“Great,” Titus says, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. “That should make short work of all this and you’d be out this afternoon. But . . .” His voice trails off and he seems to retreat into his own mind as he stares up at the ceiling. If he hadn’t already proven himself quirky and eccentric I’d think he might be having some kind of seizure.
“But what?” Luke asks impatiently, getting the words out just before I shout them myself.
“When you briefed me earlier you said you’ve got the ATF coming in. You’ve called in some big favors and intend to cut the head off the snake once and for all. Do I have that right?”
“Yes,” Luke says firmly, but I can see hesitation in his eyes. I, on the other hand, don’t feel any reluctance. I see now how dangerous Hoyle is. If I was trying to convince myself that his damage to my life was done, I’m seeing clearly now that it isn’t. I didn’t want Devin to come here to destroy anyone, but now it’s apparent that if we don’t take Hoyle down he’ll never stop. If they have a plan to end this, and it sounds like they do, then I want it to work.
“If you shine that light now the cockroaches will scatter. You’ll take down this Marshal, but you’ll lose the element of surprise.” Titus makes a clicking noise with his tongue as he continues to think. Another odd tic.
I swallow hard, realizing how right he is. It’s difficult to accept I’d have to trade my key to quick freedom, but I can’t see another option. “He’s right,” I say, looking at Luke who is already shaking his head in disagreement.
“I don’t care if he’s right. You aren’t safe in here. They’re actively looking for a way to get to you, to hurt you while you’re locked up. You’re too vulnerable. If we have a chance for you to walk out of here today then we take it,” Luke says resolutely.
Titus huffs out his annoyance at Luke’s shortsighted and clearly emotional reaction to the situation. “I don’t really care what you do. My goal is to get you out of jail. I just thought you had some objectives of your own, and you were on the verge of undermining them. I can still argue for bail and I think my odds are good, but if you want these guys rounded up the best thing you can do is make them think they’re winning. You want them to be complacent and make mistakes.” Titus’s flat tone is doing nothing to calm Luke’s jittery disagreement. But it’s working on me.
“I agree,” I say, trying to put my bravest face on. “We don’t say anything about Louis Smalls and the evidence we have against him. We buy some time to take them all down. The longer I’m in here, the more they’ll be convinced they’re winning. That’s what we want.”
“And what’s your plan when someone shows up in your cell? They really win then,” Luke says as he’s taking in deep breaths and blowing them out, conjuring images of someone about to deliver a baby.
“You guys find a way to make sure I’m safe in here and I’ll stay until your ATF guy makes his case. Is he already here in Clover?”
“Yes, I got a message from Olivia an hour ago. He’s here and has already started. From the looks of it, he’s got a well-equipped team. It’s not a very sophisticated operation. If they get sloppy it will be easy.” Luke bites at his lip in between words fighting with himself. I know what’s driving some of this. Going back to Devin empty-handed, without me free from jail, will not go over well. Especially if he knows there was a chance for me to be out of here already. If he knows it was a choice, he’ll never understand.
“I can stall some, too,” Titus says, stepping in closer to us. “I’ve got a couple of ideas and some things we can do to make sure that you stay safe if you aren’t granted bail now. If you’re sure about this, let’s go back in there and set up the pins and let them knock them down. Let them think they have the upper hand.”
“I don’t like this, Rebecca. I don’t trust anyone down here. Look what happened to Devin.”
“Listen,” Titus says, knitting his brows together, looking more insulted than worried, “at the end of the day I could crush that prosecutor and school that judge. Miss Farrus is getting out of here; it’s just a matter of when. Today or a couple of days from now, that’s up to her.”
“I’ll stay,” I say, moving my handcuffed hands onto the table and listening to the metal clank together. “I’m not afraid. I want this done the right way. You just let that ATF guy know not to drag his feet. I want to get back to my daughter, but I’m not going to blow this whole thing just to save myself.”
“Rebecca,” Luke says with such a pleading tone I feel like I have to look away. He’s a sincere guy, and I know how much he’s done for Devin over the years.
“Please Luke, don’t make a case for him.” I don’t say Devin’s name but I can tell Luke knows who I mean. “Don’t pass any messages along to me. All of this is hard enough without you trying to fight his battles. He can’t undo what he did.”
“I’m not even sure he knows what he did,” Luke says, his eyes piercing me with the truth. “But I’m not here to do anything on his behalf. He’s a big boy. I’m here for you. That’s it.”
“Wonderful,” Titus says as he looks down at his watch, tapping it again three times. “Let’s get back in there. I don’t want to hear how I was thirty seconds late.” He pulls open the door and heads back to the courtroom without even looking back at Luke or me.
“He’s a strange guy,” I say as the bailiff helps me to my feet and leads me back toward the courtroom.
“Most of us geniuses are,” Luke laughs, and I’m so grateful for the small dose of humor.
As I take a seat in the hard-backed wooden chair, I take in the massiveness of the high courtroom ceiling again. This place is immense, and I feel small in it. As the judge begins to speak I shake off the sensation, remembering if I intend to survive all this I need to be formidable.
“Let’s discuss bail,” Judge Cunningham says, gesturing for the prosecutor to make an argument against it. He does so with little hesitation.
“We request she be held without bail while we sort through the new evidence that’s just come to light,” Lumstead says with his chin tilted confidently toward the sky.
Titus huffs out a small laugh. “Your Honor, Miss Farrus has never left Clover and does not have the financial means to do so. She has been away from her child for long enough. She’s the sole caregiver for the little girl and has no prior record or problems with the law.”
“I do believe it is important for a mother to be with her child,” the judge starts, “but while Miss Farrus does not have the means to leave town, whoever retained you certainly does. I imagine you make more in a week than most of us make in a year. Not to mention I have a note from the two Marshals who arrested Miss Farrus, stating Devin Sutton would have left with Rebecca had he been given any warning about her impending arrest. He certainly has the means and motivation to be considered a flight risk. While I do empathize with her having to be away from her child, there is only one thing that drives me here today. A boy is dead. Presumably murdered, and his family, regardless of their history with Clover, will never see him on this earth again. Seeking justice for that crime is my main objective. The defendant will not be allowed bail.”
Titus takes in a deep breath. “We’re very concerned about Miss Farrus’s safety while incarcerated. Clover is a tinder box of emotions right now and I’m fearful some of that could boil over and result in some imminent danger for my client.”
“She can be placed away from the general population. This is a very small jail, and I’m certain she can be kept safe by the guards tasked to do so,” the judge responds, not looking up over her wire-rimmed glasses.
“I’m not sure that will be enough.” Titus slips his pen behind his ear and folds his hands together.
“Have there been any direct threats against her safety?” the prosecutor asks, leaning over to get a look at us as though he’s wondering if we’ve caught wind of anything.
“Not anything concrete, but under the circumstances and considering the victim’s father�
��s connections here in Clover, I’d like to propose we have some impartial people assigned to guard Miss Farrus. Perhaps someone from the recently commissioned security team.”
The bolstering between Titus and Lumstead continues with a snarky huff escaping the prosecutor’s lips. “Your Honor, it’s bad enough they have these men stomping through town and overturning everything that’s been a part of Clover for decades. We’re really going to let a couple of them parade through the women’s wing of the jail? Or are they just going to be there to get their jollies off around all those women. This is ludicrous.” Lumstead’s voice is so full of arrogance and confidence that he has me half convinced he’s right. Luckily Titus has a better shield against the bullshit.
“I’m sure the prosecutor isn’t trying to be overtly sexist when he assumes the only qualified people on the security force are men. That wasn’t your intention, right?” Titus asks, raising a goading eyebrow at Lumstead. “In fact, there are four very qualified women who would be more than happy to protect Miss Farrus.”
The judge lets out a small chuckle as she jots down a note. “This is not a traditional option, but under the circumstances I’ll allow it. I’m guessing nothing about this case will be very conventional. However, these security people will not move through the jail as though they own the place. They will be there for Miss Farrus’s protection, not to disrupt the normal processes of the jail and its staff. Will that be all today?” she asks, her hand reaching for the gavel.
“There is one more thing, Your Honor,” I hear Titus say, and I wonder what else he might have up his sleeve. I put on a brave face, but I haven’t exactly come to terms with the fact that I won’t be going home to Adeline tonight. A part of me is hoping he’s about to play some crazy card to get me out of here without undermining the investigation into Hoyle and the drugs. But as he begins to speak I realize that isn’t the case. “I’d like to request that the body of Brent Hoyle be exhumed.” As the words pass through his lips I hear Lumstead jump to his feet and sprint toward the judge’s bench.
“Your Honor, I don’t know how they do things up in the city but ’round here we don’t go disturbing the final resting places of our dead. The family will not permit his body to be exhumed. As a close personal friend of the Hoyles for years, I can say, definitively, they would not allow this.”
“I have absolutely nothing to go on here,” Titus shrugs nonchalantly, trying to appear as confident as possible. “You can’t introduce a possible murder weapon you dug up today if I have no body, no cause of death, no crime scene evidence. If you want to move forward with this case then I want the body exhumed and processed by an impartial medical examiner,” Titus states sternly as he, too, approaches the bench.
“I have to agree with the defense on this,” the judge decides, making another note. “I’m never an advocate for having to upset the family of a victim, but this isn’t their decision to make, it’s mine. If there is a case to be made here it won’t be done without more evidence, and exhuming the body and having another autopsy done will be the only way to know if the weapon found is consistent with the cause of death. I’m issuing an order for this to be done today and a medical examiner brought in tomorrow to complete the new report. The results will be provided to both of you as soon as they are available and we’ll move forward with this hearing.” She assertively raises her gavel and her eyebrows at both men.
“No, Your Honor,” Lumstead says, shaking his head and running his hand anxiously through his tousled brown hair. “I implore you to please reconsider. This is an abomination. Sherriff Hoyle will not stand for this.”
The judge straightens in her chair and slams her gavel down. “Mr. Hoyle no longer has any duties as sheriff in Clover. I would imagine the father of a slain child would want to seek justice, and if he believes Miss Farrus had anything to do with his son’s murder I would think he’d do what is necessary to get to the bottom of it. Exhumation will happen today. That’s final.” She cracks her gavel down twice more and then stands to leave.
Titus leans over to me and whispers, “I was only using that as a stalling technique. I didn’t think she’d order it for today. This could be interesting.” He tucks his notebook into his briefcase and snaps it shut, flicking the gold latches closed.
I feel Luke’s hand on my shoulder and it hits me that I’m about to be alone again for another painfully long night. I feel the tears welling in my eyes and try to remind myself how insufferable Titus believes crying is. It will help nothing.
“It won’t be long, Rebecca,” I hear Luke say as the bailiff comes to escort me away. “Olivia will be the first to come guard you. I’ve already sent word and she’ll be here soon.” I nod my head without turning around and slip behind the metal door that will lead me back outside. I soak up the heat of the sun on my face and breath in as much fresh air as I can while we walk back into the dark cool jail. It’s strange how you can know you’re doing the right thing and still be scared to death.
Chapter Seventeen
Devin
When Luke pulls back into the driveway my brain knows Rebecca won’t be in the car, but my heart is still holding out hope. It’s illogical, considering Olivia left here in a hurry at Luke’s direction to guard Rebecca in jail. That doesn’t bode well for her getting out today, but still, I stare at the passenger door of his car, hoping it flies open and she steps out.
When his hand is closing the driver’s side door with no other movement in the car I know that small flame of hope is snuffed out. She isn’t coming home today.
Luke has only one foot in the door when a cacophony of my words nearly bowls him over. “What the hell happened? I told you to bring her home today. This lawyer of yours was supposed to be the best, and he can’t even get her bail? I trusted you with this, Luke. You blew it.”
There’s an air of disdain on his face as he shoves me backward, and I’m stunned at the motion, so out of character for him.
“Back off, Devin. Maybe if you started thinking before you opened your damn mouth you’d actually have your life on track by now. But that’s all you do, talk without thinking. Was it really a good idea to tell Nick, in front of two other Marshals, that if you’d known she was about to be arrested you would have fled with her? Can you not see how that might have worked against her in a bail hearing?”
Luke throws down his bag and pulls his glasses from his face, using the tail of his untucked dress shirt to wipe them clean. “That’s your problem, Devin. You never think. You don’t ever see the bigger picture. I get that you lost ten years of your life, but you need to grow the hell up now. The world doesn’t revolve around you. You want Rebecca home. You want Hoyle to pay for orchestrating your arrest. You don’t care about the consequences or how it gets done. Well, lucky for you, Rebecca has the ability to think past the immediate gratification of her own needs. That’s why she’s still in there. The lawyer could have had her out ten minutes into the hearing, but she chose to stay.”
At the sound of our raised voices, Kurt Evangeline from the ATF steps out of the kitchen and joins us, looking both intrigued and annoyed. His spiky gelled hair and acne-scarred face make him look like a gangster from an old movie, and his personality doesn’t combat that image much. He folds his arms over his chest and takes in the scene.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask, charging at Luke as I turn my angry hands to fists. “She chose to stay there? Why? Because she’s upset with me for some ridiculous reason?”
“You’re a moron, an emotional inept fool. You really believe she’d stay there because she’s mad at you? Get it in your head, the world does not revolve around you. She’s there because Hoyle had that idiot Marshal Smalls and those two girls dig up some stupid baseball bat in Rebecca’s yard and claim it’s the murder weapon.”
“We already know from the medical examiner’s book that he was shot, not bludgeoned,” I shout, furious I wasn’t there to intervene today with this nonsense.
“Exactly, and we
have direct proof that Marshal Smalls is involved in illegal distribution of drugs and conspiracy,” Luke continues and it sounds like he’s making my point, not his.
“Why the hell didn’t you speak up then? Why didn’t the lawyer rake them over the coals? She’d be here right now.”
“And every single link to Hoyle and his illegal activities would have evaporated. We’d have nothing but some two-bit Marshal and a bunch of guys running and hiding to protect their asses. Rebecca saw this and decided she would tough it out for a few more days while the ATF works on the case. She made that very difficult choice that, frankly, I don’t even know if I could have made. Certainly it’s more than you’re capable of. You can’t plan and execute without letting emotion take over. What she did is admirable, and if you can’t see that you’re a bigger fool than I thought.”
Luke is pointing his finger angrily in my face as he speaks through his teeth. He is seething. I have never seen him this upset, even when I’ve done some very stupid things. Luke isn’t holding back, and maybe that’s long overdue. Is he right? I know I am an egocentric asshole at times. I thought Luke saw beyond that. I’ve always thought of it as a strength, a powerful part of myself, but maybe it’s more destructive than I realized.
I quiet my voice slightly and look out the window. “Did she say what she’s pissed about, what I can do to fix it?”
“No. She didn’t want to hear anything from you, or about you.” Luke’s face softens slightly now and the shouting has seemed to pass for both of us.
Our attention turns to Kurt as he starts to speak in his gravelly rumble of a voice. “Well the girl did the right thing. If she’d tipped off any kind of surveillance or evidence these guys would scatter, and rounding them up would be harder. So as long as your girlfriend really didn’t kill the kid, then she played the right card today.”
“She didn’t kill anyone,” Luke asserts. “This is all a play by Hoyle to put pressure on and keep his drug ring and power. He’s living like a king and everything Devin is doing puts that lifestyle at risk. He’s like a cornered animal. She didn’t kill Brent.”
All My Heart (The Clover Series) Page 11
