“Do it. Have Beth draw up the paperwork and I’ll sign it. I’d like to keep costs down as much as possible.” Especially since I wouldn’t be getting a paycheck until I returned to Kansas and got back to work. Thank goodness for credit cards and savings accounts. “As long as you have confidence in the PI, I’m fine with it.” What else could I say? It’s not like I knew anyone locally to do the job.
“I have a great deal of confidence in him.” Annie’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “It’s my husband.”
I looked at her for a moment, trying to decide if she was pulling my leg or not. Well, at least it would be a family affair. It had the extra benefit, hopefully, of Sam being able to get information from his father and others around town I wouldn’t.
“Done.”
“Beth will have the paperwork for you before end of day.” She reached for her keyboard and quickly typed what I assumed was an email to Beth, detailing what we’d just agreed upon. “Now, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”
“I need to go through the stuff from the safe deposit box. Then I’m going to meet your brother when he’s off-duty. He’s going to take me to Impound to have a look at my Harley. I need to talk to my insurance adjuster as well. Miss Serena loaned me a car today, but I don’t want to keep imposing on her.”
“She loaned you a car?” Beth asked from the doorway. “Which one?” She all but bounced as she waited for my response.
“The Land Rover.”
I didn’t groan but it was close. Beth’s reaction, however, left no doubt what she thought about it. Her eyes went wide and a she blew out an appreciative breath. I’d never have pegged her as a car buff. She hurried across the office to look outside, craning her neck this way and that as she strained to see the SUV. Annie shook her head, affection and amusement reflected in her eyes. I didn’t know whether to laugh or hide the key. When Beth turned back to the office, her expression had me placing a mental bet with myself on whether she’d asked for a ride or not.
“What I wouldn’t give.” Beth didn’t finish her comment, but I knew what she meant.
“I thought the same thing until reality hit.” When she looked at me in question, I continued. “Beth, the Land Rover costs close to a hundred grand. I’m terrified I’m going to get it dirty. Don’t get me started about how scared I am about getting a ding in the door or worse.”
Her eyes got big again and she swallowed hard. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Neither did I until she insisted I drive it this morning. I wanted to take the pickup.”
Annie laughed and I looked at her in question. “Let me guess. She told you her manager needed it today.”
“Yes,” I drawled.
“Jimmy Reardon has his own pickup, one she gave him a couple of years ago.” Annie might have been amused but I most definitely was not. Then, as if realizing how I felt, she continued. “Meg, Miss Serena wanted to make sure you were in the safest vehicle she had. That’s the Land Rover. And, after what happened, I agree with her.”
I fought the urge to growl in frustration, Instead, I shoved my hand through my hair. I knew she was right but that didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, it made me feel worse. Someone had purposefully caused me to wreck my Harley. What if they tried to do the same with the Land Rover?
“Meg, breathe.” Annie stood and moved around the desk to take the chair next to mine. As she did, Beth lightly patted my shoulder. “Nothing is going to happen except that we’re going to figure out who caused the wreck and make sure they pay.”
I nodded and inhaled.
“Are you going to head back to Miss Serena’s until you meet Drew?” Annie asked.
I thought about it for a moment and then shook my head. Maybe Janny and her mother would let me work in the café until time to meet Drew. If not, surely Mossy Creek had a library somewhere. That might be better. I could use the computers there and not run down my laptop battery in the process.
Before I could say anything, Annie grinned. Then she looked up at Beth who simply nodded once. They were up to something, but what?
“I’ve got a spare office here, Meg. Several, in fact. Why don’t you use one of them? We can hook you up with the internet and anything else you might need,” she suggested.
For a moment, I hesitated. Then I remembered Mom telling me I needed to stop being so stubborn and accept help when it was offered. That’s all Annie was doing. Besides, this way I could head over to the courthouse and check the records there if I needed to.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
She smiled and pushed to her feet. As she did, I stood. With Beth following, Annie led me to the office next to hers. As she opened the door, I looked over her shoulder and glanced inside. Even though it looked as if no one had used the office for some time, I quickly realized it had everything I needed — which wasn’t much. A desk and chair, light, even a window to look out of. Now, if they just let me make use of the office coffeemaker, I’d be a happy camper.
“Do you need a computer?” Annie asked as she watched me cross to the desk.
“No, but thanks. I brought my laptop and tablet with me.” I lifted my bag onto the desktop and took quick stock. No one had been using the office, but someone had kept it clean. “I’m not even sure I’ll need internet access, at least not right away.”
“I’ll get you the key anyway,” Beth said. “Or would you prefer to hardwire in?”
“Whatever’s easiest.” I caught my lower lip between my teeth and thought for a moment. Then I grinned as inspiration struck. “Since you’re doing this for me, why don’t the two of you let me treat you to lunch?”
“You don’t have to,” Beth protested and Annie nodded in agreement.
“I know, but I want to.”
“Then we’ll accept. But it will have to be after court. I have a motion to argue in a little more than an hour,” Annie said as she checked her watch. “And I’d best finish getting ready. Let Beth or me know if you need anything, Meg.”
I promised I would and watched as she left the office. Beth said she’d be back in a few minutes with everything I’d need to get set up, including a coffee refill. Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, I dropped onto the chair behind the desk. Then, as my eyes fell on my open bag, I reached for my phone. I might as well get started.
“Let me say this one last time.” I looked up as someone tapped on the office door. I smiled to see Annie and motioned her inside. “My policy is in good standing and it includes provisions for a rent car. If you don’t have an adjuster out to verify the damage to my Harley be end of business today, I will get my own estimates and proceed based on them. I will also file a complaint with the State Board of Insurance for failure to act in a timely manner and anything else I can think of. You have my number. I expect a call back before end of day.”
I ended the call and leaned back, grinning. I had no doubt the insurance representative, probably just someone in a call center who had no clue about insurance, would be making notes about how unreasonable I was. Not that it mattered. I’d learned long ago that the only way to deal with insurance companies on accident claims was to get out in front of them. I did it for my clients back in Wichita and I’d do it for myself here. If necessary — and I didn’t think it would be — I’d ask Annie to make a call or two as well.
“Sorry, I thought I’d rattle the insurance company’s cage a bit.” I noticed then she’d changed the flats she’d worn earlier for high heels. Her purse hung from its strap over her left shoulder. She held a binder in her left hand. “Off to court?”
“I am. I wondered if you’d like to come. You can see how things operate here and it might give you the chance to pick up some courthouse gossip.”
I thought for a moment and nodded. I’d gone through some of the papers from Mom’s safe deposit box. So far, there’d been nothing earth-shattering in them. But they did give me things to think about. Maybe a change of location would help clear my mind. Besides, I wante
d to see Annie in action.
I looked down at my jeans and tee shirt. I wasn’t exactly dressed for court. The attorney in me balked. Then I remembered I wasn’t there as an attorney. I’d be like any number of people who daily went to court to watch the proceedings. My attire didn’t matter for that.
“Sounds good.” I closed the lid of my laptop and reached inside my bag for my credit card case. That was all I’d need, besides my phone. Annie waited, a slight smile on her lips, as I finished getting ready. “You said earlier you had some motions to argue. What kind?” I asked as we left the office a few moments later.
“The first is a standard request for the appointment of a forensic audit of the finances of my client’s soon-to-be ex. It’s obvious he’s trying to hide assets and he’s been ducking the deposition. Always has a conflict and he hasn’t returned the financial worksheets. Since he’s had the same entitled attitude in court before, I have no real worries the judge will rule against me.
“The second is a motion to exclude. My client’s a repeat offender, all misdemeanors and he’s harmless. But one of the new assistant DAs is trying to make an example out of him. It will be entertaining if nothing else.”
A few minutes later, Annie pushed open the double wooden doors leading to the courtroom. Before I could slip into a chair near the back of the gallery, she grinned and shook her head.
“You can sit at counsel table with me.”
“Nope.” I shook my head. At the same time, I waved a hand at my jeans and tee shirt. Besides, I’d seen the sparkle in her eye. She was up to something and I wasn’t going to play along. “I’ll grab a seat back here. This way, I can slip out without causing a disruption if I need to.”
Before Annie could protest, the bailiff appeared. She hurried to counsel table while I found a seat two rows inside the courtroom. At the same time, the bailiff took his position to the right of the bench. He glanced around the courtroom. Apparently satisfied, he glanced at his watch before taking one final look around the room.
“All rise. Court is now in session. The Honorable Robert Caldwell presiding.”
Chapter 10
Half an hour later, I slumped down in my chair and hid my mouth behind my hand as I fought the urge to laugh. When the bailiff first called the current case, every attorney in the courtroom suddenly found something to focus on. Some pulled out their tablets and stared at what I could tell were blank screens. Others opened their briefcases and fumbled inside, as if looking for something. Judge Caldwell made a show of glancing around before his eyes fell on his daughter-in-law. When she gave a quick shake of her head, I swallowed the laugh trying to force its way out. Whatever the case was, Annie clearly wanted nothing to do with it.
Not that it stopped the judge. He called her forward and formally appointed her to the case. A moment later, a deputy I hadn’t met escorted a sad sack of a fellow in. His orange county-issued jumpsuit looked to be at least three sizes too big. As he crossed the courtroom to stand in front of the bench, he walked out of one of his shower shoes. When he tried to slip it back on, he stumbled and would have fallen if the deputy hadn’t grabbed his arm. Once he stood before the bench, he hung his head and his shoulders slumped.
“Calvin, I thought you promised I wouldn’t see you in court again.” Judge Caldwell shook his head, his expression resigned.
“I’m sorry, Your Honor. I tried to be good. Really.”
My quick laugh mingled with that of the others present. Obviously, Calvin was a regular. That meant he wasn’t some hardened criminal. So why had every attorney, including Annie, looked ready to flee the courtroom when the bailiff called the case?
“For the record, what’s the charge, Mr. Washington?”
The assistant district attorney actually sighed before responding. “The same as usual, Your Honor. Sunday night Mr. Hobson decided it would be a good idea to use the side of the War Memorial in the town square as his personal urinal. Unfortunately for all involved, he did it in full view of the fifth grade Sunday School class from St. Christopher’s Catholic Church.”
The judge shook his head again as most everyone in the courtroom groaned. No wonder the poor guy had been arrested and brought to court. Sad sack or not, you didn’t let the world see what he obviously let those fifth-graders see. Poor Annie. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to be involved with the case.
“And, Judge, there’s video. Lots of video,” Washington added.
Not that I doubted it. Between the cellphones the Sunday schoolers would have had, not to mention their parents and teacher, who knew how many security cameras had caught good ole Calvin doing his business.
“Calvin, what are we going to do with you?” Judge Caldwell mused.
“Tell me not to do it again and let me go home?”
I couldn’t help it. He sounded so sincere and hopeful, I laughed. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one. Judge Caldwell looked at him as if he couldn’t believe his ears. Then he glanced at Annie. I couldn’t see her face, but I had no doubt she’d much prefer not to be Calvin’s attorney. I know I would, if our places were reversed.
“Ms. Grissom?”
“Your Honor, the defendant requests release on his own recognizance. As Your Honor is well aware, he has deep ties to the community and isn’t a flight risk. He will agree to wear an ankle monitor.” Here she paused and pinned Calvin with a look that any mother trying to make a point to her child would be proud of. “And he will keep his pants zipped in public.” Another pointed look. “We also request a psychological consult because it is abundantly clear my client suffers from a condition he can’t control.”
Someone in front of me muttered, “terminal stupidity,” and another round of laughter filled the courtroom until Judge Caldwell banged his gavel.
“Annie,” Calvin whined.
I clamped my lips tightly together and reminded myself not to laugh. At least he wasn’t my client.
“Calvin, you will agree with this or I will call your mother and tell her what you’ve been up to,” Annie said, her eyes flashing.
That did it. The very mention of his mother had Calvin staring at his feet in their stained white socks and shower shoes. I had no doubt he’d scuff his toe against the ground if he wore real shoes. Instead, he looked like a kid caught fibbing and being dragged to the principal’s office. What I didn’t understand was why the threat of telling his mother would so intimidate a man who had to be in his forties at the very least.
“No! Don’t call Mama. She’s on her cruise and she’ll kill me if she finds out I messed up again.”
Any moment now, I expected him to start blubbering. Thank goodness, I’d come with Annie. I needed the laugh Calvin and his case gave me.
“Then you will do as I say and you will do as the judge orders. Otherwise, I’m calling Miss Barbara and telling her how you let your best friend Willy come out to play again.”
I dropped my head into my hands. My shoulders shook with barely restrained laughter. Of course, he called it his best friend. I didn’t know a guy who didn’t think of his penis that way. Hell, there have been times a guy’s dick has been my best friend. But couldn’t he be a bit more imaginative when he named it?
“Any objections, Mr. Washington?” Judge Caldwell asked.
“No objections, Your Honor, but one additional requirement. He’s to report every other day to Probation and make himself available whenever they want to check on him. Hopefully, the thought someone official might be dropping by unannounced will help him keep his pants zipped. Otherwise, I will help Ms. Grissom call his mother.”
I wasn’t sure I could take much more. I’d seen a lot of things in my time as an attorney, but Calvin and “Willie” took the cake. Was this what practicing law in small town Texas was like? If so, it might be worth trying, if for no other reason than the comedy factor.
“Very well.” Judge Caldwell leaned forward, his expression serious as he looked at the defendant. “Calvin, I told you the last time you appeared before me that you w
ere running out of chances. This is your last one. You had better do everything Probation and Ms. Grissom tell you or you will find yourself sitting in jail until your trial or plea. If you think that’s bad, think about what your mother will do when she finds out.”
I think everyone in the courtroom heard Calvin swallow hard before he responded. “Yes, Your Honor. I promise I’ll be good.”
The judge didn’t – quite – snort, but I knew it had been close.
“I’ll set this for trial on the third of next month. I assume that will be enough time for the two of you to either work out a plea or be prepared to proceed.” He waited until both Annie and Washington responded in the affirmative. “Very well. You know what you need to do, Calvin, but Probation will go over it with you. I suggest you speak with Ms. Grissom before end of business today to make sure you really understand everything.”
“My office at three, Calvin. I swear, if you are so much as five minutes late, I’ll call Probation and your mama. I’m not kidding.”
“Yes, Miss Annie.” He hung his head and, at the deputy’s prompting, shuffled out of the courtroom.
“Call the next case, Mr. Watkins,” the judge said.
“The State vs. Claire Brumfield.”
Annie hurried to counsel table and retrieved the files she had brought with her from the office. As she did, I frowned slightly. Gone was the motherly attorney of a few moments before. Now she looked ready for battle. I waited, watching as a tall, distinguished looking man stepped forward from the gallery. At the same time, a well-dressed woman, who could be anywhere from her late thirties to early fifties, joined Annie at the defense table.
“Jason Alvarez for the State,” the man announced as he took his place as the prosecution table.
“Julianna Grissom for the Defense,” Annie responded.
“Are the parties ready to proceed?” the judge asked.
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