Murdered at the Courthouse

by Dianne Harman

  Blaine raised his hand to shield his face. “No comment. I simply don’t know the facts involved. I’ll have an official statement later.”

  The woman blocked his path, forcing him to stop. “You might want to make that two statements, sir. The first being a statement regarding the death of Judge Dickerson, and the second being your thoughts on you possibly being considered as a suspect. After all, you were one of the last people to see him alive, and from people I’ve already spoken with, it was no secret you weren’t happy that your deputy district attorney was removed from the Lawrence case for incompetence, and Judge Dickerson appointed you as the attorney of record.” She paused, raising her eyebrows. “Do you think you’ll be charged with his murder?” she asked innocently as the cameraman moved to get a close-up shot of Blaine.

  With difficulty, Blaine struggled to contain the anger he could feel rising within him. His face was thunderous when he looked at the newswoman, He swallowed before replying, “I’ve already told you I have no comment.”

  As he turned and hurried away, he heard her syrupy voice say, “Well, there you have it, folks. Although the district attorney didn’t make a statement, if I was investigating Judge Dickerson’s murder and saw how angry District Attorney Blaine Evans was, I’d have some thoughts about him being a possible suspect. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you. You can text me at…”

  CHAPTER 9

  When Blaine walked into the judge’s chambers, the first thing he saw was the judge’s body sprawled in a chair in front of his computer. Chief Moore walked over and said, “Blaine, I’ve never seen you look anything less than composed, but right now you look like you’re ready to hit someone.”

  Blaine raked a hand through his hair. “Believe me, there’s a newswoman I just talked to outside who would be first on my list, although I bet I’d have to stand in line.”

  “So, the vultures have already come to feast on the body,” the chief said with a wry smile. “What else is new? I’ve never been able to understand how they can get to the scene of a crime often faster than my people can. Anyway, sorry to ruin your dinner, although from what I understand, it was pretty much ruined when Judge Dickerson told you that the Lawrence trial was now yours. Right?”

  “Yeah. This is not a day I’d care to recommend for someone who has high blood pressure. Right now, mine’s probably near stroke level.” He motioned toward the judge. “Who found him?”

  “Hannah Joseph, his court clerk, is the one who found him. She came back here to get a book she’d left on her desk. Evidently when she drove into the parking lot she noticed that a light was on in the judge’s chambers, and she thought that was strange. She knocked on his door and called out to him, but when she didn’t get an answer, she opened the door and found this,” he said gesturing with his hand toward the judge’s body.

  “Got any ideas about who did it?”

  “At the moment, no. Like I said, the investigation has just begun. As part of it, I’m going to have to take a statement from both you and Ryan.” Chief produced a notebook.

  Blaine threw his hands up in the air. “You’re kidding, right? We were both working in my office when it probably happened, and since I sure didn’t know about it and Ryan was with me, I’m certain he didn’t know anything about it either.”

  The chief ran his hand over his jaw, clearly tired. “Blaine, you’ve been in this game long enough to know how it works. People heard raised voices coming from the judge’s chambers, and you and Ryan were both in there with him. You were probably, along with Hannah, the last people to see him alive. You know if you were in my shoes, you’d be taking statement from two of the last three people to see him alive. Plus, there’s bound to be talk about the raised voices and the fact that a few hours later the judge is murdered.”

  Blaine stood in front of the chief, for a moment seemingly at a loss for words. He looked straight at the chief, then he said, “Frank, you’ve known me for a long time. Do you really think I would be capable of doing something like this?”

  The chief shook his head. “No, Blaine, I don’t. But what I do know is I have to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s, so when anyone insinuates that you and/or Ryan were involved, I can categorically deny it. You mentioned that a newswoman was here. Let’s hope she’s not going to run a derogatory story with your name, since no others have surfaced so far.”

  Blaine took a deep breath. “This is an untenable situation. Not only is there a chance I’m going to be a murder suspect, but I don’t know whether or not I should prepare for trial, or if the judge’s murder will cause it to be delayed, or what. Do you know anything about the status of the Lawrence trial?”

  “Yes, it looks like a retired judge who fills in when needed will be on the bench the day after tomorrow,” Chief Moore said. “Apparently Dickerson’s replacement will begin with whatever had been scheduled, with the delay of just one day. That means you’ll be trying your case in front of him the day after tomorrow.”

  Blaine stepped aside to let some of the forensics team pass by him. They were in the process of bagging up the items on the judge’s desk, before dusting it for fingerprints. “Well, if there’s a bright spot in this nightmare, it’s that at least I’ll have an extra day to try and get up to speed on this thing.” Blaine began thinking aloud. “Judge Dickerson took Ryan Marsh off of the case as the attorney of record, but I don’t know of anything that would prevent me from having him as my assistant during the trial. I could sure use his knowledge of the case. I doubt if Judge Dickerson would have allowed it, but the way things have turned out, I see no reason why Ryan can’t occupy what we call the “second chair” when I try the case as the lead attorney.”

  Chief Moore considered Blaine’s proposal. “I’m not a lawyer or a judge, Blaine, but off the top of my head I’d have to agree with you, and quite frankly, it would seem like better representation for the people of the county, since the people really are your client in this case. I think you need to go home and get some rest,” the chief said, putting his hand on Blaine’s shoulder. “I know this hasn’t been one of the better days of your life. Tell Kat I said hi, and my wife wants to know when she’s going to publish another one of her books.”

  Blaine managed a half-smile. “You can tell her Kat started a new one this morning, and I would guess it will be out within the next couple of months. Frank, thanks for your support. I really appreciate it,” Blaine said as he turned and walked toward the door, feeling a lot calmer than he had on the way in.

  Little did he know that all across the county and the state, his angry face was being seen on millions of television screens. The newswoman was a pro, and she’d filed her feed back to the station just before the 10:00 p.m. news deadline.

  CHAPTER 10

  While she was waiting for Blaine to return, Kat got in bed and picked up the printout from the rough outline she’d made for her new book. She was mentally figuring out the intricacies of the plot when her cell phone rang. She’d put it on her nightstand in case Blaine called. The name on the monitor indicated it was her friend Mitzi.

  “Kat, what’s going on? Are you all right?” Mitzi asked in a worried tone.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” Kat laid back on the pile of pillows propped up behind her head. “As a matter of fact, I’m lying in bed waiting for Blaine to come home.”

  “Yes, I gathered he wasn’t there from what I saw on television.”

  “Mitzi, what are you talking about? Is Blaine okay?” Kat sat up, jolted out of her comfort zone, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, ready to get dressed if necessary.

  Mitzi’s tone was soothing. “From what I just saw, he’s fine, but he looked really angry and a newswoman sure was making some snide comments about him.”

  “I’m at a real loss here, Mitzi,” Kat said, raising her palm to her brow. “Please start from the beginning and tell me what was on television.”

  Kat heard Mitzi inhale at the other end of the line. “Okay, but I don’t think
you’re going to like it. I can’t repeat it word for word, but the gist of it is that Judge Dickerson was murdered. Evidently, he was shot in the back of his head while he was sitting at his computer in his office. After the newswoman relayed that, Blaine was seen hurrying into the courthouse on his way to the judge’s chambers. She insinuated that Blaine might be a suspect because he and his deputy district attorney, Ryan Walsh, were in the judge’s chambers this afternoon. She said that a number of people who were in the hallway outside the courtroom had heard loud voices and swearing coming from the judge’s chambers. It seems like the judge removed Ryan from the case and replaced him with Blaine…”

  Kat interrupted her. “Yes, that’s true. Blaine called me and told me about it. He was not very happy about it.”

  “I can see why he wouldn’t be,” Mitzi said, “but what’s not good is that the newswoman implied that Blaine would probably be a suspect in the murder. When the camera zoomed in on him, his eyes were blazing and his jaw was set like a prize fighter going into the ring. As a matter of fact, I’ve never seen him look like that. It was scary.”

  “Nor have I,” Kat said, springing to his defense, “but I can’t say I blame him. Was there anything else?”

  “No. Blaine simply said ‘No comment’ and hurried away from the reporter. Do you think he’ll be considered a suspect?”

  Kat looked down and inspected the polish on her toenails. As far as she was concerned, the question was ridiculous. “Mitzi, anyone who knows Blaine knows he would never commit murder. And to murder a judge in a situation like this? You’d have to be crazy to do something like that, and Blaine is definitely not crazy.”

  Mitzi sighed softly. “You and I know that, Kat, but I wonder how it’s going to play in people’s homes. And I have to say, I’m glad this isn’t an election year, or it could play havoc with his run for re-election. Kat, I have to go. I’m giving a lecture at the university in the morning on integrating acupuncture into traditional medicine, and I need to be on my toes for it. I hope what I said didn’t alarm you, but I was concerned about you and Blaine when I saw the newscast.”

  “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t alarmed,” Kat said, “but I’m glad you called. At least I’ll know what to expect when Blaine comes home. Thanks for calling and good luck tomorrow.”

  Kat ended the call and sat on the edge of the bed for several minutes, trying to make sense of what Mitzi had told her. If Blaine was going to be considered a suspect, and if the Lawrence trial was still going forward, and if he had to try the case, there would be no time for him to defend his name. He’d be at the mercy of whatever evidence the police found, and if it went on for a long time, it could mean Blaine’s position as district attorney would be in jeopardy. She imagined there were a few people in the county already assessing their chances of making a run for that seat in the next election.

  After the last murder I was involved in, I never expected or thought I’d ever have to get involved in one again, but since Blaine can’t do it, I better get ready to help him. I need to call his brother, Nick. He’s a terrific private investigator and should be able to help. Even though I don’t know much about it, at least he can get started on it. I’ll wait to see what he finds out and decide what to do then.

  She looked at the clock and knew Nick stayed up late, so she didn’t feel guilty calling him. He and Blaine had always joked about how different they were in some ways and bedtime was definitely one of them. Blaine had told her how his mother dreaded bedtime when the two of them were young boys, because Nick never wanted to go to bed.

  A moment later she heard Nick’s familiar voice comment, “Kat, this is pretty late for you. I’m assuming it has something to do with the TV news program I just saw my brother on.”

  “Yes. I didn’t see it, but my friend Mitzi called and told me about it. Nick, I’m really concerned this will result in a lot of bad publicity that could hurt Blaine’s chances for re-election. I don’t know anything at this point, but I’m wondering if you can perform some of your magic and see what you can find out about the judge.” Kat held her breath for Nick’s reply.

  “Already have, Kat. I was on the computer when you called. I don’t know if Blaine told you, but I’m leaving town tomorrow. The family and I haven’t had a vacation together in a long time, and our daughter has a little time off from school. We’re flying to South America and doing the Machu Picchu thing. I’ll see what I can find out tonight and first thing in the morning. I’ll call you with the results and ask one of my best investigators, Dave Bradley, to help you when you have additional information.

  “Kat, I hate to tell you this,” Nick went on, “but I think you’re going to have to take the lead on this. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, my private investigation firm has just gotten a ton of work, and Dave’s going to have to fill in for me as best he can. That’s good news for us but bad for you, because you’re going to have to do the leg work to keep Blaine from being considered a viable suspect. Dave can help you figure out what to do with whatever he finds out. I’m sorry, but that’s the best I can do.”

  Kat wiggled her toes and wished a pedicure was all she had to worry about. She was grateful for any help at all, and in Nick’s absence, his coworker Dave sounded ideal. “I understand, Nick, but I didn’t know you were leaving town. Sounds like a fabulous vacation. You deserve it. Between Dave and me, we’ll make sure that nothing happens to your brother. Try to get some sleep tonight, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  A short time later Kat heard the garage door open and Jazz and Rudy raced out of the bedroom and down the stairs to greet Blaine. When Kat walked downstairs and saw him, she was shocked. The man who had left the house just two hours ago bore almost no resemblance to the tired man who walked through the door from the garage.

  “Hi, sweetheart, you shouldn’t have waited up for me,” he said as he shrugged his coat off and absentmindedly petted the dogs who were beside themselves with joy at seeing him.

  “Are you kidding? Blaine, I wish there was something I could do for you. This can’t be easy. Mitzi called and told me about the newscast, and when I talked to Nick, he told me he’d seen it, too.”

  “I didn’t see it,” Blaine said, kissing her forehead, “but I heard it on the radio. Looks like I’m already being tried by the press, and I’m not even going to have time to respond because I have to try the Lawrence case. Even Frank said he needed to take a statement from me, since I was one of the last people to see the judge alive, although he didn’t think for a minute I’d done it.”

  “Well, there’s the silver lining,” Kat said, as enthusiastically as she could manage.

  “I’m reaching here, believe me, but the other silver lining is I’m getting a day of grace. The judge who’s replacing Dickerson won’t take the bench until the day after tomorrow, so I’ll have tomorrow to prepare for the trial. I’ve decided to have Ryan be my assistant in court. It probably wouldn’t have been possible under Judge Dickerson, but under the new judge, I should be okay. What did Nick have to say?” Blaine asked as they started to walk up the stairs after letting the dogs outside.

  The stairs creaked as they went up them. “He and the family are leaving for Machu Picchu tomorrow afternoon,” Kat said, “but he’s going to see what he can come up with before he leaves and then turn it over to one of his people, a guy named Dave Bradley.”

  Blaine paused before replying. “That’s right. I completely forgot about Nick’s vacation. I sure would feel better if he was the one overseeing this, but I’ve met Dave and he seems to be an okay guy. I’m sure he’ll do a good job. I just don’t know where to tell him to start.”

  Kat laid a hand on Blaine’s arm. “Blaine, you don’t need to tell him anything. You need to conserve all your strength and energy to get through the Lawrence trial. I’ll talk to Dave. It’s not as if I’ve never been involved in anything like this before.”

  “I hate to agree with you, Kat, but you’re probably right. I
’m just sorry you have to get involved at all.” He stopped on the third step down from the top and looked at her. “Something just occurred to me. When I saw Hannah after my meeting with Judge Dickerson, she asked me to call her and said she might be able to shed a little light on what happened when Ryan and I met with Judge Dickerson this afternoon. Why don’t you give her a call in the morning? She’s always liked you, and I know she’d want to help me.”

  “Consider it done, and now you need to get some sleep. I’ll even let you have the bathroom first tonight. I made a couple of notes on the book I started, and I want to put them on the computer before I forget what I meant in my notes.”

  “Now I know you’re worried,” he said, grinning. “This is a first in our marriage.”

  “See, there are advantages to having a horrible day.”

  “That may be so, but I don’t want to make a habit of it. Believe me, I’d much rather play second fiddle on the evening bathroom rituals.”

  When Kat returned to the bedroom a half hour later, Blaine was sound asleep. She knew it was the sleep of the innocent, and she hoped that the majority of his constituents would agree with her.

  CHAPTER 11

  Blaine was showered and shaved when he woke Kat up with a kiss the next morning. His mood was brighter than it had been the evening before. “Sorry to wake you sweetheart, but I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. I want to get an early start on the day. Even though I’m lousy at it, I’ll make some coffee at the office. Thought I’d call Carly in a little while and ask her to pick up a breakfast sandwich or something for me on her way to work. I’ll call you later and let you know what’s happening.”

  After Blaine left, Kat wanted to call Hannah, but she knew it was too early. Since Nick had worked late last night, she decided it was probably too early to call him as well. Instead, she showered, dressed, and fed the dogs who were making their early morning food eyes at her. She never knew how they knew, but promptly at seven every morning they both would stand in the kitchen next to the cupboard where she kept their dog food, sniff at the door, and wait until she fed them. One of these days when she didn’t have anything else to do, she was going to Google internal dog clocks and see if such a thing existed.