“I’d never hurt Ginny,” Sellers said, almost in a whisper. “I love her.” He leaned forward and stared at the girl. “I love you, Ginny. Why are you doing this to me?”
Dena shook her head and gazed down at her notes. She had to give the guy credit. He had some nerve. At the very least, he could act like he was sorry, instead of pretending he hadn’t done it. She couldn’t understand why he even submitted himself to the embarrassment of testifying. He’d have been better off if he’d defaulted. She turned and patted Ginny on the arm. “Only a few minutes longer,” she whispered.
Ginny’s little-girl face was as white as her husband’s had turned. Her hands trembled. Her sky blue eyes watered. Ginny’s sister watched the proceedings from a bench in the back of the courtroom. Mary, who was an older, chunkier version of her sister, gave a thin smile when Dena glanced her way.
Turning back to face the man in the witness chair, Dena sighed like she was long suffering. “Mr. Sellers, do you know why we are here today?”
“To get divorced?”
She could tell the judge wasn’t buying his stupid act. He heard cases like the Sellers’ all day, every day. Still, Dena found herself growing angry that Sellers would assume anyone would believe him. She hated it when the other party didn’t get an attorney. She had to work twice as hard. “No, Mr. Sellers, we are not here to get the divorce. We’re here today for the judge to decide whether or not to grant a permanent protective order and to make some temporary orders in your divorce case. Do you have any idea of what I’m talking about?”
“No, Ma’am,” he said.
Dena studied the fringe on the Texas flag that hung down from a pole next to the bench. “You remember the papers with which you were served prior to coming to court? The ones that instructed you, among other things, to show up here today for this hearing, if you wanted to defend this suit? The ones that ordered you to stay away from Ginny and not threaten her and that type of thing?”
“I couldn’t find her. I didn’t know where she was for the longest. How could I threaten her?”
“I’m not saying you did, after the protective order was served on you. I’m just asking whether you remember those papers, and what they said?” His dumb act was so disgusting.
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, all innocence.
“Do you have any objections to the judge entering an order very much the same as the first one? An order prohibiting you from all the same things?”
“Yes, I object.” He turned to the judge again. “Judge Johnson, I’m not going to hurt Ginny. I never hurt Ginny.”
“Then you won’t object to the order being entered, Mr. Sellers.” The judge glanced at Dena. “Anything else, Counsel?”
“Just a few more things, Your Honor,” she said.
“Continue.”
“Mr. Sellers, Ginny is asking for temporary alimony while this cause is pending,” Dena said.
“I ain’t gonna pay her nothin’.”
“You will if I order it, Mr. Sellers,” the judge said, his forehead furrowed.
“How much money do you bring home each month, Mr. Sellers?” Dena poised to write down his answer.
“I’m unemployed at the present.” He crossed his arms.
“You’re getting a disability check each week, true?” Dena wanted to approach the witness stand and whack him across the head.
“Yeah,” he said, shifting in his chair, his face turned away from the judge.
“And your check is about five hundred a week, is it not, Mr. Sellers?”
“I’m not giving her any money. She withdrew all my money out of the bank when she left, and I want it back.”
Dena felt like shouting, but she held back. “Is your check five hundred a week?”
“Yes.” His eyes widened.
Dena chewed on the end of her pen. Could he tell how nervous she felt? “And don’t you have a personal injury lawsuit pending?”
“Yes.”
“The money Ginny drew out of the bank was the last of a prior lawsuit you had settled, correct?”
Sellers stared down at his hands. The muscles in his jaws worked overtime. “Yes,” he said finally.
“And didn’t the two of you charge thousands of dollars’ worth of meals, jewelry, and property on her credit cards, much more than that withdrawal from your account would cover?” Dena scooted her chair more in front of Ginny so he couldn’t see her.
“Yeah,” Sellers answered. He twisted around, his eyes searching the courtroom.
“And you charged a lot of liquor on those cards, too, didn’t you?”
Sellers looked toward the jury box and didn’t answer.
Dena looked where he was looking to see if he saw anything in particular. Another deputy stood next to the end of the box. He was cleaning his fingernails with a pocketknife. She was anxious to get through with the examination. There was something about Sellers. She wanted to get far away from him as soon as possible. She repeated her question. “Didn’t you, Mr. Sellers? Didn’t you charge alcohol on her credit cards?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Don’t you think you should share the responsibility of repayment?”
He shrugged.
“Answer out loud,” the judge said.
“I guess so,” Sellers said, staring at the backs of his hands.
“Ginny is also asking that you turn over certain personal property that belonged to her prior to the marriage. Do you have any objection to turning over what was hers before marriage?”
“I can’t,” Sellers said and stared Dena straight in the eye.
“What do you mean by that?” She met his gaze, but her heart beat loudly in her ears.
“I don’t have it any more.”
“Why not?”
“Simple, Mrs. Armstrong,” he said, “the day I discovered that Ginny was gone, I was so upset I ran off and left the door unlocked and someone came in and stole most of it.”
There was a sharp intake of breath behind Dena. She reached back and patted Ginny’s knee. “Did you file a police report?”
“I’ve been meaning to, but I’ve just been so upset I haven’t gotten around to it. I will, though, don’t you worry, Mrs. Armstrong.”
The courtroom had grown so quiet that Dena could hear the bench creak in the back when someone shifted his weight on it. The back door behind her opened and closed. Ginny blew her nose. “Do you expect me to believe that everything Ginny brought with her into the marriage no longer exists? Her china, her crystal, her books?”
“You can believe anything you want.”
“Answer the question,” the judge said, his voice flat.
Dena recognized the anger in the judge’s voice. She would have to hurry before the judge lost patience with the whole proceeding.
“Are you saying that everything Ginny brought into the marriage no longer exists?”
“No.” He turned and looked the judge in the eye and shook his head. “Judge, I’ll give her what’s left, but I can’t give her what ain’t there.”
Dena removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She’d just have to deal with property later. Ginny could count herself lucky she got out in one piece.
Standing, she addressed the court. “That’s all, Your Honor. But I’d like to argue if you think it’s necessary.”
“It’s not. All right,” he said, addressing the courtroom. “The protective order is granted for two years. Mr. Sellers, if you go anywhere near your wife, if you call her, harass her, communicate with her in any fashion, send her flowers, cards, letters, try to contact her through mutual friends, harm her or threaten her in any way, or go within two-hundred yards of a place you know her to be, I will not only put you in the jail, but I will put you under the jail for six months for each violation. I am ordering you to mail two hundred dollars per week to her lawyer’s office beginning this Friday—”
Sellers, hovering over the microphone like he coul
d swallow it, said, “Your Honor, don’t I get a chance to tell my side of it? You said I’d get a chance to have my say.” His voice, in a high-pitched squeal, bounced off the back wall.
“Son, I don’t think you need to perjure yourself further, do you? Right now, I’m giving you a break, but if you press me to proceed, I may be inclined to request the district attorney’s office to file charges on you for your perjured testimony, as well as for assault on your wife.”
Pointing his forefinger at Sellers, the judge continued with what sounded like a standard lecture, his tone pretty harsh. Dena watched Sellers. He was about to burst.
Dena packed her roller bag and waited for the judge to leave the bench. When he did, Dena, Ginny, and Mary hurried from the courtroom. When they got on the elevator, Dena turned and saw Sellers. His staring eyes went right through her. When the doors began to close, he snapped his finger at them as if he were firing a gun.
CHAPTER SEVEN
DENA
“Thank God it’s Friday,” Meredith said, stubbing out a cigarette in an ashtray inside her desk drawer when she saw Dena. “The phone’s been ringing off the hook. The computer is giving me trouble. The printer ran out of toner, and I spilled the refill on top of my shoes.”
Dena coughed, the smoke burning her throat and eyes. “Good morning, Meredith. You’ve been at it again.” She left her roller bag in front of one of the chairs opposite Meredith’s desk and stepped out of her pumps. Anger threatened to turn her face red. Lucas refused to make Meredith go outside to smoke, saying he was afraid she’d quit, and that she was too good a legal secretary to lose her.
Dena flipped on the air filter that sat on the coffee table. “Could you just do this one thing for me if you insist on breaking the law?” A gray film covered the vent so she turned it back off, unplugged it, went into the storage room, replaced the inside filter, and wiped the vents clean. When she returned she said, “If you’re going to smoke, the least you can do is keep the filter in good working order.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Armstrong,” Meredith said, with a touch of sourness in her voice.
“It’s not good for the computer or the printer,” Dena said. “And what kind of impression do you think it gives the clients?”
“You don’t have to get so bent out of shape over it. I’m going to quit. I swear.”
“Sure, when hell freezes over.” Dena knew Meredith wouldn’t quit smoking or quit her job. They gave her very good benefits she wouldn’t necessarily receive at another law firm. And anyway, another law office would probably fire her the first time she lit up.
“It’s so dadgum hot outside. I can’t stand to smoke out there.”
Dena sat down and rubbed a sore spot on one of her feet. Meredith had been working for Luke when she had arrived on the scene. What Dena wanted didn’t carry much weight. Luke had hired Meredith right out of junior college and trained her himself. He wasn’t about to get rid of her just because she smoked, not to mention the fact that he liked a pipe occasionally himself. And he sure wasn’t going to enforce their rule that she only smoke outside. The situation was just another reason Dena wanted to open her own office.
“Feet hurt?” Meredith looked down at Dena’s feet.
“I guess I’m going to have to make the transition to lower heels soon. Sometimes I hate being short.”
“Here.” Meredith waved a pink message slip at her. “You got a call this a.m. from a Martin Richardson. Says he’s Ginny Sellers’ brother. Wants you to call him back before you go to lunch.”
Just as Dena reached for the message, the door opened, and a man stuck his head inside. “I’m looking for Dena Armstrong.”
Dena brushed her hair out of her face, pushed her skirt down over her knees, and stood. “You found her. What can I do for you?” The man had to be a good six feet tall with sandy brown hair and light brown eyes. His nose looked like it had seen the wrong side of a fist more than once. His summer suit was wrinkled and his tie hung loose. Dena found him appealing and, from the look on Meredith’s face, so did she.
He let the door close behind him and held out his hand. “I’m Ginny Richardson’s brother, Martin.”
“Oh ... Ginny Sellers ... nice to meet you.” Her fingers tingled when they shook hands. “It’s Lieutenant, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He looked down at her, his expression at first serious, but then a smile tugged at his lips. “Could we go into your office for a few minutes?”
“Certainly.” She dreaded putting her shoes back on. The carpet was soft under her feet. She had known the heels were too high but had worn them anyway since she’d bought them to match her brown suit. They made her legs look great. She picked them up and took the handle of the roller bag, leading the way into her office.
Dena’s father would have died before he let the courthouse crowd see him without his coat and tie. He had expected the same formality of all lawyers and often remarked on how casual their attire had become. But her father wasn’t there, and she pushed his voice out of her head. She stepped behind her desk and sat down.
“So what can I do for you?” She indicated he should take a chair. She didn’t know why, but now she wished she’d bothered decorating her office. Other than her framed law license and diploma and a couple of pictures of the kids, the walls were bare. The bookcases held few law books, since now just about everything was available online.
Zack had accused her of being too tight with her inheritance money, and maybe she was. What was it about Martin Richardson that made her feel self-conscious? For some reason now she had a deSire to purchase a painting or two and some plants to make the place feel more hospitable. The bowl of irises appeared rather stark on the table in the corner.
Having closed the door behind him, he sat opposite her. Staring into her eyes, he said, “Ginny said she was going to court this morning, and since I was in the vicinity, I thought I’d drop by to see how it went.” He leaned forward in the chair, as if he were anxious.
“The judge gave us what we asked for and lectured Sellers. The clerk gave him a copy of the protective order.” She started twirling a pen.
“Was she all right when you left her?”
“She’s okay. We walked down together, and I watched until she and your other sister drove away.” She’d let Ginny tell him about Sellers’ pointing his finger at them like he was holding a gun.
“I haven’t heard from her. I guess I worry ‘cause she’s the baby of the family.” He shrugged as if to say he couldn’t help it. “She’s not great about answering her cell phone, but I don’t understand Mary not answering hers.”
“It was close to lunch time. They probably went to get something to eat. I wouldn’t worry.” Her own stomach rumbled a bit. She hadn’t eaten.
“What about Sellers? Did you see him anywhere after the hearing? He’s a nut, you know.”
“He didn’t get on the elevator with us. I think the judge put the fear of God into him. I doubt he’ll try anything else.”
“The judge ... was he pretty tough?”
“Like I said, he lectured him and warned him of the consequences. So is there a problem?” Was he second-guessing her?
“That’s just the kind of thing that will cause Sellers to be even more angry.”
“He is a little weird, but the judge let him know in no uncertain terms he’d put him and I quote ‘under the jail’ the first time he tried anything.”
“Just the same, let me give you my phone numbers at the station and my cell so you can call me if that creep shows his face.” He reached into his jacket pocket.
“Sure, if it’ll make you feel better, Lieutenant, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Most of these guys are only brave when they’re alone with their partners. You know that.”
Martin wrote his numbers on the back of a card and handed it across the desk to her, his long fingers brushing hers. She glanced at him to see if the contact was deliberate but saw no
sign of it in his eyes. God, what was wrong with her? She wasn’t even divorced yet.
As she set it next to her computer, he said, “I want you to keep those numbers with you as long as you’re representing Ginny. I won’t rest easy until this whole thing is over. I don’t trust the guy. If anything at all suspicious happens, I want you to call me a-sap.”
He sounded like an army sergeant giving orders, but she tried not to let it bother her. “I’ll be glad to. I’ll plug the numbers into my computer and phone. It’s nice to know Ginny has a brother who cares so much about her.”
“Thanks, but I want you to call if you see anything suspicious around your office or house. I think you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times until this case is closed.”
A shiver tickled the back of her neck. “I’m sure you’re mistaken, Lieutenant. There’d be no motivation for the man to harm me. It’s your sister you should be worried about.”
He cleared his throat. “I know, Ma’am, but there’s something about the guy that’s just not normal. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’ve felt that way since I first met him. I think he’s a sociopath. No telling what he’ll do. Besides, I ran a background check, and he’s got a history of assaults.”
Dena stared at him for a moment. Was he a beer short of a six pack? Or was Sellers really a danger? “Did you look to see who the assaults were on? Perhaps he was only defending himself.”
“Not yet, but I intend to.” He towered over Dena’s desk, staring down at her.
“Lieutenant, I’m not trying to offend you, but you do seem to be overreacting.”
“Maybe you’re right, Ma’am, but it still doesn’t hurt to be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to her…or you either.”
“Neither do I. If you’re trying to frighten me, you’re not doing a bad job. I promise I’ll exercise the utmost caution.” Dena walked him to the door. He had a slight limp, which made her wonder if something had happened to him in the line of duty.
“Thanks, Mrs. Armstrong. That’s all I want.” They walked through the reception area together. “I’m sure you’ll do right by my sister. I’ve heard, for a new lawyer, you’re pretty good. That’s why I sent her to you.”
UNAWARE: A Suspense Novel Page 4