Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to hide her association with the case, not when she was so clearly with him when they confronted Cecilia and Orman. There had been no hiding the reason she was there.
“All right, let’s go,” she said, giving both her parents a reassuring hug before following the officers out the door.
The drive to Newport was silent and tense; she didn’t try to get any information out of the officers escorting her, and they didn’t say anything to either her or each other. When they finally arrived at the courthouse, she clambered out of the car eagerly, happy to escape the stifling atmosphere.
The large sign nearby proclaimed it as the Newport Municipal Court. Paige took a deep breath, noting the handful of people milling about, before making her way inside.
It wasn’t crowded, and her footsteps echoed as she walked behind her escorting officers, who clearly knew where they were going. No one paid her any attention as they passed, each of them caught up in their own issues. As such, when they finally arrived at a small corridor, she was more than relieved to see Jack’s familiar face.
The urge to kiss him again was stronger than she expected, but she stamped down on it, knowing it wasn’t the time or the place. He smiled at her as she approached, reaching out to take her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze that made her feel warm inside.
“What’s going on?” she asked quietly, not daring to raise her voice above a whisper.
“An investigation,” Jack said, eyeing the officers around them. “They’re going to ask you questions about the case. Just answer honestly, all right?”
Paige opened her mouth to reply, but a door opened before she could. Jack smiled at her as everyone started to file inside.
The courtroom was large, and a few members of the public had already come to watch. A man that Jack whispered was the chief of police sat at the front of the room, watching the proceedings with a stony expression, while a lawyer shuffled through papers at a small table. She could see Officer Jackson ducking through the crowd and taking his place nearby, ignoring her but shooting Jack a quick smile. Jack squeezed her hand once more and left her to sit in the gallery so he could join the lawyer.
As several other people found their seats, a judge came through a door at the back of the room and took his seat. With a sharp tap of his gavel, the room fell silent.
“The hearing for Sheriff Jack Lewis of Otter Rock Police Department will now begin,” he said in a deep voice. “The court will hear the charges.”
“Your Honor, Sheriff Lewis stands accused of gross misconduct during the course of the investigation,” the prosecutor announced, stepping forward. “While the investigation ultimately led to the arrest of those individuals charged with the murder of Cynthia Johnson, Sheriff Lewis allowed a civilian to take part in the investigation, putting said civilian in obvious danger.”
A murmur went through the room and Paige sunk down in her seat.
“We would like to call Ms. Paige Moore to the stand,” the prosecutor continued.
Paige could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she stood and made her way to the stand, her steps echoing loudly in the quiet room. She met Jack’s eyes, and he winked at her, reminding her what he had said.
“Please state your name and occupation for the record,” the prosecutor demanded. Paige disliked him immediately; he was exactly the sort of prosecutor she hated having to deal with.
“My name is Paige Moore,” she began. “I currently work as a divorce attorney in Otter Rock.”
“An attorney?” the prosecutor said, bemused. He looked like he wanted to question her knowledge of law, especially since she had participated semi-legally in a police investigation, but he glanced at the judge and refrained. “Very well, Ms. Moore. Please tell us how, exactly, you became involved in this case.”
“Cynthia Johnson was my client,” Paige said, glancing at Jack again. “She came to me some weeks before her death, not long after I first opened my office in Otter Rock, and procured my assistance in divorcing her husband. When she went missing, I filed the first report.”
“Unfortunately, at that time, Mrs. Johnson hadn’t been reported missing by her family, so the police department had no grounds to begin an investigation,” the lawyer interjected.
“Yes, I’ve heard,” the prosecutor said; Paige wished she could remember his name, but Jack hadn’t introduced either of them. “Please describe your next actions, Ms. Moore.”
“After a week, I decided to organize a search for Cynthia,” Paige said, sitting up straight and looking him in the eye. She refused to let him intimidate her. “Due to the help of the community and campers, we found her body at Beverly Beach State Park.”
“Sheriff Lewis was the first officer on the scene. Why was that?” the prosecutor asked shrewdly.
“After his shift ended, he came to join the community search,” Paige explained, hoping this wouldn’t get him in further trouble. “As he was off-duty, he searched with us as a citizen of Otter Rock. When we found Cynthia, he secured the scene and called for backup.”
“Thank you, Ms. Moore,” the prosecutor said, glancing at his notes. “If you could, please now tell us how you became involved in the police investigation.”
Paige drew in a deep breath. “As Cynthia’s lawyer, I felt invested in her fate. The circumstances surrounding her death were suspicious, and I wanted to know what had happened.” She smiled slightly. “I told Sheriff Lewis that I would be investigating whether he wanted me to or not.”
“Sheriff Lewis indicated that, at this point, he decided it would be best to keep an eye on her,” the lawyer spoke up.
The prosecutor hummed, unconvinced but unable to refute the claim. “At any point during the investigation did you have contact with witnesses?” he asked.
“Yes,” Paige said, nodding; they would know by now, so there was no sense lying. “I spoke to Olivia Clarke and Rachel Horne on the night we discovered Cynthia’s body, before I got involved. I also spoke personally to Alexander Orman and Senator Robert Johnson.”
She had spoken to Avery as well, but she had a sneaking suspicion it might be better not to say that. From the relief on Jack’s face and his slight nod, he agreed.
“What other role did you play in this investigation?” the prosecutor pressed.
“Mainly, I followed Sheriff Lewis as he went about his investigation and listened to his theories,” Paige said. “I discovered the relationship between Cynthia and Rachel Horne, and I helped him track Alexander Orman, Cecilia Benson, and Avery Johnson to Eugene Airport. I provided a mostly supporting role.”
She could see Jack held back a snort. If anything, Jack had been the one supporting her, and they both knew it. She had blown through the investigation like a whirlwind, acting in ways that were only borderline legal, and dragging him along in her wake.
“Please tell us what the investigation revealed,” the prosecutor said, checking his notes again.
“Avery Johnson admitted to accidentally killing his mother, but we deduced that Cynthia was alive when Mr. Orman and Ms. Benson left her body at Beverly Beach State Park,” Paige explained. “We chased them down to get answers. When we reached them, they attacked us.”
She rubbed her chin ruefully. It still hurt.
“According to Avery Johnson, he gave his mother her prescribed pain medicine, as well as some antidepressants, because he knew she felt unwell and he wished to help her,” the lawyer said, standing. “Unfortunately, he was unaware of her allergy to the medication, which never should have been prescribed to her in the first place; an investigation into the prescribing doctor has just begun. Avery attempted to help her and called his aunt, Cecilia Benson, but he believed his mother to be dead. Ms. Benson and Alexander Orman arrived and convinced Avery to allow them to hide his mother’s body so that he wouldn’t go to jail. At this point, however, Cynthia Johnson was alive, and she was able to fight back, evidenced by Mr. Orman’s DNA found under her fingernails. The pair managed to s
ubdue her, however, and left her at the state park, exposed to the elements, where she died shortly after without treatment.” He rustled through his notes. “According to the investigation, Cecilia Benson hoped to gain her sister’s inheritance, and Alexander Orman hoped to get rid of her before her affair with another woman became public knowledge and damaged Senator Johnson’s re-election campaign.”
Paige felt sick to her stomach. She had known what Cecilia’s motive would be, but it was horrifying to hear it said aloud. Orman’s motive, too, was terrible.
“Thank you,” the prosecutor said with a nod. “Members of the court, we have heard about Paige Moore’s involvement in the case. As a civilian, she should have had no part in the investigation, and we must consider Sheriff Jack Lewis’s conduct and treat it with the utmost seriousness.”
“Hang on!” The words left her before she could stop them, startling the prosecutor. She pressed her advantage. “Look, I understand. I really do. But can I ask you to think about the outside factors? Otter Rock Police Department only has two members. They are sorely understaffed. While I’m aware that I wasn’t allowed to investigate, and that my presence could have caused problems, Jack’s wholehearted devotion to this case caught the murderers. Without him, the case wouldn’t have been closed. He did the best he could with what he had.”
She hadn’t been aware that she had stood, or that she had raised her voice. The judge rapped his gavel and frowned at her.
“Thank you for your opinion, Ms. Moore,” he said, disapproval in his voice. “However, your outburst will not be tolerated in this court. I will ask you to please wait outside until this session is finished.”
Humiliated, Paige hunched her shoulders and left the room, unable to look at Jack; she had probably just made things worse for him. Outside the room, she paced up and down the hall restlessly, wondering what was happening now.
It’ll be all right, she tried to tell herself.
Finally, the doors opened. She swung around, searching for Jack in the small crowd. When she finally saw him, she squeaked in surprise as he caught her by the waist and spun her around.
“We did it, Paige,” he said, pressing his forehead against hers. “We solved the case… and, thanks to you, I’m keeping my badge.”
She didn’t get to reply. He dipped his head and kissed her deeply, and she found herself responding. When he pulled back, she tried to catch her breath, smiling up at him as she curled her hands around his arms.
They hadn’t talked yet about what would happen next. But that was all right. They had plenty of time.
And this time, she had no intention of letting him go.
THE END
Afterword
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About the Author
Adele M. Cooper is a mother, wife, and artist. When she’s not busy taking care of her family, she does everything from gardening, crafts, sewing, painting, traveling and writing cozy mystery stories. In another life, she would have loved to have been a female Inspector Poirot! As she’s also a hopeless romantic, there is always a touch of romance in her stories.
Where to Contact Adele M. Cooper
liriospublishing.com/books-by-adele-m-cooper-cozy-mystery.html
[email protected]
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