Hand of Justice (Mara Brent Legal Thriller Series Book 3)

by Robin James

  “How are you holding up?” I asked, instantly regretting it. The “how” was pretty clear.

  “Rachel and I both took a leave of absence,” he said. “I go back next week, though. We have some savings. We were planning a remodel later this year. Now we’re living off that. It’s just been really hard to ... Rachel has nightmares. She can’t sleep without Charlie beside her. He used to do great in his own room. But he’s not even two.”

  “Is he here now?” I asked.

  Luke shook his head. “No. He’s at Darcy’s today. Rachel’s mom. I go pick him up at three.”

  “How is your mother-in-law faring?” I asked. “I can’t imagine how difficult it’s been for her.”’

  “She’s functioning,” he said. “Better than we are. I know what this all looks like. She’s um ... she’s making plans to move in with us. She keeps seeing that house. What she saw that day. I don’t know how we’re going to do this, Ms. Brent. We relied on my mom and dad for so much. Rachel’s mom is trying to figure out how to retire so she can stay with Charlie full time while we work. There’s all just so much up in the air. When the trial starts, I want to be there. I have to be there. For my family, you know?”

  “Luke, you’re all doing the best you can. Don’t beat yourself up about it. If you’ve earned anything, it’s some grace. I know there a lot of people in town who are worried about you. Who are waiting for you to reach out and ask for help.”

  “I can’t,” he said. “I can’t even go out. We tried a couple of weeks ago. Just to the grocery store. Someone left a note on my windshield.”

  He went into the house and came back with a crumpled-up piece of paper. He handed it to me. It was a flyer for Verde. On the back, someone had written “You Reap What You Sew.”

  “Didn’t even have the decency to spell check,” Luke said, trying to crack a smile.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “You don’t deserve this.”

  “This is the Harveys,” he said. “People are taking sides. Sides, can you believe that? My family is dead. How can there be two sides to that?”

  “Luke,” I said. “Tomorrow should pretty much be just a formality. I fully expect the grand jury will indict Mickey Harvey. There’s no need for you or your family to be there. I can call you or stop by when it’s all over and fill you in.”

  “I appreciate that,” he said. “I don’t think I can handle the courthouse right now.”

  “I did want to talk to you about some new facts that have come to light about Mickey and your sister. Do you feel up to me asking you some questions?”

  “Of course,” he said. “He can’t get away with this, Ms. Brent. You don’t think he can get away with this, do you?”

  “How much did you know about Skylar’s relationship with Mickey?” I asked. “Did she confide in you? Ask you for advice?”

  “I loved my sister,” he said. “But we weren’t as close as my mom would have liked.”

  “There was an age difference,” I offered.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I was eight years older. Mostly Sky was just my annoying kid sister, you know? Always underfoot. Always trying to follow me around. Loud. God. She was loud as a little kid.”

  The memory brought a smile to his face. I found myself praying Luke would get to a point where his memories of Skylar would bring him more joy than pain. It would take time. Years, perhaps.

  “How well do you know Mickey Harvey?” I asked.

  “She started bringing him around maybe two years ago. The thing with Sky, she was always pushing boundaries with my folks. She dyed her hair black when she was twelve. Pierced her nose. All that typical stuff. It was almost a cliche. She tried to get a rise out of my parents. Never got it. My mom and dad were the most easy-going people you’d ever meet.”

  “I’ve heard that,” I said. And I had. So far, the only negative impressions I’d had of Chris and Jenny came from Mickey himself. He’d described Chris as “not a good guy.”

  “Didn’t have a judgmental bone in their bodies,” he said. “Until Sky started bringing Mickey around.”

  “Because he was a Harvey?” I asked. “I understand your family and the Harveys have some longstanding conflict.”

  “They didn’t hate Mickey because he was a Harvey,” Luke said, his eyes going wide and red. “They hated Mickey because he was a little punk. Disrespectful. Couldn’t hold a job. He made Skylar pay for everything. My dad told me they thought Mickey stole money out of my mom’s purse. Stuff started going missing in the house.”

  “Do you know if he was violent with Skylar?” I asked. “Before she was killed.”

  Luke shook his head. “I don’t know. My folks never said. Skylar never said.”

  “Did you notice any bruises on her? Any change in her behavior recently?”

  “No,” Luke said, staring off into the woods. “But I’m not the best person to have been clued into that. Like I said, we weren’t as close as I’d like. And I was mad at her. It’s hard for me to admit that, but I was. I didn’t like how she was constantly pushing boundaries with my parents. There was just always chaos around Skylar. She attracted it.”

  “It’s going to come out if this goes to trial,” I said. “But Skylar’s last texts to Mickey were disturbing, Luke. She was trying to break up with him. We think ... well, it’s likely that’s what set him off. From the way they were found, we think maybe Mickey saw Ben Watson as a threat. He might have been killed first.”

  Luke let out a bitter laugh. “A threat? Well, that’s going to blow up in Mickey’s face.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “Ben was a friend of Skylar’s, that’s all. Have you talked to his parents?”

  “No,” I said. “The police have, obviously.”

  Luke bit his lip. I had the sense he was holding something back.

  “Luke, I need to know everything. The absolute worst thing that could happen at this point are surprises. It doesn’t matter if whatever you know puts one of the victims in a bad light. Or you in a bad light. I need to know about it.”

  “It’s not a bad light,” he said. “But Skylar and Ben weren’t dating. Ms. Brent, Ben was staying at my folks’ house I think because his parents kicked him out of theirs. He came out to them. I’m assuming they didn’t take it well.”

  I jotted a few notes down. “Do you know that for sure? As far as Ben’s reasons for being there?”

  “It’s just the impression I got from Sky,” he said. “She said Ben needed a break from his folks.”

  “Thank you for sharing that with me,” I said.

  “Will it help?” he asked.

  “It might. At least, it might if Mickey’s defense lawyer tries to argue Skylar was cheating on him. If she tries to sell that Mickey was a jilted jealous lover acting in the heat of the moment as opposed to the cold, calculating killer I believe he was.”

  Luke rubbed his eyes. He looked about ready to crash right where he sat.

  “Luke,” I said. “How much do you know about the dynamics of the other people who lost their lives that day? How close was Patty to Chris? To Kevin? Did the families interact a lot other than being neighbors? I understand there might have been some bad blood around the sale of the bait shop. Were you involved with that?”

  “I don’t know,” Luke said. “Most of it was drama with my Uncle C.J.’s wife, Patty. I hardly ever had anything to do with her. I don’t think my mom and dad did much either. My dad and his brother C.J. were kind of on the outs when C.J. died. The whole money thing. God, I got so sick of hearing about it. I didn’t want any part of it. I hardly ever saw my cousin Kevin. We were close once, but he got into a bad scene. Drugs.”

  “Yes,” I said. “I’m aware he struggled with addiction.”

  “Nikki, his sister, have you met her?”

  “I have,” I said. “She’s been staying with Lou and George since the murders.”

  “That’s good, I guess,” he said. “I should pay them a visit. I haven’t seen them since the funer
als. That was all just kind of a blur. Anyway, Nikki and Skylar pretty much hated each other.”

  “Do you know why?” I asked.

  “Girl drama,” he said. “I didn’t talk to Sky much about it. They got into some argument or another last Christmas when Nikki came home. God. There was just always drama circling Sky. I should have paid more attention. I just hate that kind of stuff. Maybe if I’d been around ... I know what people must think. I was her big brother. It was my job to protect her from somebody like Mickey.”

  “I think you can’t beat yourself up too much, Luke. You have a family of your own to look out for now.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Did he ... Ms. Brent. Do you know if Mickey was hurting my sister before all this?” His tears spilled as he spoke. “Christ. What difference does that make now? He put a bullet in her. Of course he hurt her. It’s just, I can’t believe I didn’t see it. If I’d have paid closer attention, maybe …”

  “Don’t,” I said. “Nothing about what happened is your fault.”

  “I just need to know,” he said. “Do you have proof Mickey was violent with my sister before that day?”

  I pursed my lips. I hated being the messenger of any more awful news to Luke Sutter. But he deserved the truth. And it would come out at trial if we got to that point.

  “There’s some evidence, yes,” I said. “We have statements from three witnesses who saw Mickey and Skylar getting into an argument in the parking lot of the Blue Pony. He had his hands on her. It bothered them enough they tried to step in.”

  “Who?” he asked.

  “Sarah Bosch, Chad Carmichael, and Jody Doehler.”

  “Jody saw it?” Luke said, wiping his cheek.

  “Jody says he heard Mickey threatening to kill Skylar if he ever caught her with someone else,” I said.

  “He never told me. We spent four hours together last month fixing Grandma George’s fence.”

  “Hindsight is twenty-twenty for everyone,” I said. “I’m sure Jody and Sarah and Chad are all dealing with their own regret.”

  “It’s never going to stop,” he said. “This just gets worse and worse. Mickey Harvey killed my family. But he’s not done destroying people. Ben’s family. Jody. My mother-in-law. My wife? Ms. Brent, we can’t go through this.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “If there’s any way you can spare us from having to go through trial ... I don’t know. Tell him you’ll take the death penalty off the table. As long as he never gets out of a cage. Just ... I know other members of my family might not share my opinion. But I know them. I know what this is going to do. So if you can, if you can make it so none of us have to relive this. Have it splashed all over the internet. Will you do that? Will you seriously consider it?”

  It was at that moment I realized Luke Sutter had likely emerged as the new patriarch of the Sutter family, whether he wanted it or not. It broke my heart even more, but I respected him for it.

  “I’ll do what I can,” I said. “And I promise. You’ll be my first call after tomorrow’s hearing.”

  Luke thanked me. We said our goodbyes. Then he walked me around the side of the house, keeping me from walking back through the darkness inside.

  17

  Thursday, July 26th, I called four witnesses before the grand jury. Sam, the medical examiner, Luke’s mother-in-law, Darcy Lydell, and Jody Doehler. If we got there, I planned to call Chad Carmichael and Sarah Bosch too. But Jody had made one statement I felt made his story the strongest of the three.

  “Mr. Doehler,” I asked him. “How well did you know the defendant?”

  Jody was just a skinny, twenty-year-old kid with thick brown hair and out-of-control acne. He wore a plain white tee shirt and blue jeans. I’d clean him up more for trial.

  “Everybody knows Mickey,” he said. “The Harveys too.”

  “But were you acquainted with him? More than just knowing him from around town?”

  “Oh sure,” Mickey said. “He’s a few years older’n me. My sister Ashley graduated with him. They were sort of friends. Mickey’s family lives next to my aunt, Grandma George’s.”

  “You’re related to the Sutters?” I asked.

  “Just Aunt George,” he said.

  “I’d like to state for the record this witness is referring to Georgette Sutter.”

  “Right,” Jody affirmed. “My grandma is Aunt George’s sister. Half sister, I think. Different dads. Anyway, I spend a lot of time at Grandma George and Uncle Lou’s. She needs help around the house. I drive her sometimes. Or I drive Grandpa Lou. He can’t anymore.”

  “Okay,” I said. “So you knew Skylar Sutter?”

  “I did,” Jody said. “She was always real nice to me. Patient.”

  “Did you know she was dating Mickey Harvey?”

  “Yeah,” Jody said, uttering the word in a bitter laugh.

  “Why do you say it like that?”

  “Cuz, he’s a Harvey. She was a Sutter. Harveys and Sutters have been at each other’s throats for like a hundred years or something.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Jody, I want to turn your attention to a night this last April. Do you recall seeing Mickey and Skylar out?”

  “Oh yeah,” he said. “We were all hanging out at the Blue Pony. Not together. I was just there. Lots of people were. Mrs. Dudley sells dollar pitchers on April Fool’s night. That’s why I remember. And you get free appetizers if you wear your shirt backward and stuff like that. Anyway, Mickey was drunk. He was loud. He and Sky got into some kind of fight. They were sitting at the bar and she tried to get up to leave.”

  “Where were you when this was going on?” I asked.

  “I was in line for the restroom. It’s right by the bar. The hallway to the men’s room. They were right directly in front of me so I could see ’em the whole time. Sky was pretty pissed. He grabbed her arm. Sky kind of jerked it away, and Mickey didn’t like that. He grabbed it again and pulled her real close to him.”

  “Did you hear what he said?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “He said, who do you think you are? You’re mine. You don’t walk out of here unless I want you to.”

  “Do you know why they were fighting? What set them off?” I asked.

  “Sky was really pretty. A knockout. Guys were always looking at her. Mickey didn’t like that. Anyway, he pulled her real close to him. That’s when I heard it.”

  “Heard what?” I asked.

  “Mickey told Sky she better never think of getting with another guy.”

  “Those were his exact words?” I asked.

  “Um ... yeah. He said, I catch you so much as looking at any other guy I’ll kill you. He said, you’re mine and I’ll put you in the ground before I let you sleep with any other guy. But he didn’t say sleep. He said the eff word. Can I say the eff word?”

  “I think you’ve made your point,” I said. “What happened next?”

  “See, you don’t tell Sky what to do. She’s liable to do the opposite. I couldn’t figure that part out. I think if Mickey had just, you know, ignored her, Sky would have done whatever he said. Grandma George always said Sky would rebel against anything.”

  “Jody,” I said, trying to steer him back. “What happened after Mickey threatened Sky?”

  “Oh. Yeah. She jerked away from him again and stormed out of the bar. Mickey went after her. The bathroom opened up and so I took my turn. But I seen Chad and Sarah leaving right after. That’s why I didn’t follow. Sarah was Sky’s friend and Chad’s a pretty big dude. I figured he could take care of Mickey if he needed taking care of.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “I have nothing further.”

  I took my seat at the table.

  “Can I go now?” Jody asked.

  “Not yet,” I said. “The jury might have a few questions for you.”

  Jody looked confused. I’d gone over the process with him last week. This wasn’t like a trial with a judge. The jury members could and would question him.

 
“Mr. Doehler,” the foreperson started. He was a middle-aged steel worker. “Just so I’m clear. How did you interpret what Mickey Harvey said to Skylar Sutter?”

  “Interpret it?” he asked. “There was only one way. He told her if she screwed anybody else, he’d kill her.”

  “Was she?” another juror asked. “Do you think Mickey thought she was dating someone else?”

  “I don’t know,” Jody said. “I just know Ben Watson moved into her house a few weeks later. Mickey wouldn’t have liked that at all. Ben and Skylar were best friends. Always laughing and joking with each other. You know, come to think of it, I remember this one other time. I was doing some work at Skylar’s place. For her dad. He was clearing some bushes before I helped him haul it away with my truck. Anyway, Ben was over and Mickey showed up.”

  I grabbed a notepad and started scribbling. Jody had mentioned none of this during his interview with Sam or me. The kid could be trouble if I couldn’t keep him focused. Elise Weaver would tear him up.

  “What happened?” the juror asked.

  “Mickey was just a jerk, like always. Treated me like hired help. Which yeah. Chris was paying me to help him. But Mickey strutted around like he was better than me.”

  I could hear Elise’s cross play out in my mind. It wouldn’t take much for her to establish that Jody held a grudge against Mickey. If it weren’t for Chad and Sarah’s corroborating testimony, I might even have to rethink calling him.

  “Anyway,” he continued. “Ben and Sky were in the house. He was helping her study for an exam. Ben was real smart. He was going to be a doctor, I think. Mickey went in there and broke it up. He told Ben he needed to get going because he was there to pick up Skylar. I could tell Skylar didn’t like it, but she was trying to keep them from getting into a fight. So Ben left.”

  I exhaled. It was a rough landing, but Jody bolstered my case. Still, a contested trial would be far more of a challenge with this one.

  The jurors asked a few follow-up questions, confirming dates and times. Then Jody finally finished. He looked at me, his eyes big as the moon. Lord. He wanted my approval. He might as well have just blurted, “Did I do good? Did I say what you wanted me to?”