4. The Jury

by Fern Michaels

  With Murphy and Grady on leashes, Nikki walked along aimlessly until she came to a phone booth off the beaten path. She used her brand new phone card to call Maddie.

  “Just checking in. Anything going on? I’m in town walking the dogs. I think I’ll head over to the park for an hour or so.”

  Quick on the uptake, Maddie responded by saying, “I feel like taking a walk in this nice brisk air myself. I had to turn the heat on. By the way, we have two new clients. Nothing big, but kind of intense. I should be going now, Nikki, I have a slew of paperwork that needs to get filed.”

  “Do you have a purse? You know how you always forget yours.”

  Nikki could hear the sigh on the other end of the phone. “I know, I know. The office is in good hands, Nikki.”

  With time on her hands, Nikki huddled inside her warm jacket and headed for the park. She unhooked the dogs’ leashes before she sat down on a dark green bench to wait for Maddie. The dogs looked at her and then sat down, making it obvious they weren’t interested in chasing squirrels or stray cats. Nikki smiled as she dialed Jack’s number. Her smile widened when she heard his voice. “How’s it going, District Attorney Emery?”

  “Oh, it’s going. I just got back from court. This place is a zoo. What’s going on with you?”

  “I came into town to buy…a few things. I brought Murphy and Grady with me. Do you believe how cold it is for this early in the season? Anything going on?”

  “Same old, same old. I’m meeting Ted for a drink after work. He’s back at work and pissed to the teeth. I’ll get details this evening. I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too. Judge Easter left the farm today. I think she plans on going back to work tomorrow. I drove her into town. Send some flowers to her office, Jack. I think she’d like that. She won’t think of it as brownnosing. The woman has shifted her mental gears and…I think she’s shelved Jenny’s death and will only think about it in private. She reminded me of a robot on the ride in. What about Brad, how’s he doing?”

  “Brad headed up to the Big Apple last week. He has family upstate. This is just a guess on my part, but I don’t think he’s coming back. I helped him pack up the nursery last week and that was real bad. We donated everything to the Salvation Army. He left Jenny’s things for the judge to…you know.”

  “Yes, I do know. Maddie took care of the firm’s insurance and Jenny’s partnership shares. Do you have an address for Brad? If you do, call it in to Maddie.”

  “Will do. When am I going to see you, Nikki?”

  “Not till we complete our…Soon, Jack.”

  Jack laughed, an intimate sound. Nikki smiled. “In the meantime, I’ll dream about you.”

  “Me, too. Bye, Jack.”

  “Bye, Nik.”

  Nikki slid her cell phone into her jacket pocket. She leaned back to wait for Maddie. The dogs lay at her feet, their eyes alert.

  Thirty minutes later, the dogs were up on their feet, the hair on the backs of their necks standing on end. Maddie approached and waited for Nikki to admonish the dogs when Murphy’s ears went flat against his head, a signal he wasn’t happy with someone coming so close to Nikki.

  Nikki’s voice was soothing. “It’s OK, boys. Sit down, Maddie, and just talk normally. They need to get your scent and decide for themselves that you’re a friend.”

  It only took five minutes before the dogs lay down, their heads on their paws.

  “Listen to me, Maddie. I need you to tell me everything you know about Paula Woodley. Any little thing that the sister, your friend, may have told you. I also need you to tell me anything Paula might have said to you when you picked her up after the sister’s call. Do they have security at the house in Kalorama? I don’t mean just an alarm system. Does the NSA have any kind of security? Like bodyguards. I don’t want you to ask me any questions. You know the rules.”

  “Nikki, Nancy doesn’t really talk about her sister. I do know she hates the little squirt. That’s what she calls the NSA. When Nancy and her family moved to Pennsylvania, we were reduced to a phone call once a month, exchanging Christmas cards, that kind of thing. As far as I know, Nancy doesn’t know about the abuse. She may suspect, but she sure didn’t let on to me that she knew anything. She was just concerned that Paula wasn’t answering the phone. I do know that Nancy is the one who always does the calling. The two of them haven’t seen each other in six years. Because every time Nancy would suggest a meeting, Paula would tell her they were going either out of state or out of the country.”

  “Six years!” Nikki gasped. “How can that be?”

  “That’s what I asked, and Nancy said Paula was a big girl and moved in the circles of the pretty people. Movers and shakers. Nancy is just a down-home girl with a family who comes first. She’s involved with things that concern her kids. She teaches part-time. She has her own life.”

  “What exactly did you tell Nancy after you rescued Paula?”

  “Just what Mr. Martin told me to tell her. That Paula was rushing around getting ready to go on a trip abroad. Nancy was satisfied and hasn’t called back. She cares about her sister and once I reassured her she was OK, she went back to her own life.”

  Nikki fixed her gaze on two squirrels racing up and down one of the maple trees across from the bench. Murphy was eyeing both squirrels with interest, but he didn’t move. “How did you get into the house?”

  “Actually, it’s kind of funny. The house was locked up tight. I rang every doorbell at least ten times with no response. Nancy said Paula used to keep a key in one of the birdhouses in the backyard. I found five keys. I let myself in. This may surprise you, and then again, maybe it won’t. The Woodleys do not have household help. Paula does…did everything. Anyway, she was in the living room on the sofa. She looked scared out of her wits when I told her who I was and why I was there. She begged me to take her someplace. The phone rang the entire time I was there. Several hundred times at least. I’ll never forget the number on the caller ID. I repeated it to Paula and asked if it was her husband and she nodded. I got her out of there as quick as I could. She could hardly talk but she managed to tell me I had to take her book bag that was hanging on her dressing-room door. It looked at first glance like it just had reading books in it, but on the bottom, under the other books, were her bank records and her important papers. I just grabbed it and her purse and away we went. That’s all I can tell you, Nikki.”

  Nikki kept watching the squirrels. Now there was a third one who could run faster than the other two. Grady raised his head to watch, but, like Murphy, he didn’t move. A sudden gust of wind swept through the small park. A little boy tugging on his mother’s skirt howled his displeasure when the wind buffeted him forward. The mother bent down to pick him up. He buried his little face in her shoulder.

  “Think, Maddie. Did Paula say anything else? No matter how inane it might have seemed. Did she say anything about that bastard?”

  “She was in so much pain. I think she was just lying on that couch hoping she would die. He shattered her teeth, hit her with a candlestick. It was metal. It was still on the floor. All she said was, ‘no more.’ She came willingly, even gratefully. She’s OK, isn’t she, Nikki?”

  Nikki diverted her gaze from the squirrels in the tree. “She’s mending. Has anyone been calling or asking questions?”

  Maddie shook her head. “No. I had my story all ready if they did, which was that Jenny handled everything even though she was on maternity leave. The fact that Jenny died the same day I brought Paula to the farm made it work perfectly. The story, I mean. I know in my heart, Jenny would have approved of what I did. God won’t punish me, will He, Nikki?”

  Nikki hugged her friend. “No, Maddie, God isn’t going to punish you, and you’re right, Jenny would approve.”

  “So, what now?”

  “It’s better that you don’t know. Did you bring the key? Where is the rest of Paula’s stuff?”

  “At first it was in the firm’s safe. I made copies of everything. I sent e
verything to Mr. Martin by messenger. I cleaned out the safe after we did all our filing and sent Mr. Martin those files too, by messenger. There’s nothing in the safe now to tie us to Paula. For all intents and purposes, Jenny had everything. I brought all five keys,” Maddie said, handing over a small white envelope. “The NSA’s cell phone number is on the envelope in case you need it.”

  Nikki pocketed the envelope and stood up. The women hugged before they started toward the parking lot, the dogs walking alongside them.

  An hour later, Nikki walked into the kitchen of Pinewood. She held out the small white envelope. “Ladies, here is our entrance to the Kalorama house. And the NSA’s private cell phone number.”

  Sixteen

  Dressed in his pajamas and ready to retire for the evening, Ted Robinson was about to slide the last dead bolt home on his front door when he heard a loud knock. Unwilling to open the door at this hour — past ten o’clock — he looked through the peephole to see Jack Emery standing on the other side. He undid the other five locks that Jack had installed while he was in the hospital. The two cats, Mickey and Minnie, hissed their disapproval at these goings-on until they saw Jack, at which point they brushed up against him and started to purr.

  “Kind of late for a social visit, isn’t it, Jack?”

  Jack moved into the living room, the cats following him. “I tried to get here earlier in the week but the office is such a zoo, I haven’t been getting home till after midnight. Now that’s late. I just wanted to see how you were doing and if you needed anything.”

  “I’m OK. I work a few hours a day, hang out and catch up on the soap operas.” Ted guffawed. “I mostly order in so I don’t have to go shopping. I’m OK, Jack, and I don’t blame you. Can we please get past that?”

  “If it works for you, go for it. OK, we’re past it. Anything going on in the world of journalism? Anyone exciting kill anyone less exciting? I only ask so I can put said killer on my schedule. Personally, I wish all those whack jobs out there would kill each other. Would make my job a lot easier.”

  “Nah, it’s kind of quiet, crimewise. Lots of gossip if you’re into gossip.”

  Jack yawned. He wanted a beer but he noticed Ted’s pajamas and decided it was time to go home. The cats were still purring at his feet. “Gossip doesn’t cut it for me, Ted. Look, if you’re OK and don’t need anything, I’m going to head on home. I’ve been dragging my ass for the last three days and I’m bushed.”

  Ted held up his hand. “Hold on, Jack. Sit down. Wanna beer? I think you might be interested in this particular gossip.” He padded across to the small kitchen for two beers and returned to the living room. Jack noticed how slowly Ted was walking, and felt bad for his friend. The friend who wasn’t blaming him for his condition. He accepted the beer and sat down.

  Ted took a huge swig from the bottle before he set it down on the coffee table. Minnie, or maybe it was Mickey, hopped on his lap. He stroked her black silky head as he spoke. “When I was in the office today I heard Maggie Spritzer on the phone. She covers the political gossip, in case you didn’t know. Anyway, what made me sit up and pay attention was the mention of your girlfriend’s name. Now follow me here. The national security advisor is married to a shoe polish heiress. Years ago she won a silver in gymnastics at the Olympics. Her name is Paula and she refuses to be part of the Washington fishbowl. The press refers to her as reclusive. They live in Kalorama in a house that has been in the wife’s family for years and years and more years. You know no one ever sells in Kalorama and, if you believe the rumors, no one dies in Kalorama. Anyway, your old girlfriend’s law firm represents the wife, Paula Woodley. Rumor has it the wife split and hired the law firm to cut off the NSA from all her personal accounts and cleaned out the joint accounts. It’s a rumor and can’t be nailed down, Jack. You need two sources and all Maggie has is rumor. I thought you might be interested.”

  Jack pretended to be puzzled. “So the woman hired Nikki’s firm. It’s a good firm, even though it took a serious hit with the Barrington case. I’ve gone up against just about every lawyer in that firm and let me tell you, they gave me a run for my money. I lost more cases than I won. Maybe Mrs. Woodley wants a divorce. It happens, Ted. What are you seeing that I’m not seeing?”

  Ted shrugged, his eyes narrowing as he watched Jack. He continued to stroke the cat in his lap. “Do you know which lawyer handled Mrs. Woodley’s affairs?”

  “Nikki? If she hired Nik, she’s in good hands.”

  “Nice try, Jack. Not Nikki. Jenny. Jenny’s gone now and so are the records. This is just rumor, OK?” Ted stood up. “Now you can go.”

  Jack’s head buzzed. “And you think I needed to know this…Why?”

  “I’m just passing it on. I thought maybe you could make some sense out of it.”

  “I think I’ll pass on it. Marital problems don’t do anything for me. Just because the guy is the NSA doesn’t mean he’s a saint. He probably had an affair and his wife caught him. Happens all the time. Don’t go spooking yourself or try to tie that in to what’s been going on at Pinewood. Thanks for the beer.”

  Ted closed the door and then closed all six locks. He leaned against the door, the cats pawing at his bare feet. “You’re about as transparent as cellophane, Jack, and I think Maggie Spritzer is going to be my new best friend,” he muttered to the cats at his feet.

  Outside in the dark, Jack walked to his car, his thoughts going in all directions. He wished now that he hadn’t stopped at Ted’s apartment. He looked up at the star-filled night. In a day or so there would be a full moon, at which point all the crazies in town would pop out of their hiding places and raise all kinds of hell. It never failed. He had to call Nikki and alert her because he knew in his gut that Ted was going to pursue Maggie Spritzer’s gossip even though he said he wasn’t interested.

  On the drive back to Georgetown, Jack let his mind veer off in two different directions. If the presidential gold shields were called upon to help the NSA, what would they do to the women of Pinewood? After all, the presidential gold shields had an allegiance to Charles Martin. He definitely had to call Nikki, but eyebrows might shoot up if he called Pinewood at such a late hour. Better to wait for morning to make the call.

  A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he thought about Nikki. It was two weeks since she’d called him from the shopping center to alert him to her meeting with Maddie. He’d begged her not to tell him her plan but she hadn’t listened and told him anyway. Fucking with the NSA was not a good thing. He’d told her so but she’d paid him no attention.

  Two weeks. Fourteen days. God alone knew what that little group of women had come up with in all those hours. Whatever it was, the NSA wasn’t going to like it. Jack knew that he personally was going to hate it.

  Jack couldn’t believe his good luck when he found a parking spot right in front of Nikki’s house. Normally, every spot was already taken at this late hour. He parked his car, then gathered up his briefcase and cell phone. Before he got out of the car, he looked out the window at Nikki’s front stoop to see if the light was still on. It was. Still, he looked both ways before he got out of the car. His foot was on the first step when the hairs on the back of his neck moved. He whirled around to see a man standing in the shadows near the parked car in front of his.

  “Good evening, Mr. Emery. Welcome home. Keeping late hours, I see.”

  “Fuck you, you creep. Why are you tailing me? I’m going to write to my congressman and protest my taxpayer dollars going to pay your salary. Then I’m going to call the New York Times and tell them about you guys. You can’t interfere with the Old Gray Lady and we both know it. Now, get your ass outta here and leave me alone.”

  The man standing in the shadows clucked his tongue. “I’m standing on a public sidewalk. I can make you eat your words, you crud. Don’t ever make the mistake of threatening me again.”

  Jack’s mind raced. If he went in the house and didn’t respond, the shield would think he was afraid. If he open
ed his mouth with a smart-ass retort, the shield would probably break every bone in his body. Since he was only half-turned toward the man in the shadows, he moved slightly, stuck his hand inside his jacket, and whipped out his gun just as he swiveled around to confront the man. “I’m a dead-aim shot, you asshole. You’re lurking outside my residence and you’re harassing me. I’m protecting my castle. You want to bring this to a head, let’s go for it.”

  “Another time, another place, Mr. Emery. Just for the record, I had the drop on you five minutes ago.”

  Jack snorted. “Yeah, right. That’s what I would say if I were in your position, too,” he said as he backed up the steps to the front door. Inside, he let out his breath in a loud swoosh. He hated it that his hand shook when he jammed his gun back into his shoulder holster. Most DAs didn’t pack their guns on their persons but carried them in their briefcases. He wasn’t one of those DAs. More than once his gun had come in handy and he wasn’t about to give up his habit. Not for some asshole carrying a gold shield. “Your day is coming, you bastard, and I’m going to be there to see it.”

  Jack walked back to the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot chocolate. He made some toast and spread butter and jam on it. He ate five slices before he made his way to Nikki’s bedroom. He looked around, missing her so much he wanted to cry. He bit down on his lip and picked up the picture of the two of them from the nightstand. He didn’t feel silly at all when he kissed Nikki’s photograph. Now, he could go to bed.

  Myra called the meeting of the Sisterhood to order. “It’s been two weeks since we last met. Now, let’s bring out all our ideas so we can arrange a plan to take care of Mr. Karl Woodley.”

  Kathryn spoke first. “I’m not comfortable snatching the guy. I’m even less comfortable going after him inside his own house. I don’t see any way to foolproof this gig. I’ll go along with the majority, but I want you all to know I think this is incredibly risky.”