Now they were out of time. This would be their last session before trial.

Helen exhaled and opened the door to the office. Her secretary, Trish DeMonia, who was on the telephone, hung up the receiver after muttering a salutation under her breath. Then she pointed at Helen’s private office. “They’re both inside.”

Mandy Burks sat in one of the two client chairs. She wore a violet sundress that hung to her ankles and was cut right below her neckline. A conservative look that would hopefully make her present to the jury as a young underage girl. Mandy had olive skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. Holding her hands in her lap and fidgeting in her chair, she was the picture of vulnerability and youth. Helen had to fight the urge to smile. Perfect, she thought, turning her focus to the other woman in the room.

Lona Burks was in her midthirties. She wore a black dress fit for a funeral, which was one of three outfits that Helen had picked for her to wear to court. Helen had also advised Lona to trim her hair, which had once hung below her shoulders. But even with the conservative hairdo and clothing, Lona Burks was still a striking woman with her hourglass figure. She would probably be considered beautiful if not for the crowns that littered her mouth, the product of years of tooth decay from methamphetamine abuse. Lona had kicked drugs and alcohol five years ago, which was around the same time she had quit her job as an exotic dancer at the Sundowners Club. Now she worked as a housekeeper for several families in town and mowed lawns on the weekend to make ends meet. Unfortunately, her sobriety and newfound employment had done nothing to improve her prior reputation in the community as a drug addict and stripper. Since she’d brought her daughter to the sheriff’s office to report the rape last November, Lona had been worried and angry that Mandy wouldn’t get a fair shake because of her mother’s indiscretions. Now, Lona’s knees knocked against each other, and she gripped her arms tight across her chest. She peered at Helen with eyes full of fear and anxiety. “You’re sure it’s going to happen.”

Helen nodded. “We start in less than three hours.”

Lona’s eyes moistened. “Thank you, General. For not settling and for getting us this far. I . . .” She stopped talking as emotion finally got the better of her.

Helen glanced at Mandy, who continued to fidget and was now gazing at the floor.

“Lona, would you mind sitting out in the reception area while I go over Mandy’s testimony with her?”

For a moment, Lona looked as if she might protest. But then, nodding and biting down on her trembling lower lip, she stood and planted a kiss on her daughter’s cheek. “You listen good to General Lewis, OK?”