settled behind his desk, and Stallings took a client chair. He looked uncomfortable.
“What are you doing now?” Frank asked to break the ice.
“I’m a financial advisor with the Macklin Fund. I’ve been there two years.” Stallings forced a smile. “I’m doing okay business wise, but not so good otherwise.”