Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 18)

by Fluke, Joanne

  “How does it work?” Hannah asked.

  “It’s simple. The judge enters the elevator and locks his wheelchair down. The elevator goes up to the second and third floors. If he chooses the second floor, the rear door of the elevator opens and deposits him directly behind the judge’s bench. If he chooses to go to the third floor, the elevator takes him directly to his specially equipped chambers and he can wheel out directly to his desk.”

  “That sounds very convenient.”

  “It is, but this is an old courthouse. The whole thing had to be retrofitted and it cost a fortune.”

  “I can imagine it did, but I’m sure the judges in wheelchairs are delighted with it. How many handicapped judges are assigned here?”

  “A grand total of zero. There’s only one in the entire county judicial system and he’s at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul. That’s what the taxpayers are so upset about. Every single courthouse in the county system had to comply with the mandate, whether they had any handicapped judges or not.”

  “Government,” Hannah said, and left it at that as Howie used his gate card again to open the interior door built into the garage wall. It led to a narrow hallway completely devoid of any decoration and painted an industrial green that Hannah recognized from school lunchrooms and bathrooms.

  “Is this how they bring the prisoners in?” she asked, and then she immediately wished she hadn’t. She didn’t want to think about being a prisoner and having to reappear in court in this fashion.

  “Yup.” Howie slipped his card in the slot by the elevator and the doors opened.

  “But I didn’t come in this way when I came from jail for my bail hearing. They just parked on the street and brought me up the steps and in the front door.”

  “That’s because you had preferential treatment. Bill knew you weren’t a flight risk.”

  And Bill also knew that Andrea would never forgive him if he brought me in this way, Hannah thought, but she didn’t say it. “I see,” she said instead, stepping into the small elevator.

  When the elevator doors opened again, Hannah found herself stepping out into a small waiting room. Benches with metal loops sticking up every few feet were along one wall. Hannah had watched enough television cop shows to know why the loops were there. If inmates were handcuffed, one wrist would be released and the empty handcuff would be locked around the loop.

  “Let’s sit at the table until they call us,” Howie said, leading the way to a table flanked by two wooden chairs, one on either side. He pointed to the chairs. “Any preference?”

  “It doesn’t matter as long as one of them isn’t hooked up to two-twenty.”

  Howie stared at her for an instant and then he burst into laughter. “Good. I’m glad you’ve got your sense of humor back. It’ll make things a lot easier.”

  Hannah had just taken a seat when an official-looking man rushed in. He nodded to Hannah and then turned to Howie. “Good morning, Counselor,” he said, handing Howie a note. “Judge Colfax told me to give you this note the minute you came in.”

  “Thanks, Dave.” Howie took the note, unfolded it quickly, and read it. Then he turned to Hannah. “Mr. Johansen is Judge Colfax’s clerk. Actually, Dave is Judge Flemming’s clerk, but he’s helping Judge Colfax while he’s here.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Johansen,” Hannah said, doing her best to smile.

  “It’s Dave. I’m glad to meet you too, Miss Swensen.”

  “It’s Hannah.”

  Dave gave a little chuckle. “Most of the people I meet here aren’t this polite. It really is nice to meet you.” He turned to Howie. “Aren’t you going to tell her what’s in the note?”

  “Yup. Just as soon as you two are through being polite.” Howie glanced down at the note again. “Judge Colfax has some pressing business he has to take care of. When that’s concluded, he wants to see us in his chambers.” Howie turned to Dave. “Any idea how long that’ll take?”

  “No, but I’ll ask. All he did was tell me to bring you to the anteroom next to his chambers. He’ll call you in when he’s ready.”

  “He didn’t tell you why he needed to see us?” Howie asked.

  “No. He wasn’t . . .” Dave paused and Hannah could tell he was choosing his words carefully. “Let’s just say that Judge Colfax wasn’t very talkative this morning.”

  Howie handed the white bag with the coffee and Hannah’s Double Fudge Brownies to the clerk. “Will you take this in to the judge, Dave?”

  “A giant latte?” the clerk guessed.

  “You got it. And a couple of brownies.”

  “That ought to put him in a better mood.” Dave began to smile. “I’ll run this up to him right now. It’ll only take a couple of minutes. And then I’ll come back for you.”

  Hannah and Howie exchanged glances once the door had shut behind the clerk. There was no need for words. Hannah knew they were thinking the same thing. Judge Colfax was in a bad mood and that wasn’t a good sign. All they could do was hope that his favorite coffee and her brownies for breakfast would sweeten him up.

  Dave was true to his word. It took less than two minutes for him to return. “Judge Colfax thanks you for the coffee and brownies, especially since he didn’t have time for breakfast. He said to tell you that he’ll only be tied up for a few more minutes and then he’ll call you in.”

  Hannah and Howie followed the clerk down the hall and rode up to the third floor in the elevator. Dave showed them to the anteroom and they took seats inside. The clerk had just left when Howie’s phone rang.

  “Uh-oh!” Howie said, after glancing down at the display. “I’ve got to take this, Hannah. I’ll be right outside the door. Just poke your head out and alert me when Judge Colfax calls us in.”

  Hannah nodded, wishing that she could stand out in the hall with Howie. It would be more comfortable than sitting in the anteroom, waiting. The wooden chairs in the anteroom were terribly uncomfortable.

  There was a clock on the wall and Hannah watched the seconds tick by. There was no sound from the judge’s chambers next door and Hannah wondered if Judge Colfax had left and forgotten that he’d summoned them. She wished she were somewhere else, anywhere other than sitting in a hard wooden chair designed by a sadist in this small room smelling of old furniture, stale sweat, and dread.

  Hannah shut her eyes to block out the sight of the clock, which was moving in what had to be slow motion. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night and she was bone tired. If she hadn’t been so uncomfortable, she might have dozed off. At least then the time might have passed faster.

  The only sound was the tick of the clock and it was mesmerizing. Hannah let her head loll forward and her eyes closed against the bright fluorescent lights. Then they snapped open again when she heard the sound of a crash, followed by a heavy thud.

  Hannah jumped to her feet. Had the sounds she’d heard come from the judge’s chambers? Or had she fallen asleep and dreamed the whole thing?

  She could feel her heart beat hard as she tiptoed to the interior door that led to the judge’s chambers. She didn’t hear anything else alarming so she put her ear to the surface of the door. If she heard pages rustling as Judge Colfax read a brief or the sound of his voice talking on the phone, she’d know he was all right. The temporary judge she’d drawn for her trial was elderly and had come out of retirement to fill in for Judge Flemming, the regular judge. It was entirely possible that Judge Colfax had slipped and fallen. If that had happened, perhaps he was unable to get up. He could be in dire need of help.

  Hannah hesitated one more moment and then she decided that she had to do something. The defendant in a trial couldn’t just burst into the judge’s chambers. That was not only impolite, it might even be grounds for further charges against her. Her hand trembled slightly as she knocked on the door and waited for a response. The interruption might make Judge Colfax angry, but she would explain that she had heard a crash and a thud and just wanted to check to make sure he was all right. Surely h
e couldn’t object to that!

  There was no answer, no sound at all from within the chambers. Hannah took a deep breath and knocked a second time. What if Judge Colfax couldn’t answer her knock, or even call out for her to come in? What if he’d fallen, hit his head on something, and he was on the floor unconscious? She had to do something and she had to do it now.

  Hannah knew she’d be risking the judge’s wrath by entering his chambers without his permission, but there was no time to waste. Carefully, silently, she pushed the door open a crack and peered in.

  At first glance, the room appeared empty. No one was moving and there were no sounds. But then she saw something that made her push the door open all the way and rush inside. A wooden gavel lay on the floor near the far corner of Judge Colfax’s desk. It was only inches from a pool of something dark red in color and looked a lot like blood!

  Hannah stepped over the gavel, avoided the dark red pool, and raced around the side of the desk. And there she found Judge Colfax. He was crumpled in a heap on the floor, a half-eaten Double Fudge Brownie on the floor near his hand, and his desk chair upended beside him. As she stared at his head she realized that there was no longer any doubt about the origin of the dark red pool on the floor. The contents were, most certainly, Judge Colfax’s blood.

  The scene was horrific and Hannah averted her eyes. If only she’d rushed in the second she’d heard the sounds! But another glance at Judge Colfax’s head told her that it wouldn’t have made a particle of difference. She was no doctor but she was almost certain that there was no way Judge Colfax could have recovered from the massive damage done by the gavel to the side of his skull.

  Get help! Hannah’s shocked mind told her and her shaking legs carried her across the floor to the door that led to the hallway. She opened it, stepped out, and motioned frantically to Howie who was pacing near the water cooler, his cell phone to his ear.

  Hannah watched as Howie ended his call, dropped his phone in his jacket pocket, and approached her. “Judge Colfax called us in?” he asked her.

  Hannah opened her mouth to answer, but she couldn’t seem to find her voice. She shook her head from side to side, cleared her throat, and somehow managed to choke out the words she needed to say. “Get help! Judge Colfax is dead. He’s been murdered!”

  Chapter Ten

  “How much time would you say elapsed between the time you heard the crash and the thud, and the time you entered Judge Colfax’s chambers?”

  Hannah blinked and stared up at Mike’s face. She was still in shock and she had no idea how much time had passed. “I don’t know.”

  “Give me your best estimate.”

  “Not very long. Maybe . . . two minutes? Or three at the most?”

  “Okay.” Mike paged back through his notes. “Do you have any idea why Judge Colfax wanted to see you before the trial started?”

  “No.”

  “Does Mr. Levine have any idea?”

  “I don’t know. Howie got a phone call and went out to the hall to take it right after the clerk left us in the anteroom.”

  “And he was still on the phone when you left the judge’s chambers?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was it still in response to the original call that came when both of you were in the anteroom?”

  Hannah frowned slightly. What difference could that make? But this was an official interview and she had to answer. “I don’t know. When I went out into the hall, I didn’t hear anything Howie said. He was standing down by the water cooler. I just saw him end the call.”

  “You mean you heard him end the call?”

  “No, I saw him end the call. At least I think he ended the call. He dropped the phone back into his pocket so that’s what I assumed.”

  “And then you told him that Judge Colfax was dead?”

  “Yes. And I waited in the hall while he went to get help. I . . . I didn’t want to go back inside the judge’s chambers and be alone with . . .” Hannah’s voice trailed off and she shuddered visibly.

  Mike reached out to give her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Hannah. I understand.”

  “And I didn’t want to go back in the anteroom, either. The connecting door was open. And I didn’t want to see . . . you know.”

  “Of course you didn’t.”

  Was Mike being condescending? Hannah searched his expression, but she still wasn’t sure.

  “I mean . . . I’ve seen lots of dead bodies before, but this was . . .” she stopped and swallowed hard. “This was particularly brutal.”

  “Do you think that whoever killed him really hated him?”

  “It looked that way. And it was personal. The killer had to get right up next to Judge Colfax to hit him with the gavel. It’s not like he was shot from the doorway. And the gavel belonged to Judge Colfax’s father. He was a judge, too.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Howie mentioned it when I was in court for the bail hearing.”

  “Do you think there’s any significance to the fact that his father’s gavel was used as the murder weapon?”

  Hannah thought about that for a moment. “I don’t know. It’s possible there could be a connection. I guess we’ll have to catch his killer to find out.”

  Mike began to frown. “We’ll have to catch the killer?”

  Hannah sighed. It seemed she was on the outs with Mike and the sheriff’s department again. There were times when Mike welcomed her help in solving a murder case, but at other times he resented it. She’d thought about his inconsistency a lot and she still wasn’t sure what caused it. Of course, she didn’t know exactly what caused the wind to blow, either.

  “Let me rephrase that,” Hannah said, deciding it was time to tiptoe around Mike’s moods or whatever they were. “What I meant to say was, I guess you and your detectives in the sheriff’s department will have to solve the case before we can know for sure.”

  Mike’s frown eased a bit and Hannah was glad. She wanted this interview to end so she could check with Howie and find out what would happen to her court case now that Judge Colfax was no longer in charge.

  “You’re the prime suspect, you know,” Mike said, lowering his voice so that no one else could hear even though they were completely alone in the anteroom.

  “What? Why would I want to kill Judge Colfax?”

  “To delay the trial until Judge Flemming comes back. You were worried about Judge Colfax’s competency. You said that the last time we all got together for dinner at your place.”

  “Well . . . yes. I admit I felt that way and I probably mentioned it. But things changed.”

  “What things?”

  Hannah thought fast. She knew why things had changed. Now that she was involved with Ross, she didn’t want anything like a trial hanging over her head. She’d hoped that the trial would be over by the time Ross came to Lake Eden for his job interview at KCOW Television. And of course she’d hoped that she would be acquitted.

  “What things changed, Hannah?” Mike expected an answer and she wasn’t about to tell him about Ross. She would tell both Mike and Norman, but this was neither the time nor the place. “The stress of waiting was getting to me,” she answered quite truthfully. “I just wanted everything to be over as soon as possible.”

  Mike didn’t say anything. He just nodded and scribbled for several minutes in his notebook. That made her wonder what she’d said that was so interesting, but at last he looked up. “I have what I need for now, Hannah. You can . . . oh, wait a second.” He drew a folded note out of his pocket. “This is from Norman. He caught me on the way in. He wanted to wait for you, but I told him that you already had a ride.”

  “But I don’t. I rode here with Howie.” Hannah stuck the note in her pocket. It could be personal and she’d read it later.

  “I know. I saw his car in the garage when I pulled in. Howie’s waiting for you in the hall.”

  “But I thought Lonnie was going to be interviewing Howie.”

  �
��Lonnie did, and the interview’s over. Howie’s waiting for you outside by the water cooler.”

  Hannah was puzzled. Mike had been in the anteroom with her the whole time and she knew he hadn’t made any phone calls. “How do you know that?”

  “I told Lonnie to text me when he was through with Howie. See?”

  Mike held out his phone and Hannah looked at the screen.

  Done. He’s waiting for her in the hall by the water cooler.

  “Okay,” Hannah said, getting up from the tortuous wooden chair. She remembered that Mike’s phone had made a little dinging sound during the interview and he’d glanced down at the display. That must have been when Lonnie’s text message had come in.

  As she walked toward the door, she wondered if she should update her cell phone to one that could send and receive text messages. Her mother and her sisters had been trying to persuade her to get a new phone for the past two years. Even though she’d insisted that all she needed was a phone that would make and receive calls with none of the fancy extras, perhaps they were right. They’d been right about buying a computer to store her recipes and using the Internet to search for ingredients that Florence didn’t carry at the Red Owl. She’d resisted when they had suggested it, but now she loved being able to print out a clean copy of a recipe and search the Internet for hard-to-find ingredients. That had come in very handy. They could be right about updating her cell phone, too.

  “Hannah?” Mike stopped her as she was about to open the door.

  “Yes?’

  “If I have any more questions, I’ll drop by your condo later. I still have to interview Judge Colfax’s clerk. And do me a favor, okay?”

  Hannah wasn’t about to agree until she knew what Mike’s favor was. She’d learned her lesson when she’d promised to do a favor for Andrea without knowing what it was. “What is it?”

  “See if you can figure out how to shut off your slaydar before you discover another dead body.”