by Valerie Tate
They got to the courthouse early. Dave met them in the parking lot. He had arranged to have Marmalade hidden in one of the conference rooms until the moment was ripe to produce him, so they covered the cat carrier with a coat and went quickly up the steps and in the back door. People were used to seeing them in the courthouse by now, so no-one paid any attention as they walked quickly through the halls. Once inside the conference room, they locked the door and waited. When it was time, they left the room, locked the door and told the guard that Dave had arranged to let no-one in but Dave, Chris or a family member.
Shae and Hugh met them at the courtroom door. As they were going in, Bill Abbot and the Society attorney, Jarrod Inglis, joined them. Abbot was smiling smugly as he started through the door. He looked a little surprised at seeing Hugh with them, but before he could comment, he noticed Shae standing behind him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, looking wildly from her to the Dunbars, and back again. “What is she doing here?”
Chris smiled benignly. “Oh, sorry, Abbot. I don’t believe I’ve introduced my old friend, Shae O’Neil.”
“Who you calling ‘old’, Chris?” Shae drawled and winked broadly at Abbot. “See you in court,” she added as she walked past him into the courtroom and sat down at the front, behind the defense table.
Abbot, looking pale, followed her.
“Is there a problem, Bill?” Inglis asked. The other man shook his head and sat down.
Chris and James sat with Dave at the defense table while Alice, Alicia, Shae and Hugh sat behind.
“Who’s that woman sitting behind Abbot?” Shae asked Alicia, indicating a well-dressed woman behind the plaintiff’s desk. She was slim with chestnut hair cut in a sleek page. It was difficult to tell her age. Her skin was smooth and unlined, with artfully applied make-up. She wore a beige suit that rivaled Shae’s designer rags.
It was Hugh that replied. “That’s Jennifer Abbot, Bill’s wife.”
Shae looked closely at the stylish woman. “Well, no wonder he needed money. Look at that suit,” she whispered.
They all looked.
“What about it?” Hugh asked, bewildered.
The three women exchanged glances and smiled smugly. “Armani,” Shae announced.
Hugh continued to look bewildered. “What does that mean?”
“Expensive,” the three whispered together and giggled, which drew a squelching glance from Dave just as the judge entered.
They all stood. Abbot barely seemed to notice as things got rolling. He kept darting nervous glances at Shae, and jumped as if stung when the judge asked Dave if he was ready to present their case.
Dave stood and began. “We are, your Honor. The evidence presented in this case thus far has been purely circumstantial. There are no witnesses that can say they have ever seen my clients harm the cat named Marmalade in any way. The entire case rests solely on the assumption that the cat disappeared because of the terms of the late Mrs. Amanda Dunbar’s will leaving her entire estate to him. And we agree with this assumption, your Honor.”
There was a shocked silence as everyone in the courtroom digested this, followed by a cacophony of excited chatter as spectators debated what had been said.
“Silence in the court! Please continue, Mr. Jukes.”
“However, we disagree with the assumption that it is the Dunbar family who has the most to gain from this, and in fact we have evidence to show that it is the APS that stands to gain, and we intend to prove that it’s Director, William Abbot, has been embezzling funds from the Society and needs the money from the estate to cover his theft before the scheduled audit in the new year.” He paused and waited for the expected outburst.
Bill Abbot leaped to his feet shouting, “That’s a lie!”
Jarrod Inglis leaped to his feet shouting, “I object!”
Most of the spectators leaped to their feet to get a better look.
The judge banged his gavel uselessly, unable to be heard above the din.
When things had died down, Dave addressed the judge once more. “If I may continue, your Honor, I would like to call Shae O’Neil as our first witness.”
Shae walked forward, was duly sworn in, and sat in the witness box.
“Miss O’Neil, can you please explain why you have come to our town?”
Shae explained her relationship to Chris and the reason for her coming to help. “The Dunbars knew that they weren’t responsible for Marmalade’s disappearance and felt that the APS had the most to gain. They did a little digging around and discovered that Bill Abbot appeared to be living far above his means. We decided that we needed to see the books, and so I agreed to approach Bill Abbot. We told him that a large corporate donation was available but that the company wanted to look at the books before writing a check. He bought it and gave me a copy. I forwarded the disc to a friend of mine who is a forensic accountant.”
Abbot had been the picture of self-righteous indignation until the mention of the accountant, at which time the color drained from his face.
“Who is your friend and what exactly does he do?”
“His name is Anthony Kennedy. His job is to follow the trail of financial transactions. This is done when illegal operations are suspected.”
“What kind of illegal operations?”
“Fraud, embezzlement, money laundering. He has worked for private firms and banks, and even certain government departments. He has appeared as an expert witness in a number of high-profile cases, and is willing to do so here.”
There was a lot of excited whispering as dozens of pairs of eyes sought out Bill Abbot’s face to see how he was reacting. The gavel banged once more.
“And what did he find?”
Inglis jumped to his feet. “I object, your Honor. This is hearsay.”
“Your Honor, we are prepared to arrange for Mr. Kennedy’s presence in this courtroom but we have evidence that we feel will make that unnecessary.”
“You may continue for now.”
Dave took the report from the defense table and handed it to Shae.
“Can you please explain to the court what this document is and where it came from?”
“Yes. This is his preliminary report. It says that, although the financial records have been amateurishly doctored, there is clear evidence of theft.”
The courtroom exploded in sound.
“It’s a lie!” Abbot croaked frantically.
This time, Inglis didn’t bother to object. He took the report and started reading. The judge quieted the room once more.
“Those are all the questions that I have for Miss O’Neil, your Honor.”
“Does opposing council wish to cross-examine?” The Judge turned to Inglis.
Looking up from the report, tight-lipped, Inglis replied, “Not at this time, your Honor.”
Dave smiled at Shae. “Thank you, Miss O’Neil. At this time we would like to call Investigator Hugh Jameson.”
Abbot was sweating profusely as he watched Hugh take the stand. No-one appeared to notice when Alicia quietly left the room.
“Mr. Jameson, would you please explain your involvement in this affair.”
Hugh cleared his throat nervously. “I’m an investigator for the APS. I get called in when there is a suspected case of animal neglect or abuse. I was the one who was called when the cat, Marmalade, disappeared.”
“And who did you believe was responsible for the disappearance?”
Hugh looked apologetically at the Dunbars. “At the time, I thought that the Dunbars were responsible.”
“Do you still feel this way?”
“No, I don’t.”
“What caused you to change your mind?”
Hugh told of the phone call from Alicia and the revelations about Abbot and the doctored books.
“Who do you now feel is responsible?”
“William Abbot, the director.”
“Do you have any other reason for believing this, other than the accountant’s repor
t?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Would you please explain?”
“Yesterday evening Chris Mallory, Alicia Dunbar, Shae O’Neil and I visited the Society’s shelter to look for any evidence that might support the accountant’s report.”
The spectators, who had been listening in stunned silence, gasped.
Abbot jumped up once more, shouting, “That’s trespass and breaking and entering.” His attorney grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his chair.
“I have the security codes and keys to the buildings,” Hugh explained. “I often go at night to check on animals that have just come in.”
“And did you find anything?”
“We did. We found receipts for work supposedly done at the shelter which I know was never done. We faxed copies of those receipts to the accountant.”
“Are these the photocopies?” Dave asked, passing several sheets of papers to him.
Hugh looked at the papers and said they were.
Dave passed them on to the Judge and Jarrod Inglis. Abbot seemed to wilt visibly.
“Did you find anything else?”
“We did.”
Dave nodded to the guard at the door who turned and opened it. “We found Marmalade.”
And with that, Alicia walked in carrying the subject of so much commotion tightly in her arms.
The courtroom exploded with sound. Spectators shrieked. Abbot shouted, “That’s not Marmalade, that’s Horace!” The judge pounded his gavel. Alicia walked calmly forward and stood before the judge.
Jarrod Inglis stood and spoke above the din. “Your Honor!” His voice achieved what the judge’s gavel had been unable to do. The hub-bub quieted as no-one wanted to miss what was going to happen next.
“Your Honor, this cat is obviously not Marmalade. This cat is completely orange. Marmalade has a white stripe. I must object to this obvious attempt to mislead the court.” He looked contemptuously at Dave.
Hugh continued. “I didn’t think that it was either.” He explained about Horace and his history with the APS. “It was Alicia who recognized him, and he recognized her, howling and trying to claw his way out of the cage to get to her. If you look closely, you will see that the hair under his chin and down his stomach has been dyed.”
Both the judge and Inglis examined the cat closely. Inglis’ eyes grew flinty and he turned and looked pointedly at his client.
“And there is more proof. Marmalade was micro-chipped when he inherited the estate.”
“And does this cat have a microchip?”
“He does. I brought our computer and wand with me. You can check it for yourselves.”
Dave had the computer rolled in. Hugh took the wand and passed it over the cat’s neck. Everyone in the courtroom craned their necks to try to read the computer screen. When Marmalade’s named came up, cheers erupted among the spectators and a number of them rushed over to pat the Dunbars’ backs and shake their hands.
“Quiet, please, or I will clear the courtroom.” The judge’s stern warning restored order. No-one wanted to have to leave. This was better than ‘Law and Order’.
Inglis made one last attempt. “Your Honor, how do we know that this machine hasn’t been tampered with?”
“There is one final, indisputable piece of evidence,” Hugh continued triumphantly. “This morning I sent a DNA sample to the lab that made a DNA record of Marmalade following his inheritance. They will have the results in a day or so.’
“I have no more questions of this witness, your Honor.” Dave said.
“Mr. Inglis, do you wish to question this witness?”
Inglis was beaten and he knew it. “No, your Honor.”
“Very well. With the evidence that has been presented and the return of the cat, this court finds for the defendants. This case is dismissed. And officers, please put Mr. Abbot under arrest. The charges are theft and extortion,” the judge look balefully at Abbot,” to start with.”
Once again the courtroom erupted in cheers. Abbot turned to Jarrod Inglis, “Get me out of this. Bring my wife to come and bail me out.” His wife was at that moment sitting, pale with shock, in the midst of the bedlam that had erupted following the decision.
Inglis stood up, collecting his papers. “I don’t think so, Bill. I am the attorney for the APS. It would be a conflict of interest for me to represent the man charged with stealing from them. You’d better call another firm.”
Abbot protested all of the way out. Inglis turned and walked over to Dave and shook his hand. “Congratulations! All things considered, this is one case I’m happy to lose.”
Chapter 47
Chris and Dave followed Abbot and his police escort to the jail while the others took Marmalade to his vet for a good going-over and then to the groomers for a clean-up and a flea bath.
The P.A.W.W. protesters had transferred their righteous indignation to Bill Abbot, and had followed the police car to the station and set up their pickets there, so for the first time in days all was quiet on Glengarry Lane when they returned home.
Chris and Dave met them at the house later that afternoon, complaining of imminent starvation and with a tale to tell. They shared the latter while they ate the sandwiches Mrs. Stuart had waiting for them.
“Once he got to the police station, he just collapsed. He started talking and didn’t stop.” Chris began. “We were right about him stealing to support his lifestyle. He thought he could hide it, especially when he learned about Mrs. Dunbar’s will. Sorry, but he thought you would violate the terms before a month was up. And when you didn’t, he wasn’t worried. He figured it was just a matter of time, especially when he heard the cat was missing back in the spring.”
“Then he was notified about the audit.” Dave continued the story. “He panicked. He decided to make it look like you had violated the terms of the will. It was Horace who actually gave him the idea.”
“Horace?” James asked. “How?”
Chris answered. “He had seen Horace in the shelter and realized that, except for the missing white strip, he and Marmalade look much alike. He came up with the plan to substitute Marmalade for Horace.”
“He hired a man. Can you guess who?” There were gasps all around as Dave added that piece of the puzzle. “Yes, the police have had another little chat with our old friend, Ray Price, and he admitted that he had lied the first time. He said Abbot hired him to watch the house. Everyone in town knows that Marmalade comes and goes as he pleases. They figured it would be easy to grab him. It took much longer than they had anticipated but that’s just what he did Thanksgiving night.”
“After I stepped on Marmalade in the dark,” Chris went on, “he must have run out to the front. Price grabbed him, popped him in a burlap bag and drove out to the shelter after calling Abbot. Abbot met him there and paid him the money they had agreed on, and he left happy. But when the papers broke the story about the disappearance, and the size of the inheritance was revealed, he wasn’t so happy. He went to Abbot and demanded more money. When Abbot refused to give him any more, he came up with the phony kidnapping story and sent the ransom note.”
Dave filled in the last of the story. “Abbot was furious. The supposed kidnapping held up the lawsuit but he couldn’t say anything about it being a fake because he couldn’t reveal how he knew.”
“What I don’t understand,” Shae said, “is why he just didn’t kill the cat. If we hadn’t found him, it would have been difficult to impossible to prove that he had done it.”
Chris nodded. “He thought of that, but he was afraid to in case something might come up where he would need him. Also, if we won, he had planned to try the whole ransom thing himself. He figured he’d get the money one way or another.”
“It was a lucky thing we went there that night. He might just have gotten away with it,” Hugh declared.
“We are lucky to have such good friends.” James looked around the room, at each of the people who were responsible for finding the truth. “I don’t k
now what we would have done without you.” And then he excused himself, his eyes looking suspiciously like crying.
And Chris was happy that, despite all of his suspicions, Wilf Mitchell was really just a kindly old man who liked to garden and rescue cats. At least he had been who and what he appeared to be.
There was a rousing celebration that night at the house and Marmalade was the center of attention. The groomer had said the orange dye was going to have to grow out. He didn’t seem to mind. It was just good to be home in his own bed by the fire, especially since everyone kept giving him treats when they thought no-one else was looking, and they took turns toasting each other with champagne purchased for the occasion.
James turned to Shae and said, “I’m sorry your friend Anthony isn’t here for us to thank him.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry about him. He’s never happier than when he’s caught someone with his hands in the cookie jar. And don’t worry about a bill either.” She waved away his protest. “This one’s on me. You see, he’s not just my friend. We’re going to be married.” She looked a little embarrassed, as if there were something a little unseemly in this. “You see, he doesn’t mind that I’m a shark because he’s one himself, in a computer-nerdy sort of way. But I am expecting a really big wedding present and you’re all invited to the wedding.”
There were more toasts and hugs all around. Alicia looked at Chris from behind her glass to see how he was taking the news. He seemed a little down for a man who had just gotten his life back.
She found a chance to speak with him alone. “I’m sorry, Chris,” she began tentatively.
He looked surprised but felt his stomach tighten. He was pretty sure what she was going to tell him. “Sorry, for what?”
“About Shae. I know she used to be your girlfriend.”
“Used to be, a hundred years ago. It ended when I left the firm and the city to move here. You know Shae, she’s a city girl. A ‘fashionista’. She is definitely not cut out for a jeans and sweatshirt life in a small, rural town. I knew she wouldn’t be happy here, and so did she, and we parted as friends. Did you think it was still on?” he asked, dumbfounded.