Blackberry Pie Murder (12 page)

“What’s wrong with Judge Colfax?”

Howie gave a little laugh. “Let me see. Where do I start?

Number one, he’s hard of hearing and he won’t wear his hearing aids. Number two, he’s old. And just between you and me, he wasn’t that good when he was younger. Number 94

Joanne Fluke

three, rumor has it that he pulled some strings and got drug charges against a state senator dismissed, and that’s why he got his judgeship in the first place.”

“He sounds awful!”

“That’s putting it mildly, but for some strange reason, he likes me. And that worked to our advantage. I called him right before I came over here and I managed to convince him to arraign you early on Monday morning. That should be really good for us.”

“Early is fine with me. The sooner I can get out of this cell, the better it’ll be for me. But why would a later arraignment be bad?”

“Because Judge Colfax sleeps through most of the cases he hears in the afternoon and he gets testy when the bailiff wakes him. He’s better in the mornings, especially if I make sure he’s got a big cup of mocha java in his chambers.”

“He’ll give me bail, won’t he?” Hannah voiced her biggest fear.

“I’m almost sure he will. The only reason he signed the warrant for your arrest in the first place is that Chad Norton is his nephew.”

“And Chad Norton is the assistant district attorney?”

“That’s right. You ran into a string of bad luck, Hannah.

This never would have happened with Judge Fleming on the bench, but he’s gone. And if Chad Norton’s boss wasn’t in Atlanta for his daughter’s wedding, it wouldn’t have happened either. The only reason it did is because Chad Norton needs the publicity prosecuting you will bring him.”

“So I was railroaded?”

“You could say that. At least Judge Colfax will be long gone when your case comes to trial.
If
it comes to trial.”

“You said
if
my case comes to trial?” Hannah felt her spirits rise. “Is there a chance it won’t?”

“There’s a very good chance it won’t. A lot can happen in the time between filing the charges and scheduling the trial.

Judge Fleming could come back from vacation and decide to dismiss the case against you. Chad Norton’s boss could get BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER

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back from his daughter’s wedding, take one look at the case, and tell Chad to drop it. Then there’s Chad’s plans to consider. He could get so much negative publicity for prosecuting you, he could decide the time wasn’t right to run for his boss’s job and drop your case like the hot potato it is.”

Everything Howie had said made Hannah feel much better, but there was still one important question to ask. “If they don’t drop the case and it does go to trial, do you think you can get me off?”

“Nothing’s a sure thing when it comes to a jury trial, but I’m fairly certain I can. In the meantime, I want to schedule a meeting with you tomorrow so that you can tell me everything that happened. I need to have every detail that you can remember. ”

“Okay,” Hannah said, standing up when Howie did and wishing that he’d stay so that she wouldn’t be left alone with her thoughts.

“I almost forgot,” Howie said, handing her the bag he’d carried into the cell. “Kitty sent these for you. Rick already inspected everything and said you could have it. The only thing he wouldn’t let you have was the handgun.”

“What?!”

“Just kidding.”

Hannah laughed. “You really had me going there for a second. Please thank Kitty for me. It’s very sweet of her.”

“She said to tell you that it’s a care package. You should find some things in there to make you more comfortable while you’re here. She’ll drop by tomorrow afternoon to see you, and if there’s anything else you need or want, just tell me when I see you in the morning and she’ll bring it when she comes.”

“Thanks, Howie.”

Hannah felt a bit like crying as Rick came to let Howie out and they walked down the hallway together. It was strange how a little thing like walking down a hallway could mean so much when you were denied the opportunity to do it.

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At least she had something to divert her. Hannah sat back down on the cot again and picked up the bag that Kitty had sent. She felt a surge of excitement that was surprisingly like opening presents as a child on Christmas morning.

“Wonderful!” Hannah breathed as she pulled out five paperback novels. There were two mysteries, a film star biography, a civil war history, and what looked like a very steamy romance.

She flipped a few pages of the romance and then put it at the bottom of the stack she set by the head of the cot. It was true that she wanted some diversion but perhaps not quite that much.

The next item she pulled out of the bag was a bar of strawberry scented soap. She sniffed it and smiled, wondering if she’d be allowed to take a shower tomorrow. How did they do that anyway? Did a female deputy have to go in the shower room with her? Or would someone wait outside and let her shower in privacy?

There was no sense worrying about that problem now, and Hannah reached in the bag again. She found a brush and a comb, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a small stick of de-odorant. There were also several candy bars, a small package of potato chips, and a bottle of water. Kitty had thought of almost everything.

There was one item left in the bottom of the bag and Hannah reached inside again. This time she drew out a notebook with a pen stuck inside the spiral binding. How perfect! Now she could write down everything that had happened this morning and give it to Howie when he came for their meeting.

“Was it only this morning?” she questioned herself aloud.

It seemed like ages ago. So much had happened, most of it bad, in one short day. And that one day wasn’t even over yet!

Hannah had just finished writing down everything she remembered about the accident when she heard voices at the duty desk. Lonnie and Michelle were here.

“More visitors,” Rick announced, leading them to the BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER

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holding cell. “I guess I don’t have to lock you inside this time since my brother’s a deputy, too.”

“Sorry it took us so long,” Michelle said the moment she stepped inside the cell. “I brought you a couple of changes of clothes, another pair of shoes, and your slippers.”

“Thanks,” Hannah said, and then she turned to Lonnie. “I hope you didn’t get in any trouble for what you tried to do for me.”

“I didn’t. Michelle sent me a text and said to take the car to the parking lot and wait for her there. And when I drove out, I saw Bill’s cruiser and I figured out what had happened.

I can’t believe he actually arrested you.”

“Well, he did. And here I am.”

“Maybe I can get Rick to let you into the break room. We could all have coffee and talk.”

Hannah considered it for a moment. It would be a real treat to walk down the hall to the break room. She was about to say yes when she considered the possible ramifications.

“I’d better stay here,” she said.

“But don’t you want to get out of here?” Michelle asked her.

“Of course I do! But I don’t want to get Rick or Lonnie in any trouble. Mike’s already suspended, and Andrea and Bill aren’t speaking to each other. How am I going to get any inside police information if Rick and Lonnie are gone?”

Michelle gave her a questioning look. “What inside police information do you need?”

“I need to know who that man was and what he was doing here in Lake Eden. Doc Knight didn’t know him and he’s lived here for years. And neither did anybody who saw him when they brought him into the hospital.”

“It’s strange that Doc didn’t know him, but maybe he was just passing through.”

“Maybe. I just need to know more about him.”

“So you want to investigate him?” Lonnie asked.

“No, not really. But I do want to know more. Maybe he has relatives somewhere we ought to notify.”

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“I understand,” Michelle said. “You need to know for your own peace of mind.”

“Yes, that’s part of it. I also need to know because he’s a mystery. I didn’t know him, Lisa didn’t know him, Doc didn’t know him, and nobody at the hospital knew him.”

“How about Mother?”

“I didn’t ask her to look. You know how squeamish she is.

There’s no way I’d ask her to go down to the morgue and look at him.”

“You’re right,” Michelle said. “She’d do it for you, but you’d hear about the huge favor she did for you for the rest of your life.”

“Maybe the guy was a transient,” Lonnie suggested. “He could have been some street person who hitchhiked here.”

“I don’t think so. He was dressed too well to be homeless.”

“He was?” Michelle sounded surprised. “You didn’t mention that before.”

“That’s because I didn’t think of it before. I just wrote it all down for Howie. He told me he wanted every detail I could remember and I described what the man was wearing.”

“What was he wearing?” Lonnie asked.

“Jeans and a white shirt. The jeans were expensive. I’m pretty sure I recognized the logo on the pocket.”

“Do you think he could have gotten them from some charity that gives clothes to the needy?”

Hannah shook her head. “I don’t think so. They fit too well for that. The shirt looked expensive, too. The only thing wrong with it were the stains on the front.”

Michelle shivered. “Bloodstains?”

“No. The stains were reddish-purple, but I’m almost certain they weren’t from blood. It was . . . thinner, a little like juice. And his shoes were expensive. I know that because I’ve seen them advertised and they’re almost two hundred dollars a pair. I don’t remember the brand, but I do remember the price.”

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“Anything else?” Lonnie asked, and Hannah could tell he was going into detective mode.

“He had a ring. I didn’t get close enough to really see it, but it looked like a high school ring with a school seal on the front. Doc Knight probably still has it with his personal effects at the hospital. Either that, or Bill sent someone from the department to collect it.”

Michelle and Lonnie exchanged glances. Then he turned to Hannah. “I’ll check with Rick. If they’re here in the evidence room, he’ll know. And if they aren’t, we’ll run out to the hospital to look at them before we go back to your condo.”

“There’s one other thing. He had a diamond.”

“In the high school ring?” Michelle asked.

“No, in his left front tooth. It was one of those embedded jewels like the fake ones Norman made for you.”

“We should check with Norman to see which dentists do work like that,” Michelle said. “And I’ll call Doc and ask him if the hospital lab can figure out what that stain on his shirt is.” She turned to Lonnie again. “Do you think the department is going to investigate?”

Lonnie shook his head. “Why should they? They know how he died. As far as the department is concerned, there’s nothing to investigate.”

“Then we’ll investigate by ourselves,” Michelle said, looking determined. “We’ll find out who he was.” She turned to Hannah. “You noticed a lot about him, Hannah.”

“Not enough to figure out who he was,” Hannah said, feeling very tired. It had been a long day.

“Maybe not, but you gave us plenty to go on,” Lonnie pointed out. “I think Doc will let us take the guy’s things. We can always return them if the guy’s relatives show up. At least we can give it a try.”

“But what if Doc can’t release them to us?” Michelle asked.

“Then I’ll take pictures of them with my cell phone. But I 100

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think he’ll let me have them. It’s not like they’re evidence in a murder.”

There was silence for a long moment while all three of them thought about that. It was true that the man’s death wasn’t a traditional murder, but Hannah
was
charged with vehicular homicide.

Hannah attempted to put all thoughts of homicides and trials out of her mind as she turned to Michelle. “If you can’t get his actual belongings, please write down the brands on those clothes. I could be wrong about them being expensive.”

“Okay. I can ask Andrea about the brands. She knows all the designers and she’s going to stop by the condo when we get back there tonight.”

Hannah put two and two together. “Andrea doesn’t want to go home while Bill’s still awake?”

“She didn’t say anything like that, but that’s the impression I got. I know she was with Mother and Doc at the hospital. She called me from there to see where I was. I’m supposed to call her on her cell phone when we’re on our way back to your place.”

“Thanks,” Hannah said. “You two are a big help. You’re making me feel much better.”

Surprisingly, it was true. Even though she was still locked in a cell and facing criminal charges, Hannah
was
feeling much better. By attempting to learn the man’s identity, she was taking an active part in something that was taking place outside of her jail cell. Learning the man’s identity wouldn’t bring him back or change the fact she’d killed him, but Hannah didn’t like unanswered questions and there were several surrounding the man she’d killed. Who was he? Why had he come to Lake Eden in the first place? And why had he been standing at the side of the road nowhere near a farmhouse in the pouring rain?

“We’ll find out who he was,” Michelle addressed Hannah’s unspoken questions. “And when you get out on bail, you can help us do it. Actually, you’re helping us now. I BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER

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wouldn’t have known where to start. I just know if all three of us work together, we can do it.”

“That’s right,” Lonnie said, and then he turned to Michelle, who was wearing shorts, with a grin. “You’ve got the legs, I’ve got the badge, and Hannah’s got the brains. With the three of us working together, we’re bound to figure everything out.”

Hannah was halfway through the first chapter of a mystery that Kitty had sent her when Rick came down the hall again. “You’ve got another visitor, Hannah. It’s Norman.

Should I tell him you want to see him?”