Twist of Fate Read Online Free Page A

made her stand out in a crowd no matter how much she wanted to blend in with the other girls. With age the color had darkened to a less violent shade, but even so, she was doomed to go through life looking like a short barmaid who needed to lose a few pounds.
    But she didn't have to go through life wearing tailored suits. The choice was up to her. If she wanted a new life, it was time to take a few cautious steps in that direction.
    If only it were possible to fast forward through change and go directly to the next secure niche....

 
    Chapter 3

     
    It looked like Val was still out, but just in case, Kendra called, "Are you in there, Val? I've got the Mercantile files for you."
    As Kendra set down the stack of folders, Val emerged from the washroom, her hair rioting around her head and looking much redder than it did when pulled back. Startled out of her usual composure, Kendra blurted out, "Girl, what have you done to your hair?"
    "Nothing. After five years of working together, it's time you saw the unvarnished me." Val folded onto the sofa with one leg tucked under her, looking very unlike her usual professional self. "I'm thinking of going off on my own. If I do, would you consider coming with me as paralegal, office manager, and secretary? I could match your salary and the medical coverage, though the other benefits might not be as good."
    Kendra closed the door to her office and sat down, even more startled than she had been by the hair. "You really want to leave here after making partner? You've just climbed on the gravy train. A few more years and you'll be set for life."
    "This job is eating me alive," Val said bluntly. "I'm good at corporate work, but a lot of it is just an elaborate game. I get tired of playing games, especially when I sometimes wish I was on the other side." She hesitated, perhaps finding it difficult to reveal so much of herself. "I want to do justice, Kendra. I'll need to take enough paying jobs to cover the rent, but what I really crave is pro bono work I can feel good about. I want to take on the powers that be and give some little guys a chance. As corny as it sounds, I want to fight the good fight."
    Her words jolted Kendra. Justice for the little guy. "You really mean that?"
    Val smiled wryly. "Yes. The big question is whether I have the courage to actually do it."
    Kendra was silent for a long time as she thought about the pain and injustice that had been bleeding her soul for years. It was almost too late to make a difference--but maybe not. Val was the smartest lawyer Kendra had ever met, and she had a real heart under that red hair and fast- talking tongue. Maybe...just maybe.. "If you leave, I'll come along if you'll take on a lost cause for me."
    Val looked cautious. "I can try. What kind of case?"
    "I want you to get a man off death row."
    "Death row?" she said, surprise in her voice. "Someone you have a personal interest in?"
    "Do you recognize the name Daniel Monroe?"
    Val's gaze went vague as she consulted her incredible memory. "He killed a policeman some years ago. If I recall correctly, he assaulted a woman, the policeman intervened, and got pumped full of bullets for his pains. A nasty business."
    "Yes, but Daniel didn't do it," Kendra said vehemently, trying to suppress her bitterness. "Seventeen years Daniel has been in jail. Every possible appeal has been filed and denied, and the State of Maryland is ready to kill an innocent man. You want to do justice? Save the life of Daniel Monroe."
    Val's expression softened. "I gather he was a friend of yours?"
    "More than a friend." Kendra's mouth twisted. "He's Jason's father." Jason, her tall, handsome, air force academy cadet son, who believed his biological father was long dead. Philip Brooks, the man Kendra had later married, had been a good father to Jason from the day he entered her life until a heart attack carried him off too soon, but it was Daniel's blood that flowed in Jason's veins. Daniel's life that had been