Tangled: A New Adult Romance Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle of Billionaires, Bad Boys, and Royalty)

by Lakes, Krista

  “Murderer.” Bobby Ray’s mother only muttered it, but in the quiet of the room, it had reach. Dane looked across the benches, noting Darlene and her mother, then settled on Stella. She saw his shoulders sag, but she had no idea if it might be relief or unhappiness. She gave him the tiniest wave, and he nodded grimly.

  The deputy pushed him onto a chair behind one of the tables. The door opened again, and a disheveled twenty-something entered, holding a stack of papers that he plunked down on the table next to Dane.

  “The public defender,” Beatrice whispered. “Looks a bit wet behind the ears.”

  Stella didn’t know him. He must not live in Holly proper. Another man entered, and this one she did know. Arthur Mendell had been a big-shot lawyer in Springfield until he decided to move to Holly to be near his daughter after his wife died of cancer. Stella had sold him perfume a time or two. She knew he did something at the courthouse, but hadn’t paid much attention to what. Must have been a step down for him, but she felt better seeing him there. Surely someone like him wouldn’t do anything untoward to Dane.

  Arthur nodded politely at all of them and rested his briefcase on the other table. The first deputy left the room for a moment, and a harried-looking Carmen, a woman who regularly came into the shop, hustled in from the side door. She sat at a small table off on one side and uncovered a little machine. The secretary, or whatever they were called, Stella guessed. She had no idea Carmen worked here.

  The deputy returned and announced, “All rise.”

  They stood, Stella wincing when she saw Dane struggle to get up in his cuffs, no doubt still hurting from the crash. She wished she had sat closer to that side. She hadn’t known where he’d be. She’d never felt so far away from someone, despite being so near.

  The judge entered in his black robes, certainly pushing seventy, a little stooped with barely a hair on his head. He sat down, and everyone else followed suit except Arthur and the young guy. Stella’s heart hammered painfully.

  “Tell me what we have here,” the judge said, shuffling through some papers.

  Arthur began. “We have the defendant, Daniel Scoffield, arrested this morning at 976 Cherry Drive.”

  “What are the charges?”

  “Murder one.”

  Stella couldn’t breathe, and Beatrice gripped her hand. What were they doing?

  The younger man sorted through his stack. “No history of violence, sir. Gainfully employed locally at Joe’s Garage. Family in town.”

  The judge pointed to Mooner. “You here to post bond for this fellow?”

  Mooner rocked on his heels. “I am.”

  “Is he a flight risk?”

  “No, sir.”

  Arthur stepped forward. “If I may, your honor. The defendant has had altercations not only with the victim, but also with another young man from this town, Allen Worth. And the victim’s sister and mother also feel threatened by the defendant. He made a spectacle at the sister’s place of work. We have two witnesses willing to testify to his angry state and his potential for violence.”

  The judge looked up. “Which one is the sister?”

  Darlene rose shakily. “I am, sir.”

  The bailiff stepped forward. “You want me to swear her in?”

  The judge waved him away. “Come up here, child.”

  Darlene walked to the end of the bench and approached the judge with obvious nerves.

  “Why are you afraid of this man?” the judge asked.

  “He—he attacked Bobby Ray,” she said. “And we used to go together.”

  “And now you don’t.”

  “No, sir.”

  He looked out at Dane, assessing him. “And what happened at work?”

  “He came in, really mad.”

  “What about?”

  “My brother. Got him mad.”

  The young man in the suit stood up. “Objection? She isn’t even sworn in, and she’s giving testimony that may be pertinent to the case.”

  The judge waved him away. “I’m just trying to decide on bail. Sit down, Mr. Flemming.” He turned back to Darlene. “So what happens when this particular young man gets angry?”

  “He—blows up. Gets really mad. It’s scary.”

  The judge rubbed his chin. “Okay. Thank you, my dear. You may sit.”

  The door opened and closed behind them. Stella could see Joe come in and sit in the back. She felt better, as though Dane had people on his side. But still no Ryker.

  The judge turned back to Arthur. “First-degree murder? We don’t get much of that around here.”

  “No, sir. Thank goodness.”

  The judge looked back at Dane. “I think this is going to require a preliminary hearing. I’ll set it quickly, so we can get to the bottom of what happened here. Until then, I am remanding the defendant back to jail for the safety of the victim’s family.”

  Stella stood up, but Beatrice pulled her back down instantly. “You can only do harm here. Sit.”

  Joe stood up. “Mike? Your honor? Can I speak on behalf of Dane?”

  The judge waved him up, looking crossly at Flemming. “This was your job.”

  Stella looked back and forth between the lawyer, the judge, and Joe. Dane’s lawyer could have brought people here to help him? And didn’t?

  “Hello, Joe,” the judge said. “You got my wife’s old rambler running yet?”

  “Still waiting on parts, Mike. Those foreign jobs.”

  “Damn Japanese cars. I tried to tell her.” The judge laughed. “Tell me about this boy here.”

  “He’s a fine employee and knows his stuff. I really can’t spare him.”

  “You don’t think he’s a danger?”

  “Not a bit, sir.”

  The judge rubbed his chin again. Darlene and her mother started sobbing, howling, really. Stella wanted to throw something at them.

  “Well, Joe, ordinarily your word’s good with me, but we got a dead boy, and a couple distraught women.”

  “I can call witnesses to his violent behavior,” Arthur said. “I can have them here.”

  “I’ll set the hearing for Monday,” the judge said. “That’ll cool his jets.” He looked at Dane. “If you do well, and the charges get downgraded, we’ll see about bail then.”

  He slammed his gavel and stood.

  “All rise,” the deputy called out.

  Stella stood, but her knees felt like water. Dane had to go back to jail for a whole week! All because Darlene made a show. A lying show. Dane would never have hurt her.

  But when the women turned around, she saw no smugness or vindication. Just grief. They were doing what they felt they had to do.

  Stella didn’t think she could walk. Nothing seemed to work right. Still, she waited for Dane to be taken out, to stay until the last glimpse. He didn’t turn back to her and disappeared out the door.

  Stella nudged Beatrice. “We have to get him a lawyer. Arthur is good, and the defender is going to blow this.”

  Beatrice led her out the back. “I agree, Stella. But lawyers don’t come cheap.”

  “I didn’t have to pay Mooner.”

  Beatrice held the door open. “You might need the money next week.”

  “I don’t think we can wait.”

  Beatrice glanced back into the courtroom where Darlene and her mother still held each other, crying. “You may be right.”

  28

  Lawyer Hire

  ––––––––

  DANE looked up as Deputy Barnes poked his face in the barred window of his cell. “Lawyer’s here to talk to you.”

  Lot of good that would do. The boy was younger than him and didn’t seem too interested in his job. Fumbling around like a fifteen-year-old unhooking his first bra.

  The door clanged as the deputy slid back the locks. “I don’t have to cuff you for this, but no funny business. Walk the straight and narrow.”

  They followed a corridor through another set of locked doors and into a conference room. Barnes kicked a ch
air away from the table. “Sit there. They’ll be here in a minute.”

  They. More than one this time. Good. Maybe the boy would have some help.

  The laminate table was chilly. The walls were bare, just white plaster, except for a large gray mirror in one. He could have stood up to put his finger against it, the gap telling him that it was actually a one-way window, but he knew it was. No telling who was watching.

  He’d been in jail two days now, and the night wasn’t too bad. The cot was about the same as the sofa. Ryker had tried to see him, his lawyer had told him, but he couldn’t have visitors other than counsel with the murder charge standing. Supposedly at the hearing it would get downgraded to manslaughter and he could go home if he made bail. Depended on how much the judge set it for. Or if Darlene or the others convinced the judge he was dangerous.

  Maybe he was. Cold air blew on him, but he could still barely clamp down on his rage. He wanted to hit something, no doubt about it, but that was what got him here in the first place. Fucked up his life at 27. Killed a man. Thank God his mother wasn’t around to see it.

  The door opened, and a strange man entered, slicked up in a suit and fancy haircut.

  “I’m Justin Spears,” he said, offering a hand.

  Dane took it. “Dane Scoffield.”

  “Stella hired me to represent you.”

  His face bloomed hot. “What did she do that for?”

  “She was concerned about the public defender’s handling of your case so far. She was right.”

  “But this is expensive.”

  Justin sat back. “It is. It’s what she wants. And honestly, you’re going to need some help here.”

  Dane stood up, saw the man tense, then sat back down. “I don’t want her spending her savings. She wants to get out of Holly.”

  “I can’t convince her of that.”

  “Can I talk to her?”

  “I tried to bring her back. They wouldn’t let her in.”

  “Can my brother come?”

  “I might can get him in. Maybe. They aren’t too kindly when first-degree murder is on the table.”

  “I thought it was getting changed to manslaughter.”

  “I’m pretty sure we can get that. Murder isn’t the usual charge in cases like this. I’m not sure what the prosecutor is after here.”

  Dane couldn’t stop himself, but stood and paced the room. Someone knocked at the door, but Justin waved his hand and no one came in. So they were watching.

  “Why can’t the public defender handle this?”

  Justin shifted in his chair. “He can. You can refuse me.”

  “What’s Stella out if I do?”

  “Just the consult.”

  “How much is that?”

  “Dane, your life is on the line here. If they succeed with murder, you’re looking at life over a barroom fight that really shouldn’t be giving you time at all.”

  “I have a temper. People will say that.”

  “Yes, I heard about the statements in the arraignment. We’ll get this trial moved. Get the local folks out of the works. Then we can start with a clean slate. The knife incident in the bar is plenty to show a need for self-defense, although I sure wish you’d gone to the hospital with it, get it documented.”

  “How much will this cost Stella?”

  “Hard to say. We’ll have the preliminary hearing, discovery, serving witnesses, then the trial itself, which could go on several days.”

  “How much?”

  “Ballpark? Twenty grand.”

  Dane punched the wall, and this time there was no knock, but Barnes stepped right in. “Want me to cuff him?”

  Justin shook his head. “No. We’re fine.”

  Barnes stepped back out.

  “Let’s not make matters worse here. The town’s on edge. I need to get you through this hearing, down to manslaughter, and taken to a new trial location.”

  Stella didn’t have that much money. He was stealing her future. “No. I want to plead guilty. Just go to jail.”

  “Dane. You cannot plead guilty to murder. A trial will go in your favor on this. Honestly, I don’t think the prosecutor will push for murder. He has to know he can’t win that.”

  “But I hit him first.”

  “But you had cause to believe he could knife you again. We can make this work. We’ll get this down to manslaughter.”

  Nobody could guarantee shit. Dane knew that. “How can I avoid a trial?”

  Justin opened his briefcase. “Well, you can plea out. We can take the lesser charge, try to lowball the sentence.”

  “And no trial then?”

  “No. We’d make an agreement, as long as the prosecutor will do it. I’d try for six, but if they think their case is strong, you’d be looking at fifteen years, probably.” He pulled a chart. “Possibility of parole after 85 percent served. There was no weapon involved, right?”

  “No. Just the barstool.”

  “No weapon on you when you were arrested?”

  “No.”

  “Okay. So yeah, you’re looking at about twelve years if you plea out. I will work for less, but coming off murder, that’s probably where we’re at. Really, though, a trial is your best bet. A jury will be sympathetic. You won’t get more time than that, and it’s possible you’ll get off, or only get probation.”

  “No. I won’t trade my life for Stella’s.”

  “Money can be earned. Freedom cannot.”

  “I want her to be free to go.”

  “All right, then.” He closed the briefcase and stood up. “I’ll call the prosecutor, work out the terms.”

  “What will that run her?”

  “A couple grand, tops.”

  “Your word on that?”

  He held out his hand. “My word.”

  Dane accepted his hand and shook it. “Can you not tell her? I don’t think she’ll like it.”

  “You want her to hear the plea at the hearing?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Your call.” He pushed the chair back under the table. “See you Monday. I’ll come by if I have a question. But you won’t be testifying. We’ll have already worked out the deal. Just sit tight and stay cool.” He rapped on the door, and Barnes let him out.

  Dane followed the deputy back down the corridor. After Monday, this would be over, and Stella would be free. It’d cost her a bit, but he’d pay her back eventually, maybe send the money to Beatrice. And Stella could go on with her life. She wouldn’t have any choice. None of them did, not anymore.

  29

  Stella’s Plan

  ––––––––

  STELLA rearranged a shelf of Jean Naté Bath Splash for the tenth time, crinkling the blue paper along the edges, trying to keep her hands and mind busy.

  Beatrice wiped down the glass counter despite it sparkling from the last cleaning five minutes before. Neither of them had much to say.

  “Been a long week,” Beatrice finally said. “Just the weekend to get through now.”

  Stella flattened the tissue out to make another attempt at a wave. The paper was almost beyond use now, she’d done it so many times. “I wonder what he’s doing. Just sitting on a chair? Watching TV? Going crazy?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think they’ve got much going on back there. Not that I’ve been. No call to.” She dropped the cloth back in a cabinet. “Maybe they are all playing cards or something.”

  “I doubt that.” Stella gave up on the bath display, collecting the extra paper and glitter to take to the back. “I’m sure they’ve closed ranks back there. He’s the stranger.”

  “Not everybody thinks like that,” Beatrice said. “Some of us like people for being people without considering where they were born.”

  Stella pushed through the curtains to put away the supplies. She hadn’t expected to still be there, working. She needed the paycheck now, she knew, but she’d given up this life, that job. Her car remained in Beatrice’s driveway, still mostly packed. She’d only taken he
r clothes out.

  She began sorting the various packages of tissue paper by color, just to have something to do. Even if Dane got out on bail Monday, they’d probably have to stay close until the trial. Her getaway was permanently suspended.

  The front door jingled, but Stella stayed back. Some of the town’s women had taken to stopping by the shop just to eyeball her. They’d sold all that cheap perfume, as Beatrice had foisted it on them, making them purchase something if they were going to darken her door. All the commissions went to Stella, even though she often fled to the back. The storeroom had never been more dusted or organized.

  Beatrice popped her head through the curtains. “It’s Janine.”

  Stella barreled into the shop and straight into the arms of her friend. “You got away from your mom!”

  Janine hugged her fiercely. “She’s been a total bear. I have to get out of there.” She stepped back. “But the whole thing seemed to get Nick’s butt in gear. She waved her hand in front of Stella, showing off a tiny diamond on a thin band.

  “Janine!” Stella clutched at her again. “You’re finally going to do it!”

  Beatrice picked up Janine’s hand. “Aww, how lovely. Congratulations.”

  They sat on the red cushioned bench. “When are you going to have the wedding?” Stella asked. She was genuinely happy for Janine, but still, an unsettledness uncurled within her. She might not get this day with Dane. It was the first time she’d ever wanted it.

  “In the spring, I think. I don’t know. Maybe sooner. It won’t be anything fancy.” Janine admired her ring. “I can’t believe it!”

  Beatrice headed to the back. “I’m going to fetch some lunch. I’ll let you girls chitchat.”

  Stella clenched her hands in her lap. “I’m glad for you. Really.” She could feel them separating already. Janine’s life moving forward, while hers was still stuck.

  “Oh, Stella. I’ve been so worried. How is Dane? Have you seen him?”

  Stella picked at her nail polish. “No. They wouldn’t let me back. Only his lawyer.”

  “I heard Darlene made a fuss at court.”

  “Yeah, she really put it on. That’s why he didn’t get bail.”

  “That girl.”