A Midsummer Night's Murder

by Colleen Helme

  It felt weird to pick up her conflicting emotions of relief, fear, and trust. They were all there, but then the most profound thing happened. All at once, she accepted me. It was like her mind gained a perception that I was okay. I’d never gotten that from a person, so this was a new experience.

  As I made a fuss over her, she relaxed, and her fear was replaced by a sense of well-being. She didn’t seem to mind the leash. With her dark eyes and black coat, she was delightful.

  “With her coloring, it looks like she’s wearing a tux,” Dimples said. He stepped cautiously to my side, and offered his hand for her to smell, not wanting to spook her. “Do you see any blood on her anywhere?”

  We both examined her, but it didn’t look like she’d been hurt. “She looks okay to me.”

  “What are you going to do now?” he asked me.

  “I guess I’m taking her home.”

  He was thinking, famous last words. Then he thought that since it didn’t look good for Angel, I might end up keeping her. She seemed so sweet that I didn’t mind that too much, but since Angel was innocent, I had to make sure he got her back. “He’s innocent, so now we just have to prove it.”

  Dimples nodded. It might explain a few things, but since this was such a cut and dry case, he wondered if maybe I’d been mistaken. Maybe Angel had buried the truth under layers of denial because he didn’t want to believe he could actually do something like that?

  “He wasn’t denying anything in his mind. I would know.”

  “Oh, right.” He’d forgotten that I would pick up on his stray thoughts, and he hoped he hadn’t offended me.

  “It’s okay. But no matter how it looks, he’s still innocent.”

  Dimples nodded, but he thought it wasn’t going to be easy to prove. “Let’s head back to the car and figure out our next move.”

  We started back, and Pepper happily trotted by my side. “I think I’ll take her home first. Then I’ll come back to the precinct so I can tell Angel we found her. Will I be able to talk to him?”

  “Yeah. They’ll be holding him until he’s arraigned before a judge and bail is set. If he doesn’t have a lawyer, they’ll have to assign him a public defender.” He was thinking that, with murder charges against him, and the fact that he had a record, bail was probably out of the question. Even a good public defender wouldn’t help him much.

  “Okay,” I said. “Then I guess I’ll have to get him a good lawyer.”

  Dimples chuckled. “You mean like your husband?”

  I smiled back. “Good thing I know one, right?”

  “Let me just put it this way, if I was in Angel’s shoes, I couldn’t ask for a better team than you and Chris. He’s lucky you came along.”

  A rush of warmth filled my heart, giving me hope that this could work out. Now I just needed to see if Chris could take the case. As a newly appointed partner at his law firm, I had no idea how busy he was, and I hoped it wouldn’t be a problem.

  “There’s another thing I caught from Angel,” I said to Dimples. “He thought that Molly was helping someone who might be dangerous, so I think that’s a good place to start.”

  “Now that’s what I call a lead.” He smiled, and his dimples did that amazing tornado dance in his cheeks that never failed to bring a smile to my lips.

  Chapter 2

  After we arrived back at the precinct, I coaxed Pepper into my car, and stashed all the treats and food I bought for her in the trunk. Pepper sniffed my car with enthusiasm, and I caught that she’d picked up the smell of my kids. That was weird. Maybe with a little practice, I could read a dog’s mind after all?

  At home, I urged Pepper from the car and into my house. I felt her trust, but she turned a little shy about coming inside, so I did my best to comfort her. She entered the kitchen slowly, sniffing at the smells, and wagging her tail with her head down. I got the distinct impression that she was asking for my permission to be in the house.

  “Yes, you can come in,” I said. She lifted her head and I could have sworn she smiled at me. Then she nudged my hand with her head for a rub.

  “Is that a dog?” Savannah asked, coming into the kitchen. She could hardly believe I had let a dog in the house.

  “This is Pepper, and she’s a lab-beagle mix of some kind.”

  “She’s adorable.” Savannah crouched down beside Pepper and let the dog sniff her hand.

  Pepper took to Savannah like they were old friends. I left them to get acquainted, and got the dog food out of the car. I grabbed a couple of bowls from my cupboard for her food and water, then fed her the correct amount for her size and weight on the package. While she ate, I told Savannah the story.

  “So are we going to keep her?”

  “For now, yes. But once Angel is cleared, she’ll need to go back to him.” Savannah nodded her understanding, happy to have a dog, even if it was just for a few days. She’d always wanted a pet, but I’d never let her have one, so this was great.

  I guess she was right about that. I’d grown up with a dog, but then she’d died, and I didn’t want to go through that again. But I’d forgotten all the good things a pet had to offer, and I felt bad that I hadn’t been more open to the idea.

  “I need to go back to the precinct and talk to Angel. Do you mind taking care of Pepper? You can let her out in the backyard. Just make sure the gate is closed. And…don’t leave her alone. She’s been traumatized, so she needs the company.” Was I reading my own feelings into this, or was it coming from the dog? I shook my head, how was I supposed to know?

  “Sure. We’ll be fine.” Savannah was happy to have some company for the day, and I picked up the same feelings from Pepper. Who would’ve thought? After saying our goodbyes, I drove back to the precinct, eager to talk to Angel again.

  While I’d been gone, he’d been booked and placed in a holding cell until his arraignment. I had to wait several minutes before I could see him, and just being there sent my stomach into a queasy knot. I’d been in his position nearly a year ago, accused of a murder I didn’t commit, and waiting there brought it all back.

  Finally, the police officer took me to his holding cell. Angel sat in the corner. As he caught sight of me, he hurried toward the bars, frantic and desperate for some good news. “Did you find her?”

  “Yes. She’s fine. A little scared, but fine. I took her to my house, and my teenage daughter is watching over her.”

  He blew out a breath, and the tension left his shoulders. In relief, he leaned his forehead against the bars and said a silent prayer. After everything that he’d been through in the past few hours, his emotions were too much, and tears threatened to fall. He swallowed, struggling to speak. “Thank you.”

  “Of course. Hey, if it’s okay with you, do you mind if I ask my husband to take your case? He’s a lawyer, and he’s really good.”

  His astonished gaze met mine. “They already assigned me a lawyer.”

  “That’s okay. You can tell them you’ve got someone else.” I found one of Chris’s business cards in my purse and handed it to him. “Chris Nichols.”

  “Why are you helping me? You don’t even know me.”

  I smiled and shrugged. “I believe in your innocence, and I want to help you prove it.” He still wasn’t convinced. He wondered if I had ulterior motives. If so, what were they?

  Knowing he couldn’t make sense of it, I said the first thing that popped into my mind. “You’ve got a sweet dog. Anyone who loves their dog like you do couldn’t be a killer. You need my help. So…let me help you.”

  He shook his head. “You need to know I don’t have any money to pay a lawyer. I might be able to trade for some yard work or something, but I don’t have any money saved up.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll worry about that later. I just need to know if there’s anything more you can tell me about Molly. Was she a school teacher or something? Could a student have done this?”

  His eyes widened. He didn’t remember telling me anything about the students she int
eracted with, so how did I know that? “Uh…she’s not a teacher, but she works at a community college helping students that aren’t doing well academically.”

  He was thinking that was how he’d met her. She’d helped him get back on track to graduate with his undergraduate degree and get into business school at the university where he was now. She was a wonderful person, full of vitality and life. She shouldn’t be dead.

  “I think she may have been helping someone who probably didn’t deserve it,” he said. “That person could have killed her.”

  “Do you know who it was?”

  “No.” He shook his head with pain and regret. “She likes helping students. But I thought she was getting too involved with them. Several are mixed up in a couple of gangs. I don’t trust them, or their motives, and I didn’t like how personal the relationships were becoming. I told her she needed to stop, and that it was dangerous. That’s what we were arguing about, and I made that stupid mistake.”

  “You mean…giving her an ultimatum?” I asked, knowing he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.

  “Yeah…I never should have let it go that far.” He was thinking that it was a mistake he’d regret for the rest of his life.

  “Hey…you can’t blame yourself for this. If you’d stayed, you might be dead, too. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s true. Right now, we need to find the killer.”

  He nodded but, drowning in remorse, he couldn’t look me in the eyes.

  “Do you have any idea what gang these kids were in?” I asked.

  He sighed. “There’s a couple of them. It could either be the Fifty-three’s or the South Side. Maybe even the Polynesians, but I don’t know for sure.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll see what I can find out. In the meantime, I’ll talk to my husband about taking your case. Don’t talk to the police without him with you, okay?”

  He nodded, thinking that one of the detectives had already tried to get him to confess, but he’d refused to talk without a lawyer. At least he’d done that much right.

  “Good. Hang in there. I’ll be back with Chris.”

  “Thanks, Shelby.”

  I left him, grateful that he seemed more hopeful. He even managed a smile, transforming his face for that tiny second into a handsome man any girl could fall for.

  More determined than ever to help him, I proceeded to my husband’s law firm, pulling out my phone to make sure he was available. He didn’t answer his cell, so I called the office and his executive assistant picked up. “Hi Elisa, this is Shelby. Is Chris busy? I called his cell and he didn’t answer.”

  “That’s because he’s with a client right now,” she answered. “But he shouldn’t be too much longer.”

  “Okay, good. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  Fifteen minutes later, I stepped out of the elevator on his floor, and followed the hall to his office. Elisa sat at her desk and glanced up as I came toward her. As usual, she looked fresh and charming in her orange sheath dress. How anyone could look good in that color was a mystery to me. But, of course, it brought out her naturally beautiful, warm skin tones.

  I tried not to let it bother me, and smiled a greeting. She smiled back, thinking that I looked a little frumpy in my jeans and stretch pink top. My hair looked nice, but it could use a trim, and she thought I’d look better with bangs. What was that on my pants? Was that dog hair? Eww.

  I almost looked down at my pants to see the damage, but managed to keep my gaze on her. “Is Chris done with his meeting?” I tried to keep my tone light, even though I wanted to smack the frown off her face.

  “Yes. You’re in luck, his client left right before you got here.”

  Before she’d even finished, I pushed his door open and waltzed in. Chris was writing on some papers and glanced up, surprised to see me. “Hey beautiful. I didn’t expect to see you today.”

  I let out a sigh. Seeing his handsome face always made my stomach flutter. He came out from behind his desk and pulled me into a hug. “What’s up?”

  “I need your help.”

  His pleasant expression changed from happiness to alarm in a flash, and he was thinking what have you gotten into now?

  “Hey…I’m not in trouble. It’s something else. In fact, it’s not about me at all.” Relief washed over Chris, and guilt flooded over me for what I put him through. Sure, I’d almost gotten killed a few times, but this was nothing like that, so he didn’t need to worry.

  “Dimples called me this morning about a murder, so I met with the suspect. Chris, I know he’s innocent, but they’re charging him with murder anyway. I was hoping you could take on his case.”

  “Oh…uh, sure.” He wasn’t sure he could fit it in, but if he needed help, Ethan, the junior partner he was mentoring, could help. “Have they arraigned him yet?”

  “No. He was assigned a defense lawyer, but he hasn’t spoken to him yet. I just left him with your business card.”

  “Okay. Then I’d better call and let them know I’m representing him. What’s…?”

  “His name is Angel Molina,” I answered. “He’s accused of killing his girlfriend, and it doesn’t look good. He also has a dog.”

  Chris’s brows drew together. “What has that got to do with anything?”

  “Her name is Pepper…and she’s staying with us.”

  “Uh…okay. I think you’d better tell me the rest of the story.”

  It didn’t take long to fill him in on what little I knew. He had Elisa call the prosecuting attorney’s office to let them know he was representing Angel as his attorney.

  She came into the office a minute later. “If you’re representing Angel Molina, they need you right now. They’re ready to arraign him before the judge.”

  “But I haven’t even talked to him yet,” Chris said, upset that the prosecuting attorney’s office wasn’t giving Angel a fair shake. “Okay. Hold my calls until I get back.” He turned to me. “Let’s go.”

  It was a different experience to be on the lawyer side of things. Chris knew all the back ways into the building, and all I had to do was follow him. After we arrived, they brought Angel forward to stand before the judge. I quickly introduced Angel to Chris, and Chris told Angel not to say anything, and let Chris speak for him. Angel nodded, then sent me a glance full of relief and gratitude.

  The charges were read against him, accusing him of murder in the first degree. When asked how he pleaded, Chris answered, “Not guilty.”

  They spoke about bail, and Chris did his best to arrange it, but the judge denied bail based on the charge of first degree murder. He remanded Angel to await trial in the larger county jail. It was all over in a matter of minutes.

  They came to take Angel away, but Chris insisted he be allowed to talk to Angel first. With reluctance, they agreed to take us to a private room where we could chat. As we left, I heard Chris’s name spoken with disgust in someone’s mind. I glanced toward the back corner of the room, and found the city’s prosecuting attorney staring back at me. James Strickland didn’t like Chris much, or me, for that matter.

  He could hardly believe we were both there to defend a guilty man, thinking the evidence against Angel was ironclad, and he wasn’t about to let Chris, or me, muck it up. Shaking his head, he decided to handle this case personally, so he could shove it in Chris’s face when we lost.

  My stomach clenched with dread. Why did he have to be here? “Great.”

  Chris glanced my way. “What?”

  “James Strickland was in there. He’s going to take over the case against Angel, mostly because of you.”

  Chris let out a breath, and swore in his mind. He was thinking that ever since Strickland had lost the case against him and his client, Victoria Hampton, Strickland had held a personal grudge against him. It was like Strickland had made it his mission to make Chris’s life as difficult as possible.

  An officer led us to a holding cell with a room for visitors attached. The three of us sat down at the table, a
nd the officer stood outside the door.

  “Thanks for taking my case,” Angel said. He’d observed Chris in the courtroom, and from what he’d seen, he thanked his lucky stars I’d insisted on having Chris represent him. “I don’t have a lot of money, but I’ll pay you back for helping me.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Chris said, waving his hand. “Our firm has a number of pro bono hours we’ve contracted with the state, so I’ll put them toward your case.” Chris was thinking that his firm had already used up the hours, but he didn’t want Angel to worry about money right now.

  “Oh, okay,” Angel said, relieved. “Did Shelby tell you what happened?”

  “Yes. But I’d like to hear it from you.”

  Angel told Chris everything that had happened, including the fight he’d had with Molly before she asked him to leave. “I never should have left her.”

  “Do you have any idea who would want to kill Molly?”

  “The only thing that comes close might be a student she was helping.” He repeated everything he’d told me about the gang affiliation some of her students had.

  “Okay,” Chris said. “This is what we’re going to do. I’ll go over a copy of the police report, so I’ll know what they’re basing the charges on. Shelby will do some detective work, and find out who these students were, and we’ll go from there.”

  “I didn’t do it,” Angel said.

  In full lawyer mode, Chris concentrated on doing the job of defending his client, and guilt or innocence, didn’t matter to him. In fact, he preferred not to know. Still, he met Angel’s gaze. “Then I guess we’ll just have to make sure we win.”

  We spoke to Angel for a few more minutes, then left him behind, and began the walk back to Chris’s office.

  “I’ll send Ethan to Strickland’s office to get the police reports and any other documents relative to the case. Then we can try for a preliminary hearing, and see if we can get the case dismissed.” He was thinking that if Strickland had anything to do with it, the charges were probably based on evidence he’d obtained at the crime scene. That meant that everything had probably been done by the book, and there wasn’t a chance he could get the case thrown because of a technicality. Good thing he had me on his side.