“My kid is more important to me than this murder investigation,” Richard said. “I don’t want him thrown in some foster home. I’ve seen some of these people who milk the system. To them, the kids are just another check. Harper, I need you to make sure they don’t take Ryley. Appoint Marcie and Sam as guardians in the interim if we have to.”
Harper peered through his gold rimmed glasses, his expression was so focused, it was unreadable. “I doubt very much we’ll have to go there. But it’s a back-up plan, and the court should have no hesitation about approving that. A note of caution. One thing I’ve learned over the years is the state legal system is fraught with inconsistencies, and there are no guarantees. Being prepared for the unexpected is what we’re going to have to tackle, along with poking holes in all the state’s evidence. At this point, we need to control the evidence, so we are not going to introduce anything new. Let’s let their own evidence work against them. Now…” Harper smacked his hands together. “At the emergency hearing, I want to make sure Ryley is not available.” Everyone looked at each other.
“A second ago you said not to piss off the judge.” Richard braced his forearms on the table, and Maggie leaned closer to her husband.
“Yes, I did. But we also don’t want Children’s Services to be able to snatch him. And they will, and once they have him, it’ll be difficult to get him back.”
Harper jabbed his pen in the air toward her. “Maggie, call your mother. Make sure she’s on board, that she had Ryley, and Ryley’s now with Sam and Marcie. I’ll have a letter of guardianship done up in the event we need it, giving temporary guardianship to Sam and Marcie. Hopefully, we won’t have to use it. Now Diane and Sam, that’s where you come in. You need to find out where the information against Maggie came from. She was on prescription medication prescribed by her doctor but is no longer taking it. One, due to doctor patient confidentiality, they don’t have access to your medical records. So how did they find out? Also Maggie, I’m going to get you to provide a urine sample to a private lab I use. Those clean results will shoot down the state’s claim you’re still taking them.” Harper paused and removed his glasses, staring hard at Maggie. “Just so we’re clear, I need to ask. You’re clean, aren’t you? Will anything show up?”
Maggie felt everyone’s eyes burn into her, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl away and hide.
Richard must have sensed how this was ripping her up inside because he slid his arm around her when she tried to pull into herself. “Whoa, back off, don’t go accusing Maggie—”
The famed pit bull Harper was known as launched back at Richard. “Stop right there. When I ask something, you give it. Get used to it if you want me to save your ass and keep your family together. I want every deep dark secret, and you will provide what I ask for in detail. I’ll not be blindsided by anything. Do I make myself clear?” Harper propped his elbow on the table, his dark eyes flashed how serious he was as he looked at each one sitting around the table. “If for any reason I find out you withheld information from me or lied to me, I’ll walk away, and you can find yourself another lawyer to represent you.”
“I haven’t taken anything.” Her heart pounded as she scooted her chair closer to Richard.
Everyone stared at her.
“You haven’t taken what?” Harper was direct, but this time when he addressed her personally, there was a hint of compassion.
“Since Richard got me off the pills the doctor prescribed, I’ve taken nothing, not even an aspirin.”
That appeared to satisfy him as he offered a simple nod before he continued attacking each issue good and bad. Close to an hour later, Maggie excused herself and slipped into Richard’s office to call her mother.
Her mother was groggy when she answered her cell phone. Maggie glanced at the clock; it was after 9:00 p.m. Maggie quickly filled her mother in on what transpired: Richard’s arrest, Children’s Services trying to take Ryley, and Diane’s lie.
“Oh Maggie, you know I can’t lie. I’m no good at it. Any judge asks me, and you know I’ll stutter, my face will turn red, and I won’t be able to look at them. Your dad always said I was not the person to have in a car if you were ever stopped by the police because I’d start confessing small details, that he was speeding or a brake light was burned out. You remember?”
Maggie smiled fondly over her dad’s frustration. That was many years ago, and he had long since passed on, but their mom had been painfully honest, and at times, none of them wanted to be out with her in public for fear of what she may say.
“I understand, Mom. But we need your help. If Children’s Services gets a hold of Ryley, it’ll be hard for us to get him back, and who knows where he’ll end up.”
“Maggie, whatever you need. I’ll take Ryley if I have to, to make sure those people don’t get him. Do you want me to come and get him? I’ll bring him back here to your brother John’s. They won’t find him down in Florida.”
Maggie smiled for the first time in days. “Thanks Mom, but just in case a social worker or someone calls you, remember, you had Ryley.”
After she hung up, she went up to her room and changed into her sweatpants and slippers before returning to the kitchen.
Richard looked up when she strode in.
“I just spoke with Mom, and she’s agreed to go along with the story, and she offered to come and get Ryley to take him back with her.”
“Where is your mother now?” If anything, Harper was extremely efficient covering all bases.
“She’s in Florida staying with my brother.”
Harper’s focus appeared to instantaneously shuffle and compile all information provided to him. “Unless the state has exclusively dedicated a team of detectives to track down your mother, I’m pretty sure her testimony and her whereabouts will be unable to be corroborated. In the eyes of the judge, with Sam and Marcie now caring for Ryley, and the fact he was apparently with your mom when Children’s Services arrived, should be a moot point.”
At eleven-fifteen, they finally packed it in for the night. All agreed to meet back at the house the next afternoon. Everyone except Richard and Maggie had a lot of work to prepare for the hearing on Thursday. How much they’d be able to uncover in that short amount of time would be a miracle. Time was not on their side, and the emptiness of one child lost would be amplified by the absence of another. Maggie wondered for a moment if it was possible to die of a broken heart, and this time she didn’t know if she could go on.
Chapter Forty-four
The dead air in the boxlike room of Courtroom 101 in Sequim rivaled a dry summer day. Maggie recognized the social worker and deputies, who’d been at the house to take Ryley, sitting in the courtroom. Harper whispered to her and Richard that the chief council for Children’s Services was Cliff Roberts and that the proceeding was facilitated by the division of Children and Family Services.
The court clerk announced the docket and the arrival of the judge. Both Richard and Maggie stood beside Harper Lee and faced Judge Cooper, a woman with long dark hair threaded with gray, possibly in her early fifties.
The judge scanned the room with a dour expression. “I have in front of me a motion to take said child, Ryley McCafferty, into custody. Are you the parents?”
Harper spoke for them. “Yes, your Honor, these are Ryley’s loving parents, Richard and Maggie. And they are horrified by the unfounded allegations by Children’s Services.”
“Your Honor,” said Roberts, “Children and Family Services has a duty to protect children, and we fear if this child is not taken into custody, his health, safety, and welfare will be seriously endangered. We do have reasonable grounds to believe Mrs. McCafferty’s dependence on anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills has left her unable to adequately care for this child. And with his father recently arrested for murder, that household has the potential risk of imminent harm to the child. We have an affidavit signed by a Mrs. Johnson, the school counselor where Ryley attends school, that she witnessed on more than
one occasion where Mrs. McCafferty forgot to pick up her child, and Ryley’s behavior and lack of social connection diminished to the point where the child had days of complete depression. With the death of their unsupervised daughter, and I might add, the parents left a nine-year-old boy in charge of a severely autistic child, and she was struck down and killed, leaves a prominent school educator with questions on the parents’ role as suitable and responsible role models.”
Maggie squeezed Richard’s hand when tears pushed to the surface. Those cruel words were ones she’d accused Richard of and then herself, over and over. If only they hadn’t asked Ryley to watch Lily. Would she still be alive?
“Your Honor, as I stand here today, I’m truly horrified Children’s Services has the audacity to blame these outstanding parents for their daughter’s death based on the mere gossip of a malicious busybody.”
“Objection, your Honor.”
“Sustained. Is this the affidavit from Mrs. Johnson, the school counselor?” The judge peered over papers she perused after slipping on her reading glasses, and addressed the social worker directly.
“Yes, your Honor, it is.”
“Your Honor, I too have an affidavit; mine is from the District Principal of the school Ryley attends. And he attests to the fitness of both Richard and Maggie McCafferty, and he addresses the devastating loss they suffered. But he also attests to their character, and how they were model parents fighting and advocating for their disabled child’s rights. They suffered a terrible loss and struggled through a parent’s worst nightmare, and in the end, kept their family together, always working together for the best interest of both their children. And after the loss, even in their grief, their decisions now have been made for the best interest of Ryley. Also, your Honor, I have two affidavits from two other parents with special needs children who have the courage to speak about the credibility of Mrs. Johnson. She has been known to bully parents and has refused to meet their children’s unique needs in school. She gossips about parents and frequently casts doubt and judgment upon a parent merely based on her opinions. In essence, these parents attest that Mrs. Johnson has in fact been a hindrance in their children’s progress at school.”
Maggie wasn’t sure when they’d sat down. Her head was still spinning from listening to that man say such horrible things about her. She’d known Mrs. Johnson didn’t like her, but this? What she really wanted was to slink away and pull the covers over her head and try and brush this nightmarish day away. Richard must have known because he squeezed her hand.
“And your Honor, these unfounded allegations that Mrs. McCafferty is dependent on prescription medication is a slanderous accusation created for no reason other than to destroy a godly woman’s credibility, so she cannot speak the truth of her husband’s whereabouts in a criminal proceeding. In fact, I have here lab results. Urine and blood analysis just obtained on Maggie McCafferty to prove to this court there are no barbiturates or traces of any drugs in her system.” Harper passed a copy of the lab results to the court clerk and offered one to Children’s Services.
The courtroom door whisked open. Sam strode to the rail directly behind Harper and snagged his attention, whispering something only Harper could hear.
“Mr. Harper, are you still with us?” The judge asked in an irritated fashion.
“I beg the courts indulgence, your Honor. It has just been brought to my attention these false allegations to destroy Maggie McCafferty’s credibility came from political interference.”
Maggie gasped and covered her mouth as she looked at Richard and then Sam. The judge removed her glasses and stared at Harper with a look that was far from pleased. Richard leaned over the rail toward Sam, and Diane slid closer, her face mildly registering her surprise.
“Do you have proof of these serious allegations?”
“Your Honor, we have proof that Fred White, local congressman, made statements about Richard and Maggie McCafferty before these allegations were ever made by the state. We also have just received information that Fred White directed the executive director of DSHS to investigate and remove Ryley McCafferty from my clients. His apparent quote from DSHS, “Maggie McCafferty is a junkie, and Richard McCafferty is a thief.”
“Mr. Roberts, is it true what Mr. Lee has alleged? Did political interference from our local congressman, Fred White, result in these allegations against Maggie McCafferty?”
Mr. Roberts and the frumpy social worker appeared to shuffle their stance.
Busted.
“Ah, your Honor, in fact most allegations arise from a complaint, but I can assure you our filed petition for the dependent child Ryley McCafferty is valid, and we have determined if this child is not taken into custody, his health, safety, and welfare will be seriously endangered. We have reasonable grounds to believe from affidavits, and yes, from the congressman, that demonstrate a risk of imminent harm. This lab report shows us she didn’t take anything for forty-eight hours, which will not prevent Maggie McCafferty from leaving this courtroom—”
“Your Honor, I must object to this witch hunt. First Children’s Services has no evidence of any drug abuse, nothing has been provided, and I request that this be stricken, and this petition be dismissed without merit.”
“I tend to agree with Mr. Lee. What I’ve heard here today does not lead me to believe that young Mr. McCafferty is in any immediate danger. But with Children’s Services, we take seriously all allegations—especially of drug abuse. I would like to talk to this minor child who is of an age to offer me a clear understanding of what’s really going on. I’ll be able to determine if this child is in fact at risk. I would like to meet with Ryley McCafferty in my chambers without the parents.” The judge raised the flat of her hand when Mr. Roberts started to say something. “And no Mr. Roberts, Children’s Services will not be allowed to attend the meeting. Shall we say two this afternoon in my chambers?” The judge scribbled something on paper in front of her.
“Your Honor, that brings us to another point. When the social worker arrived to take Ryley McCafferty into custody with the sheriff, he was not present but was told he was with his grandmother out of state—”
“Your honor, Ryley McCafferty will be in your chambers at two.” Harper was slick the way he cut in. The social worker was apparently thrown by the ruling as her eyes flashed, and she pursed her lips and then whispered angrily, like a child who didn’t get her way. Mr. Roberts brushed his hand down in a gesture to hush her.
“Thank you, Mr. Lee. I’ll see young Ryley, and then you’ll have my decision. We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning at nine, and I’ll give my ruling at that time.”
The fiery, stern judge smacked the gavel down like a gun shot, and left the courtroom, her clerk following.
Harper reached past Richard and touched Maggie’s shoulder. “It’s not over yet, but it went well. “Let’s meet back in my office, I’ll head over there now. Let’s get Ryley back here now, and it would be best if I met him first and then I’ll bring him over to meet the judge.”
Sam clicked off his cell phone. “Marcie’s on her way. She’ll meet us at your office with Ryley.”
Maggie staggered on shaky legs out of the courtroom behind Richard, saying nothing. She climbed into the truck and slumped back in the leather seat. “It went well, didn’t it, Richard?”
He jammed the key in the ignition and then dropped his hand. He didn’t look at her, but he did link his fingers with hers. All that fiery energy of his melted just a little, allowing a tiny hole through which she could enter.
They shared a comfortable silence as Richard drove to Harper’s office; they rode up the elevator to his private quiet office, and walked into the lavish conference room with mahogany walls and rich blue carpeting. Diane, Sam, and Harper were already there. Less than an hour later, the elevator dinged. Marcie, carrying a sleeping Kyla in her car seat, arrived with Ryley, both dressed in blue jeans and winter coats.
Richard didn’t allow Ryley to go anywhere in the room except ri
ght into his arms. He held his boy tight. “Dad, I can’t breathe.”
Maggie touched the top of Ryley’s head. When Richard released him, he hesitated only a second before taking a step toward Maggie and hugging her. She closed her damp eyes, holding onto this moment. It was a giant victory; she wanted to jump up and down and shout her joy to everyone, but held it together for Ryley. Her glassy eyes locked onto Richard, his handsome face softened with the connection. The love flowed from and into her heart—she loved him so much.
“Okay everyone, grab a seat. June made coffee, muffins, and there’s fruit. Help yourself.” Harper waved toward the back of the room as his secretary plunked down a tray on a large credenza that appeared as if dedicated for buffets considering the food displayed. It was obvious this law firm didn’t scrimp on anything. Maggie shuddered as the thought of who was footing the bill struck.
“Ryley, you and I’ll be going to see a judge this afternoon. She wants to talk to you alone.” Harper hurried to the head of the table and dumped his expensive dark jacket over the back of the thick leather chair.
Ryley’s eyes widened. “Why does he want to talk to me? I don’t want to talk to a judge”
Richard wrapped his arm around Ryley. “Hey bud, it’s okay. This judge is a she, and she’s not buying this crap the social worker’s trying to dish out. She just wants to ask you about these rumors going around about your mom taking pills and you not being looked after”
“But Mom, Dad got you off everything. You’re not taking anything anymore.”
She wanted to go to him. But something held her across the table from him. She accepted the cup of coffee Diane poured for her. “You’re right Ryley, but those were pills the doctor prescribed after Lily was killed. I wasn’t sleeping, and I was scared then. Now your dad and I are here. We’re a family, and no one is going to separate us.”
Harper sat at the head of the table, notepads and files stacked beside him. “Ryley, I want to go over a few things with you before you talk to the judge. She is going to ask you if we prepped you or tried to sway you in what you tell her. You just need to tell the truth about how your mom and dad love you and they look after you. Have they left you alone?”
From the Heart: Romance, Mystery and Suspense a collection for everyone Page 38
