From the Heart: Romance, Mystery and Suspense a collection for everyone

by Eckhart, Lorhainne

  Sam wrote a big question mark at the top of the next page. “Richard, where did you get the money to pay your loans?” Everyone looked at Richard. And this time, Maggie said nothing.

  Chapter Fifty-four

  “We’ve got no more time. Find out where Sam and Diane are.” Harper spoke to Maggie in a low voice.

  Maggie stood in the gallery behind her husband once again in their “clown suits.” But this time, the courtroom was bigger, packed with people, and had an ominous feel to it. And she was alone because Marcie, for some reason, took Kyla and returned to Las Seta last night.

  Maggie raced out of the courtroom to use Richard’s cell phone. These few days had taken on a spin where nothing went as planned. They’d been unable to track down Jane, and Sam and Diane had beaten every bush. Called in favors from every lowlife to find the broad. And when Diane called her social worker friend about Sandra, apparently she’d put in for two weeks’ vacation, and no one knew where she’d gone.

  She hurried outside the building and shivered in her thin black blazer and knee-length skirt, teetering on her three-inch heels. She glanced down and saw her stocking had a run from her ankle to mid-calf. Dammit! “Shit, voicemail. Sam, where are you? It’s Maggie. Harper sent me out to find you. Court’s about to start. What do I tell Harper?” She hurried back in, turning the phone to vibrate.

  Even yesterday when Jean phoned, she’d been short, half expecting her to ask for help with Angie. But Maggie couldn’t help her, not now. So she was glad, happy, to hear Angie had found a place and was moving. With Dan now dead, she no longer had a way to sue him. Everything he owned now was in probate, and unfortunately, Dan’s mother was upholding the eviction. And it was unlikely Angie would see a dime of her money anyway. Even in death, Dan was still screwing people.

  The clerk outside the courtroom shook his head when she tried to get back in. “Court’s about to start.”

  “My husband’s the one on trial. I was sent out by our lawyer, Harper Lee, to make a call. Please let me in, he needs me,” she pleaded. And her sincerity must have seemed genuine, because the tall stocky guy in uniform opened the door a crack and peeked in. “Okay, go ahead.”

  She hurried to the front bench seat, and this time, had to climb over a few spectators and then ask one who’d taken her spot to make room.

  The clerk announced the arrival of the judge, an overweight gray-haired man. Everyone rose. Maggie reached forward, tapped Harper, and shrugged to him. Richard met her gaze and squeezed her hand, and she knew he was worried. Hell, she was worried even though they had the best damn lawyer on the West Coast.

  The gavel cracked, and Maggie sat. The same good-looking DA who’d been at the arraignment stood up and approached the jury, questioning juror one in the jury selection process, and the entire time, Maggie kept glancing at the door as the knots twisted tighter. Her pocket vibrated. She shoved her hand inside and glanced at the screen and text. Found her, on our way now.

  Maggie leaned forward and tapped Harper’s shoulder and showed him the text.

  Harper stood. “Excuse me, your Honor, we must respectfully interrupt. We must request a brief recess as my investigator—” The court room doors flung open and Sam hurried in alone. Glancing at Maggie, he nodded in a way that had her releasing a relieved sigh.

  The judge frowned. “Mr. Lee, are we interrupting you?”

  The DA shouted and glared at Harper as if he’d been wronged in some way. “Your Honor, this is highly inappropriate. We’ve just started.”

  “My apologies to District Attorney Hamilton, and I beg the court’s indulgence. I’m sure the DA is going to want to hear that my investigators have just uncovered a witness and evidence that will clear my client of these charges and save the state the expense of taking an innocent man to trial. If I could request a brief recess and—”

  The judge smacked his gavel. “No, Mr. Lee. I’ll give you ten minutes, and then you and the DA will meet in my chambers with your investigators and this so-called witness.”

  Maggie was so caught up in the theatrics, she had to push her way to the aisle to catch up with Harper and Richard as both followed Sam out of the courtroom.

  Diane stood off to the side with a very attractive blonde wearing a denim skirt, black boots, and a tan jacket; she was in her early twenties, if that.

  “Harper, this is Jane, the young lady who made the mysterious 911 call.” Sam stood in front of Richard. Except it wasn’t Richard’s wrath this blonde bombshell needed to fear, it was Maggie’s.

  “I only did what he told me,” the girl said.

  Maggie pushed past Sam and slapped Jane hard across the face. “You lying bitch, you set up my husband for that prick.”

  Richard grabbed Maggie and lifted her while taking two steps away from Sam before putting her down. “Maggie, stop, but thank you.” He smirked.

  He held her shoulders, and she felt sheltered, protected, and treasured. When her brain caught up to her heart, Maggie realized in that moment what she’d done, and she covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed so hard that tears fell.

  Chapter Fifty-five

  Jane, Sam, and Diane sat across the sterling mahogany desk from the judge. The DA and Harper stood just behind them in the cozy warm chambers decorated in reds and browns. “Okay, everyone have a seat,” said the judge.

  Harper affected the introduction. “Your Honor, this is Jane Carter, she is the young lady who made the mysterious 911 call that identified my client, Richard McCafferty, as the man shooting Dan McKenzie.” The blue-eyed DA stood beside Harper, and for once, didn’t object.

  Jane sat up straight in her chair, not slouching, nor did any remorse appear on any part of her. Sam and Diane both stared at her as if they’d rehearsed some part. “Jane, will you please tell the judge what you told us?”

  She breathed deeply through her nose, but not in a scared way. “It was a joke, really. Dan told me to call 911 and say I saw Richard with a gun, say I saw him shoot Dan. I just did what Dan asked.”

  The DA strode briskly to the judge’s desk and faced Jane, his face reddening. “Dan McKenzie told you to call 911 and make a false statement?!” he yelled, and slammed his fist on the side of the judge’s desk.

  “Yes.”

  “So you didn’t see Richard McCafferty and Dan McKenzie arguing, or see Richard pull out a gun and shoot Dan McKenzie?”

  “I’ve seen them argue many times. But not that night.”

  “Jane,” Diane said, “please tell the judge and the DA what you told us about the night you called 911, and where you called from.” Diane gently motioned with her hand as she spoke slowly and clearly.

  “I called from Sequim outside the downtown sports bar. I’d had a few drinks… and well, my sister Sandra was there. I used her cell phone. I’d talked to Dan earlier in the day. He called me and told me how Richard had jammed him up. Richard owed him money, and after everything he’d done to help Richard and Maggie after their daughter was killed. Well, it just didn’t seem right. He said Richard put their housing project in jeopardy with his erratic behavior, and Dan was putting out all the money to the tradespeople for materials and having to constantly play peacekeeper and repair all the bridges Richard burned with all the tradespeople. Dan’s my friend, and he asked me for help. He just wanted to scare Richard to get him to back off. Give him a reality check. Dan tried to buy Richard out, and Richard refused to sell to him. The man just wasn’t being reasonable. What else was Dan to do?”

  At this point the judge finally spoke. “Do you understand you can go to jail for what you did? For God’s sake woman, the man was charged with murder.”

  For the first time, Jane flushed and fidgeted with her fingers. “I didn’t know it had gone that far. I didn’t know Dan had really been killed. I’ve been in Portland with my sister since I made the call.” Tears streamed down her face. “I loved him. You know he wanted to marry me?”

  Sam stared at Jane as if she’d suddenly changed the script—as if she�
��d lost her mind.

  “Well, this doesn’t change the state’s case your honor,” the DA said. “There’s still the matter of the video that shows Richard McCafferty dragging Dan McKenzie’s body from the crime scene. So we’re still prepared to proceed.”

  Sam cleared his throat. “Your Honor, the tape has been altered. My FBI crime lab technician will swear to this and can show the court how Richard McCafferty’s face was pasted into the frame. The DA is aware of this already and they’ve been unable to provide the original copy of the tape. The DA was supposed to have their own technicians look at the video.”

  “Is this true, Mr. Hamilton?”

  “Your Honor, our technicians are backlogged at the moment and haven’t had a chance to confirm or deny the defense’s theory.”

  Harper strode back and forth at the back of the room. “Your Honor, the state has no case. I’m requesting the state drop charges against my client. Their so-called evidence, the 911 tape, here’s your 911 caller, and you’ve just heard her. And the video—come on, I’ve flimsier excuses from a high school student as to why he didn’t get his homework done. What other evidence do they have? There’s no murder weapon. My client was home with his wife and child all evening.”

  Hamilton squared both shoulders and shook his head. “Your Honor, there is motive.”

  “But no body,” said Harper.

  “The lab matched the blood type to Dan McKenzie’s medical records.”

  Lee turned to address Hamilton directly. “You’re seriously going to waste the taxpayers’ money on a witch hunt, when you know my client didn’t kill Dan McKenzie? We just produced the 911 caller who’s admitted she lied, and the whole dramatic call was orchestrated by Dan McKenzie. The video is also not genuine. What’s your agenda here, or should I say Fred White’s agenda? Something personal, send an innocent man to prison? What other false evidence is suddenly going to appear that we’ll once again prove to be false?”

  “Okay, okay, Mr. Lee.” The judge raised his fat wrinkled hand. “I must agree, Mr. Hamilton. The 911 tape’s out. What else do you have?”

  Rick Hamilton crossed his arms and rocked on the balls of his feet.

  “Drop the charges, Mr. Hamilton. I would think twice about wasting taxpayer money and my time on a trial until you can produce some real evidence. Once you do, re-file. But I can tell you now, I’ll be declaring a mistrial if you insist on proceeding.”

  DA Hamilton appeared to consider what the judge was saying. “A mistrial will not work for us, your Honor.”

  Chapter Fifty-six

  Jessica Shupe was waiting in her white Lexus when Richard and Maggie parked in front of their house. She’d shown up during the chaos of the last few days when they were at their worst, and through it all, Maggie had managed to keep a civil tongue. Even though each time the woman invaded her space and Ryley’s, she’d wanted to yank out every strand of Ms. Shupe’s hair. And now, after this morning’s drama, she didn’t know if she had a diplomatic bone left in her body. Richard must have known because he came around the front of the truck and took Maggie’s hand, holding her beside and behind him as if he thought she’d repeat what she’d done to Jane earlier.

  “Ms. Shupe. Ryley’s not here; we had court this morning, which I’m sure you know. Ryley’s grandma’s in town, and he’s with her right now.” Richard was all business when he wanted to be.

  “Yes, I know you were in court. I also heard the state dropped charges. And I was directed to close my investigation. I just wanted to stop by and let you know my findings will not be filed.”

  Richard and Maggie stared at each other just as Richard’s cell phone buzzed in Maggie’s jacket pocket where she’d left it. She reached for it and glanced at Harper’s number on screen and passed the phone to Richard.

  “Hi, Harper.” Richard stared at Jessica Shupe while he listened to what Harper had to say. “Well, Ms. Shupe is here. She was waiting in her car when we drove in, and she just advised me that very same thing. I find it interesting how she knew before I did.” Richard nodded turning his back to Jessica and watched Maggie. “I’ll put her on.”

  “Ms. Shupe, my lawyer would like a word with you.” Richard strode straight to Jessica, the power in each step showed Maggie how pissed off he really was.

  Jessica appeared startled, but to her credit, she accepted the phone and reluctantly put it to her ear. “Hello, this is Jessica Shupe.” She lowered her gaze to the ground. “No sir, I’m not aware of any impropriety. I came here after I received word from Judge Cooper. I thought they knew.” When she glanced up at Maggie, she blushed. “Mr. Lee, I am not here to harass your clients. And I am done. Yes, yes, I understand.” She handed the phone back to Richard and strode straight to Maggie. Richard walked farther away as he spoke to his lawyer.

  “I just wanted to say, Mrs. McCafferty, this wasn’t personal. Off the record. You’re a good mother, I’ve seen some things… well parents who have no interest in their child and expose their children to all kinds of unethical behavior, drugs, alcohol, and parties. But not you.” Jessica extended her hand to Maggie, and even though she wanted to slap it away out of spite, she recognized a woman trying to make amends. So Maggie accepted her hand. For a second, Maggie wondered if the woman really knew the game she’d just been part of and whether she really was no more than a pawn. Jessica walked away, climbed into her fancy car, and drove away.

  Richard watched Maggie and then glanced at the trail of dust in the driveway as Jessica turned onto the road. Richard hurried over to Maggie, and he lifted her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers as he walked her toward the house. He lowered her onto the step. “Well, she was right. Charges were dropped against me. Harper, I’ve never heard him so mad. He said he’d just found out from the DA, and Judge Cooper apparently called Jessica and told her. They both knew before Harper.”

  She rested her palms on Richard’s shoulders as his hands lowered to her waist and held her in a way he hadn’t in a long time. “You don’t care, do you?”

  He shook his head and smiled, and a hint of light touched his eyes. “I’m free. And this damn ankle bracelet will be gone this afternoon. And I don’t give a shit who told who first and what politician leaned on who. Although I have the bank beating on the back door, and we could very well lose this place and everything, but for the first time in I don’t know how long, I know what’s really important. You and Ryley.”

  “What about the property you own with Dan? What if we lose this house?”

  “I’ll call Dan’s mom, and meet with her about what Dan owes me. I’m pretty sure she can be reasoned with. At least Dan’s not around trying to find new ways to screw me. But if we lose everything… we’ll start over.”

  Daisy barked and scratched the door. Richard’s hand fell away, and he went around Maggie and opened the door. The dog wandered out and rubbed against her, demanding a good pat. Maggie scratched her dog behind the ears. Daisy went down the stairs slowly but with a little more energy. She wandered over to the grass and squatted.

  “Richard, what about what Sam and Diane said. I mean, about Dan and Sandra being responsible for Lily’s death? Just the thought, Richard…” Her heart twisted as she struggled to not think about it, but that very thought had been in the back of her mind for the last few days.

  “Don’t go there, Maggie. She’s gone. No one planned for her to run out on the road, and there’s no way they waited for that exact moment to hit her. Whoever that person was, we’ll never know what they really wanted. And Dan’s dead anyway. We need to let it go and get on with our life. Ryley can’t afford for either of us to go there.”

  She watched the dark shadow on his face and the hardness in his tone as he spoke, and wondered if he truly believed what he said or if it was for her benefit.

  “Come on. Let’s get changed and go get Ryley.”

  Chapter Fifty-seven

  “Your housekeeper’s okay with Kyla, Mr. Silver?” Marcie sat in one of the leather wing chairs in front of
the plate glass window. She crossed her jean-clad legs, and felt overdressed in the bulky blue sweater in this warm dark-paneled study.

  “Oh, she’s fine. What a little angel you have. Nellie loves kids, and she’ll enjoy spoiling your baby.” Marcie accepted the coffee Lance Silver poured for her.

  “Thank you.”

  Lance Silver was a handsome distinguished man wearing dark blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a tailored white shirt. In his late fifties, average height, and still in good physical shape, he could’ve almost passed for a man in his thirties. He sat across from her in the other wing back chair and set his coffee on the marble end table.

  “It was such a surprise to get your call last night. To ask for my help. You must truly care for your friends. And for you to come here. I don’t believe you’ve ever been here to my humble dwelling.” He flicked his hand to the side.