It had not been easy to impanel a jury. The case had occupied the headlined for months. The cold-bloodedness of this case had created a tidal wave of anger within the community. The press had already tried and convicted him of murdering his wife for a bundle, but what was more, he admitted that he had killed her. ‘What we’re dealing with here is euthanasia, a mercy-killing, a crime of passion, where he couldn’t bear to watch his wife suffer any longer. The problem is, his wife was a very wealthy woman and people thought it was a crime of profit. Oh God! This is going to be a hard case to win. I shouldn’t have got involved with this one, and especially not with his son.’ Katie knew things were getting personal, more personal than she could ever imagine. Her mind started to drift back in time…
"Could all passengers for flight 733071 to New York, please go to gate 8."
Katie knew she had to leave, and even though they weren’t her real parents she was leaving, she knew she would miss them a lot. There had grown such a strong bond over the years that most of the time she forgot that she was adopted; they were just like any other family. She remembered how, when she was a child, she would go down the stairs, the smell of toast so reassuring, just like Anne and Bob were. Her most vivid memory was when her parents had told her that her real name was Jill Hunter and that she was adopted, but she hadn’t cared as she still loved them as though they were her real parents.
This was the moment she had been waiting for all her life, the "big move", her chance to start her life as a lawyer. The only thing she didn’t like about it was leaving her parents. She was suddenly aware of the judge’s voice. ‘Why am I thinking ten years back into the past? I must keep my concentration stable.’
"This trial is adjourned until 9am tomorrow morning."
She found herself walking over to Peter and asking him to dinner.
"I’d love to join you," he replied.
The evening went pleasantly: Katie found Peter easy to be with. They talked about everything and anything, and time seemed to fly by. "What is the matter with me?" Katie asked herself. "He’s bright, attractive and I’m falling for him in a big way." Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about the case altogether; getting his dad off would undoubtedly have advantages for her. And this way, she could claim she was researching the case, as well as finding out about him.
"Tell me about you," Katie had said. "Where did you grow up? What was your mum like?"
He talked about his mother with great ease and pride. He felt really comfortable with Katie and knew he was beginning to fall in love with her.
"My mother was a very successful woman. She told me a secret before she died and asked me to carry on what she had started. She had a daughter in England when she was merely a child, and so was forced to put the child up for adoption by her own mother and she never forgave her for it. She thought about her all of the time. Mum made me promise to find her and give her all of her inheritance to try to make up for the guilt my mother felt about leaving the child to fate."
"Have you told anyone else about this?" Katie said with a surge of excitement.
"No," Peter said, with a puzzled look on his face. "Only Dad."
"We must find her, Peter. Don’t you know what this means? This will put your father in the clear. If the money goes to her daughter, it proves your father didn’t kill her for her money. Have you any other information on your sister?"
"Her name changed when she was adopted, but I don’t know what to."
"Do you know her original name?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Jill Hunter."