Blind Justice (Everhart Family #5)

Chapter 1

One

N oah Kandor and Alex Marcel stood side by side, backs to the wind, watching the technicians sift through the newest pile of refuse dumped at the Blunt Landfill in Hughes County, South Dakota. The wind was cold, biting through their jackets, and carried the sharp stench of decay from the trash heap behind them. They both nursed cups of coffee, the steam rising and dissipating in the December air.

A few yards away, a cluster of workers whispered among themselves, staring nervously at the scene where a hand had been discovered a day earlier. Technicians combed through the pile now, looking for the rest of the body. Alex took a slow sip of his coffee, his feet stomping against the cold ground.

"So," Noah broke the silence, tilting his cup toward Alex, "how's it going with you and Charlotte Everhart?"

A smile crept across Alex's face. "She's terrific.” He shook his head lightly, as if he still couldn't quite believe it. "Things are going well. The gossip about me dating an older woman is finally starting to die down."

“Small town gossip." Noah chuckled, blowing into his cup to cool it. "They're probably just jealous."

Alex shrugged. "Maybe. It’s nice not having people whisper behind your back every time you walk into the grocery store, though."

Noah nodded. "I hear that.” He leaned back on his heels. You know how these places are. Nobody's business is everybody’s business."

Alex glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of business, how’d your recent date go? You never told me. What was her name—Christie?"

Noah paused, then let out a laugh that came from deep in his chest. "Do you really want to know?"

Alex grinned. "That bad, huh?"

"Worse." Noah shook his head, setting down his coffee on the hood of their SUV. "Let's put it this way: she was, uh... hygiene-challenged."

Alex snorted, nearly spilling his coffee. "Hygiene-challenged? Is that your polite way of saying she smelled bad?"

"I’m serious," Noah groaned. "At first, I was hoping maybe it was a medical condition—at least then I'd understand. But no, I spotted the dirt under her fingernails, and her hair smelled like cigarette smoke. Like she'd been marinating in ash."

Alex winced. "Ouch. Well, that's rough."

"And then," Noah went on, "she tells me she hates cops. Says they abuse their authority. She just kept going on and on about it."

Alex turned toward him, a look of surprise crossing his face. "Wait, you didn’t tell her you were an investigator?"

"Nah," Noah said with a mischievous grin. "I told her I was a waiter at a restaurant in Spring Hill."

Alex burst out laughing, almost doubling over. "Are you kidding me? A waiter?"

Noah nodded solemnly, pursing his lips to keep from smiling. "What can I say? I never tell women what I do."

"Man, I would’ve loved to see her face when she found out," Alex said, still laughing.

"It wasn’t worth the trouble," Noah said with a sigh. "After the third time she insulted cops, I figured I’d just finish dinner and get the hell out of there."

Alex shook his head slowly, which usually meant he was calling bullshit on what Noah was saying. "Well, better luck next time."

Before Noah could respond, one of the technicians broke away from the group and came running toward them. His face was pale, his eyes wide with the grimness of what he'd seen. “We found more,” he said, breathless. “A foot... and what looks like part of the torso.”

Alex and Noah exchanged a glance. The casual tone between them dropped, replaced by the cool professionalism they wore like armor.

"It’s a man," the technician added, wiping his forehead with the back of his glove. "When they cut him up, they left... uh, his testicles attached."

Noah cursed under his breath. “Any way to ID him?” he asked, already knowing the answer. In cases like this, the body was too damaged to give any immediate clues.

“We’re hoping for a DNA match,” the technician said, shaking his head. “But it’s bad.”

Alex’s face hardened as he gazed over at the remains now being cataloged by the team. “You think this is Hilton?”

Noah frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yeah. At least they only drugged the two cops babysitting him.”

Alex blew out a breath and nodded.

* * *

Ruth Everhart tugged the door of her townhouse shut, her red hair swept back in a demure low bun. Dressed in a tailored navy suit and her favorite pair of high heels, she made her way to her car, the early morning stillness clinging to the air. The drive to her office was just about twenty minutes, and she'd timed her departure perfectly for a quick stop at the Coffee Mate shop along the way.

The familiar jingle of the coffee shop’s door greeted her as she stepped inside. The scent of freshly brewed coffee was a comfort as she ordered a medium latte for her secretary, Melanie, and a medium Americano for her, plus two cranberry nut muffins. Within minutes, she was back in her car, sipping her warm drink and feeling the caffeine kick in as she navigated the highway to the city.

She pulled into the underground garage at Ellison he could use the grease he combed his hair with.

Matt didn’t budge. Instead, he stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You know, Ruthie, you work too hard. A woman like you deserves a little break now and then. We could grab lunch this week—my treat. Or dinner? I know a great place."

Ruth tensed, her fingers gripping the edge of her desk. "Thanks for the offer, Matt, but my schedule’s pretty packed. Maybe another time."

He tilted his head, his grin never faltering. "C’mon, you’ve got to eat, right? Don’t tell me you're one of those women who skips meals for work."

Her stomach churned, but she kept her expression calm. "I appreciate the concern, but I’ve got it under control."

Matt stepped even closer, invading her personal space. "Look, Ruthie, I’m just saying, a little downtime with someone who understands the pressures here could do you some good. You know where to find me when you change your mind."

Before Ruth could respond, Melanie appeared in the doorway, her expression strained. "Ruth, you’ve got a teleconference in five minutes. Thought I’d remind you."

Ruth turned to Melanie, grateful for the interruption. "Thanks, Melanie. I’ll get set up now."

Matt straightened, his grin fading into something less friendly. "Alright, I’ll let you get to it. But don’t keep saying no, Ruthie. People might think you're not a team player." He gave her a lingering look before sauntering out of her office.

The second he was gone, Ruth let out a shaky breath and looked at Melanie with a mixture of relief and frustration. "You saved me. Lunch is on me today," she said with a forced laugh, trying to shake off the tension.

Melanie gave her a sympathetic look. "You’ve got to report him, Ruth. It’s only going to get worse."

"I know," Ruth replied quietly. "I just need to figure out how." The sad thing was, if he kept his mouth closed, he was a competent attorney. Too competent. Was someone else helping him?

Melanie pursed her lips. "I’ll put the lunch order in. What are you in the mood for?"

"Where are we ordering from?"

"Reynolds’ Deli," Melanie replied. "Their menu's on your desk."

Ruth glanced at the menu and smiled. "Perfect. I’ll take their Cobb salad with a raspberry seltzer."

"You got it," Melanie said before leaving to place the order.

Ruth closed the door behind her, sat down at her desk, and took a moment to compose herself. She glanced at the stack of notes in front of her and pulled out the file she needed. The case she was working on had a tight deadline, and the teleconference in five minutes was only the beginning of what promised to be a long day.

She took a deep breath, focusing her mind back on the task ahead. As she scanned through the details of her case, the tension from the morning conversation started to slip away. There were always going to be challenges in this line of work, and not all of them were legal.

Melanie poked her head in. A smirk appeared on her face . “Dana’s outside. Says she needs a few minutes.”

Ruth chuckled and rubbed her temples. “You mean I really have twenty before the Zoom call?”

“I try.” Melanie laughed. “Want me to send her in?”

“ Yeah, might as well spend the time doing something useful.”

Melanie gave her a thumbs-up and stepped out. A moment later, Dana Caldwell walked in, closing the door behind her and tossing a thick file onto Ruth’s desk. “We’ve got a problem.”

Ruth sighed, eyeing the folder. “We do? What’s wrong?”

“Our client, Jordan Hayes—assault charge. All right, my client. The case is flimsy, but the prosecution’s acting like it’s airtight. Witnesses hesitated in the lineup, no physical evidence, just a weak circumstantial thread.”

Ruth opened the file, scanning quickly. “And they’re still pushing?”

“Hard. They want this conviction. Feels like a setup.”

“Did you talk to Brandt about it?” Ruth leaned back.

Dana looked down. “I wanted your opinion.”

Ruth closed the file. “Pressure tactics. They assume you won’t dig. Dana, prove them wrong. Dig deeper. You’ve got this.”

“Thanks, Ruth.” She turned and left the office.

With a renewed sense of focus, she signed on to the firm’s Zoom account and typed in the meeting ID, ready to tackle the day, one step at a time.