Dana felt like sinking under the table as the assistant DA pointed an accusatory finger in her direction. Her hands wrapped around the cold arms of her chair as she tried to fight the impulse to hide.

  Her attorney leaned close to her and whispered, “Sit up straight.” He then stood and faced the jury to give his opening statement.

  “Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the thing I need you all to remember is, under the law, Dana Jones Williams is presumed innocent until my esteemed colleague can prove otherwise. During this trial, you will hear no real evidence against my client. The prosecutor only has hearsay and happenstance to go on. As the trial progresses, you will get to know Dana and the hardships she has endured and overcome. You will see that my client has redeemed herself a thousand times over from any follies of her youth, and then you will see clearly that Dana Jones Williams is not guilty.”

  Jeff was seated directly behind her in the courtroom. He leaned forward, took her hand in his, and squeezed it. Dana gave him a weak smile. He squeezed her hand again, giving her the courage to believe she could get through this.

  But then the prosecution called its first witness. Yolanda Pierce, her ex-roommate, took the stand. The clerk swore her in. Dana thought the prosecutor was going to try to imply Yolanda was in on the identity theft. She hated they were dragging Yolanda into this when she had nothing to do with it. Dana hadn’t seen her ex-roommate in years.

  The prosecutor asked Yolanda, “How did you come to know Mrs. Williams?”

  Yolanda had her arms folded across her chest. She rolled her eyes at the prosecutor and said, “We met in prison. But you already know that or you wouldn’t have asked the question.”

  “Let the record state Ms. Yolanda Pierce is a hostile witness and is here only because she was subpoenaed,” Stevenson said before turning back to her. “Now, exactly how soon after Mrs. Williams was released from prison did the two of you become roommates?”

  With another roll of her eyes, Yolanda answered, “About three days.”

  Stevenson looked as if he was about to walk back to the prosecutor’s table but stopped and turned back to Yolanda with, “One final question. Were you in prison for a misdemeanor or a felony?”

  “A felony. And I did my time and haven’t had any trouble since.”

  Next on the witness stand was Dana’s ex-probation officer. Dana didn’t understand what a roommate from five years ago or a probation officer had to do with her identity theft case, especially since she was no longer on probation.

  After the witness was sworn in, Stevenson made things a bit clearer for Dana. He pointed in her direction and then asked the probation officer, “Do you recognize the defendant?”

  He nodded. “She was on probation for two years after being released from prison. I served as her probation officer.”

  Stevenson tapped a finger to his chin while walking back and forth in front of the witness stand. “Let me make sure I understand the rules. When a felon is on probation, are they allowed to associate with other felons?”

  “That is prohibited,” the probation officer said.

  “So if you had known the defendant moved in with a known felon three days”—he held up three fingers to the jury—“After being released from prison, what would you have done?”

  “I most likely would have put her back in prison and let her serve the remaining two years of her sentence.”

  As Stevenson walked back to his seat, he said, loud enough for the jury to hear, “Maybe if she had served all of her time, she wouldn’t have victimized Mrs. Coleman.”

  Dana’s attorney jumped to his feet. “Objection, Your Honor. The prosecutor is dramatizing for the jury.”

  The judge said, “Sustained. The prosecutor will address questions to the witnesses.”

  Dana bit her lip, glanced at Jeff. He smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder. He was her knight in shining armor. The one true thing she could count on. She rubbed the side of her face against the back of Jeff’s hand.

  She tapped her foot underneath the table and squirmed in her seat each time her attorney questioned a witness after the prosecutor. All her attorney asked was what kind of person did they believe Dana to be. Both witnesses stated they thought she was nice and respectful. Yolanda had added rehabilitated. But when Dana glanced at the jury, she didn’t think they bought that comment.

  Then the prosecution called his star witness. Jasmine took the stand. She swore to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth and started lying so quick Dana nearly fell out of her chair.

  Dana felt sorry for her former friend. Wished she could do something to help her.

  After the prosecutor established how Jasmine knew Dana, he asked if she knew how Dana came to possess Lisa’s personal identification information.

  Jasmine lowered her head as if what she was about to say bothered her immensely. “I’m ashamed to say it,” Jasmine began, “but Dana and I used to steal from people all the time.”

  Dana jumped out of her seat. “That’s a lie! I wasn’t like you. I didn’t go around stealing anything I could get my hands on.”

  The judge banged the gavel, then set his eyes on Dana’s attorney. “Keep your client in line. I’m not going to warn her again.”

  “Yes, Your Honor.” Her attorney stood, took hold of Dana’s arm, and helped her back into her seat.

  “But she’s lying,” Dana told him.

  “I’ll get her on cross,” her attorney said. “But please don’t pop up again, no matter what she says.”

  That proved to be a hard task for Dana as Jasmine went on to say, “Dana and I planned to rob Lisa the day she hung out on our block. I took Dana’s camera along with Lisa’s purse. Dana and I split the money and then I took pictures of Lisa’s identification in case we could use it later. But Dana got arrested doing another job with her boyfriend before we could develop the film.

  “I never knew Dana went ahead with our plan. She didn’t tell me anything, and I was completely rehabilitated by the time Dana got out of prison.” After those words, Jasmine started scratching her arm.

  Dana wanted to laugh out loud. “Completely rehabilitated,” her foot. She couldn’t wait for her attorney to cross-examine her lying so-called friend. But the judge called for a recess. Dana was thankful for a breather. She needed to take the edge off. Hopefully she could sneak in a drink during the break.

  She and Jeff pushed and shoved their way through the throng of reporters. Jeff took her to the cafeteria inside the court so they’d have some privacy. “This is a circus.” Dana put her elbows on the table, scowling. “I need something to eat.”

  “You stay seated. I’ll go grab you a sandwich.”

  “Okay, thank you.” Dana rubbed her forehead with her hand as her mind rewinded through today’s events. The jury seemed to think it was wrong of her to stay with Yolanda after being released from prison. But none of them had her life. They didn’t know how it felt to have no place to go and to have a mother who was unstable.

  Wishing for the thousandth time she could relive all the yesterdays that had brought her to this moment, Dana took a flask out of her purse and took a quick sip while watching Jeff stand in line for their food.

  “Is it true? Did you and Jasmine really conspire to steal from me? The same day you attended church with me and pretended to be my friend?” Steam was blowing out of Lisa’s nose as she stood in front of Dana. Her husband took her elbow and tried to move her away, but Lisa shrugged away from him.

  Dana stood. “I didn’t do what Jasmine said. I promise you. It wasn’t like that.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Lisa demanded, “Then how was it? Please do tell, because I’m confused.”

  Tears formed in Dana’s eyes. She was so sorry for what she had done. Lisa didn’t deserve it, but Dana had been desperate—and desperate people sometimes did things they later regretted. She opened her mouth to try to explain. “I-I . . .”

  Jeff rushed over to her and pulled her away from Lisa. He whispered in her ear, “You’re on trial right now. You can’t talk to her. Let your lawyer handle this case.”

  “So you’re going to walk away? Do your dirt, mess up other people’s lives, and then go on about your business, huh?”

  Dana turned back to Lisa as they continued to walk in the opposite direction. She mouthed, “I’m so sorry.”

  Lisa shouted, “I guess I should say congratulations on your marriage! Oh, and congratulations on being Businesswoman of the Year while my life has fallen apart.”

  Jeff kept moving her forward, but Dana didn’t want to do the smart thing. She owed Lisa something and needed to give it. “Jeff, please, I need to talk to her, make her understand what happened.”

  Jeff shook his head. “She’s angry. She’ll run straight to the prosecutor with whatever you tell her. We have our baby to think about. Let’s go back to court.” He had a bag in his hand, and he showed it to her. “You can eat this sandwich outside the courtroom.”

  Jeff was right. She needed to eat something and keep her mouth shut, but her heart hurt with the knowledge that things would never be the same between her and Lisa.

  A reporter came up to her as she chewed her sandwich. She stuck a small recorder in Dana’s face. “I saw the interaction between you and Lisa Coleman. Would you like to tell us why you said you were sorry?”

  Dana looked around. She was caught. Why had she mouthed those words? Those words had been in her heart. But she couldn’t tell this reporter.

  Jeff stepped to her side. “She’s eating. Please leave us alone.”

  The reporter walked away. But each day of the trial seemed to get worse and worse with reporter intrusion. Dana was thankful her son was still too young to understand the neighbors’ whispers.

  Chapter 31

  Since Lisa was working for the county again, she couldn’t attend every day of the trial. The first day had been plenty for her anyway. It aggravated Lisa to see Dana looking so vulnerable and repentant. Was it an act designed to keep her out of prison?

  Lisa would soon find out. After five days of the trial, the jury deliberated for one day before Dana struck some type of deal with the DA. Lisa was going back to court today. The judge wanted to hear from her before sentencing. Lisa took a bottle of pain pills out of her desk and popped one in her mouth before leaving work.

  She massaged her forehead while waiting for John to meet her in front of the courthouse. She was thankful John took off from work. The pain pill hadn’t kicked in by the time he arrived. He took her hand, and they went inside the courthouse. Dana was seated next to her attorney.

  The judge asked Lisa to take her place on the witness stand. She didn’t understand why. It wasn’t as if she was being cross-examined. Lisa was supposed to speak only on what identity theft had cost her.

  Lisa sat down. She glanced over to where Dana was seated. She was wearing a black jacket and pants. She had a short, layered cut, and even though Lisa hated to admit it, the hairstyle looked good with the oval shape of Dana’s face. She averted her eyes.

  The judge said, “How are you doing today, Mrs. Coleman?”

  “I’ve been better,” Lisa said as she glanced in the direction where John was sitting. She found comfort in his eyes.

  “The prosecutor told me you’d like to give a statement before we move to sentencing.”

  Lisa nodded. “I would.” Then she turned to where the cameras and reporters were, not wanting to look at Dana. “I discovered my identity had been stolen when my husband called and told me the bank denied our home loan.

  “My dad wants to move down south. He has so many aches and pains now, and our cold winters are too much for him. He and I wanted to keep our brownstone in the family, but since my husband and I weren’t able to get the loan, we couldn’t give my father the money needed to buy himself a condo in Florida. He is now stuck here.”

  Lisa wiped a tear away as she added, “My daughter now has bullies at her school telling her I’m a deadbeat and we don’t pay our bills. And I lost out on a prestigious job opportunity with Liberty Advocates after my background check came in.”

  She then turned to Dana. “So you see, it wasn’t just my life you destroyed. Other members of my family are also dealing with the fallout from your theft.” Her eyes bored into Dana’s. “I thought you were better than this. I even prayed for you when you were sent to prison for something your boyfriend did, but you haven’t changed.”

  Lisa turned back to the judge. “Your Honor, I want you to know that I forgive Dana for what she did, and I will accept whatever sentence you impose as penalty for her actions.”

  Lisa took a seat next to John. He reached over and held on to her hand. She was feeling good about the way she declared her forgiveness for what Dana had done to her. As a Christian she was supposed to forgive. But forgiving didn’t mean forgetting.

  The judge told Dana to stand. He then gave her a chance to address the court. Dana turned toward Lisa. “I wanted to take this moment to apologize to you. I was a stupid young kid, and I was desperate. But that doesn’t excuse what I did, because you were always a friend to me. I wish I could take it back.” Dana’s head dropped. “I’m so sorry for the heartache I caused you.” She then turned back to the judge and said, “Thank you for allowing me to speak.”

  The judge nodded. “I have read the letters the court received on your behalf, and I’ve taken note of the fact you’ve already paid all the bills that were added to Mrs. Coleman’s credit report, so the court is prepared to accept the deal you made with the DA’s office.”

  Lisa squeezed John’s hand as the judge continued. “You are hereby sentenced to two years’ probation and one hundred sixty hours of community service. The community service will start immediately.”

  “Community service!” Before Lisa knew it, she had jumped out of her seat. “The prosecutor told me she was going to get jail time.”

  The judge banged the gavel. “Sit down, Mrs. Coleman.”

  John grabbed hold of Lisa’s arm and pulled her back into her seat. Lisa looked at him as if she wasn’t computing what happened.

  “She should be in prison,” she insisted.

  The judge banged the gavel again. “Enough. Another word, and I’ll hold you in contempt of court.”

  Lisa was absolutely shell-shocked by this turn of events. Yes, she’d told the judge she would accept his ruling, but that was when she thought Dana would get at least a year behind bars for her crime.

  What kind of punishment was community service? It felt to Lisa as if she had been violated again. Once from the identity theft and then again from the judicial system, showing leniency to Dana. Her wealth and her custom-suit-wearing attorney meant more than what she’d done.

  * * *

  Dana exhaled as the judge accepted the community service deal. The chair didn’t feel as cold as she gripped it to stand. Warmth spread through her body as she realized her son would not be visiting her in jail. She would not have to be degraded by the daily treatment prisoners received. Breathing a sigh of relief, she and Jeff walked out of the courthouse. Walked away from Lisa and her anger.

  Dana hoped some way, somehow, she could mend things with Lisa. But with the way Lisa showed out in the courtroom, Dana doubted her old friend wanted to hear “I’m sorry” again. So she signed up for her community service, hoping she’d be able to get her life back on track when she finished.

  * * *

  Dana knew Lisa believed community service was equivalent to getting the easy way out. But while Dana was doing community service, her business had gone off the rails due to the constant news coverage. The-rich-lady-involved-in-the-identity-theft-of-someone-who-used-to-be-a-friend wasn’t playing well with her customers.

  Hair Fabulous had lost their biggest customer. The grocery store chain stopped doing business with them. Pulled all the unsold products off its shelves and sent them back with a request for payment.

  Dana now owed millions of dollars and was a pariah in her hometown. Jeff had taken over operations at Hair Fabulous for her. If he hadn’t stepped in while she was doing community service, Dana imagined she would have lost everything. But Jeff came home the night after the grocery store chain had sent their shipment back and declared, “I have an idea.”

  Dana took several deep breaths before asking, “What’s your idea?”

  “I’m going to hire a street team and make sure each person has a vendor’s license, then we are going to rent space outside of locations in Chinatown, Harlem, and Brooklyn.”

  “So you want to sell our products on the street?” She scrunched her nose. The baby started crying. She lifted him out of the bassinet and rocked him. “With how much my company was on the news during the trial, I doubt many people in New York are going to be interested in supporting us.”

  “That’s the beauty of setting up a vendor table on the sidewalk. New York City is the ‘Big Apple.’ Everybody wants to visit this town, so we won’t be trying to sell only to New Yorkers but to the millions of tourists who pass through each year.”

  “I don’t know. This sounds like we’re going to be stuck paying a bunch of vendors without making the type of sales we need to clear out all the returned products.”

  Jeff took her hand in his. “Hon, do you trust me?”

  “Of course I trust you.”

  “Then it’s settled.” He rubbed the baby’s head. “You finish up your community service and take care of our little one, and I will make sure your business survives. I got you, baby.”

  “And I got your baby.” Dana patted Judah’s bottom and leaned in to kiss her husband. “Thanks for loving me.”

  “That will never change. I’m yours forever.”

  Chapter 32