Miss June's Judgement

by Harper Harris

  I walked the block over to grab a latté and what I found was an overworked Ted in a shop full of people. The room was packed wall to wall.

  Everyone fell silent to watch me walk in. It felt like a walk of shame, like I had done something wrong. This was not how I hoped my second week in town would go. I was some kind of infamous villain, a friend to murderers. A light murmur roiled through the crowd. I knew the topic of conversation was Ashley’s case, which included me. I wished there was some way to make myself disappear, but life was not that easy.

  After too long, I reached Ted at the counter and he gave me a sympathetic smile that warmed me. I asked him, “Um, what the h––hey, what’s going on?”

  He glanced around the room, before looking down at me sadly.

  “The town is in a tizzy over Miss June’s murder. We haven’t seen anything like this and, since you’re the attorney defending the accused, you’re the center of attention.”

  Well, wasn’t that great? Being new in town, working on my first case, all eyes were on me.

  “It’s also my half-price house coffee day. I do it once a month and it draws a little crowd. But they’re definitely talking about you.” Ted added, “Hey, you know what I’m going to do for you? Today, you get your half-caff, soy, no-foam latté for half off like everybody else.”

  “So sweet, Theodore, thank you.”

  Fantastic. I thought. Another opportunity to end this stupid charade passes by and I wait for my drink. And why do I keep calling him ‘Theodore’? Am I trying to create distance between us when I need friends more than ever?

  Pointless musings. I said: “I feel like they’ve all made their judgements already. Ashley is innocent.”

  Ted nodded while brewing the espresso. At least it seemed he was on our side.

  Handing me my carry-out cup, Ted spoke about Ashley. “She and my little sister were real good friends in high school. We’ve all been buddies for years. She’d told me about all the property business with Miss June, but I told her not to worry. Dang it!”

  “I told her the same thing,” I said dejectedly. “Couple of times now.”

  “I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but I thought Miss June was just a mean ol’ hen. How could we know what real harm she would do? I truly underestimated her. I wish that I had done something different.”

  “Theodore,” I said, “it’s June who should’ve done things differently. Someone involved with her is framing an innocent woman.”

  “I know Ashley’s innocent. But maybe if I had…anyway, Miss Kari, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

  Thanking him for the offer of help, I hustled out of the shop, intending to return to Shortbread and my law office.

  Unfortunately, as I was passing city hall, I found another crowd of people, but this time it was a media circus. A whole slew of news vans and reporters were lining the streets. Assuming it was related to the case, I made my way forward, but staying closer to the back of the crowd.

  The mayor was holding a press conference. And to think I thought things moved faster in the city. In one day, I had a murder, an arraignment, found myself the new ‘item’ in town gossip and now the mayor had arranged a press conference.

  He stood at his pop-up podium, dressed like the Monopoly man. His portly frame made him seem approachable, friendly, but I knew that a politician always looked out for number one.

  “Today, I have called this conference to talk about the tragic murder of one of our very own, Miss June Carter Clawson. Born and raised in Appleton, Miss Clawson was a staple in our community.”

  More like a staple in my friend’s side, I thought.

  “She did her best to instill in all of us, the spirit of the Old South. Reminding us each and every day of our great town’s history. I know it was shocking to find that something so horrendous, so despicable could happen in our sleepy little village. Here in Appleton, we’re founded on a sense of community and mutual support and when we unearth a bad egg, we do not tolerate it. I must tell y’all that the police do have a suspect in custody and they will be concluding their investigation quite soon, I’m informed. I must commend our intrepid police force for taking such initiative and finding the murderer so soon.”

  The mayor was putting ideas into the public’s head. While public opinion shouldn’t have a say in a court case, that was not the way our society worked. If the media began reporting on the guilt of Ashley, her reputation would be ruined even if she ended up being acquitted. Did this tie in with Ashley’s case? Or was this mayor using a murder and a falsely-accused suspect to aggrandize his already grand person? I couldn’t tell.

  I didn’t know much about the mayor. I knew his name––Judson Harper-Lewis. Currently, his little press conference was not putting him in a very good light for me. But should I have been surprised? He clearly thought of himself as a cunning politician.

  “As a town, we have been gifted with new opportunities to grow,” he droned on and, I sensed, was coming to his real point. “Appleton is moving towards a new golden age. My wife, the lovely Mrs. Harper-Lewis, has just finished a new art piece inspired by the changing times of our town. It harkens back to our past while also embracing our bright future. We will be holding a grand unveiling with a one-day festival where we will have food and games and revelry. The sculpture will be placed in the town square. And I am hopeful that with this event, we will heal as a community in the face of such a tragedy. More information will be posted on our official town website later this afternoon. Thank you.”

  With the end of the speech, the reporters started clamoring to get their questions out. The mayor’s genial attitude took a turn to annoyance and he shooed them away. “Due to the swiftness with which this case was dealt with, I fear I have no details to provide at this time.”

  “Then who should we ask?” a young reporter’s voice reached out from the crowd.

  The mayor, unconcerned with where the question was coming from, gave a general answer to the crowd.

  “I suggest you ask our town’s newest resident and attorney for the accused, Kari Jacobs.” He did a quick sweep of the crowed, finding me almost immediately. “And lucky for you, the young lady is right there.”

  His fat finger pointed right at me and I was shocked speechless for a second. A swarm of news people descended on me and questions were being hurled a mile a minute. I answered what I could, not wanting to incriminate Ashley or do any more damage than the mayor just did. It was too easy to clamp down hard on the first suspect.

  I got out from the swarm, somehow, and ran back to my office. My energy was abuzz like I’d just done a mile-run. I locked myself in my office, asking Tammy to direct any calls to me somewhere, anywhere else. She got the hint and I thanked the heavens for giving me someone as amazing as Tammy to keep me from going to crazy.

  I sat in my chair with Shortbread in my lap and ran through everything that went down today.

  Ashley must be so scared, I thought, sitting in jail, waiting for her trial.

  No bail was a big statement. When a judge refused bail that meant they deemed the accused a flight risk or felt they were guilty and wanted them in jail for as much time as possible.

  I thought back to when Ashley walked into my office. Everything seemed so much less grave then, when I’d thought this was a simple neighborhood argument and it could be solved with a cease-and-desist.

  Hindsight is 20-20. What a first case this was shaping up to be!

  Chapter Eight

  July 15th 12:15pm

  Sitting in my office, I mapped out a plan of attack.

  City officials had proven themselves, at best, too unreliable for my purposes. At worst, they were corrupt and that opened the possibility of real danger to Ashley, to me, to…aw, to Shortbread! I held him a little tighter and tried to tie together what I actually knew.

  Mayor Harper-Lewis and Judge Houston were convinced beyond all reason that Ashley was guilty and appeared to have everyone else in Appleton conv
inced of her guilt. What that meant was, in order to solve this, I’d need to investigate the facts on my own.

  I already knew that Ashley’s early morning home visit was going to pile on a few extra difficulties. That didn’t mean I thought she was guilty. Innocent people could make dumb mistakes, too, just like overconfident attorneys and adorable puppies.

  I’d had to consider all angles, including the extent of Ashley’s involvement in June Clawson’s death. But I had to just accept that I trusted Ashley completely. I couldn’t quantify why. Maybe it’s because she was selfless, sweet and loved children and dogs.

  The point being, I had my first incontrovertible fact: Ashley Butler was innocent.

  What this meant was that someone else killed June. The only way to prove Ashley’s innocence would be to find the real killer.

  If I wanted to get Ashley legal clearance and restore her reputation, I had to reconsider the whole crime. I needed to understand this nasty business beginning to end.

  First step was to establish another motive. Miss June seemed to not be a nice person which meant she probably ruffled more than just Ashley’s feathers.

  I left my office and headed over to the county’s assessor’s office. All of this started with a property line dispute.

  Once I got to the county’s assessor’s office, I was able locate the map with ease. The property line was clear and showed nothing that I didn’t already suspect. Ashley was the rightful owner of the property as she’d been saying the entire time.

  The elderly clerk peeked over my shoulder and I gave him not the nicest look.

  He was getting a little close for comfort, but it seemed he had something to say. “This has been a rather popular map lately.”

  He said it like it was a juicy piece of information. Maybe to the regular person it wasn’t, but it piqued my interest.

  “You don’t say? How so?”

  “Well, a whole bunch of people have come in to look at it. There’s you. Miss June, Ashley Butler, Duggie and Mr. Anderson. He’s from out of town. And there were a couple of others, but I don’t really remember each of them. But for one map that sure is a lot of people.”

  It was indeed. I knew about Ashley and Miss June’s respective interests in it.

  “Could you tell me what happened after Miss June saw the map?”

  He seemed excited to tell me. The County Assessor’s clerk was suddenly a hot ticket.

  “She cussed up a storm. She went on and on, wanting to see any historical map I had of that property line. She said someone had changed it. But if there’s a paper trail, it doesn’t matter what the original said as long as the new one was done legal. Anyone who watches Judge Jacobs knows that much. I tried explaining, but she didn’t seem to care. Anyway, all the maps showed pretty much the same thing.”

  Hmm. If Miss June had all this evidence to prove that she didn’t have any legal claim, what had she planned on doing? She couldn’t just co-opt the land and hope nobody noticed.

  Then, I remembered that the assessor gave a few other names. “Who is Duggie?”

  “He’s the head of the city council. A bit of a name around these parts. Boy went away to college, came back a man. He made good on everything he said he’d do and now he wants to give back to the town. He comes in a lot because he does a lot of property developing. He also has a way with the ladies, as I hear tell.”

  Keeping in a laugh, I found the clerk’s talkativeness far more amusing than the people he was talking about would. A bit of a gossip this guy, but it was to my advantage, so why complain?

  Also, there was that Mr. Anderson character. I asked about him next.

  “Mr. Anderson’s from out of town, at least originally. I don’t know much about him. Sorry. I just know his name because he had to sign the guest book.”

  The clerk seemed to feel bad about that one, but I didn’t want to give him any grief. He’d given me more direction than I’d come in with. I thanked him for his help and left.

  I had two leads, if I could them that: Duggie and Mr. Anderson.

  Why would someone from the city council be interested in the property line between June and Ashley? The clerk said he did property development, but that land was private, and no one seemed as if they planned on selling. Government gaining interest in private property like this could be fraught with fishy business.

  Mr. Anderson was a cypher. I couldn’t guess what he might have to do with any of this.

  So, City Hall became my next destination. This lead had me excited, but I couldn’t let a tiny victory throw me off track. I needed to follow these clues and track down some real answers because the questions were piling up.

  Getting to city hall, I found out Duggie’s real name was Douglas Hanson. There was a small directory in the lobby that told me Douglas’s office was on the second floor. Walking up the stairs, I formulated questions to ask him. If I came straight out with direct, pointed inquiries, he might shut down and make me leave. I would work up to it. I could be charming, if I didn’t overthink.

  I got to his office and knocked on the door. I could hear him approaching and took a half step back before the door opened. His immediate demeanor was chipper, warm, and welcoming. He offered me a firm handshake before greeting me.

  “Hello. I know this is our first official meeting, but I’m pretty sure you’re Kari Jacobs, the new lawyer in town.”

  Everyone really did know me. “Yes, Mr. Hanson––”

  “Please, call me Duggie. Everyone does.”

  I could see why he was popular with the ladies. He was a bit old for me, but I’ll bet he was a popular item on the divorcée dating scene. He had an Old Hollywood kind of look with a suave style I didn’t quite trust. He was too smooth. He was hiding something underneath all that oily charisma.

  “Why don’t you come in and have a seat? That way we can have a comfortable little chat.”

  He moved aside, so I could step into his office and he directed me to the chair in front of his desk.

  While he was scooting his own seat in behind his desk, Duggie asked me, “To what do I owe this pleasure, young lady?”

  “Um, I’m investigating Miss June’s murder on behalf of my client…”

  Well, my plan had gone out the window. I just blurted out my intentions. I really couldn’t think of any other reason to speak with him.

  At my words, his smile descended into a sharp frown. He was obviously displeased with my reasons for being there.

  “Miss Jacobs, I don’t see why that would involve me. I have nothing to do with that messy affair.”

  Duggie would need some convincing if he was going to talk.

  Chapter Nine

  July 15th 2:20pm

  “Well, Duggie, Miss June and my client were having a property line dispute and today I went down to the county’s assessor’s office to double check where the line stood exactly. I had a rather extensive discussion with the clerk and he told me that you’d had some interest in that map.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly before he leaned back in his chair. He seemed to be mulling over my words, considering a response.

  With a bland frown, he responded, “I don’t remember doing that.”

  I smiled slightly, knowing I had proof.

  “I’ll be talking to Mr. Anderson about it as well, covering all the bases, you know.”

  At the mention of Anderson, something darker passed over his face, but it was wiped away quickly and he was back to his charming self. This time with a smile, his memory seemed to have been suddenly jogged.

  “Of course,” he laughed. “I looked at a lot of maps that day. The one you mentioned could have very well been one of them. Mr. Anderson’s company is looking to invest in Appleton and we were checking out potential places that could benefit from his investments.”

  While that sounded like semi-legal city business-as-usual, I felt that he was hiding something more. A city councilman talking to some rich investor? I don’t like to stereotype but, kickbacks, anyone?
A lot of money was probably involved which could mean something under the table.

  “What are your investment plans?” I made sure to sound simply curious, but Duggie didn’t bite.

  Instead, he laughed again and deflected. “You’ll have to ask Mr. Anderson about that. They are his plans after all. I’m more of a facilitator.”

  His slick smile was plastered on at this point, unwavering. I didn’t believe him, generally, but nothing he said connected with Ashley in a significant way. If I wanted Duggie to confess anything then I’d need to come with more information.

  Standing up, I told him, “I’ll do that. Thank you for your time.”

  “I always have time for the citizens of Appleton. Especially ones as pretty as you. Please come by anytime.”

  I didn’t like his gross come on, but I didn’t let it show. I left his office and saw his secretary typing away. I approached, a lie already forming on my lips.

  “Hi,” I said with dripping sweetness. “I just came out of Duggie’s office and he asked me to speak with his colleague, Mr. Anderson. He said I could get the address from you?”

  She gave me a small smile.

  “Of course, no problem, sweetie.” She looked around her desk, pulling out a small card from a drawer. “Mr. Anderson is renting an office space downtown. The address is here on his business card.”

  I took the card from her, reading the name in my mind: Jake Anderson. He would be the next stop on my journey for the truth. This time I had a firmer goal in mind. Not only to discover his interest in Ashley’s property line but to see if his take dovetailed with councilman Duggie’s.

  I drove to Mr. Anderson’s office and while I walked up to the front door, I was surprised to find the mayor shaking hands with who I could only guess was Mr. Anderson. Momentarily off guard, I thought a little too late about avoiding being seen, because the mayor walked directly up to me with an enthusiastic greeting.

  “Oh! Kari Jacobs. Just the girl I wanted to see. I wanted to commend you for dealing with the press so skillfully and officially welcome you to town.”