As she exited the front doors of the large correctional facility, Lana saw a blue BMW and a black Ford Excursion parked near the sidewalk directly in front of the building. Standing near the car, she recognized Tim Turner and Clarke Chapman but there were two other men that she didn’t recognize. They were huge body builder types. At first glance, one would have had the impression that they were professional football players.

Before she could reach the group, one of the “Incredible Hulk” types walked up to her and introduced himself, “Ma’am, my name is Tony Friske. Can I help you with your bag?”

Somewhat speechless, Lana agreed but was curious as to know what he and his mountainous friend were doing there. Once they reached the vehicles, she spoke to Tim and Clarke, “Gentlemen, I can’t thank you enough for helping to get me out of that awful place”.

“Just doing my job,” answered the older of the two attorneys in the group. Not wasting anytime, Clarke opened the back door of the BMW and offered Lana a seat. “We really should be going. We have a lot of things to discuss.”

After Lana sat in the rear seat of the BMW, Tony opened the opposite door and sat next to Lana. Once they were on their way, she looked out of the rear window and saw the correctional center disappearing in the distance. She hoped that she would never have to see that place as long as she lived. It was a great feeling to be free from the confines of that building.

The group was quiet as they drove down the street. While they sat in silence, Lana wondered who the two strangers were. They were dressed rather nicely. Not as fancy a suit as Clarke had on but definitely not a cheap set of threads either. They both had a sense of self discipline and confidence that she hadn’t encountered before. She couldn’t put her finger on it but she knew that they weren’t attorneys.

As Lana sat there and thought about her situation, she couldn’t help but notice that they were leaving the city and driving on Interstate 10. Watching the various mile markers along side the interstate, she knew that they were driving eastbound when she realized that the mile markers were decreasing in number.

Looking up at Lana through the rear view mirror, Clarke noticed that she looked somewhat curious. He didn’t mean to develop such an air of secrecy but apparently he had. “Lana I can see you have a few questions. I’ll be willing to bet that one of them has to do with where we are going; is that correct?”

“Well the thought did cross my mind” she agreed.

“Under normal circumstances, anyone released on bond isn’t allowed to leave the judicial district but your case is somewhat special. I was able to get the judge to agree to let you leave for your own safety. I though that you would like to stay in Baton Rouge for about a week or so.”

“Well I appreciate the thought but do I have a choice in the matter?” asked Lana.

“Sure you do, you always have choices to make. Now understand that this is only temporary. I thought that maybe you would stay away for about a week or so then we can place you back in New Orleans so you can look after your business. With the publicity that this case is gaining, it will take only a few short hours for the press to catch wind that you’re out of jail. Once they know it, then so will everyone else… including Jay.”

Seeming somewhat at a loss, Lana reluctantly agreed, “I don’t know what it is that I want to do Mr. Chapman… I just don’t know.”

A few hours later, they were in Baton Rouge and settling in at a small but cozy looking house in what seemed to be a stable neighborhood. Not long after Lana exited the car, she noticed the black Excursion driving up behind them. It was the second gargantuan stranger. As he exited the vehicle, he saw the curiosity on her face and introduced himself, “Lana, I am Pedro Barros. Tony and I work together”. After Lana returned the salutation, they all went towards the house.

When they were settled into the house, they all met in the living room. Mr. Chapman opened up his briefcase and started asking more questions regarding the incident that ended up with Lana’s unfortunate incarceration.

Lana explained all of the details of the night as she remembered it and gave a history of the abusive relationship and where it began. Once this was completed, Lana sat and listened to Mr. Chapman as he explained that Jay was making the claim that she was the abusive party and he was the true victim. It was a classic case of “He said, she said”.

“Lana, can you think of any reason as to why Jay would want to kill you?” Chapman asked.

She knew this day would come. There was one of two reasons why Jay would have wanted to kill her. She thought briefly before answering but knew that she had to be honest. She had already told Chapman about the fact that Jay beat her repeatedly for no apparent reason when he was drunk. The more she thought about it, she knew that she had to tell him about David and her night of adulterous passion.

“About seven months ago, I was in Lafayette and got lost. It was raining and somehow I ended up in Carencro, a small town north of Lafayette. In the middle of this horrendous rain storm, I ended up with a flat tire and my cell phone wouldn’t work. I had no idea where I was and was in a bind. Out of nowhere, a gentleman stopped and helped me change my tire. After it was all over, I offered to pay him but he refused. Just before I left, I gave him a business card and offered him a free cup of coffee at my shop if ever he was in New Orleans. About three weeks later, he showed up at the coffee shop. And we talked…”

Chapman interrupted the explanation asking, “Lana I know that this is going somewhere but what does it have to do with the case? Were you having an affair?”

Knowing how this must make her look, Lana’s voice began to crack, “Mr. Chapman it isn’t like I’m a whore. Please understand that… I later discovered that he is everything that I want in a partner. He showed up at the shop a few days before this all happened. I have never done anything like this before please believe that.”

Chapman encouraged Lana to continue, “Lana I believe you. You are doing the right thing in being honest. What happened next?”

Lana then continued her story, “I used the excuse that I had a conference to attend in Baton Rouge but went on a date with him instead. We spent hours talking and enjoying each other’s company; that’s when I fell in love with him. The next day when I returned home, the beatings started again. Never once did Jay mention that I was being unfaithful. So I truly don’t believe that he knows about David”.

“David?” Chapman asked somewhat surprised. Things were starting to clear up for him now. “What is David’s last name?”

She knew that their opinion of her was about to be set in stone.