Reasonable Doubt Read Online Free Page B

Justin’s case through the papers and regular reports from Raven. Raven was sure he’d be declared innocent any moment, but Keri had to wonder. After all these months, an innocent man surely would have been cleared by now.
    “Hey, Keri, honey, where you going?”
    Keri stopped short and turned at the soft Texas drawl. Her dad’s fiancée, Ruth, stood in the café door looking at Keri as though she’d lost her mind. Heat rose to Keri’s cheeks. “Sorry,” she said, retracing her steps. “I was just spacing, I guess.”
    “Just wait until you’re my age, you’ll be lucky to find your shoes. Get yourself in here and eat your breakfast.”
    Meekly, Keri followed, but her mind drifted back to Justin. Had he been charged with the crime?
    Please, God. Take care of him and see him through this trouble he’s somehow gotten himself into .
     
    Despite the treacherous driving conditions, Justin couldn’t help the excitement he felt as each mile brought him closer to the cabin. He hadn’t seen the Mahoney cabin since his parents’ death fifteen years earlier. Despite Aunt Toni’s promise that she’d take him back there for vacations, she’d promptly forbidden any contact with his past. Said it made him mopey thinking about his old home and that made for bad karma. By the time she was out of her karma phase, Justin had moved on with a new circle of friends.
    It hadn’t taken Justin long to figure out that Aunt Toni never took vacations. She worked sixteen hours a day every day except for weekends when she shacked up with her most recent boyfriend and left Justin with cash for pizza and movie rentals. By the time he’d graduated high school and moved on to college, Justin hadn’t even wanted to go back to Briarwood.
    That wasn’t true exactly.
    He didn’t have the guts to face Keri Mahoney after all the promises they’d made each other. He picturedher exactly the way he’d left her. Fresh, wholesome, eyes wide with wonder and hope. Pure.
    His back wheels slid and Justin brought his attention back to the highway, which was quickly becoming snow-and ice-covered.
    The curvy, hilly highway became treacherous with nearly zero visibility by the time he found the country road leading to the cabin. He breathed a sigh of relief when the landscape began to look vaguely familiar. Just a few miles into the woods, and they’d be safely tucked away from it all.

Chapter Three
    P lump flakes of fairy-tale snow gave way to a wintry mix, and ice pellets bounced off the hood of the Jeep. Keri held her breath and prayed. With extra caution, she maneuvered the vehicle onto Highway 13, wishing she hadn’t taken the time to go home and change out of her uniform.
    Snow-frosted trees lined the winding road with breathtaking beauty. She loved the picturesque view from this road during any season, but the winter scene was her favorite. How could something so beautiful be so potentially fatal?
    She tried to keep her thoughts focused on the frozen pavement, but her mind drifted toward Justin as it often did. Rarely did a day go by without memories of her childhood friend invading her consciousness and even her dreams.
    Now, she imagined him once again sitting beside her, next to the lake, tossing sticks into the water. The promises, the kiss, the declarations of unending love.
    Keri fought her way back from the bittersweet memory that was worlds away from the reality of a treacherous road. With the wipers barely making a difference, she was forced to roll down the window and stick her head out to see the turnoff. Ice pelted her face and stung her eyes. She eased the Jeep onto the gravelly path. Krahoney Road. Despite her precarious situation, a smile tipped her lips. She and Justin had dubbed it that—a combination of their two last names. Keri sobered and focused her attention back to driving a straight course as her back wheels slid to the right. Gasping a prayer, she eased into the slide just in time to avoid the three-foot ditch.
    When