Chapter Six
Reggie waited at the courthouse to give Brooke time to get to her car and exit the garage. She had no idea what Brooke’s accusation about a note and her purse meant, but she figured Brooke didn’t want to see her and she was too tired after the long day to argue anymore.
“Hey, Reggie. What’re you doing here? I heard you were going to work in the free world.”
She looked up to see Marty Lafferty, the bailiff from her old court. He’d gotten it worse than she had in the shooting, and she was surprised to see him here. “The question is what are you doing here?”
He held up a badge and grinned. “Doing the paperwork to start back at my old job. Almost. I’ll be in Judge Aguilar’s courtroom. First day is Monday next.”
She shook her head. Marty had been covering for another bailiff the day of the shooting when he dived in front of Judge Aguilar to keep her from getting shot, taking several bullets in the process. He was a goddammed hero and deserved to never have to work again, let alone at the place where he’d almost lost his life. “I can’t believe you’re coming back here.”
“What else am I going to do?” He asked. “This is the only life I’ve ever known. I’m two years away from full retirement. You think I’m going to give that up for some punk who’s not even a good shot?”
“You’re a good person, Marty.” Her gut roiled at the idea of coming back to work here. “Better than me.”
“Nah, just doing the only thing I know how to do. Not like anyone else is going to hire an old geezer like me.” He clasped her good shoulder. “You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. No reason for you to relive what happened every day when you get out of here and do anything you want.”
“I guess so.” Most of the people who worked at the courthouse considered it a calling and she had too. Before the shooting. But the bullet through her arm had changed her perspective. She’d floundered for a while, unsure what she wanted to do before she settled on the legal-adjacent career of private investigator. Lennox’s friend, Skye Keaton, one of the well-known PIs in the community, had promised to show her the ropes and feed her some leads, and she’d finally managed to wrap her mind around the new route her life was taking, but running into Marty brought guilt bubbling up inside. “It’s hard being back here for a lot of reasons, but there’s a part of me that will always wonder if I should’ve given it another chance.”
“You don’t owe anyone anything,” Marty said. “Try something new and if you ever decide you want to come back, I’m sure your people will find a place for you.” He paused for a moment. “The only other advice I have to give is don’t lose contact with your people. You may decide you never want to work here again, but don’t throw away the friendships you’ve made because the career isn’t for you. These people are what got me back on my feet. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
His words pierced the veneer she’d struggled to keep in place and tears started to form. The thing she missed the most was the easy camaraderie of the people who worked here—no matter what side they were on, with only a few exceptions, they could come together at the end of the day and celebrate wins, mourn losses, and support each other with unconditional generosity. Striking out on her own meant she’d have to be her own cheering section, grief counselor, and everything else. She could do it, but it wouldn’t be easy.
She was still deep in thought about the consequences of her career move when she walked into the parking garage a few minutes later, and it took a moment to register the angry tone of the whispered conversation that was happening near her car. When she recognized Brooke’s voice, she ducked behind a column, still determined not to run into her again today.
Only snippets of conversation were audible: “threatening,” “cryptic,” “unjustly accused.” She strained to hear more, but the voices got lower as the exchange progressed.
When the conversation abruptly ended, Reggie poked her head out from behind the column to try to get a glimpse at whoever’d been involved in the heated exchange with Brooke, but all she saw was Brooke standing beside her car. She had a choice to make. She could walk over to her car and pretend like she’d heard nothing, or she could ask her what was going on. Marty’s words echoed in her head—about the camaraderie at the courthouse, the way people came together no matter what side they were on. She might not have been able to hear the conversation, but she could tell by the expression on Brooke’s face it had upset her and she was compelled to address it head-on.
Choice made, she stepped out from behind the column and strode over to her car. As she approached, she knew she’d made the right decision because Brooke was shaking. She sped up until she was standing close. “Hey, what happened?”
“What are you doing here?”
Reggie pointed to her car. “Nothing shady, I promise. Just figured I’d leave like everyone else.” She waited a beat. “I couldn’t help but hear you talking to that guy. Was he threatening you?”
“Why would you say that?”
Reggie took note Brooke wasn’t denying the threat. “Because you look shaken up and it sounded like the conversation got a little heated.”
Brooke sagged against her car. “If I said I don’t want to talk about it, would you respect that?”
“Of course,” Reggie replied. “But if you did want to talk about it, I’d be happy to listen. Look, you don’t know me, but up until a few months ago, I was a court coordinator here. I worked directly for one of the judges and my job was to manage her docket which included working with defendants, witnesses, victims, and attorneys on both sides of a case. Not trying to brag, but I’ve got mad listening skills and there’s pretty much nothing I haven’t heard.”
“I thought we weren’t supposed to talk outside of the courtroom.”
Reggie heard the wistful tone in Brooke’s voice and suspected she really did want to talk, but something was holding her back. “We’re not supposed to talk about the case, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about other stuff.”
“If someone’s watching, how will they know the difference?”
Reggie glanced around, but they were the only ones on this floor of the garage. Brooke was probably concerned the guy she’d been talking to earlier was still around and maybe he was. She leaned in close. “Who was the guy?”
Brooke flinched slightly, but she whispered back. “Please don’t ask.”
“I won’t, but I need something in exchange.”
Brooke’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Ice cream. I’ve been craving it all day. I have a lot of work to do tonight and I’m afraid if I don’t satisfy my craving, I’ll never be able to focus.” Reggie held up her keys and jingled them in the air. “You game?” She watched several different expressions play across Brooke’s face and braced for a no, but when Brooke finally answered she was pleasantly surprised.
“Okay, but I want to pick the place.”
* * *
Brooke looked in the rearview mirror again, not sure why she was surprised to see Reggie still following her. She told herself she’d only agreed to ice cream so she could bring some home to Ben, but the truth was she needed the comfort and company of another adult even if she wouldn’t be able to share the details of what was plaguing her.
While she drove, she replayed the conversation with the stranger who’d been waiting at her car.
“I’ve done what you’ve asked me to do. Why are you still threatening me?”
“It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. It’s time for you to take the next step.”
“Then tell me what it is and stop being so damn cryptic.”
“The woman on trial has been unjustly accused. It’s up to you to make it right.”
“Still cryptic. I’m one person out of twelve. There’s nothing I can do.”
“You have two choices. You either convince the rest to vote with you or you hold out no matter what. I suggest you start laying the groundwork tomorrow.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You know the risk and what’s important to you. If you want to avoid the harm, you’ll do what’s asked of you.”
“Who are you?”
“A concerned citizen. You know what to do.”
He’d left abruptly after his “concerned citizen” pronouncement, and she hadn’t had time to process the interaction before Reggie appeared out of nowhere. The timing was suspicious, but it was possible she was reading too much into it since Reggie had parked next to her and they’d all been dismissed from court at the same time. Didn’t matter. As much as she might want to, confiding in Reggie could spell disaster and it wasn’t a chance she was willing to take. Not when Ben’s life could be at stake.
But a quick trip for ice cream was an innocuous venture and it might make her feel a little more normal. She pulled into the parking lot at Braum’s and found a space near the front door. She didn’t wait for Reggie to park, but she stood outside the front door until she appeared beside her.
“Braum’s. Interesting choice.”
Brooke stiffened slightly. “Look, I know there are a ton of fancy new places with funky new flavors, but this is my favorite and it’s my son’s favorite, and I’ll fight anyone who thinks it’s not as good as the others.”
Reggie raised her hands in the air. “No need to fight. I completely agree. It’s old school, but it’s one of the best.” She opened the door. “After you?”
Brooke led the way and ordered a cone with cherries, pecans, and cream and Reggie ordered one with rocky road. Reggie insisted on paying and she didn’t have the energy to argue. They sat down at a booth and enjoyed their ice cream in silence, and for a few minutes Brooke managed to shut out everything else: her precarious employment, whether she’d passed her Econ exam, the fact she was stuck on jury duty, and the threat on her son’s life that hung on her complying with the whim of a stranger she didn’t even understand.
“What’s your son’s name?”
And there went her relaxation. She hesitated for a moment before deciding the question wasn’t too personal and she’d look like a weirdo for refusing to answer. “Ben.”
“And you said he’s twelve?”
She had to admit she was impressed Reggie remembered. “Twelve going on forty.”
Reggie smiled. “I get that. Smart kid?”
“Genius level. But a little socially awkward so while he can ace any test put in front of him, a school dance will have him spinning out.”
“Does he get that from you or his dad?”
She stared into Reggie’s eyes for a minute, trying to read intent. It was probably an innocent question, but it didn’t feel that way. Of course, nothing felt right since she’d first received the call about the jury summons, which prompted her to ask. “When did you get your jury summons?”
Reggie looked surprised by the question. “Last month. Why?”
Brooke shook her head. “No reason.” She wondered if anyone else on the jury had just received their summons. If throwing the case was so important to the mysterious stranger, it seems like they would’ve wanted to ensure their fate wasn’t entirely in one juror’s hands. Then again, they’d be stupid to pick Reggie since she had courthouse connections. “How’s your ice cream?” she asked, to change the subject.
“It’s good, but I get the impression you want to talk about something else.”
Brooke took another bite to avoid having to answer. She wanted to confide in someone, and Reggie seemed as good a person as any, but she imagined how things would go. She’d tell Reggie she’d been threatened and Reggie would insist they inform Judge Hunt. Judge Hunt would insist on questioning her and she’d refuse to answer. She wasn’t sure what would happen next, but she suspected it wouldn’t be good.
“What happens if we can’t reach a verdict?”
“For someone who didn’t want to discuss the case, you sure do have a lot of questions about the process.”
Brooke shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “It’s new to me. I like to know what to expect.”
“If we don’t reach a verdict, he can make us stick around until we do, and if that doesn’t work, he can declare a hung jury. The prosecutor can try the case again if they want to, but in the meantime, there’s no conviction. Mitchell’s not in jail, but if she was there would be a hearing to determine if she should remain there pending the new trial.”
“Do you think the prosecutor would try the case again?”
“Hell yeah. It’s a high-profile trial and they’ve already made a big deal out of it in the local press. Rigley and the entire DA’s office would look silly if they decided not to move forward.”
Brooke licked her ice cream and contemplated the scenario. If she hung the jury, there’d be a new one. Would the person threatening her find a new potential jury to intimidate into voting his way? Would they keep doing that until they managed to pull off a “not guilty”? Did that even make sense? Or were they stalling, hoping something else happened with the case before an unfavorable verdict came down? Either way she was stuck in the middle for now and there was no sense talking about it so she changed the subject. “Did you grow up in Dallas?”
“I did. Lived here my whole life. My folks moved to Plano a few years ago, but I live in a condo near downtown. Makes it easy to get to the courthouse in the morning.”
“Do you miss working there?”
“Sometimes yes, sometimes no.” Reggie started off into the distance. “I miss the people. It’s hard to be around a group of people for hours a day, many days of the week, and then suddenly not have them in your life anymore.”
“I can see that. Are there good people at your new job?”
“There are no people at my new job.” Reggie cracked a half smile. “I’m studying to take the licensing exam so I can be a private investigator and once I pass the test, I’ll be in business solo.”
“That’s a big change, right?”
“Huge. I think I’m ready for it, but…”
“But?”
“But it is harder than I thought it would be not to have pals on board.”
Brooke heard the wistfulness in Reggie’s voice. “Hey, you could be really successful and wind up having to hire new people really soon.”
Reggie met her eyes. “Good point. I’ll hope for that.” She crunched the last bite of her cone. “What do you do for a living?”
“I started back to school to get the bachelor’s degree I abandoned when I got pregnant with Ben, and I’m working at Dante’s to pay tuition and bills. It’s not ideal, but it won’t last forever. I have to say jury duty really cuts into the bill paying part of the equation.”
“That’s a big load. I’m guessing Ben’s dad is not in the equation?”
“He hasn’t been for a very long time. I don’t even know where he is.”
“I bet if you’d explained your situation to Judge Hunt, he would’ve excused you from serving.”
“I didn’t even think of that.” Brooke smiled to cover the lie. “But it might not have worked anyway. Remember, you didn’t think you’d get picked.”
“Word. Not sure what happened there.”
“Maybe they thought you’d be extra fair since you’ve worked at the courthouse.”
“More like someone wasn’t thinking at all.”
The conversation trailed off and they sat in silence for a bit. Brooke wasn’t sure what else to say that didn’t involve tiptoeing around the subject of the case, but she was fairly confident Reggie wasn’t involved with whoever had been threatening her and that was something. She crunched the last bit of her cone and crushed her napkin into a tiny ball.
“Ready to go?” Reggie asked.
“Yes, but I need a pint of rocky road for the kid.”
Reggie was out of her seat in a flash, headed for the dairy section. She grabbed a quart of rocky road and was headed to the cash register when Brooke intercepted her. “What are you doing?”
“Contributing to the cause.” Reggie pulled out a twenty and handed it to the clerk.
“I can buy my own ice cream.”
“I have no doubt you can, but I’d like to do this for you. Consider it a peace offering.”
She should say no and insist on paying. She wasn’t so destitute she couldn’t afford to buy ice cream for her son. But Reggie was trying to be nice, and after their disagreement earlier, accepting her gesture of goodwill was an easy thing to do. “Fine, but next time the ice cream’s on me.”
“Fair enough.” Reggie took the bag from the cashier and handed it to her. “I’m going to take off since I still have a lot of studying to do. See you tomorrow. Have a good night.”
Brooke stood in the middle of Braum’s and watched her go. She’d been certain she wanted to be alone with her thoughts, but after spending a short time with Reggie, she wasn’t sure being alone was the answer for any of her problems. She desperately wanted to tell someone about her situation, but as long as Ben was in danger, she couldn’t, but if she could tell someone Reggie would be the one. Too trusting? Perhaps, but it wasn’t like she was going to act on the instinct. If she could only get through this trial, then maybe there’d be room in life for friendships with people like Reggie. Or even something more.