Murdered at the Courthouse

by Dianne Harman

  “That may be your assessment of his legal abilities, Mr. District Attorney,” the judge responded sarcastically in a very loud voice, “but it sure isn’t mine. Any time an attorney tries to start a case out using smoke and mirrors, I know the court’s time is about to be wasted.” He sat back and took a sip from the glass of water on his desk which Hannah always kept filled.

  Blaine took a step forward. “Judge Dickerson, I personally spent an hour this morning talking to Mr. Walsh regarding his presentation of this case, and there was nothing he said or planned to say in court that would lead me to believe he was resorting to what you call smoke and mirrors. Would you care to enlighten me as to just what the problem is?”

  “I certainly will,” the judge said with a glare. “In his opening comments, Mr. Walsh made the statement that the defendant, Cameron Baker, sexually abused the decedent, Krysta Lawrence, after months of watching pornography on his computer.” The judge sat back in his large black leather chair and continued, “Making a statement like that is sheer conjecture with absolutely nothing to back it up. It was said simply to get media attention for himself, and I will not allow my courtroom to be part of a media circus.”

  Judge Dickerson slammed his fist on the wooden desktop. “I will have no part of something like that. That’s why I told the impaneled jury and those in the courtroom that court was adjourned for the day, and it would resume in the morning. Several members of the press have already emailed me regarding the situation, and I responded that Mr. Walsh was no longer the attorney of record, and that you would be handling the case from this time forward.”

  Blaine glanced at Ryan, who was shifting from foot to foot, his head lowered. Blaine tried again. “Your Honor, I beg to disagree with you. Ryan and I discussed this aspect of the case earlier today. He has numerous witnesses who saw the defendant watching pornography on his computer at work, as well as the report of a well-known sex therapist. Trust me, it was not said for media attention.”

  “Well, it won’t be getting any in my courtroom, because, as I just mentioned, I have struck Mr. Walsh’s name from the pleadings and replaced it with your name.” Judge Dickerson shuffled some papers on is desk and then spouted a loud angry stream of profanities directed at both Blaine and Ryan. He concluded his tirade by saying, “As the presiding judge in this courtroom, I make the rules, and Mr. Evans, like it or not, you are now the official attorney of record for this case. I will see you in court tomorrow morning, and I expect you to be fully prepared for trial. Both of you, leave my chambers now before I really get mad. Close the door on you way out.”

  Blaine and Ryan walked out the door and closed it behind them. When it was completely shut, Hannah said, “Blaine, I couldn’t help but overhear what the judge said in there. Actually, the way the judge was practically yelling and swearing at you, I imagine anyone who was walking down the hall heard him as well. I know you have a lot of work cut out for you the rest of today and tonight, but when you take a break, give me a call. I might be able to shed a little light on what happened in there.”

  Blaine scratched his head. “I’m glad someone has an idea of what just happened, because I feel like I’ve just been blindsided,” he said, as he and Ryan left the courtroom.

  When they returned to Blaine’s office a few minutes later, they stopped at Carly’s desk. “Carly, I want you to prepare an extensive memo on everything I have scheduled for the next two weeks,” Blaine said. “Please have it ready for me by the time you leave today. If you can, cancel any appointments that aren’t critical. I’ve just been told by Judge Dickerson that I have to try the Lawrence case beginning tomorrow morning.

  “Ryan will be handling everything here in the office in my absence, and he needs to know what to expect, along with any background information you can give him. I want you to help him any way you can. Ryan and I have a long night ahead of us, and it’s beginning right now.” He nodded at Ryan, and the two of them walked into his office and Blaine slammed the door.

  CHAPTER 4

  Judge Dickerson threw his pen down on his desk and pressed his intercom button. “Hannah, hold all my calls for the remainder of the afternoon. I’ve had enough of attorneys and their ploys for today. You can leave at your usual time. I have some work I need to do,” he said as he punched the intercom button and ended the call before she could respond.

  Hannah sat back in her chair, once again comparing the difference in her experience of being Blaine Evans’ legal secretary and being Judge Dickerson’s court clerk. Even though she couldn’t stand the judge, she knew being the judge’s clerk was the most prestigious, as well as the most lucrative job, a legal secretary could have in the county, and she needed the money.

  Her husband had left her when he found out the behavior their son was exhibiting was not just normal behavior from a two-year-old toddler, but a severe case of autism. After he left, she had no choice but to go back to being a legal secretary to support her and her son, Justin. Fortunately, Blaine Evans had an opening in his law office for a legal secretary, and she began working there. Shortly after she was hired, his secretary became pregnant and gave notice. Blaine’s secretary had recommended Hannah, and he offered her the job. Even though her home life was in disarray, her professional life had never been better. She loved working for Blaine.

  Her dream job ended when he won the election and became the district attorney of the county. The district attorney he replaced had a very savvy secretary, Carly, and one who could certainly help Blaine during his transition into his new job. Hannah agreed with him when he told her he’d decided to keep the present secretary, but said that he knew the presiding judge of the county, Judge Dickerson, had an opening and was interviewing for the position of court clerk. Blaine advised her to apply for the county job, and he told her he would personally call the judge and recommend her. He had done as he promised, and a month later she was working in the courthouse as the judge’s clerk. She quickly found out that the judge had a few “quirks” that were better left unaddressed, but Hannah needed the job and decided that the best way to deal with his unsavory habits was to simply look the other way, although at times it had been difficult.

  When it was 5:00 p.m., she took her coat off the coat rack behind her desk and mentally prepared herself for whatever Ellie, the woman she’d hired as a live-in nanny to take care of Justin when she was at work, had to tell her about the events of the day. She dreaded going home, but she was all Justin had, and every child deserved a loving mother. At times it was hard, but she’d made up her mind once the diagnosis had been confirmed by several pediatricians, that she would be the best parent Justin could have. She’d become a staunch advocate for the rights of autistic children in the county and even the state. She often thought it was pretty strange how her life had changed with one diagnosis. She adored her son, and knew that in his own way, the feeling was mutual.

  She turned off the lights, noticing that the judge had never left his chambers after he’d called her on the intercom. As she walked out of the courthouse, her thoughts turned to Justin and what the evening would bring. Her day in court had already become a fading memory.

  *****

  Judge Dickerson stood up from the chair in front of his computer and walked over to the long credenza on the far side of his office which was next to his office door. He slid the door on the cabinet open and took out a bottle of bourbon and a glass. Hands shaking, he poured the bourbon into the glass until it was half-full. He knew it was probably more than two fingers, but tonight it didn’t matter. He’d had a rough day dealing with that incompetent attorney. Thank heavens he had the internet to relieve some of his stress.

  He opened the mini-refrigerator in the credenza, reached into a bag of ice, and took out a couple of ice cubes which he put in the glass. Satisfied there was enough in the glass to hold him for another hour, he walked across his office and back to his computer. He was glad he’d put his computer desk against the wall so outside lights wouldn’t conflict with the ima
ges on his screen. The images on the screen made days like today tolerable.

  At least if he stayed in his office a couple more hours he wouldn’t have to deal with Stephanie, his wife. When he did get home, she’d probably be asleep in her room with her stupid little lap dog, Fifi. Why a grown woman would want to have a toy poodle and lavish large amounts of money and attention on it, he had no idea, but Judge Dickerson had realized long ago that he really didn’t care.

  If truth be told, it had been a marriage of convenience from the beginning. Stephanie was from a well-known wealthy family in the county, and they had been a huge help in his first election when he ran for the office of county judge. Stephanie’s family had been more than happy to have their eccentric daughter marry someone who had judicial aspirations. It appeared to be a win-win situation, but love wasn’t part of the equation.

  Shortly after the marriage, Stephanie’s parents died, and she was the sole heir of their extensive cattle and wheat holdings. Her eccentricities resulted in her beginning construction of a castle outside of town, complete with a moat and turrets.

  Judge Dickerson had his own eccentricities – a series of women who were more than happy to have an affair with someone of his stature. Unfortunately, this evening Judge Dickerson knew there was no use to call Kim, his current extracurricular activity, because, with her husband’s violent temper, she’d told the judge on numerous occasions that she could only meet him when her husband was at work. Nights were not an option. He knew he’d prefer the warmth of Kim to the coldness of his computer tonight, but hey, as the old saying goes, any port in a storm.

  He settled back in his chair, and his heart rate quickened, mesmerized by the images flashing up on his computer screen, as he continued to switch from one site to another. He never heard his office door open or the footsteps on the thick plush carpet as someone crossed the room behind him. A moment later what he did hear next to his ear was the distinctive metal on metal sound made by a pistol when the bolt is pulled back to the firing position. That was the last sound Judge Dickerson ever heard before his head fell on his desk with a thump. The killer was carrying a manila file folder and slipped the small pistol into it after having fired one single shot into the back of Judge Dickerson’s head. Anyone seeing the killer would simply think the judge was working late and had given someone a file to take home.

  CHAPTER 5

  Kat spent the morning and early afternoon outlining and researching her new book which would be published under her pen name, Sexy Cissy. Jazz and Rudy curled up in their respective dog beds in her study while she made plans for the new series. Her deceased husband, Greg, had been the head of the English Literature Department at the nearby university and her daughter, Lacie, was in her last year there, so she felt she knew more than most people about the contemporary college scene.

  She decided to name her new series, Bawdy Halls of Ivy, with college life as the uniting theme. Kat knew the first book in a series could make or break it and that a catchy title was critical to its success. She spent a long time coming up with various titles and rejecting them, before deciding on “The Professor’s Predicament.”

  When she was satisfied with the title, she sketched out the beginning, the pivotal event, and the conclusion. Then she wrote down the names of her characters and began to flesh them out. Since it was to be a series, she wanted the characters to be ones she could have in future books. Finally, she came up with a strong male character, a professor, and a strong female character, a co-ed. The Professor’s Predicament and the following books in the new series could involve either one or both of them in various different situations of a sexual nature.

  She would have preferred writing a new book in the cozy mystery series she’d begun which was loosely based on her friend Mitzi and her mid-life transformation and marriage to a doctor. She still remembered how that almost became a “truth is stranger than fiction” situation when a death occurred at Mitzi’s acupuncture clinic, and it looked like her dreams of a happy ever after were simply that, dreams. Fortunately, Kat had been able to solve the murder mystery, and Mitzi had married the love of her life, Dr. Rex Brown.

  Lost in her work, several hours had gone by when Rudy suddenly stood up and walked over to the study door. As usual, wherever Rudy went Jazz was right behind him. Rudy looked up expectantly at Kat as if to say, “Sorry to interrupt, but we haven’t been outside for a long time.” When she didn’t pay any attention to them, he decided stronger measures were called for and woofed. That got her attention.

  “Sorry, guys,” she said as she looked at her watch and jumped up. “Time kind of slid by. Good grief. I’ve been at this for hours. I even forgot about lunch, and now it’s too late. Time for both of you to go outside, and I need to get ready for my appointment with Mitzi.”

  A half hour later, Kat put the dogs in their kennels in the garage and backed her car out onto the street.

  Good thing Rudy made his needs known, or I would have completely missed my appointment. Not the first time that’s happened when I’ve become involved in writing, but I guess that’s a good thing. At least it’s far better than the dreaded writer’s block I keep hearing about. Fortunately, that’s never been a problem for me.

  She pulled into the parking lot of the clinic where Mitzi’s acupuncture office was located, parked, and hurried towards her office. She knew she didn’t have a minute to spare. Even though she and Mitzi were very close friends, Mitzi had a huge acupuncture practice, and if you were late for an appointment, there was always someone else in the waiting room more than happy to take your place.

  An hour later Kat walked out of her treatment room, feeling lighter, as if every kink in her body had been taken care of. She paid Mitzi’s receptionist and was walking towards the door, when she heard a voice say, “Kat, how are you doing?”

  She turned around and saw Carly, Blaine’s legal secretary, motioning to her. Kat walked over and sat down next to her, smiling. “Carly, it’s good to see you! What are you doing here this afternoon? I’m surprised you’re not at Blaine’s office.”

  “Dr. Green doesn’t take patients from noon to 2:00 p.m., so I can’t come on my lunch hour, and she doesn’t work on the weekends.” Carly tucked a strand of her long dark hair behind her ear. “I really feel that having a treatment every two weeks is a lifesaver for me. I asked Blaine if I could work during the lunch hour once every two weeks and have an appointment here in the late afternoon. Sometimes I go back to the office and finish up, but with everything that happened today,” she said, with a sad shake of her head, “when I was finished with preparing his schedule for Ryan, he gave me the rest of the afternoon off.” Carly looked at Kat as if she should know what she was talking about.

  Kat’s eyes narrowed. “Carly, I’m at a loss here. What happened this afternoon?”

  “Blaine didn’t call and tell you?” Carly sighed. “Well, I’m not surprised. The poor man has so much on his mind I imagine that kind of slipped through the cracks. He was probably going to do it later.”

  Kat didn’t like the turn the conversation was taking. “Carly, please,” she urged her, “tell me what’s going on. Is Blaine all right?”

  “Yes and no. Physically, he’s fine,” Carly said. “Mentally and emotionally, he’s kind of a wreck. Here’s what happened.” She related the events of the afternoon, beginning with the phone call from Hannah and ending with Ryan and Blaine secluding themselves in Blaine’s office as soon as they returned from Judge Dickerson’s office.

  “Oh, no. I don’t see how Blaine can try a case beginning tomorrow,” Kat said, biting her lip. “Sure, he knows the basic facts of the case, but from what I understand, Ryan was the one who had arranged for all the witnesses and everything else. I’ve never met this judge. He must be a real piece of work.”

  Carly nodded. “Yeah, from what Hannah says, he’s got some quirks that just might be considered kinks, but you never heard me say that.” She raised an eyebrow.

  Kat looked around the wa
iting room and noticed a woman wearing a patterned headscarf avidly listening to what Carly was saying, causing Kat to lower her voice when she continued. “Come on, Carly, you can’t make a statement like that and expect me to just leave it. What did she mean?”

  “Sorry, Kat, wish I could tell you, but I promised her I wouldn’t say anything.” Carly shrugged. “One of the things that makes me a good legal secretary is my discretion and ability to keep a secret, and Hannah swore me to secrecy.”

  Kat looked at her, debating whether it would do any good to either browbeat her or beg her, then decided to do neither. She admired Carly’s discretion. “All right, I respect that,” she said, standing up. “I better go home and wait for a call from Blaine. By the way, you and I haven’t had lunch together in way too long. Let me check my schedule, and I’ll give you a call.”

  “I’ll look forward to it,” Carly said as the receptionist motioned for her to go into the area where the treatment rooms were located.

  CHAPTER 6

  When Kat opened the garage door she saw Jazz and Rudy each standing up in their wire kennels. She’d never been able to figure out whether it was the sound of her car pulling into the driveway or the sound of the garage door going up that alerted them she was home, but it never failed. When the door finished going up, they were always standing, tails wagging, happy to see her.

  “Hi, guys,” she said as she walked over, unlatched their kennels, and opened the door to the back yard for them. “It may just be the three of us for the next few nights, so get used to it.”

  She walked into the house, slipped out of her coat, and put her purse down on the counter. When she took her phone out of the side pocket of her purse she remembered she’d turned it off when she was in Mitzi’s treatment room. Mitzi had a firm policy of no cell phone interruptions in her clinic. There was a sign in each treatment room, as well as in the reception area, asking patients to silence their cell phones. Kat pushed the on button and saw there was a message from Blaine. She listened to it with interest.