He strode to the wheelchair, put the blanket around her shoulders and kissed her lips. Then he rested his forehead against hers for a long moment.
A smiling Will was holding Thaddeus's hand, towering above all of them.
Lawrence pulled back and looked into Sara's clear, blue eyes. "We'll get you better. I promise." He rose and stared at the young man whose features so resembled his.
Will extended his hand. "I don't think we've met. I'm Will."
I was grinning like a jackass eating cockleburs as Jeff, Kate and I retreated to the coffee shop. We were soon sitting at a small table sipping on brew so strong you could chew it.
"Now this is a cop's drink," Jeff said.
My coffee turnoff might just resurface. The stuff tasted like motor oil. "How'd you get Lawrence here?" I asked.
"We took I-45 south to—"
"Shut up," I said while Kate laughed. "How?"
"Mark's coup. He filed habeas corpus on Will's behalf yesterday and—"
"I'm not up on my legalese," I said. "What's habeas corpus?"
"Basically habeas corpus is an appeal when all ap peals have been exhausted, as in Lawrence's case," Jeff said. "It's a filing for a court order to bring him before the judge to determine whether his imprisonment is illegal, the only way to get our new evidence presented and free Lawrence for good."
"Ah. Go on," I said.
"Anyway, Mark presented all we had and asked for an immediate hearing. Usually the D.A. asks for time—time that almost always turns into months—but Mark pulled the right assistant D.A., which might not have been a coincidence. She waived her right for time to prepare, basically threw in the towel. She told the judge it was in the interest of justice that Lawrence be released, and the judge agreed. End of story."
"So he is free for good?" Kate asked.
Jeff nodded. "Mark may also file for a full pardon based on innocence. Since the prosecutors traded two bad guys for Lawrence, I don't see anyone having a problem with that. A full pardon, however, will take a long time."
I rested my hands on my chin, stared into Jeff's eyes. "This is great. Thanks for picking up Lawrence."
He tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "For you? Anything."
Kate stood. "I'm going back upstairs. You two? Get a room, okay?" She left us alone.
Jeff grinned, and I think I probably was blushing.
I said, "How'd you get the blanket?"
"Burl overnighted it. He knows this case is finally closed."
"Do me one more favor," I said. "Call upstairs and tell Lawrence and Will we won't leave them without a ride, but we'll be gone for about thirty minutes."
Jeff raised his eyebrows. "Where are we going? Someplace kinky, like a janitor's closet or a deserted X-ray room?"
I took his hand as we stood. "No. We're going to get a decent cup of coffee."