Jude didn’t know what to say to the young boy. Pulling him to her, his little body was stiff, ungiving. Holding him, she felt her eyes fill with tears when his tiny arms came up and wrapped around her. Standing with him still in her arm, she turned to Jamie.
“Get this monster out of my home. Now.” Jamie hustled her out, not taking the time to allow Hanna to keep up with his long strides. When she fell down, the man dragged her out of the house. The men leaving with her closed the door quietly after they were all gone. “It’s never going to happen to you again, Abe. I promise you this on my life, she will never hurt you or any other children so long as I have breath in my body.”
“I believe you.” He lifted his head from her shoulder and looked at her. “I want you to be my mommy, Judith. I want to live here with you and Mr. Duncan with my— Tracy isn’t really my sister. She was helping me get some food when my parents went away, and I went to the home. I love her like my sister. I’m sorry we lied to you.”
“It was a good lie, Abe. I’m so incredibly happy she was there for you. And Duncan and I would be happy if you were to be our son and Tracy our daughter. That would make it real—she’d be your sister for real then.” He nodded and laid his head back on her shoulder.
Instead of going to the dining room where all the other kids were, she went to the living room and sat down on the couch with Abe still in her arms. There was just too much going on right now, and she needed a moment. More than a moment, she supposed.
“When I was just a bird, an eagle, I would soar up into the clouds to get away from my thoughts. There is nothing more beautiful than a sky beneath you with lines of trees and other things growing in the soil.” Thinking of that now, she continued speaking. Jude didn’t care if Abe understood what she was telling him, but she did feel better just with the talking. “Once I was changed into a larger bird, bigger than any other creature in the world, I was able to save people from all sorts of things. Once, when a huge storm came up off the water, I sat down on the ground, and hundreds of people came and hid from the worst of it by getting under me. All of us, the other birds, did the same thing. No one was hurt, and everyone was warm and dry. We had to be careful of people getting sick back then. There weren’t the kinds of medications we have now.”
Jude talked about her life as a bird of prey. How she and the others had been around longer than most people. She thought about the times they’d found castle keeps in worse shape than barns, the people living there all but dead from starvation and illness. The kings of such realms would have so much food in their larders, most of it rotted. Instead of feeding their people, they’d let it go bad.
“Dante wasn’t perfect, but to us, she wasn’t far from it. Her people were very loyal to her. She kept them safe from intruders. There was always plenty of food and meat to go around. Even we—her birds, she called us—had plenty to eat and a place to perch.” Jude thought of the man who had wedded her, the person who had made her his queen. “I don’t remember him, the old king. I suppose he was there while I was nothing more than a bird looking for my next meal. But I saw the people and remembered how there was barely enough for them to eat, much less us. Duncan is his child. Thankfully, from all that was said about the king, Duncan is nothing like him. I love him. Duncan, I mean. He’s the best parts of his mother and a good man.”
She knew Abe had fallen asleep. Jude could well imagine the child hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. Without the help of Tracy, she was sure the little boy would have perished long ago.
Jude wondered if Tracy had been abused as Abe had. She did think about looking to see. The answer would have been right there in her mind for Jude to look into. However, she decided to wait for the girl to tell her. If it became an issue, then she’d look. But for now, Jude decided it would be all right if Tracy had some secrets she didn’t want to share.
Being a mother had never occurred to her. Not even as a bird had it ever crossed her mind to take a mate and have some hatchlings. There might have been a time she would have. But meeting Dante and being her bird was something she was immensely proud of. Raising a hatchling might have been too dangerous back in those times. There was forever someone stealing eggs from birds for food.
“Are you all right?” Jude smiled at Duncan when he spoke quietly. “You’ll be happy to know that every child has a parent. They’ll be permanent homes for them too, I think.”
“I’d like to help each of the families out. Add onto their homes. Build some playground equipment for them all to use. Food, too, if they might need it.” Duncan came into the room more and sat on the sofa across from her and Abe. “You know what happened in here, don’t you? I can’t repeat it. It’s like a stone stuck in my throat every time I think about the things she did to these children.”
“Yes, Jamie told me while it was going on. I’m so sorry.” Jude told him she wasn’t hurt by Hanna, but the kids were. “But you had to hear it from her mouth. I’ve contacted a couple of doctors I know to come and talk to the kids. They might not all need help, but the few that do, I want them to have someone close by. I was going to ask you if you were sure about taking these two, but I think I have my answer.”
“You do. I’ve fallen in love with them both. The way that Tracy protects him. Mercy said she was all up in her face at the home until she found out they were bringing the two of them here.” Duncan nodded. “We really should make our marriage a reality, don’t you think? I mean, everyone already refers to me as Judith Dante.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” He pulled a small box from his pants pocket. “This was in with the jewelry that Mom left me. I think she had it made rather than it coming from the spoils of war. It meant a great deal to her, and in turn, it means that much to me too. Will you wear it? I mean, will you marry me, Judith Castle? My queen of all that we rule?”
The ruby was about the size of a quarter. Dark with age, it was flawlessly cut and shone in bright colors all around the room. Even the Christmas tree paled in comparison to its beauty and shine.
“I will. Gladly.” They kissed, both of them being careful not to wake Abe. But just as they were going to kiss a second time, the children came racing into the room. They had great news, Mary told them. Each child had a new mommy and daddy.
“How wonderful for all of you.” Jude looked at the other birds and thanked them for their help while Duncan talked about how they’d be having so much fun living with each of their new families.
Mercy leaned back on the couch when Abe woke to play with the other children. When asked for permission to play with their new toys, each parent got down on the floor and helped them take things out of the packaging. This was what she needed, a perfect end to this day.
She and Duncan played several games with the kids and ate too much sugary food. Then she fell asleep in his arms as soon as the other children were taken to their new homes. Neither of them cared that they were sleeping on the couch, their children asleep on the floor in new sleeping bags.
Chapter 6
Piper was just packing away the last of her things when someone rang her doorbell. She’d not wanted to be interrupted, but duty called. As soon as she flung the door open, she knew something had happened.
“What is it?” Aryne Peterson asked if he could come in. Inviting him in was easy—getting information from him was another matter altogether. “If you don’t start talking, I might well have to hurt you. What is it?”
“The Martins. The ones that had their home burnt down just before Christmas.” He looked around. “I hadn’t realized you’d found a place to live. Shall I congratulate you now?”
“I’m moving back to where I came from. All of us are.” Aryne looked so crestfallen that she nearly laughed. “We’ll be coming back from time to time. And I’ll make sure you have my new number once I’m settled. We decided that we love it back there. It’s our roots, I guess you could call it. My sist
er Jude, she’s marrying the king of the place there. She’ll be his queen in all things.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for all of you. Not so much about you leaving the area, but that you’re going to be all together. But about the Martins. They’re claiming I’ve doctored my report on what I found out there. That I poured gasoline all around so their insurance wouldn’t pay off. I’m glad more every day that you bought me the body cam I’ve been using. The recording of it all, including our conversation out there, is being reviewed by the sitting judge.” Piper asked him why he’d come to her. “You’re going to be called as a witness. It’s not a bad thing. The judge, I believe you know him—Arthur Montgomery. He likes you and said that if he was to trust anyone with the truth, it would be you. He asked me to come by here and let you know he was going to have you summoned.”
“When is it?” Aryne smiled. “Today? He is making this thing start today? What would have happened had I not been home? Would he have just waited me out?”
“Yes. As I said, he likes you and knows you’re going to be honest with the court. He is going to tell the Martins you were on scene with me.” Piper asked him what capacity she was testifying in. “He’s making you a part of the fire team, as the one to head up things like this, discordances with insurance companies and families. I think you’d be a pro at it. Not to sound mean, but you don’t take shit from anyone, and that would put you in favor of anyone I know. A straight shooter is what he said.”
She looked around her apartment. There really wasn’t much left to do. She was just making herself busy work, so she’d not be in the middle of something when she was to meet with her sisters. It was their party night, the only night of the week they were able to get together as a family.
“I can do this, but I won’t miss my dinner date with the family. You know as well as I do that we get together every Wednesday night. It’s our time.” Aryne told her he knew that and had told Montgomery that too. “When do I have to be there?”
For an answer, Aryne went to the door and opened it. Shaking her head, she hated to admit that she wanted to do this. And doing it before she tore the reasons apart as to the reason she wanted to do it would be good for her. She tended to overthink things.
The courtroom was filled, a surprise to her since it was only a couple of days after Christmas. When she asked where she should be seated, Judge Montgomery called for her to come to the seat next to him. As soon as she was seated, he handed her some files. The one on top was from the Martins. The others, she remembered, she’d been to the sites of the fires with Aryne. She looked up when someone said her name.
“What makes you an expert on the fire at the Martin home, Ms. Warrior? I’m to understand that you’re some sort of artist. The last time I was in college, that wasn’t considered a degree.” There was a little bit of laughter around the otherwise quiet room when the attorney for the Martins spoke. Piper smiled. If he’d known her, even a little, he would have backed off then. “What do you have to add to this that the fire marshall called you in today to help with?”
He made quotation marks with his fingers when he said help, like he was implying something else besides her helping in any way. Whatever had he meant by it? Well, it pissed her off enough for her to get as nasty as he’d been.
“I have degrees in law enforcement and emergency medical services. I also have a doctorate in fire sciences and forensic fire investigations. I’m a retired firefighter with the 151 here in town too.” The men and women present today shouted “hoo-hoo,” as they did at this particular firehouse every time they met up with one of their own. The attorney for the Martins, Tyler Peck, said she seemed to be overqualified for the job. “How would you know what I’m qualified or even overqualified to do? You’re an attorney, and I can do your job as well if you want to know the truth. So far? I’m not terribly impressed by you at all.”
“Be that as it may, what do you have to say about the fires that the Martins have had?” She told him everything she’d figured out about the fire. Since he didn’t put any kind of stipulations on which fire, she was able, after the judge said Peck should be more careful how he worded things, to bring up the other fire the Martins had too. “The first fire has nothing to do with this fire, Your Honor. Why is she bringing that up?”
“Because, as you were told, you didn’t say which fire. The first fire wasn’t a total loss for the Martins. That one also had a very distinct smell of gasoline. If I were to speculate on how the fire was contained to the front of the home, I’d say it was the fire department who saved most of the home. The insurance company they had, the one they had doubled their insurance policy on within two days before the fire, said they could build onto the remaining house.” She pulled out the picture that was in the file of the crime scene of the second fire. “The second fire, as you can see here, took down the entire house. I’d like to say it was a total loss, but I can’t. The barn and several places that you can put items in to store were filled with their belongings. The only things left in the house that we could find were two cans of dog food, a couch older than the house, as well as some broken toys. Before you ask me how I knew they were broken, they were in melted pieces when they were retrieved from the fire.”
Peck just stared at her. She smiled at him again when she told him that was her professional opinion as an artist too. Piper flipped to the second picture and brought it up so everyone could see. Before she could talk about it, Peck interrupted her again.
“Ms. Warrior, I’m sure you have a great deal of what you might consider evidence to the contrary, but the Martins have lost their home. Everything they hold dear to their hearts. Everything you’re saying right now is only your opinion. What if I told you I have a person here in the courtroom today that discounts every part of your testimony?” Piper told him to bring them in. She’d compare her notes with his. “Are you telling me and this courtroom that you’re a better expert than the person I have? That’s sort of prejudiced, isn’t it?”
She stared at him for a moment. “What the hell are you talking about? I in no way implied, nor said, that I was better than anyone. I said—quite nicely, I think—that I’d compare notes with his. I never once, not ever in my career, said I was better than anyone.” He stared at her, his face getting redder by the moment. Not from embarrassment, but because his anger at her was filtering through his flippant attitude. “Are you going to call out your witness, or are you going to stand here like a fish with your mouth hanging open?”
Piper glanced down at the paperwork she’d been handed. Pulling out the second set of pictures, she stared it for several seconds before something about the name occurred to her. Reaching out to the others, Piper asked if one of them could look something up for her. It was Duncan who answered her call.
Sure. I’m sitting in front of the computer now. What do you need? She told him what she thought she’d found on the files. That shouldn’t take long. So, you think this is a family affair, do you? Well, well, well. You’re correct. Mrs. Patti Hanger is the sister to Mr. Denny Martin. And guess what? As you have figured out, Mr. Martin has a stepbrother who also suffered a tragic fire to his home. Mr. Garland’s home was a total loss as well. Let me check on something else for you here.
When Peck asked her a question, she asked for a moment. Shuffling around the papers, she was getting a better timeline of the things going with the fires. Then Duncan got back to her with more information.
They used different insurance companies for each home. Garland actually went to one out of state to cover his ass. Also, I was able to pull up some records with rental storage units. Each of them rented two storage units a week before the fires. I’m sure if we were to go and look, we’d see pretty much the same furniture in them that they’re claiming to have been destroyed in the fires. What else can I do for you, Piper?
You’ve done more than I thought I’d have right now. She smiled at Peck when he asked her if she
was going to answer his question, a question she had no idea he’d asked. I have to go. Pecker head is wanting some information from me.
Duncan was laughing as she closed up the connection. He was still there, of course, but he was no longer speaking to her. When Piper asked Montgomery for a wipe-off board, he said he had one in his office. While it was being brought out, Piper made notes on the timeline of each of the fires and what the families had done leading up to it. This was going to be epic.
She was invited to have lunch with Montgomery after the arrests were made, and everyone was finished laughing. It had been funny, and having all her ducks in a row like she had really put Peck on the defense. He also was fined for contempt of court when he wouldn’t shut up while she was explaining her information.
Declining the invite was overrun when Montgomery took her by the hand and nearly dragged her to the little café inside the courthouse. She’d not even been aware there was one here. Enjoying a nice thick roast beef sandwich, Montgomery told her what his plan was for her.
“I’m not sure you heard, but I’m moving. Soon.” He told her it didn’t matter where she lived, so long as she was able to go to suspicious fire scenes. “You’re meaning all of them, aren’t you?”
“I am. You’ll be well compensated. Insurance will be paid by the state you’re working in. Also, all hotel and accommodations you need to stick around for a couple of days will be paid directly to you. For all court appearances you need to be in on, like today, you’ll be given a bonus if you win—which I have to admit, you really did a bang-up job on this one.” She thanked him and thought about the deal he was offering her. She asked about her art. “Yes, I did explain to the governor that you were a renowned artist, and that would take you out of commission for some time. It was explained to me that the scene would be held until such time as you could go and look it over. You’re getting just about anything you want or need in this, Piper. I’ve never seen them bending so far over for someone before.”
Judith (Queen's Birds of Prey Book 3) Page 9
