Then Grant presented Archer’s own confession which had been videotaped. Peyton didn’t learn anything new from it, but it corroborated the confession that Willow and Josh heard at the car warehouse.
Grant sat down. “The prosecution rests.”
The judge raised the gavel and brought it down. “A ten-minute recess and we’ll resume.”
“That’s it?” Josh asked, stepping back from the window. “All he has to do is say that confession was coerced and he walks out of here a free man.”
Feeling sick to her stomach, Peyton sought out Ellis sitting next to her for some sort of optimism but he didn’t look any happier than his friends. “Do you think what Josh said is true?”
“It’s a possibility,” Ellis replied grimly. “If this were a regular court of law he’d have a decent shot at a not guilty verdict or maybe even have the charges dismissed. It all depends on the judge, frankly. I don’t suppose your father went to law school?”
Peyton shook her head. “He’s a businessman but maybe he watched ‘Perry Mason’.”
Willow groaned. “Don’t even say that. All we need is a surprise witness no one has ever heard of. He’s already confessed. That should be enough.”
Was it enough? If Archer was in the real justice system, the case probably never would have come to trial. His money could buy him the best defense in the world, after all. But apparently not in the Evandria world. Her father had been pressed into service, although he didn’t look upset about it.
Ellis refilled everyone’s glasses as the trial started again. Her father stood next to Archer, who had taken the seat in the middle of the room once more.
“Archer Caldwell.” Her father’s voice boomed in the silence. “Did you have anything to do with the murders of Frank Scott, Alex Vaughn, and Greg Nelson?”
Caldwell nodded. “I did.”
Not even a peep from the crowd. They were either unsurprised or well-trained.
“For what reason did you involve yourself in their killings?”
Lifting his chin, Archer smiled. “I was under orders from senior Evandria officers.”
That had the crowd murmuring until the judge used her gavel, quieting them down.
Charles McMillen continued. “So it is your testimony that you killed these three brothers because you received a lawful order?”
Grant stood immediately. “May we define lawful order?”
“Any order from a senior officer is consider lawful, Mr. Hollister,” her father replied. “It’s in the bylaws.”
Grant’s jaw tightened. “For the order to be lawful it must be entered into record. What senior officer gave this order?”
“I cannot say,” Caldwell answered.
The judge sat forward in her seat. “Cannot or will not?”
Archer’s face was impassive. “I don’t see that it matters either way. I killed three men. If you believe I was following a lawful order, then I’m innocent. If not, I’m guilty. No more of these games. Just vote.”
“You are entitled to a defense,” the judge argued. “Would you like more time?”
“No.”
The silence stretched and Peyton barely took a breath as the judge weighed her options. Finally she brought down her gavel, the sound echoing in the large room.
“Time to vote.”
“What will happen?” Bailey whispered, although no one in the other room could hear them. “Are they going to let him go on a technicality?”
Standing, Ellis scraped his fingers through his hair, his blue eyes almost silver with suppressed emotion. “I have no idea what they’re going to do in there or if he even has any allies in the organization. When he said he was going to defend himself I thought this would be a cakewalk but now…”
Peyton had thought the same thing, but then Nigel Holmwood had dragged her father into this farce just to be an asshole. He thought it was funny to pit the women against each other but they weren’t that petty. If Grant didn’t prevail, Willow and Bailey weren’t going to hold it against Peyton. Nigel didn’t understand the people he was trying to manipulate.
The voting was more fascinating than the testimony portion. Each officer had three small balls in front of them – one red, one white, and one black. One of the observers went to each officer, stood in front of the table, and held out two bags, one blue and one green. The officer would place one of the balls in the blue velvet bag, and the other two balls were dropped into the green bag.
An anonymous vote.
“What does each ball color mean?” Willow asked, moving to get a better angle. “There’s three so maybe it’s guilty, not guilty, can’t decide.”
When everyone had voted, the man placed the blue velvet bag in front of the judge. She spoke briefly to Nigel before opening the bag and separating them by color in three bowls sitting in front of her. Peyton’s attention must have been somewhere else because they hadn’t been there mere moments before. It didn’t take long to see the decision.
There were about six white balls.
About six black balls.
And about ten or more red balls.
Red had won the vote, whatever that meant. Unless it had to be unanimous. Would it then be a mistrial? Would Archer walk free?
The woman judge rose to her feet. “The voting is as follows. Six votes for not guilty. Seven votes for guilty and blackballing the member. Eleven votes for guilty and punishment. Archer Caldwell, do you understand the verdict that has been rendered on this day?”
“I do.”
Caldwell smirked as he replied to the judge, clearly not too upset about the verdict. Maybe punishment meant he had to mow lawns or wash cars. He hadn’t been expelled from the group, which blackballing would have done. He was still part of Evandria even after being found guilty of three murders.
“Nice group they have here,” Willow fumed. “He gets some sort of punishment and that’s it. That’s bullshit.”
Acid had risen in the back of Peyton’s throat and she had to swallow hard to keep her whiskey from coming back up. “I know this sounds lame but whatever he gets from Evandria is more than he would have gotten in the regular justice system. Nothing would have happened to him there.”
Bailey’s eyes were bright with tears. “You have a point. At least he admitted to it and everyone knows. That has to count for something.”
Willow’s cheeks were wet. “It doesn’t count for shit. This was a waste of our time. We learned nothing.”
Ellis shook his head, his gaze trained on the room where the members were leaving a few at a time. Archer Caldwell had already been removed. “We learned that their justice system isn’t much better than ours.”
Josh wrapped his arm around Willow’s shoulders. “It was a kangaroo court. How much do you want to bet the outcome was already decided before we ever stepped foot in this building?”
Chase knocked back the last of his whiskey. “Archer was loyal though. He didn’t snitch on who gave him the order. That was the name we really needed.”
The door opened and Nigel Holmwood walked into the room, stopping abruptly when he faced six hostile occupants. Frowning, he gazed at them in confusion.
“Aren’t you happy with the results? It was better than I ever hoped for.”
“That’s a good result?” Willow asked bitterly. “It’s pathetic, is what it is.”
“You didn’t think he should be found guilty?” Holmwood asked, his brows pulled down.
Bailey stood and moved toward him. “I think we were hoping for something more than just a simple punishment, Uncle Nigel. At least with the blackball he would lose his Evandria membership but with the red he gets to stay a member.”
Holmwood blinked a few times and then his expression relaxed. “Children, you don’t understand and I blame myself for that. I should have explained it before I left you but I was in such a hurry. White means not guilty. Black means guilty and he would be banished from the organization. Red, however, is more serious than black and frankly I didn’t t
hink we’d get it because of his argument about a lawful order. That was a gray area I didn’t expect.”
Placing his hands on her shoulders, Ellis stood behind Peyton. “Then what does red mean?”
“Red is the death penalty.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Peyton and Ellis didn’t say much as they drove back to the safe house. He wasn’t rendered speechless often but Holmwood had managed to do it when he’d declared that Archer Caldwell would face the death penalty. Ellis hadn’t been expecting that.
It was around midnight when they all wearily entered the house, yawning and stretching. Bailey and Willow headed straight for the kitchen but Peyton took a right turn down the hall to her bedroom. If she wanted to be alone, he could respect that.
He walked outside, the air damp at this time of night, and looked up at the stars. It was a little something he did when he started getting too wrapped up in his day job, thinking that the fate of the world hung on his every decision.
He just wasn’t that important. Staring up at the wide expanse of sky served to remind him that he was but one small speck on an enormous planet. In the big scheme of things, what he did or didn’t do wasn’t all that big a deal. He needed that reminder today. While he’d helped find Peyton’s husband’s killer, the real person responsible was still unknown, presuming that Caldwell was even telling the truth. He’d hoped for so much more but he didn’t know how to make that happen. He had to face the reality that he might not be able to help Peyton and her friends.
“You spending the night out here?” Chase asked, appearing at Ellis’s elbow. “You’ll be eaten alive by mosquitos.”
“I wish I still smoked.”
Chuckling, Chase sat down on the old swing on the back porch. “Because the smoke would scare away the bugs?”
Ellis tore his gaze away from the stars and over to his friend. “Because I could really use a cigarette. They used to calm me.”
“Nicotine is a stimulant, my friend, and for your information it did not used to calm you. Not at all. You were the same grouchy asshole you always were.”
“With friends like you…”
Ellis didn’t need to finish his sentence, and Chase laughed anyway. “Want to tell me what you’re doing out here? It’s not like there’s a cool breeze or anything. It’s hot and humid even in the middle of the damn night.”
“Welcome to Florida.”
Chase stretched out his legs. “I told Bailey I’d move down here and I will, but this summer weather is something else. Hotter than Hades and it rains every day at the same time.”
“What if we couldn’t keep them safe?” Ellis asked abruptly. “What would you do then?”
Chase levered up from the swing and came over to the porch railing where Ellis stood.
“Josh and I talked about that some.”
“And?”
Silence except for the crickets and the cicadas.
“Why don’t you tell me what you were thinking?” Chase asked instead. “You’re the cop.”
“You’re the genius,” Ellis shot back. “You’re supposed to be smarter than me.”
“Not when it comes to hiding and running. So tell me, what were you thinking?”
“Going under,” Ellis admitted quietly. “A new name and a new life. If we couldn’t bring them down it seemed like the only option. Crazy, huh?”
“Not so insane since Josh and I had that same idea pass through our skulls as well. But I thought you don’t think Evandria is all that dangerous. You said they were manipulating us, but you don’t think they’re deadly.”
Those would be famous last words to carve on his tombstone. “What if I’m wrong? It’s a theory, Chase, and not much more than that. What if we leave this safe house and one of them gets hurt or killed? What if this goes on and on and on? I don’t think these ladies are cut out for a life on the run. Are you?”
Chase sighed. “I don’t think any of us know how we would react to that. I know one thing though. This is not just your fight. You’re putting way too much pressure on yourself and it’s not healthy. We’re all in this together. I know you love her, but she’s not going to turn away from you if you can’t bring down Evandria.”
That was it. Right there. His fear that he’d been unable to vocalize. They’d only just begun their relationship. It could fall apart so easily.
“It’s all I have to offer.”
The raw words seemed to come from somewhere deep inside of him and Chase seemed to understand their meaning.
“That’s not true. Not true at all.”
“You have money–”
Chase didn’t even let Ellis finish. “Don’t do this. Peyton doesn’t care about your money or lack thereof. She doesn’t care about what you think you bring to the relationship. All she cares about is someone that loves and respects her. Shit, that’s what all three of them want after what they’ve been through. They’ve had the money and the glamour and it didn’t make them happy. They want the love and you can deliver that.”
“I don’t think you believed that a few weeks ago.”
Laughing, Chase slapped Ellis on the back. “What can I say? I’m a complicated man. But let me tell you what I’ve seen since you met Peyton. I’ve seen a man dedicated to keeping a woman safe whether he gained anything from it or not. Not many men would do that.”
“Not many men are as stupid as I am,” Ellis mocked.
“You got that right. None of us are very bright but we make up for it in looks. Now go in there and talk to your woman. She was upset earlier.”
“And wanted to be alone.”
Chase turned to go back inside. “Since when do you give a shit what other people want?”
Good point. Ellis followed his friend into the house. Time to see how Peyton was doing.
“Come in,” Peyton called when she heard the knock on her bedroom door. It was Ellis, of course. He’d left her alone far longer than she’d thought he would. Long enough, in fact, that she’d dozed off lying on the bed still fully clothed.
“There’s food in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”
She shook her head. He was always worried about whether she’d eaten or not. It was one of the ways he showed he cared. “I don’t think my stomach can handle food right now. Did you eat?”
He held up an apple. “Grabbed one as I walked through the kitchen. Bailey made a frozen pizza though.”
“Absolutely not.”
Scooting over on the mattress to make room, Peyton settled back on a stack of pillows.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he eventually asked after the silence stretched on for a long time. “Or do you want me to leave you alone?”
Sometimes he didn’t have a clue. “I definitely do not want you to leave me alone. I came in here thinking you would follow me.”
“I thought you wanted to be by yourself for awhile. You had that look on your face.” He tugged on one of her pillows. “I don’t suppose I can have one of these? My pillow is in the living room.”
She lifted up and let him pull out one from the stack. “Because you’ve been sleeping on the couch. When you sleep, that is.”
“You’d be surprised how comfortable that forty-year-old couch is.”
She giggled, batting her hand at his arm as she stared up at the ceiling. “I would be shocked plus it smells a little musty.”
“Didn’t notice.”
“Liar.”
He rolled to his side so he was lying next to her, his arm brushing hers. “So what if I did? There are only three bedrooms in this house. I’m lucky I’m not sleeping in the car. Which, by the way, I’ve done several times in my job so it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
Three bedrooms. Bailey and Chase in one. Willow and Josh in the second. Peyton in the third. Willow had pulled Peyton aside earlier today and expressed surprise that Ellis had slept on the couch. That even if they weren’t sleeping together, they could…sleep together.
Peyton knew better. If she had Ellis in he
r bed she wasn’t going to waste time with sleep. She’d been celibate a long time and for all the right reasons. Too old for casual sex. Wanting something more than what she’d had with Greg. Their sex life had not been good and he hadn’t been shy about letting her know.
Now she had a good man and it wouldn’t be a one-night thing. This was a real relationship with emotions and feelings and…desire. She wanted him and she’d been playing it safe for far too long. What had happened to that free-spirited young girl she once was that had been determined to live her life by her own rules? She wouldn’t have made Ellis sleep on the couch. Peyton had become a person she barely recognized during her marriage but she was finally coming out of her self-imposed cocoon.
“You should sleep here tonight.”
Damn poker face. His expression didn’t even flicker at her words that had to have come as a shock to him. Or was he doing that “Ellis thing” again where he knew her wants and needs better than she knew herself. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to anticipate her needs when she was recovering in the hospital. Out in the real world she hadn’t encouraged that behavior.
“I could do that.”
He was making her nervous. Did he not want to? She’d assumed he’d jump at the chance.
“You know, if you want to.”
“I want to.”
Slapping the comforter, she sat up. “You could look a little happy about it or something.”
“I am happy.”
He was playing with her but she couldn’t stop herself from falling for it every time. She shoved his shoulder, her lips pressed tightly together. “I’ve seen happier mourners at a funeral.”
He captured her hand and brought it to his lips. “Peyton, I am happy. I am also afraid that you will change your mind so I am staying very still and trying not to make any sudden moves just in case you get spooked.”
Oh. That made sense. She’d run him ragged getting to this point.
“I’m not going to change my mind.”
This time it was his turn to sit up. “You say that…”
Kneeling on the mattress, she pressed her lips to his trying to put everything she was having trouble saying into that kiss, hoping he would get the message.
Kiss Midnight Goodbye (Midnight Blue Beach Book 3) Page 14