Free Miscarriage Of Justice by Bruce A Borders Page A

that Ethan, though acutely aware that he hadn’t committed murder, didn’t know the full scope of the role she’d played in his conviction. That she had known of his innocence, sixteen years ago, and had heartlessly let him go to prison anyway.
    Feeling a little smug, she watched a few re-runs of a favorite old sitcom, and then got ready for bed. “It’s great to be the District Attorney,” she snickered. “The benefits are incalculable.” Laughing, she added, “And apparently, in this game of life we’re playing, I hold all the cards. So let the man come.” Turning down the covers on the king sized bed, her boisterous fuming continued. “I’ll show him how this D.A. responds to threats. He’ll wish he’d never heard of Mariana Clark!”
    Turning out the light, she climbed into bed. She’d barely dozed off when she heard it. A scratching sound that instantly jarred her back to consciousness, and it was coming from right outside her window! As her eyes fluttered open, through the sheer fabric of the curtains she caught sight of a shadowy figure as it moved past.
    All the boisterous and flamboyant confidence she’d felt only moments ago was suddenly gone. Just one thought filled her mind. Ethan! Lying motionless on the bed, she couldn’t decide whether to get up and move to another part of the house or stay there hidden in the darkness. Then, as the shadow reappeared, Mariana heard a faint meow.
    Relief, mixed with anger, suddenly swept over her. “It’s that stupid cat!” she screamed. Leaping out of bed, the crazed woman ran to the window. Unlocking the latch, she forcefully slid it open.
    The neighbors, who lived a good quarter mile down the road in the posh rural suburb, let their cat, Whitey, roam free. Invariably, the skunk colored feline chose to use Mariana’s house, specifically, her lawn, as a litter box.
    Spotting the offending creature slinking low and cowering in the nearby rose bush, Mariana shrieked loudly, throwing her shoe at it with as much force as she could muster. She missed. But, the harmless attempt did serve to scare the cat away. With a high-pitched meow, Whitey darted out of the path of the high-heeled missile, and sprang across the yard. Leaping the fence in one bound, the annoying creature headed for home.
    “I’m going to kill that cat!” Mariana growled. She’d always despised the pesky excuse for a pet. The way it came slinking over the fence to do its business in her yard, continually climbing on her car, prowling around her house and poking into her garbage, combined for a constant source of animus. She wondered why the little varmint didn’t just stay home. Several times, she’d threatened to serve the feline a large bowl of antifreeze. Cats, she’d heard, unlike dogs, were stupid enough to drink it.
    Being the good neighbor she was, she’d never done it. Usually, before the next day had rolled around, the furry pest and its antics had been forgotten. This time however, the cat had been more than a mere nuisance. Slamming down the window, with a jarring crash, Mariana repeated her threat, softer this time. “I’m going to kill that cat.”
     
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
     
     
    “I really need a car,” Ethan grumbled to himself.
    He’d just walked over a mile from the library to the hotel and the stark realization had been increasingly driven home with every step. The idea rolling around in his head did present a unique dilemma. Sure, he could afford a car, he had plenty of cash so, money wouldn’t be a problem—at the moment. The issue would be driving, legally anyway.
    The forty-year-old was fairly confident he hadn’t lost the basic skills of operating a motor vehicle while he’d been locked away but, having nowhere to go, inmates are not typically granted a driver’s license. And getting one now might be rather complicated since he had no wheels. He could always drive without a license, people did it all the time but, if he were ever pulled over, that would