Dying for the Truth (A Rockcrest Cove Cozy Mystery Book 4) (8 page)

“We’ll be ready,” Eleanor assured her.

The small band finally dispersed except for Phil. “Aren’t you leaving too?”

“Of course,” he said. “But I thought I would stay behind just to help you with the cleanup.”

“Forget the cleanup. How about a cup of coffee and some of your eggshell cupcakes,” she teased.

“Were they that bad?”

“I’m just saying,” she teased as she headed toward the kitchen with Phil following close behind.

The rest of the evening was spent sitting on the front porch pointing out the stars in the sky. Maddie was quite impressed with Phil’s knowledge of astronomy.

“Well, who ever heard of a Navy man that couldn’t navigate by the stars.”

They laughed together until the wee hours of the morning.

Phil looked over and glanced at the clock. “I guess I’d better be getting back to the hotel,” he said reluctantly.

Maddie gave him a genuine smile and watched him stand up and stand there as if he didn’t know what to do next. She slid off her seat as well and went to join him. “I know. It’s been a wonderful evening,” she said.

Phil slipped his arms around her waist and they walked out to the edge of the porch together. “I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” she agreed.

They stood together silently before looking at each other. She could sense the faint hint of his cologne mixed in with the flour, butter, and other bakery smells, and she smiled to herself as she leaned into him.

Phil slowly leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers, smiled a little too cheekily, and walked away.

Maddie watched as he walked down the street toward the main road and then was gone. She felt a little like a schoolgirl and a little more human. It had been a nice day and the first time in many years since she had allowed herself to relax and really enjoy the life she had built up for herself. She couldn’t help but smile and as she walked back into her house. She believed she had turned the corner and had become an entirely new person.

Chapter Seven

The morning of the trial started out well enough. The sun rose unusually early for Maddie’s taste, and there was a buzz of activity everywhere she went. Sleep did not come well the night before, and as the day continued to progress it had become increasingly difficult for her to concentrate on the tasks at hand.

Now that the day had finally arrived, she found that her nerves were getting the best of her. Kyle was extremely concerned about her state of mind and knew that she needed to relax a bit before the trial, so he suggested that they all meet at the local diner for breakfast.

They all arrived early at the diner, which was walking distance to the courthouse so that they wouldn’t have to rush through their meal. Court was to convene at ten, so a seven-thirty breakfast meant they could relax and enjoy their meal together.

Even though Maddie was stressed, it was a relief to find all of the most important people in her life there to support her.

As they sat around the table enjoying their meal, she couldn’t help but think of how lucky she really was.

“Don’t forget, Maddie. No matter what the prosecution says, keep your cool. They just want to get you upset so they can tarnish your image as a reputable person. Don’t give them that satisfaction.”

“That’s right,” Eleanor joined in. “You’ve got this, honey.”

“Just be yourself, and everything will work out fine.”

Their assurances were just what she needed. She had solved several cases in the past, but she had never been expected to testify in court before. She was embarking on entirely new territory. Although in her heart of hearts she felt that she was able to handle it, there was still just a bit of lingering anxiety because of it.

The sun was strong as they left the diner on their way to the courthouse. Phil had wanted to get there early so that they could find seats that would be close to Maddie. He felt strongly that being visible would be key to her keeping her composure.

By now, Maddie was completely relaxed and ready for the events to follow. In fact, she thought to herself, it was high time that this would be over. Walking down the street to the courthouse, she was surprised at how many people were standing around at that hour. She had figured that many of them would be at work or off taking care of other responsibilities.

“Good luck, Maddie,” a lady said to her as she walked passed.

“Who was that?” Maddie whispered to Bailey when they were out of earshot.”

“I don’t know,” Bailey said with a shrug of her shoulders.

A few steps farther and an elderly man came up to her. “You go get ’em girl,” he said with a shake of his fist.

Then another woman said, “Way to go Maddie.”

Before long, it became clear that many in the community had turned out to support her as she testified in the case. The closer they got to the courthouse, the more people she found that had words of encouragement for her. But once inside the courthouse there was a completely different vibe.

The first person she saw when she passed through the security doors was Chief Connors. The man was evidently still angered by her discovery of the real murderer, and his eyes told Maddie that there was no love lost between them.

“If looks could kill,” she leaned over and whispered to Bailey. The man’s eyes were cold, harsh, and cutting. His face seemed to have been set in stone with grim lines of determination creasing his forehead. Even the veins in his throat seemed to be pulsating at the sight of her.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kyle whispered to her. “He’s just trying to get you upset. Don’t give him that opportunity.”

However, it was Bailey that was on the verge of losing her composure when it came to Connors. She watched from the corner of the wide hallway as the man threw dagger eyes at her and became infuriated. It took all she had in her to keep from exploding and telling him off.

But it was Phil and Eleanor who stepped in to diffuse the growing situation. “Don’t lose your cool,” Phil whispered. “It may not go well for your gran,” he whispered. That was all she needed to hear to calm her growing spirit. Eleanor gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then opened the door to the courtroom.

The courtroom seemed much bigger than Maddie would have thought. Having never seen the inside of one before, it was difficult for her to gauge how big it should be. But considering the small population of Rockcrest, it was hard to believe that they had that much illegal activity going on in the community.

The judge’s bench stood on a high pedestal in the front center of the room. Its cherry-wood finish was matched perfectly to the witness stand to the right of the judge. The jury bench was fitted with around fifteen swivel chairs lined with beautiful leather that made Maddie wish she could have sat there rather than on the hard benches that were set aside for the defense and the prosecution.

She was again surprised to find that so many people were already inside. As she walked to the section set aside for witnesses, she noticed that people from the viewing section were giving her the thumbs up. So moved by the show of support from total strangers, she found herself choking back tears from her eyes.

Maddie sat behind the prosecutor’s table and watched as Michael came in escorted by two officers, one on either side of him. He had a look of resignation on his face, and when his eyes locked with Maddie’s, there was a combination of apology and scorn at the same time. She wondered how sorry he would have felt if he had allowed her to go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit.

The case moved swiftly, with the defense’s opening argument detailing Michael’s many contributions to society and how his business had helped so many over the years. They were apparently building his case based on his character rather than denying his guilt. Throughout the entire affair it was difficult for Maddie not to stare at the man who had pretended to be her friend but then held her at gunpoint and was willing to see her go to jail for the rest of her life for something she hadn’t done. Her body tensed up at the thought of it.

They next called Chief Connors, who bumbled the entire testimony. He had few if any details of the actual crime scene, nor did he have anything concrete to contribute. It seemed that he simply wanted the court to believe him based on his word alone. When his testimony was finished, the judge merely mumbled that maybe it was time for some new blood in office.

Finally, it was time for her to take the stand. Her hands shook just a little bit as she stood to take her oath, but not enough for anyone to notice. Even she was surprised by the strength of her voice as she said, “I do.”

“You may be seated.”

The defense attorney was younger than Maddie would have imagined. He walked up to the witness stand where she was standing and looked her up and down as if to assess a potential enemy.

“Ms. McDougal. Can you please tell us your occupation?”

“I own a bakery and catering business in the western part of town.”

“I see. And how long have you been in this business?”

“By now, it has been fifteen years since I opened my business.”

“And is business doing well for you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s very good considering the tight economic conditions of the times.”

“Yes. I’d have to say that I’ve been lucky.”

The young man stood there and watched her carefully.

“How did you know Evan Foster?” he asked, circling around to the point he was trying to make.

Maddie knew at once where he was going, but Kyle and Eleanor had prepared her well. “I’ve known Evan for nearly twenty years now. We went to culinary school together.”

“Would you consider yourself friends?”

“Yes.”

“And was it friendship that brought you to his bakery the morning of his death?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Your honor, I’d like to present into evidence this video of Ms. McDougal outside of Evan’s bakery on the morning of his death.” The camera had already been set up, so it was no surprise to the judge, a woman about the same age as Madeline.

“So accepted,” she answered with formality.

The courtroom went dark, and an image of Madeline outside the bakery with a box of cupcakes in her hand came up. The image was silent with no volume recorded, so everyone could only watch what appeared to be an irate woman, furious that she couldn’t get in to see someone in the bakery.

“Ms. McDougal, do you expect us to believe that you were making a friendly call on that particular day?”

“Yes, I do,” she answered.

“But you appear to be upset about something.”

“Yes, I was because …”

“Your honor, would you please instruct the witness to answer only with yes or no. The court doesn’t need to have an editorial.”

“Please answer with a yes or no question, Ms. McDougal.”

“Yes, your honor.”

“Is that how you treat your friends?”

“No.”

“So, then you’re saying the Evan was not your friend?”

“No.”

The attorney made a mock expression of confusion on his face. “I’m not understanding you. Was Evan your friend or not?”

Maddie was completely silent. She said nothing.

“I’m sorry, Ms. McDougal. Was he your friend or not?”

Again Maddie said nothing.

“Your honor, would you please instruct the client to answer my question?”

“The witness will answer the question.”

“I’m sorry, your honor, but which should I do?”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Just before you instructed me to answer only yes or no. But that is not a yes or no question. It’s impossible to answer.”

A burst of laughter spread through the courtroom, and Michael’s defense attorney’s face turned a nice, deep beet red color. The rest of her testimony was very similar. He questioned her about the rivalry between the three friends, Emma’s death outside of her shop, and the fact that both Evan and Emma had been stealing from her. Through it all, Maddie had kept her composure at every turn.

When it was time for cross-examination, Kyle made sure that Maddie had an opportunity to give her editorial and explain her actions on the video and how she figured out it was Michael that had been the real killer. She was even given a little time to point out how she had tried to talk to Connors about her suspicions but was shut down.

Connors glared at her from across the room. She got the sneaky suspicion that if he’d had the chance he’d have killed her himself. Finally, after almost a full day on the stand, she was excused and it was all over for her. But there still remained the need for the prosecution to explain how it had happened. As a baker, Maddie had been very useful in explaining how the poison had gotten into her cupcakes, so Kyle knew exactly how to direct his questions.

“The state calls up Michael Hale to the stand.”

Michael was allowed to be released from his chains for the duration of the testimony, so everyone had to wait while they removed his shackles from his hands and feet. After he was sworn in, he took the stand.

“State your full name for the record.”

“Michael Anthony Hale.”

“Mr. Hale, can you please explain what transpired on the morning in question.”

“I was visiting Mr. Foster at his bakery to discuss a business matter.”