Murdered at the Courthouse

by Dianne Harman

  “Sounds great. I’ll be there about 4:45. See you then.”

  When she’d finished talking to Lacie, she called Nancy Malone. A moment later a voice said, “This is Nancy Malone.”

  “Ms. Malone, my name is Kat Denham. I understand that you are the person who started Mothers Against Pornography Addiction. I’m an author, and I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes to talk to me about a book I’m writing.”

  “I don’t know anything about writing books,” Nancy snapped. “I don’t think I would be of any help to you.”

  “Forgive me for not making myself clear. I am writing a novel and one of the characters has an addiction to pornography. Although I don’t have any personal knowledge of the subject, I know it’s one a number of my readers have to deal with. I was hoping you could help me get a better understanding of it.”

  “You do realize, Ms. Denham, that I’m not a victim of it, nor do I engage in that sickness.”

  Nancy sounded defensive, and Kat tried to placate her. “Quite frankly, it never occurred to me that you would. I think anyone who is the founder of a group like yours is doing a wonderful service for all of us who have children. I’ve often wondered what I would do if someone I cared about was involved, either as a viewer or as a participant.”

  “You’d probably do the same thing I did when I found out my daughter was involved,” Nancy said, her tone softening. “First, you’d be sick about it, then you’d be angry, and then you would try to do something constructive.”

  “Ms. Malone, I think you’re just the person I need to talk to about this. Is there any way you could see me this afternoon or tomorrow morning?”

  “This may sound silly to you, but there’s a very busy street corner in town that I like to stand on in the mornings with a sign. I don’t know how effective I am, but if it helps even one person, then I figure it’s well worth my time, so I’ll be busy tomorrow morning. However, I could see you this afternoon, say around 3:00?”

  “That would be perfect. What is your address?”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t like to have people come to my home or know where I live. Let’s meet at the Starbucks at the intersection of Main and Grover.”

  “I know it well. See you there. I’ll probably have my dog with me, so would it be all right with you if we sit on the patio?” Kat asked.

  “That’s fine. I’m a big dog lover, so sure.”

  “Well, considering Rudy is a big dog, I’m glad to hear that,” Kat responded, laughing as she ended the call.

  CHAPTER 21

  Even though Kat thought Lacie had really been overreacting when she asked Kat to make sure she took Rudy with her wherever she went, she dutifully put his leash on him and opened the back door of her car for him to jump in. She was sure the expression on Jazz’s face when Kat put her in her kennel without Rudy in the kennel next to her, was one of sheer sadness.

  “Look, Jazz, I’m really sorry about this, but I made a promise to Lacie, and I can’t break it. I can justify taking one dog with me when I meet Ms. Malone, but two dogs would be stretching it. I promise I’ll give you a special treat when I get back. I’ll need to bring Rudy back here before I go to the sorority house, because dogs aren’t allowed in there.”

  Jazz seemed mollified by the word treat and even seemed to grin at Kat, or so she thought. Maybe I just want to believe she understands what I told her, so I won’t feel guilty leaving her alone here, but a dog that fits into a tote bag is nowhere near as threatening as a one-hundred-ten-pound Rottweiler. When she walked the dogs, she always did one at a time. People usually reached down to pet Jazz. When they saw Rudy, they generally crossed to the opposite side of the street.

  It was a short ride to Starbucks, and Kat put the rear window down so Rudy could stick his head out and sniff the breeze. He loved all the sights and smells, even though Kat had read that dog owners shouldn’t do that, because the smells were so intense to dogs. She abided by almost everything she read that indicated something wasn’t good for dogs, like chocolate, but she’d decided to draw the line at the rear window being down on short rides. Rudy enjoyed it too much.

  She parked, put Rudy’s leash on him, and began to walk the short distance to the Starbuck’s patio. A woman sitting on the edge of it waved to her, and Kat figured it had to be Nancy Malone. If it was, all of her preconceived notions of what the founder of the Mothers Against Pornography Addiction would look like went out the window when she saw her.

  “Hi, I’m Kat Denham. I’m assuming from the wave that you’re Nancy Malone. Would I be right?”

  “That you are, and who is this handsome boy you brought with you? He’s a beauty. May I pet him?” The woman asked.

  “Yes, this is Rudy, and he’d very much like that. Just put your hand out, palm down, and give him a chance to get to know you. When he licks your hand, that’s the cue you’ve passed some kind of test known only to Rudy.”

  Kat used the time that Rudy and Nancy Malone were getting to know one other to assess the other woman. She didn’t know what she was expecting, maybe a woman hardened by the hand that life had dealt her, but the woman sitting across from her bore no resemblance to what she thought the woman who had founded Mothers Against Pornography Addiction would look like.

  Nancy Malone was an attractive woman in her mid-40’s with smartly styled red hair feathered around her face. Green eyes sparkled in a lightly freckled face that bore the vestiges of a summer tan, and a cute gap between her front teeth was visible when she spoke. Kat had expected she’d be dressed in a shapeless schoolmarm dress, but she was completely wrong in that assumption. Nancy wore a stylish green sweater that matched her eyes over tight blue jeans and tan boots. Rather than a woman who was consumed with protecting daughters from pornography, she looked more like a woman consumed with wearing the most stylish clothes available in the small Kansas town of Lindsay.

  Nancy watched Kat appraising her. “I can see in your eyes that I’m not quite what you were expecting. Don’t feel alone. It happens every time I meet someone, and my organization comes up in the conversation. I’m always asked why I do this,” Nancy said.

  “Here’s my business card, so you’ll know I’m who I told you I was,” Kat said. “Nancy, you’re absolutely right. You look nothing like what I was expecting, and I apologize for my preconceptions. Like others, I guess I’m curious why you started this organization. I believe I mentioned that I’m a novelist, and the subject of pornography is in the book I’m writing. I’ve done some research, but I’m sure you know far more than I do.”

  Nancy laughed and said, “Believe me, this is a subject I would prefer to know nothing about, but I didn’t have a choice. The subject found me.”

  “How so?” Kat asked.

  “About a year ago I was taking the trash barrels out to the curb one evening, and my next-door neighbor was doing the same. He asked if he could talk to me for a moment. I said yes. He was acting a little strange, and then he said he’d found out something he was sure I’d want to know about, but he was reluctant to tell me. I asked him what it was.” She took a sip of coffee from the cup in front of her. Kat hadn’t gone to the counter to place an order, because she’d become fascinated by Nancy Malone, and wanted to hear what she had to say.

  “He told me he’d had to fire one of his employees, because he was always looking at porn sites on his computer at work, and it was against company policy.”

  “I fail to see how that would concern you,” Kat said.

  “Unfortunately, it did. He told me the man had been looking at my daughter, Rebecca. My neighbor had known her for years, and was absolutely certain it was her. Rebecca has a very unique feature. She has one green eye and one blue eye. When she was younger she thought maybe she’d get a colored contact lens so her eyes would match, but then she decided not to, because it was always a topic of conversation when she met people, particularly men.”

  “I’ve heard of people who have different colored eyes, but I’ve never known a
nyone who did. The closest I’ve come to seeing that is in husky dogs,” Kat said.

  Nancy continued, “The word for it is heterochromia. It only affects one percent of the population, but that’s not important other than he was sure it was Rebecca because of that.”

  “What a thing for a mother to hear. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if someone told me my daughter was engaging in behavior like that.”

  “It wasn’t one of the highlights of my life, that’s for sure,” Nancy said. “What made it even worse is that Rebecca had put her email address below her nude picture, so people could get in touch with her.”

  “What did you do when you found out?”

  “I called Rebecca at her sorority house and told her to come home immediately. She did, and we spent the night arguing. She said it was just a fun thing she was doing, not a big deal. I asked her if she’d received emails from men who had seen her on the site, and she said yes. I asked her if she answered them, and she said she usually didn’t, but a couple of them were pretty aggressive, and she’d asked them not to contact her again.”

  “Nancy, do you have any idea what made her do something like that?”

  Nancy shrugged sadly. “Believe me, I’ve racked my brain trying to figure that out. I mean, she was brought up in a home where I certainly never watched anything like that, and from what my ex-husband has told me, he didn’t either, and I believe him. He wasn’t the best father or husband, but I just don’t see him doing that. He was far too interested in making money. Anything of a sexual nature was way down the list for him.”

  “What a terrible thing to learn about your daughter. As a mother, I can certainly feel for you.” Kat knew if Lacie had behaved like that, she would be devastated.

  “It was very difficult for me, but I told Rebecca if she didn’t stop that behavior I would disinherit her. You see, I inherited my parent’s estate and the bulk of it is in trust for Rebecca, but I do have the ability to change it. I founded Mothers Against Pornography Addiction, and that has become my life. I regularly submit articles to different magazines. I appear on television whenever I’m asked, and as I told you, I hold signs up on street corners, and I’ve tried to find out everything I can about it. It’s certainly not what I expected my life would be, but then again, I guess none of us are really ever certain of anything.”

  Kat nodded. “Two more questions. Do you have any idea why Rebecca decided to engage in that behavior, and secondly, do you know if she’s still doing it?”

  “Kat, I contacted a psychiatrist in Kansas City. At that time, I really didn’t want the town of Lindsay to know about Rebecca, although they do now,” she said laughing cynically, “particularly those who watch porn sites. Anyway, he told me the best person to talk to was right here in Lindsay at the university. Her name is Dr. Deborah White. I’ve had several consultations with her about Rebecca.”

  “Would I be too intrusive if I asked what she said?”

  “No. She feels Rebecca did it, or may still be doing it, as an attention-getting type of behavior. Some people strive to be the best broad jumper, some to win a spelling bee, and Rebecca just wants attention. I’ve beaten myself up plenty wondering if my marriage falling apart was the cause of it. Maybe I was so preoccupied with trying to save it that I neglected her.” Nancy swallowed, and bowed her head before continuing.

  “Professor White says whether I did or not isn’t the issue. The only thing that’s relevant is what Rebecca thought. My husband didn’t give Rebecca much attention, because, as I said earlier, he was far more interested in making money. That’s not sour grapes, it’s simply the truth. That’s about all I can think of. She doesn’t need the money, and she can probably do anything she wants as far as a profession. She’s very, very smart. With all of that said, I’m simply left believing she’s looking for male attention, even if, in my mind, it isn’t very positive.”

  “Nancy, do you think she’s through posting nude photos of herself on porn websites?”

  “I would hope so, but quite frankly, I don’t know. I can’t say I’m very proud of it, but I did hire someone who’s a computer genius. I guess some might call him a computer hacker. Anyway, he went into the site my neighbor gave me and found the trail of everyone who had emailed her. It was quite extensive, but there were a couple of names that came up multiple times. One name in particular came up a lot more than the others. Anyway, I was able to get their addresses, and I wrote them and told them I would make public the fact they were visiting porn computer sites if they didn’t stop contacting her.

  “A few months later I had the computer whiz check the email trail again, and all of the ones I had written to, with the exception of one, had stopped emailing her.”

  “What about the one who hadn’t?” Kat had a feeling she knew what was coming next.

  “I wrote him two more times. The last time I told him I would report him to the Kansas Bar Association if he didn’t stop. You see he’s a judge,” she said clearly affected by telling Kat. “I had to. You told me you were a mother. Wouldn’t you do the same to protect your daughter?”

  “I probably would,” Kat said. “Nancy, I have to ask you a question. Was the judge’s name Leo Dickerson?”

  Nancy looked at her in astonishment. “How did you know?” she asked.

  “He was murdered the night before last,” Kat said.

  Nancy sat back in shock. Her hands were shaking as she picked up her coffee to take a sip. “Kat, I had no idea. I don’t watch television, and after Rebecca’s behavior, I stopped taking the newspaper. I was afraid I’d see her name in it, and I sometimes feel I’m about at the end of my rope over the whole situation.”

  They were both quiet for several long moments. Nancy was absent-mindedly petting Rudy, who was thoroughly enjoying it. Suddenly Nancy looked over at Kat in horror. “A thought just occurred to me. I wonder what he did with the letters I sent him. If the authorities find them, I could be considered a suspect, couldn’t I?”

  “I have no idea what you wrote in the letters. What did you say in them?”

  “Oh, dear. I threatened to kill the judge if he didn’t stop emailing my daughter. Do you think the police have my letters?”

  “Nancy, I have no idea if they’ve found anything, and all I know is that according to the news reports, they haven’t formally identified any suspects.”

  Kat didn’t tell Nancy about her role in the investigation or the names of the other suspects being bandied about.

  “Kat, I don’t know what to do. I suppose on one hand, I’m glad that he’ll never be able to email her again, but on the other hand, I’m very much against violence. You say he was murdered. How was he killed?”

  “He was shot in the back of his head while he was sitting in front of his computer. That’s pretty much all I know.”

  “Did the news reports indicate what kind of a gun was used?” Nancy asked.

  “No, why?”

  “I just wondered. I was thinking if he was killed with a small gun, maybe a woman did it, and if it was a big gun, maybe it was a man. I don’t know. It was just the first thing that popped into my mind.” Somewhat abruptly, Nancy blurted out, “Kat, I’ve enjoyed talking to you, but I really must run. I have a number of things I have to do at home, and I’ll be gone most of tomorrow. It was nice meeting you, and I hope to see you again.”

  Nancy reached down to give Rudy a final pat and then she hurriedly walked out of the patio area of Starbucks, never looking back. Kat sat there for several minutes, trying to make sense of everything Nancy had said.

  When I told her about the judge’s death, she seemed to be totally unaware of the fact he’d been murdered. Everything changed when she asked how he was killed. When I said it was from a gunshot, it was as if a switch went off inside her head, and she became a different person. I can’t believe the woman I’ve just talked to for the last hour and a half could be a murderer, but why else would her behavior suddenly go from day to night? And if she was the murderer, she would have
known what type of a gun was used, and there would be no reason for the dramatic change in her mood. This is weird, and I can’t come up with any logical explanation.

  “Rudy, I’ve got to get you home and then go meet Lacie. I’m sure your buddy Jazz will be very happy to have you back home. She’s probably lonesome by now.” She stood up, and she and Rudy walked out to her car, all the while trying to process what she’d just witnessed.

  CHAPTER 22

  Kat pulled up in front of Lacie’s sorority house and as always, was struck by the charming exterior of the Southern style antebellum mansion with its well-manicured lawn. Lacie had once told her it was impeccably maintained in order to lure the best candidates into joining the sorority, which made for an enriched chapter, and eventually alumnae who would be more than happy to support it financially. A show-stopping exterior was a good starting place, and the Pi Beta Phi sorority house had it.

  She walked up to the large double doors and rang the doorbell. It was quickly opened by a beautiful young woman. “Hi, I’m Lacie Denham’s mother. She asked me to join her for dinner.”

  “Please come in, Mrs. Denham. Have a seat in the parlor. I’ll call Lacie and tell her you’re here.” Just as she was finishing her sentence, Kat looked up and saw Lacie coming down the curved staircase.

  Yep, Kat thought, of course there would be a curved staircase in an antebellum mansion.

  “Hi, Mom. Perfect timing, huh? We can go into the dining room right now. We eat at tables of six. The four people who will be sitting at our table have agreed to be interviewed by you. Follow me.”

  The dining room tables were covered with white linen tablecloths and napkins which set off the sparkling silverware and crystal glasses. Handsome young college men who worked as part-time waiters were serving the salads when they entered the room.