Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (17 page)

“Mr. Dade, would you care to comment?”

“Yes, Your Honor. My clients have been lifelong residents of the state of Texas. William is a former federal judge. Michael is a well-respected member of our bar. I don’t believe either of them is a flight risk or a danger to the community.”

“I tend to agree with Mr. Dade, Miss James. I’m going to deny your request and set bail at five hundred thousand dollars for each defendant, cash or property.”

“Your Honor, due to the unfortunate death of Mr. Elkins’s wife and his inability to locate his son, Jordan, my clients are virtually penniless. I would ask the court to reconsider their long-standing service to the legal community and allow them to be released on their own recognizance.”

“Mr. Dade, we’re discussing murder here. Request denied. Five hundred thousand dollars each, cash or property. I’ll expect briefs on this case in thirty days so we can see where we are at that time.”

Judge White looked past Dade, addressing both defendants. “I have a list of potential witnesses, gentlemen. Should harm befall any person on that list, I will consider it as circumstantial evidence supporting Miss James’s claims. Is that understood?”

Jenna felt her lips curve in the slightest smile as Judge Elkins’s face flushed blood red and Michael’s face drained of all color. She liked this judge.

“I assure you, Your Honor, my clients won’t contact any of these potential witnesses,” Dade said.

Judge White picked up his gavel and banged twice on the bench. “If there’s nothing further, this court is adjourned.”

Jenna stayed seated as the Elkinses were led away by the bailiff. Dade stopped by her table, and she glanced up at him and shrugged. “He didn’t give me a chance to argue against or agree. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, Counselor. I can get it knocked down to ten percent, and Michael’s Ferrari will cover it. I’ll give you a call as soon as we have that confession under wraps.”

Jenna stood and picked up her briefcase. “I’m not worried, Counselor. The longer they stay in jail, the better I like it.”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Jenna let out a long sigh as she joined Harry and Jake outside the courtroom. “I’ve never been so scared in my entire life.”

Harry placed an arm around her and pulled her close. “You were great. If any of those witnesses dies, even if it’s natural causes, the Elkinses are going to look guilty.”

“Elkins is old, bitter, and mad as hell right now. That may not stop him. We need to up security everywhere,” Jake said.

“The press is waiting downstairs. Are you ready?” Harry asked.

Jenna took a deep breath and smiled at him. “With you by my side, I’m ready for anything.”

Harry chuckled. “Isn’t that a song?”

Jenna slipped her arm through his. “It’s the first time I’ve felt like singing. Let’s go face the crowd.”

Harry hadn’t exaggerated. The bottom floor of the courthouse was filled to capacity with curious onlookers, reporters, and journalists from all the local papers. The arrest of William Elkins had been the major news story that morning, overshadowing David’s death. Sadness filled her. David had been a good man—not perfect, and he’d fallen into Dade’s trap. His death should have been the top story, not some sleazebags like the Elkinses.

The first question caught her off guard but followed the train of her thoughts. “Miss James, was the death of David Garcia connected to this case?”

Jenna raised her head proudly, her chin jutted slightly forward as she allowed her gaze to travel through the mob. “David Garcia was a good man. He served the state of Texas for more than fifteen years. His name should not even be mentioned in the same breath as William or Michael Elkins.”

The questions fired at her from all sides. She homed in on one: “Was his death a suicide, and if so why did he kill himself? And why was his home blown up?”

Jenna glanced at Harry, who nodded. “Mr. Redmond and Mr. Savior were the officers that took the call to David’s house,” she said. “They verified his death was a suicide. As to why his home was blown up, the investigators are still out on that. We believe there may have been a gas leak.”

“That still doesn’t answer the question of why he killed himself right before this case started.”

The other journalists joined in the melee, firing similar questions.

Jenna raised her voice to be heard. “David Garcia was my friend. His wife died last year, and David was suffering from terminal cancer. He had only weeks, maybe months to live. The governor informed me yesterday that David had sent in his resignation and asked that I be appointed as the new district attorney. I can only assume that once he resigned as district attorney, he no longer had the desire to live. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

She moved forward through the mob, Harry and Jake on each side of her.

Questions continued to fire at her from all sides, but she answered them all with, “No comment.”

Harry pushed forward for a word with the guard.

“Vultures,” Jake mumbled as he pushed their way through the crowd. “Or maybe leeches. They’re all bloodsuckers.”

Harry joined them, taking her arm again. “Let’s move. The guard is going to close the doors and keep them inside long enough for you to make your escape.”

They lurched forward two steps ahead of the crowd and passed through the doors just as the guard stepped in front of the doors.

The three rushed down the steps and headed toward the parking lot at a fast clip. The guard wouldn’t be able to hold them long.

“I need to check in with the office. We’ll need to start gathering that proof. If I don’t come up with something solid in the next thirty days, Judge White may throw the entire thing out.”

“Jake, you want to tell her?” Harry asked.

Jenna glanced from one to the other. “Tell me what?”

“I’ve got a journalist friend who’s been working on that hospital list. She’s got three nurses willing to come forward and testify.”

Jenna glanced back at the courthouse doors. “Get me the names. I can get them in and document their testimony through deposition. I’ll have to reveal their names to Dade as soon as I’ve set it up, but hopefully that won’t be a problem.”

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Dade convinces Elkins to confess,” Jake said.

Jenna shook her head and started walking faster as the first cameraman appeared on the steps.

“I wouldn’t count on that confession,” Harry said. “Dade has a lot of power, but William Elkins is never going to confess to his wife’s murder—not willingly.”

“When it comes to the Elkinses, I don’t count on anything,” Jenna said. “And we can’t really count on the confession holding up in court. He confesses, I dismiss the charges against Michael, and then he says he was threatened or coerced into confessing. His confession is thrown out.”

“Damn,” Jake mumbled. “Can he do that?”

“I’m afraid so. You can’t threaten, coerce, or promise a defendant anything in exchange for their confession. Technically, all he has to say is he did it to get the charges dismissed against Michael.”

“And I suppose Dade is aware of this?” Harry asked, opening the door to his cruiser.

Jenna snorted. “He probably helped develop that law. It benefits his clients much more than my victims.”

“So, basically what you’re telling us is we need to go to work,” Jake said, climbing into the passenger seat.

Jenna gave him a mischievous grin before climbing into the backseat. “Now I know why they call you Sherlock. Harry is the good-looking, sexy one, and you’re the brains.” She buckled her seat belt just as the crowd rushed around the corner. “Drop me off at my office. I’ll see you two at home tonight.”

~ ~ ~

Harry glanced at Jake as he pulled away from the curb after dropping Jenna off. “You’re too quiet, Jake. What’s going on inside that head of yours?” He couldn’t quite suppress the grin that spread across his face. “Mr. Brains.”

“Did you see the look on Michael Elkins’s face when the judge said what would happen if any of the witnesses on that list came to harm?” Jake asked, completely ignoring his taunt.

Harry shook his head, but his hand tightened around the wheel. “You think they’ve already set those plans in motion?”

“Yeah, and I think JJ’s on the top of their list.”

Harry turned toward the police precinct. “I think it’s time we signed out for that vacation.”

Jake lit a cigarette. “We need to put Beaumont on alert too. If they could take down Jordan and JJ, the rest of the witnesses would fold. Nobody would talk.”

Harry reached over the visor and tossed Jake his cell phone. “Call them.”

“Before I do, it might be simpler if we had everybody under the same roof. Think you could talk JJ into moving to Beaumont’s until this is over?”

Harry shook his head. “Nope. She’s stubborn, and she’s tough. She tried to send Geno and Marko home after we made the arrests. I talked them into staying.”

“How about Loki? Should we warn her?”

“Yeah, we’ll stop by the office after we finish at the station. Montgomery isn’t too happy with us right now, anyway. Probably be happy to have us out of there until this thing is over.”

Jake laughed softly. “Did you see his face when he found out who we had arrested? I thought he was gonna stroke out.”

Harry pulled into the station lot and parked. “You don’t think he’s dirty, do you?”

“Nah, he’s just conservative. You don’t arrest a high-profile official unless you’ve got it on tape.”

Harry opened the door and climbed out. “I have a feeling that before this is over, we’re going to make a lot of enemies, high-profile enemies. Let’s go see if we can get that vacation.”

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Marcus pulled out his cell phone as he clomped down the back stairs. He’d let Jenna deal with the press for the time being. She’d earned it, and he had bigger problems. He was losing control, and he didn’t like that. Drago couldn’t be allowed to get to show up in a courtroom even if it meant wiping them all out. He dialed the number, stopping on the first landing as the cell rang.

“Hello.”

“Where are you?”

“Good news, boss. I know where the package is. I’m headed out to pick it up right now.”

Marcus smiled and glanced up and down the stairs. Good news always brightened his day. “How long before you can get here?”

“A couple of hours. We still doing this tonight?” Gregory asked.

“No, we’ll have to put it off until tomorrow. We have another problem. Drago is still alive.”

“I’ll meet you at the office at ten tonight.”

Marcus hit the End button. He hated loose ends. They prevented functioning at full capacity, leaving a need to constantly look over one’s shoulder. He’d wanted to give Michael Elkins to Jenna as a trophy, a peace offering between the two of them. Michael knew little to nothing about the deals between him and the old man—nothing anyone would believe without the evidence Olivia Elkins had gathered. The missing link to his plans fell into place. He whistled softly as he descended the remaining steps. The judge had denied his request to ten percent of the bond but had agreed to allow him to use the Elkins estate as collateral. Gregory would know how to deal with Drago. Opening the back door, he strolled out into the sunshine. The day was turning out to be a good day after all.

~ ~ ~

Jenna found it hard to concentrate at the office. The press kept calling, and some had even set up vigil outside the office. Picking up her briefcase, she loaded the current files into it. With David gone, her workload was going to double if it didn’t triple. Crime didn’t stop or take a vacation. She needed to prep for a domestic violence case in the morning, as well as a pending murder trial by the end of the month.

Sitting back down, she rubbed her right temple. The headaches were coming far more frequently. She needed to start running again, needed to go back to the gym. The stress of this job had always been tough, but she’d had ways of combating it. If she didn’t get back to that, her own emotional pain plus the stress of the job would pull her under. She picked up the phone and dialed Sarah.

“Yes, Miss James.”

“Call Grant Benson and tell him I’d like to see him.”

“Yes, Miss James.”

She hung up the phone and pulled the files out of her briefcase. David’s only dissatisfaction with her had been that she tried to do it all. She didn’t know how to delegate—something she needed to learn, and right then was as good a time as any to start. Grant was a good attorney—still young, but then so was she.

A knock sounded, and he poked his head through the door. “You wanted to see me, Miss James?”

She waved him in. “First of all, I’ll fire you if you ever call me Miss James again. And, yes, come in and close the door.”

Grant closed the door and took a seat across from her.

“How’s your workload?” Jenna asked.

Grant shrugged. “A few minor things involving a couple of juveniles. Nothing major.”

Jenna picked up the files and handed him the first case. “Good. There’s a domestic violence case in the morning. Could you handle it for me?”

He flipped through the file. “Looks pretty straightforward. Sure.”

She handed him the second file. “We also have the Carson murder trial at the end of the month. If I help you get ready, do you think you could handle that one too?”

His face lit up. “You bet. I’ll start getting prepared as soon as I clear my desk.”

Jenna smiled. She liked Grant, and he had a lot of potential. She could only hope she turned out to be half as good a trainer as David had been. Her voice turned serious. “David’s death left a lot of holes, Grant, here”—she waved her hand around the office—“and here.” She pointed to her heart. “It’s going to take me some time to get my bearings and pull things back together. I’ll probably make a lot of mistakes. I hope you’ll be patient with me, work with me, and keep this the best prosecuting office in the state of Texas.”

“Do I have your permission to tell you when you’re overloading your own calendar and hogging all the good cases?” he teased.

Jenna laughed. “With the exception of the Elkins case, and I still may need your help there, feel free to ask me for any case that comes through the front door.”

He stood up and stuck out his hand. “Clerking for you and David has been an honor. Your trusting me with this”—he held up the files—“means more than I can find the words to say. I won’t let you down.”

Jenna shook his hand. “I know you won’t, and I’m going to say the same thing to you David said to me five years ago. You can’t win them all. Even if every shred of evidence is in your favor, something will slip through the cracks. Don’t take it personally, and don’t ever hesitate to knock on my door if you need help.”

She watched him virtually rush through the office door, closing it softly behind him. Her lips lifted in a smile as she waited for the “whoop” she expected to hear once he thought he was out of sight and sound. She laughed aloud when it came, remembering her own elation when David had finally trusted her with an important case.

She glanced at the framed painting of David on the wall. Her picture would eventually replace it. She hoped that would take a long time. She liked the idea of his watching over her, just as he’d done for the past five years.