Chapter Eighteen May 27
Chapter Eighteen
Joshua had been waiting all morning for the phone to ring.
He’d kept himself busy, doing his laundry, going through his paperwork, and even tidying his office, but always there was a part of him that felt wound up, waiting to spring.
He’d gotten home at almost midnight the previous night, and the house had been quiet.
Joshua had locked up and gone straight to bed.
When morning came, no one had questioned him, and he guessed that was down to Micah, who must have explained the situation.
In fact, the kids were almost too damn quiet, until Joshua announced that no one had died—yet—and if he didn’t hear some noise in the house pretty damn fast, there would be no chili and cornbread like he’d promised.
That did the trick. Normality resumed.
He was in the middle of chopping ingredients for dinner, with the aim of letting it cook for several hours, when the phone finally burst into life. Joshua quickly washed his hands and answered it. “Hey.”
“I haven’t caught you at a bad time, have I?” Alex sounded kinda subdued.
Joshua walked through the house to his office, his phone against his ear. “Nope. Just getting ready to make the chili.” He closed the door behind him and stretched out on the couch, a pillow stuffed under his head.
“Aw, great. Have I told you how great you’re doing at all this?”
Joshua knew avoidance when he heard it. “Thanks for the compliment. Now talk to me. Is Manda there?”
“Not, but she’ll be here tonight.” A pause. “Asha’s gone.”
“Aw, I’m so sorry, Alex.” His heart ached for his friend.
“You know, I’m doing better than I thought I would. After you’d left last night, Manda called. She’d put Asha to bed, and was going to sleep in a chair in her room, but Asha wouldn’t hear of it. She told Manda to get a good night’s sleep, and not to be sad.” Another pause. “She said she was ready.”
“I guess when you’re in your nineties….”
“Yeah, she’d lived a good life. And this morning, when Manda went in to wake her, she found her with this really peaceful look on her face.”
Joshua was certain that must have eased Manda’s heartache. “So what now?”
“There’ll be a funeral in Lame Deer, where there’s a cemetery. Manda’s coming to stay with me a while. I figure she’ll be going back and forth between here and Lame Deer until everything’s done and dusted.” Alex’s sigh met Joshua’s ear. “Thanks again for staying last night.”
“Anytime. Look, you’re gonna have your hands full for a while, so if you need anything—groceries, whatever—you just ask, okay?”
“Sweet man. Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I don’t think Manda’s going to fall apart on me—she’s a tough old bird, she says—but I’m just going to do my best to support her with whatever she needs.”
“That’s fine. You be there for Manda, but just so you know? I’m here for you,” Joshua stated simply and emphatically.
There was a moment of silence before Alex responded. “Thank you. I might not get to see you much over the next week, but I will see you on June 7th. I’ll be the one in the suit.”
“And I’ll be the one waiting outside the courtroom to shake your hand when they return an indictment.”
Alex laughed quietly. “Ah, I love a man who’s confident. Talk soon, okay?” And with that, he was gone.
Joshua held his phone against his chest. I don’t envy him the next few days. He knew, however, that Manda was in good hands. Then Alex’s last words registered, and for some reason, a slow tide of warmth suffused him. He knew it was just how Alex talked, but still….
There was a knock at the door. “Dad? You okay?”
“Yeah. Just taking a moment.”
Micah chuckled. “We thought maybe the chili peppers and garlic had beaten you.”
Joshua launched himself up off the couch and opened the door. “As if.” He’d call Alex later to see how things were doing. Until then, however…
He had chili and cornbread to make.
~ 0 ~
June 7
Alex made one last note and put down his pen, before rising to his feet to address the twenty-three people seated before him.
This was his last chance to outline all the evidence, and he didn’t intend to leave one single stone unturned.
Greg and Micah had testified, as had the four men Greg and Detective Riley had worked so hard to convince.
Now it was Alex’s turn.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my job now is to prove to you the elements of each crime. I have to prove that these five men were the victims of aggravated assault, and that one or more of them was taken by force and subjected to further assaults. So let’s begin.”
~ 0 ~
Joshua glanced at his watch. “I had no idea it would take this long to present all the evidence.” He was sitting with Greg, Micah and Detective Riley on chairs in the waiting area outside the courtroom in City Hall.
The other witnesses were seated apart from them, on their phones or talking with their partners.
It had been nerve-wracking, sitting there while witnesses waited to be called, watching them go through those doors, only to emerge a while later. Joshua wasn’t a witness: he was there as moral support.
“Think about it,” Micah said quietly. “It’s not just Greg’s case anymore, is it?
Alex is giving them evidence of five counts.
But I’m sure it won’t be much longer.” He smiled.
“City hall closes at five, and it’s already four now.
” He fell silent as a door opened, and Alex strode across the hallway toward them.
Joshua scanned his face for some clue as how it had gone, but Alex was giving nothing away.
He sighed as he reached them. “Okay, that’s my bit done.
This can go one of two ways now, given the time.
Either they come to a decision within the next hour, or they meet again in the morning and inform us then. ”
“And if they indict?” Joshua asked.
“Then they issue an arrest warrant, we get a judge to sign it, and he sets the bond. There’ll be an initial hearing before the judge assigned to the case, and he’ll set the trial date. That’s when their lawyers get to argue for the perps’ release.” He smiled at Greg. “And you were awesome.”
Greg flushed. “Thanks, but all I did was say what happened.”
“Sure, but it was the way you said it. You were calm, precise, and you left nothing out.”
Micah leaned closer and planted a light kiss on Greg’s shoulder. “It’ll be all right. You’ll see.”
Alex sagged a little. “What I wouldn’t give for a decent coffee right now.”
“Carrello’s isn’t that far. Want me to get you one?” Joshua offered. It seemed the least he could do.
“There’s a coffee shop a couple of blocks from here,” Micah said, getting to his feet. “I’ll go fetch us all some coffee.” He squeezed Greg’s shoulder and headed for the main door.
Alex smiled. “You’ve got them well-trained.” He rubbed his hand over his eyes.
“How are you?” Joshua hadn’t seen him since Manda had arrived.
“I’m doing okay. Manda’s going home tomorrow morning. She said to say hi.” Alex gave another tired smile. “And before you ask, she’s doing fine too. My liquor cabinet, however? Has no idea what hit it. I need to go shopping. And we need to discuss what’s next on your cooking wish list.”
“I’ve already been thinking about this. D’you think we could make… chocolate pie?”
Alex grinned. “Someone has a sweet tooth.”
Joshua snorted. “Try the whole family.” He peered intently at Alex. “Is chocolate pie in your repertoire?”
“Pie is, period. Any kind. My grandmother taught me how to make the most delicious pie crust. It even has a secret ingredient.”
“Did I hear someone say chocolate pie?” Greg leaned forward, his eyes gleaming.
Alex and Joshua laughed. “Well, let’s hope Joshua wasn’t going to make it as a surprise.
” Alex pulled out his phone. “Sorry. I have to take this call.” He got up and walked a short distance away from them.
Greg darted across the space between the row of seats and sat in Alex’s newly vacated chair. Joshua peered at him.
“You don’t look worried.”
Greg smiled. “I’m not. Alex says that the grand jury indicts 99% of the time. And we got the best man for the job.” His confidence was reassuring.
“It’ll be good to get this part over with, then we only have the trial to concentrate on.”
“But that could be another five to six months away.” Greg sighed. “It’s such a drawn-out process.”
“And in the meantime, you have to help Micah get ready for his next show.” Joshua still couldn’t believe it. The owner of an art gallery in Denver had contacted Micah, asking if he would be willing to exhibit his paintings there in September. He’d seen Greg’s posts on Twitter and Instagram.
Greg’s face shone. “Have you been into the studio to see what he’s working on?”
Joshua snickered. “I try not to disturb him when he’s in there. I figure if he wants me to see something, he’ll either invite me in, or show me when it’s finished.”
“Yeah. He gets so… caught up in his work sometimes that just walking in quietly jolts him out of whatever creative state he’s lost himself in.” Greg sighed heavily. “Artists.”
They sat in silence for a while, Joshua trying not to think about the deliberations going on behind closed doors.
Alex was still on the phone, talking in a low voice.
Finally he finished and walked over to them.
He was about to say something when the door to the courtroom opened, and a court official exited, clearly looking for Alex.
He beckoned to Alex, who excused himself and hurried over.
They spoke briefly, and then Alex went into the courtroom.
It wasn’t long before he came out, smiling.
Greg let out a happy little noise. “See? I knew he could do it.”
Alex approached them, his eyes shining. “They returned the indictment. It’s already on its way to a judge to be signed, along with the arrest warrants and the documentation of the charges. So now we see which judge has been assigned to our case—”
“Is that important?” Joshua asked.
Alex nodded slowly. “I can think of a few judges who’d be perfect for us, but there are also others that I wouldn’t want anywhere near this case. Let’s just say they’d have some strong, religious beliefs concerning some of the details of our case.”
Joshua shivered. “I get your point.”
“We’ll know soon enough. The initial hearing is set for tomorrow. And I know two guys who are going to be in for one hell of a shock when the police turn up on their doorstep with an arrest warrant.”
“Have I missed something?” Micah came up to them, carrying a cardboard container filled with four coffee cups.
“Your dad will fill you in. I have to talk to these guys over here.” Alex went over to the witnesses. Joshua watched their faces, noting how still the men became.
“It can’t be easy for them,” he murmured. “They probably just wanted to forget it ever happened.”
“And now they’re going to be instrumental in putting those bastards away,” Greg said in a low voice. “That’s closure. And it looks like their families will support them, which has to be a good thing, right?”
Joshua put his arm around Greg’s shoulders. “One day—maybe not in my lifetime but possibly in yours—no one will give a damn if you like guys, girls, both or neither.” That day has to come, right?
“Evolution, Dad.” Micah regarded him warmly. “It’s called evolution.” He smiled.
Joshua put his other arm around Micah. “Whatever. It needs to hurry the hell up.”
Alex had finished talking with the guys, who walked away slowly with their partners, one couple walking side by side, but another holding hands. Joshua didn’t envy them the coming months.
Let’s hope their love is strong enough to get them through this.
He knew he’d be there for Greg and Micah. And for the first time in a very long while, Joshua wished there could be someone for him to lean on, someone to talk to in the middle of the night, when fears and doubts seemed to creep out of the shadows and the deep recesses of his subconscious.
Someone to hold him and tell him it would be all right.
Someone to love him.