Justice for Katie

by Linda Crowder

  Matt chuckled. "Jake says Stockman vowed to rile up the church ladies if Irwin dragged his feet on it."

  Captain Danning smiled, then grew serious. "I'm just as curious as you are Matt, but don't forget we have a more urgent case to solve right now. I don't want Carolyn Maxwell's murder taking a back seat to Jane Doe."

  "I understand, Captain. Frankly, I'm at a bit of a standstill with that."

  "Tell me." Danning leaned back in his chair and listened while Matt outlined everything he had done in the investigation. He interrupted once or twice with questions, but otherwise sat silently until Matt finished.

  "You've been assuming that what Carolyn wanted to speak with Amanda about was this thing with Clint Taylor?"

  "Because of the timing, yes."

  "Assumptions are the enemy of good police work. Carolyn was a workhorse. She kept her head down and didn't pay attention to anything but her cases, right?"

  "Everybody describes her that way."

  "So there she is, only weeks from retirement. Her caseload shrinking and she has time on her hands. She starts noticing things she never noticed before. Carolyn seeing Amanda Knoll that morning may have jogged something loose. If she noticed that something fishy was going on at the County Attorney's office, who would she go to about it?"

  "Blakely. Unless she thought he was involved."

  "Or unless he'd be likely to cover it up. Who's the next person she'd turn to? The US Attorney's office. Amanda Knoll. It's time to expand the hunt."

  "If she went to Amanda with it, that would mean whatever was bothering Carolyn was something criminal."

  "I suggest you take a closer look at Bill Blakely and the people at the County Attorney's office."

  ***

  Matt called Emma when he returned to his office. Emma was with a client so he chatted with Kristy about dinner plans. She told him about a new BBQ place on the east side of Casper.

  "It'll be crowded," he warned. "You know how it is whenever a new restaurant comes to town."

  "We took a welcome basket to the owner last week and he gave me a special go to the head of the line pass. You're not the only one with connections!" Kristy was an active member in the Casper Greeters, a volunteer Welcome Wagon that paid visits to new businesses to make them feel part of the community.

  Emma's door opened so Kristy put Matt on hold. "You have a call," she told Emma as the client sat down and rummaged through her purse looking for her checkbook.

  Returning to her desk, Emma picked up the phone and settled back into her chair. "Emma Rand here."

  "Hey, Emma, it's Matt."

  "Matt, what can I do for you?"

  "I need you and Grace to tap into that secretary's network again. I have some very specific questions and if you stick to them, you should be safe enough."

  Matt briefed Emma about what he was hoping to learn. "I'll check with Grace, but I'm sure she'll be glad to do it. I know she's been keeping in touch with Nancy. Turns out they've got a lot in common."

  "Great! Let me know what you find out and remember, no improvising. Stick to the questions I gave you. Maybe I should send an officer with you."

  "We'll be fine," Emma assured him. "You told us you cleared Nancy, so we shouldn't be in any danger. I promise, we'll stick to the script." Hanging up and glancing at the clock to make sure she had time before her next appointment, Emma called Grace.

  She answered on the fourth ring. "I'm sorry, the cats and I decided to take a nap in the chair and when I heard the phone, I tried to get up but the girls didn't want to budge!"

  Emma laughed, picturing Grace pinned to her chair beneath two protesting felines. She told her about Matt's request and asked if she could set up a meeting with Nancy.

  "I can do one better. She and I are meeting this afternoon at that quaint little tearoom. If you're available at five, I'll add you to our reservation."

  Emma checked her calendar. "I might be running a tad late since I have someone at four."

  "Not a problem. Nancy can't get away before five either."

  "Perfect! Oh, there's Kristy knocking. My next appointment must be here."

  "Such a busy girl. I'll give the tearoom a call and then I think the cats and I are going back to our nap."

  Emma hardly had a moment to think after her conversation with Grace. With her last client out the door, she set out to walk to the Victorian era home that had been converted to a tearoom. Emma had never been there but she'd heard nothing but good reports.

  It was a beautiful day for a walk and Emma always enjoyed an excuse to window shop. The heat suited the transplanted Californian and she loved the downtown shops with their unique merchandise and owners who greeted her by name whenever she stepped inside.

  Grace, Nancy and a woman Emma didn't recognize were settling into their seats when Emma arrived and was ushered to the table. "Nancy, you remember my friend Emma Rand. Emma this is Sandra Birch. She works with Nancy and wanted to join us for High Tea."

  Emma greeted the two secretaries and took a chair between Grace and Nancy. The small table was large enough to accommodate tea treats yet small enough to encourage conversation.

  "I've never been to High Tea," said Sandra, who told Emma she was administrative assistant to Tad Jameson. "Why do they call it that?"

  "Afternoon tea," began Grace, after exchanging nods with Nancy, "originated in England sometime in the mid-1800's. Dinner was being served later and later in the evening."

  "To show off the wealth of landowners who could afford to light their homes with kerosene," added Nancy.

  "Yes," agreed Grace, smiling encouragingly at Nancy. "Since they customarily only ate two meals a day, the time between breakfast and those late dinners must have seemed like an eternity."

  "I don't know what the men did, but ladies began serving tea and pastries in the mid-afternoon," said Nancy. "It became a social event, giving them an excuse to gather in each other's homes, do their handwork and share gossip."

  "And that's High Tea?" asked Emma, disappointed. "I always thought it was more of a meal."

  "It is," answered Nancy. As she explained, their server brought them tea, sandwiches and other savory bites. "Afternoon tea was also known as 'low tea' because it was served on low tables, similar to what we in America call coffee tables. It was mostly just pastries to tide the ladies over until dinner."

  "High tea was more of a working class tradition," said Grace, picking up the narrative. "It was served at the end of the day and was a hearty meal."

  "It was called 'high tea' because it was served at high tables, or what we would consider dining room tables," added Nancy. "The modern High Tea is a mixture of both."

  "How do you two know all this?" asked Sandra.

  "Grace has been to England and learned about tea ceremonies there," explained Nancy. "I just read about them. One day we were talking about Jane Austen and I suggested we 'take tea' here. I've heard so many good things about this tearoom."

  "Well I'm glad you let me tag along," said Emma, reaching for a small sandwich the server had told them was made with a traditional salmon paste.

  "How are things at the office?" asked Grace, doing her best to make the question casual. "Quieted down by now, I hope?"

  "On the surface," said Nancy, "but everyone's on edge underneath." Fear blanketed the office, making conversations forced and guarded. Once Carolyn's office had been cleaned and restored, people stopped talking about the murder, but they hadn't stopped thinking about it.

  "Are you still planning to retire, Nancy?" asked Emma.

  "Oh yes! I have one week left and it can't come soon enough. Bill Blakely suggested I stay on until they hire the new ACA but I can't wait to be away from there. My husband threatened to lock me in the RV if I even thought about staying."

  "Your husband is right," said Grace. "You don't come to the end of your life wishing you'd worked more." Emma put her hand over Grace's and squeezed. Nancy's eyes glistened and she looked down at her tea. Emma realized Grace must
have told Nancy about the cancer.

  "Well I wouldn't say no to a chance to stop working," said Sandra brightly, oblivious to the sadness that had settled over the other three.

  "That's because you have a new baby at home," observed Nancy, happy to change the subject. "My house is so quiet with all the kids grown. It's hard to think of leaving Casper, but I'm really looking forward to the adventure."

  "Has Mr. Blakely talked about who he's planning to bring in to fill Carolyn's shoes?" asked Grace.

  "Barney Madison has already taken over her caseload," said Nancy. "That started when Carolyn announced she was retiring. I expect the ACAs will all rotate up and the person they bring in will take over the cases they've been giving Tad."

  "I hope so," said Sandra. "His cases are so boring. I can hardly keep from falling asleep typing the paperwork."

  "Everyone has to start somewhere," Nancy told her.

  "If he moves into Clint's role, you'll be seeing quite a bit of my husband," said Emma.

  "I'm curious what kind of man Mr. Blakely is to work for," said Grace, gently steering the conversation to Matt's list of questions.

  Nancy and Sandra exchanged looks, then Nancy dropped her voice to a near whisper, "Bill Blakely has holed himself up in his office ever since Carolyn's death. He doesn't even come to the staff meetings anymore."

  "Maybe he's grieving," suggested Emma.

  Nancy snorted and Sandra laughed, then both blushed and glanced around at the other tables. "Bill hated Carolyn."

  "No!" said Grace.

  "Couldn't stand her, and he made no secret of it around the office, though he was polite to her face. Poor Carolyn was so focused on her work I don't think she ever knew."

  "How sad," said Emma.

  "It is. Carolyn may not have been popular, but she was darn good at her job and everyone listened to her when she had something to say."

  "I think that's why he didn't like her," said Sandra. "He always has to be alpha dog. Would you believe he makes everyone call him Boss. He's the elected leader, but Carolyn was who people went to when they had legal questions."

  "Did Carolyn ever challenge his authority?" asked Grace.

  "Oh no, she would never do that," assured Nancy. "She was old school. If she had a disagreement with Bill, she would speak with him privately about it. She didn't always agree with his directives, but she would never go against his authority."

  "Had she had any disagreements with him recently?"

  "Funny you ask that. She went in to see him the morning she died," said Nancy. "You remember what I told you about her being so surprised at seeing Amanda Knoll? Well, when Bill got in that morning she went to see him about it. Didn't even have an appointment and nobody ever gets in to see Bill without an appointment."

  "Except Tad," added Sandra, "but I think Bill keeps him on a pretty short leash. They're always meeting about one thing or another. It's convenient that their offices have that adjoining door."

  "That's because Tad's office is usually reserved for the senior ACA. Carolyn took that office when she became senior but moved when Bill took office. They were oil and water. I don't think she wanted to be that close to him. Nobody else would take it, of course, and risk insulting her so it just sat vacant until Bill hired Tad and put him into it. I wouldn't be surprised if Barney kicks him out now that he's senior. Barney cares more about the trappings of office than Carolyn ever did."

  "What were you saying about Carolyn going to see Bill?" asked Emma, pulling the two women back to the story.

  "Oh, sorry," said Nancy. "Where was I? Oh yes, anyway, according to Martha, Bill's secretary, Carolyn just marched right into Bill's office without so much as a how-do-you-do. She closed the door behind her so Martha didn't know what it was all about but not ten minutes later, Carolyn came storming out and Martha says she could hear Tad laughing before somebody closed the door again."

  "What did she do then?"

  "She was looking pretty red in the face when she got back, but she just grabbed up her purse and her keys and told me she was going to Rotary. Out she went and the rest of the day, she barely said two words to me until I took her dinner in and said goodnight."

  Emma listened in stunned silence, amazed that Nancy hadn't thought this story important enough to tell the police about it. How did Matt ever solve crimes if people wouldn't tell him the whole truth?

  Nancy nudged Sandra, "Tell them what you told me this morning."

  "Are you sure I should I really don't know anything and I hate to be telling tales out of school."

  "You can trust Emma and Grace. They'll tell you if they think it's important."

  Sandra glanced around the room nervously. "I overheard Bill and Tad talking this afternoon. Tad's door is closed when he's with someone but we've been having trouble with the latch and you really have to yank on it. It wasn't wide open, of course, but enough that I could hear them."

  She stopped and Nancy nodded encouragingly. "Bill was angry because the police had re-opened some case and exhumed the body. He said it was all Tad's fault and asked him what was he thinking signing the log at all. Tad told him he thought it would be fun to sign Clint's name and he never thought anyone would ever see it anyway."

  Sandra stopped and Nancy finished the story. "Then she heard Bill tell him to keep his voice down and someone pulled the door shut."

  Grace was shocked. "You need to talk to the police."

  "I can't do that! When we start working there we sign a confidentiality agreement. They tell us over and over, not one word said in that office leaves that office. I don't know what case they were talking about. I could get fired."

  "Would it make you feel better if I run it by Jake?" said Emma. "We'll take his advice. Will that work?"

  Nancy smiled. "I knew you'd see it that way. I don't know what they were talking about either, but it doesn't sound right."

  "I'll speak to Jake when I get home. Give me your number and I'll have him call you." Sandra reluctantly gave Emma cell phone number. After tea, Emma and Grace drove home in silence, each deep in her own thoughts.

  14

  Matt dressed carefully for his date with Kristy. He'd never met anyone who made his heart beat faster simply by smiling at him. When he joined the police force, he was eager to learn so he took every shift offered and every special assignment available to him. It made him a better cop and his advancement up the ranks to Senior Detective had been rapid.

  He hadn't had time for relationships early in his career and by the time he was ready, most of the women he knew had already married and were starting families. He drifted away from the friends of his youth as they navigated parenthood.

  Now in his 30's, Matt felt he was finally ready to get married and start a family of his own, but he hadn't met the right woman. Then he met Kristy Castle. Even when she was a murder suspect, there had been a wit and charm about her that drew him. When he'd arrested the real killer, Matt lost little time in asking Kristy for a date.

  They'd been together for more than a month now, seeing each other almost every day. Kristy was sharp as a tack, funny, sweet and when she smiled, a dimple in her right cheek made Matt feel dizzy. She was just starting to blossom after a horrifying first marriage and there were times he caught a guarded look in her eyes. Matt didn't want to rush her, but every day he spent with Kristy, he came closer to wanting to spend his life with her.

  Kristy stepped out of the shower in her downtown condo, humming along with the music from the stereo in her bedroom. Wrapping a towel around her, she dried her blond hair and smiled at herself in the mirror. She'd bleached her hair when she'd gone into hiding. It was pretty, but she had never stopped feeling like a stranger was looking back at her.

  She wondered what Matt would say if she dyed her hair back to its natural copper. Then Kristy caught herself. When she left her abusive and controlling ex-husband, she'd vowed never again to let a man dictate to her what she wore or what she did. There must be a way to accommodate her partner's w
ishes without giving up her own, but she hadn't discovered it yet.

  Wandering into the bedroom, she picked up the dress she'd set out before her shower. She and Emma had shopped one lunch hour at the fashion boutique on Main Street. Kristy had fallen in love with the dress but hesitated to spend so much money. Emma encouraged Kristy buy it if she really wanted it. She smiled, picturing Matt's reaction to the little red dress.

  Kristy found Matt in her thoughts more and more often. His deep brown eyes and crooked smile softened a face marked by the harsh experiences of his work. At 5' 7", he was not tall, but Kristy was only five feet tall herself. When he held her against him, she loved how her head rested against his shoulder.

  The intercom buzzed and Kristy hurried to finish getting ready. The building was not locked until 10pm but Matt thoughtfully pressed the buzzer whenever he came in, just to let her know he was on his way up. Opening the door when he knocked, Kristy delighted in the low whistle when he saw her.

  "You are without a doubt the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

  "It's the dress."

  "What dress?" smiled Matt and for a few minutes there was no more talking.

  At the restaurant, Matt held Kristy's hand across the table. The crowd was large and boisterous, but the dinner every bit as good promised. Now, over coffee and a shared dessert, Matt wondered if he should tell Kristy about his growing feelings for her.

  His cell phone decided the question by choosing that moment to ring. Apologizing to Kristy, Matt answered the call. Jake's voice was urgent as he briefed Matt on what Emma and Grace had learned from Sandra Birch. Hanging up, Matt apologized again to Kristy, who had already flagged their waitress to ask for the check.

  "You are an amazing woman," said Matt, as he signed the check. "Are you sure you aren't angry?"

  "We were almost done anyway." Matt filled her in as they drove the ten miles out to Jake and Emma's.