“I don’t think he’s flirting,” Maddie replied, taking a moment to look over her grandmother’s colorful outfit. “What’s with the dress? It looks like something you would wear to a backyard barbecue.”
“I want people to see me.” Maude squared her shoulders as she glared at Heaton. “I want people to fear me.”
Maddie didn’t get a chance to comment on the statement because Heaton picked that moment to cross the room and stop in front of them. The smile he graced them with was big and bold ... and utterly fake. Maddie couldn’t remember if the man made an impression on her the first time they met — a time when she didn’t know he would be representing Todd — but she definitely disliked him now.
“Can I help you?” Maude asked primly. “If you’re looking for the restroom, it’s that way.” She jerked her thumb toward the hallway.
“I just wanted to stop by and offer Ms. Graves luck on her testimony,” Heaton countered. “This is a nerve-racking situation for most people. No one would blame her if she decided to walk out without talking about what happened.”
The statement caused something to snap off inside of Maddie. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” she seethed. “If I don’t testify, there’s a good chance your client walks.”
“There’s a good chance he’s going to walk anyway. He’s innocent.”
“Oh, did you hear that, Maddie?” Maude drawled. “You imagined that terrifying run through the woods ... and the things Todd said to you by the lake. You imagined almost dying. Todd’s innocent. How could we have gotten things so wrong?”
Sensing that Maude was about to blow a gasket, Maddie offered her grandmother a soothing pat on the arm. “Don’t let him get to you, Granny. That’s his intention. He wants to shake us so we won’t testify. It’s not going to happen.”
“Haven’t you been through enough?” Heaton queried. “I mean ... you almost died. It wasn’t at my client’s hand, but I’m not oblivious to what you went through. This trial is going to be something of a circus. Are you sure you want to be one of the monkeys on display?”
“Did you just call me a monkey?” Maddie was flabbergasted ... and spitting mad. “What’s your deal?”
Her voice spilled out, causing a few people to stare in their direction. Smith was one of those people, and he made a beeline for Maddie and Heaton when he realized a showdown looked to be imminent.
“What’s going on here?” He kept his voice low as he angled himself between Maddie and Heaton.
“Ms. Graves and I were just having a talk,” Heaton replied calmly. “There’s nothing to get your panties in a bunch about. I wasn’t intimidating your witness.”
Maddie found it odd that he would phrase it that way. “Really? So, when you told me that I would be better off not testifying, that was you being something other than intimidating?”
Heaton didn’t as much as flinch. “I was simply offering my opinion on a difficult subject. You’re a good woman, well-respected as far as I can tell. My client is innocent, though. Can your reputation take the hit of trying to railroad an innocent man?”
“Son of a ... .” Maude reacted before Maddie could, slamming her heel against Heaton’s foot and causing him to cry out. “I’m so sorry,” she drawled, adopting an innocent expression as her eyes went wide. “I didn’t know your foot was there. Please forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” For the first time since approaching Maddie, Heaton’s veneer shifted and the true predator was visible. He hopped on one foot as he glared. “That’s assault!”
“It was an accident.” Maude pressed her lips together and clutched her purse tight against her chest. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even see your foot there. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. Do you want me to rub it for you or something?”
To Maddie’s utter surprise, Maude threw out her purse and leaned over to stare at Heaton’s foot. The angle of her arm meant that the purse crashed directly into his groin area, causing the man to double over in agony as his face turned red and a prominent vein bulged out from his forehead.
“Oh, my!” Maude fanned her face. “It seems I’ve made matters worse.”
Given the commotion, it was no surprise to Maddie when the bailiff cut across the room and approached their small group. He looked serious as he studied faces. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing,” Smith automatically answered. He looked as if he was fighting off a laughing fit but Maddie couldn’t be sure. She didn’t know him well enough to judge his mannerisms. “It was an accident. You don’t have to worry yourself about it.”
The bailiff wore a name tag that read “Cliff Doherty.” He didn’t look convinced. “What is going on?”
“This ... woman ... assaulted me,” Heaton gritted out, managing to straighten his back ... but just barely. “I want her arrested.”
“She assaulted you?” Doherty was understandably dubious as he looked Maude up and down. “She’s like ninety.”
“I’m nowhere near ninety,” Maude fired back.
“It doesn’t matter how old she is,” Heaton snapped. “She hit me in the groin ... and purposely kicked me. I want her arrested.”
Doherty was clearly uncomfortable as he looked to Smith for guidance. “Did you see what happened?”
Smith bobbed his head. “Yes, and it was definitely an accident. Ms. Graves brought her foot down on top of Mr. Heaton’s. I honestly don’t think she realized it was there. Then, in her zest to help, she bent over to check on his foot and accidentally pressed her purse into his ... nether region.”
Maddie swallowed the mad urge to laugh. She’d never heard a man use the words “nether region” before and it was so absurd she couldn’t help but wonder if she was trapped in a dream. Any second she expected to wake up and start the day all over again.
It didn’t happen.
“It wasn’t an accident,” Heaton snarled. “She did it on purpose.”
Doherty’s face was blank. “Why would she do it on purpose?”
“Yeah, Sam, why would she do it on purpose?” Smith challenged.
“Because ... .” Heaton was caught. He knew it. If he admitted why Maude might’ve had motive to want to hurt him he would’ve drawn attention to himself — and ultimately the judge — for possible witness tampering violations. He couldn’t punish Maude without risking himself.
“Because why?” Doherty prodded.
“You know what? Don’t worry about it.” Heaton pulled himself up to his full height. “It doesn’t matter. I have more important things to focus on.”
“I think we all have more important things to focus on,” Smith said pointedly. “Just so there’s no confusion, though, I think it’s best that you don’t approach Ms. Graves — either one of them, because they’ll both be testifying — until after the trial. I don’t want rumors to get out that you’re being inappropriate or anything.”
Heaton’s eyes darkened. “You don’t have to worry about that. I want nothing to do with either of these women.”
“What a lucky turn of events.” Smith remained where he was standing, his stance aggressive until Heaton wisely retreated to his table. When he was certain the show was over, he turned back to Maude and gave her an appraising look. “I wasn’t certain about putting you on the stand until today. I was worried your age might be a factor. I can see I was wrong about that.”
“You definitely were,” Maude agreed. “I was born to give testimony in this trial. Todd Winthrop won’t know what hit him.”
“I’m counting on that.”
Thirteen
As far as Maddie could tell, opening statements were nothing more than a lot of posturing. Both sides stood in front of the jury — a group that was made up of eight men and four women — and laid out a litany of charges.
Smith painted Winthrop as a calculating killer who would’ve continued his murderous ways for years to come if not for a lucky intervention that brought him down. Smith gestured toward her several times, explaining that her life was on
the line when things came to a head. The attention from the jury made Maddie feel uncomfortable. Maude, on the other hand, waved to the jury members and smiled ... despite an admonishment from the judge, who looked more amused than annoyed.
When it came time for Heaton to take center stage, he told a completely different story. He related a tale of jealousy that was so surreal Maddie had to fight the urge to hop to her feet and scream that he was lying. She knew she would come off as deranged if that happened, which was exactly what the defense team wanted. Instead, she remained in her seat and stared forward as if she didn’t hear the words. Maude, of course, made a series of faces to show the jury exactly what she thought about the defense attorney’s words. She drew small smiles from the jury ... even some of the men looked a bit annoyed with Heaton’s take on things.
Since the bulk of Maddie’s legal knowledge came from television, she was stunned to realize that opening statements weren’t five minutes of award-season fodder. Instead, she sat for two hours as Smith and Heaton laid out very different stories. By the time Heaton finished, Maddie wished she’d listened to Nick’s suggestion. She definitely would’ve been better off skipping this leg of the trial.
“That was more boring than listening to Harriet talk,” Maude groused as they packed up their coats and purses to leave. “I can’t believe how boring that was.”
“Yeah, well ... .” Maddie trailed off when she felt a pair of eyes on her. The track of her gaze was slow as she shifted and came face-to-face with Todd.
She’d seen him the day before, so it was silly to get worked up, but Maddie’s heart skipped a beat all the same as Todd gave her a lazy smile.
“Don’t let him get to you,” Maude muttered, disgust evident as she glared at Todd. “He’s only staring because he thinks it’s funny. He’s not going to be laughing when he’s locked up forever and gets sent to a real prison instead of a cushy county jail.”
Maddie arched an eyebrow, surprised. “How do you know a county jail is cushy?”
“I know things.”
“How?”
“I watch Orange Is the New Black.”
Maddie had her doubts that Maude learned anything of note from the Netflix show, but she merely shook her head. “Good to know.”
“I thought so.”
Maude was the first to head down the aisle. Maddie wasn’t far behind, but her mind alerted that danger was incoming an instant before Todd’s hand shot out to grab her wrist. Maddie instinctively reacted, her reflexes fast, and took a step back to avoid contact with Todd.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Heaton asked, instantly alert. He clearly had been watching Todd for a reaction and what he saw wasn’t what he expected.
“I’m not doing anything,” Todd said quickly, his eyes flashing as he stared Maddie down. “I didn’t do a thing. Don’t worry about it.”
Heaton wasn’t the only one to notice the way Maddie jumped away from Todd because the bailiff, who kept a close eye on Maude to make sure she didn’t cause a scene during the court proceedings, was suddenly back.
“What’s going on here?”
Todd scowled at the man. “Nothing is going on here. Why does something have to be going on? Have you considered that absolutely nothing is going on here and you’re imagining things?”
His reaction was so odd, so pointed, that the bailiff merely narrowed his eyes and focused on Maddie. “Ma’am, are you okay? Did something happen?”
Maddie wasn’t sure how to respond. “Um ... .”
“Nothing happened,” Heaton said hurriedly. “She simply wanted to give my client a wide berth — for obvious reasons — and she stepped so far away from him she accidentally bumped into a chair.”
The bailiff didn’t look convinced. “Ma’am, is that what happened?” His eyes held Maddie’s, his expression searching.
“Not really,” Maddie said after a beat, recovering. “I was leaving, following my grandmother ... .”
“I’m familiar with your grandmother.” The bailiff’s smile was wry. “I’m guessing we’re going to need to keep a close eye on her.”
“Probably,” Maddie conceded, forcing a smile. “Anyway, I was leaving when Mr. Winthrop reached in my direction. He was going to touch me and ... I don’t want that.”
The bailiff narrowed his eyes as he switched his gaze to Todd. “Did you try to touch her?”
“Of course not,” Todd protested. “Why would I try to touch her? I’m not an idiot. I know the rules. She’s making that up because she wants to ruin my life. She always wants to ruin my life.”
The bailiff opened his mouth to respond, but he didn’t get the chance. The judge, his robe open to reveal standard street clothes underneath, appeared in the courtroom doorway that led to the back area that only authorized court personnel were allowed to visit. Apparently he’d heard there was trouble brewing.
“What’s going on?”
The bailiff explained things to the judge and waited for the man to respond.
“Well, let’s find out,” Judge Myron Sheffield suggested, his smile thin.
“And how do you suggest we do that?” Heaton challenged. “It’s her word against his and they’re both of equal weight.”
Maddie made a protesting sound. “I’m sorry ... are you saying my word is the same as his? As the man who chased me through the woods, threatened to rape me, and wanted to kill me? That’s a bit insulting.”
“Well, if you’d remember things correctly, that wouldn’t be an issue,” Heaton shot back.
“Yeah, Maddie,” Todd sneered. “You’re brain damaged from the water. You’re not remembering things correctly.”
It took everything Maddie had not to lash out and smack Todd across the face. She desperately wanted to slap away his smug smile, but it ultimately didn’t matter because Maude had other options.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Maude made a big show of tripping over her own feet and slamming into Todd’s back, forcing the man to pitch forward and trip over the chair he’d been sitting in during court proceedings. He flew so hard and fast, he knocked the chair to the side and hit the ground with a loud thud.
For her part, Maude was still on her feet and looked appropriately apologetic as she rambled on and on about how clumsy she was. Maddie knew better.
“You old biddy!” Todd screeched, his temper flaring. “You did that on purpose.”
Judge Sheffield immediately started shaking his head. “She tripped. We all saw it. Accidents happen.”
“Yes, accidents happen,” Todd shot back. “I’m going to show her an accident. Just you wait, Maude, I’m going to show you ... .” He remembered where he was too late. The annoyed look Heaton shot him promised a diatribe later. When Todd slowly met the judge’s thoughtful stare, he was suddenly a different person. “That came out wrong. I hurt myself when I fell. I didn’t mean it.”
“People say a person’s true nature comes out when he or she has been injured,” Judge Sheffield noted. “I think that’s probably true. Ultimately it doesn’t matter, though. You don’t have to convince me. You have to convince the jury.”
“I’ll have them eating out of my hand,” Todd supplied, grinning like a fool until Heaton bumped him with his shoulder.
“My client is simply excited to get a chance to prove his innocence, your honor,” Heaton said quickly. “He’s gotten a little overzealous, but there’s no reason to get worked up … or take things out of context.”
Judge Sheffield merely stared for an extended beat and shook his head. “Just so everyone is aware, this courtroom is being monitored by cameras.” He gestured in turn toward a small fixture on each wall. “I will be checking the feed for proof that Mr. Winthrop attempted to touch Ms. Graves.”
Heaton stirred. “Your honor—”
“Shut up.” The judge cut him off with a curt shake of his head. “I will be checking the footage myself before I leave today. If it looks to me like Mr. Winthrop tried to touch her, he will be shackled for the duration of
his trial.”
“That’s unfairly prejudicial,” Heaton argued. “If the jury sees him in shackles—”
Judge Sheffield waved a hand to silence the defense attorney. “Mr. Winthrop should have thought about that before he attempted to touch Ms. Graves.”
“You don’t know that’s what happened.”
“No, but I think we all know what the footage is going to show,” Judge Sheffield shot back. “I will be watching that footage. If I deem Mr. Winthrop a threat to anyone, he will be restrained.”
“You can’t restrain me,” Todd hissed.
Judge Sheffield was defiant. “Watch me.”
MAUDE WAS FEELING energized when they returned to the house, an air of mischief flitting around her as she immediately headed toward her apartment.
“What are you going to do?” Maddie asked warily as her grandmother cackled happily to herself. “You’re not going to get in trouble, are you?”
Maude made a face. “What kind of thing is that to ask your grandmother?”
Maddie wasn’t fazed by the innocent act. “What are you up to?” She repeated.
“I’m simply going out to spend some time with the Pink Ladies,” Maude replied, annoyance practically dripping from her tongue. “Is that allowed?”
Maddie ignored her tone. “Do what you want but don’t get into trouble. We have enough on our plates without worrying about you torturing Harriet Proctor to the point where police intervention is required.”
Maude snorted. “Oh, puh-leez. Like I would ever get caught.”
“Just ... be careful.”
Maddie spent all of twenty minutes trying to find something to do in the house — more packing in the store, organization in the kitchen, iced tea in the window seat — before she gave up and pointed herself toward the woods behind the house. She knew Nick would be unhappy when he found out she went for a short hike, but Maddie couldn’t stop herself. The house made her feel penned in and what she needed above all else was freedom.
Maddie opted for a slow pace when she hit the woods. Even though she’d spent very little time frolicking between the trees in recent months given the doldrums of winter, she knew every nook and cranny of the forest. This was her favorite place in the world, and the second she stepped amongst the trees she felt better.
Grave Destiny Page 32