Only By Moonlight (8 page)

“Sure. I was just asking,” Josh replied and
sat back in his chair. He avoided the stony look from his boss.
“So, any clues from his childhood with Orin Young?”

“Manny was abused physically and emotionally
by his father,” LaShaun replied carefully.

Josh flipped open a soft leather briefcase
and took out a folder. “Ethan Young disappeared years ago. He had
an arrest history, mostly drugs. But he did have a couple of simple
battery charges.”

“Orin Young was just as vicious to his family
as he was to the strangers he killed,” LaShaun said with force. Her
rage at the agony one man inflicted flooded her veins like fire.
She slapped the surface of the table.

“Damn,” Josh mumbled and blinked at his
boss.

“Look, we’re pretty sure Manny’s legal team
is going to say he was abused. They’re more than likely also going
to say he was controlled by his grandfather and his father,”
Hazelton said.

Josh glanced at his smart phone. “We’ve got
about five minutes left of this break.”

“Did Manny mention his grandfather or his
father leading him to become a killer? Was Orin or Ethan Young with
Manny when he killed any victims?” Hazelton said, getting to the
point.

LaShaun glanced at Chase and then back at
Hazelton. “Manny never mentioned them being together.”

“Which doesn’t mean they weren’t,” Hazelton
answered and stared at her hard as though willing her to remember
more.

LaShaun shook her head. “But he didn’t talk
to me about the murders.”

“Okay then. That’s good.” Hazelton stood and
smoothed down his dark green silk tie. He buttoned the deep blue
jacket of his suit and nodded to his assistant. Josh rose and
hastily stuffed the folder back into his briefcase. Chase and
LaShaun stood as well.

LaShaun looked at Hazelton in surprise.
“Really?”

“Yeah. Manny’s lawyers are probably hoping
you can tell a gruesome tale of how Orin forced his poor grandson
to witness a bloodbath,” Chase answered for the two
prosecutors.

“Deputy Broussard has been down this road
before,” Hazelton said with a tight smile.

“Nothing pisses me off more than the ‘Poor
me’ defense,” Chase grumbled.

“Manny’s sister told me Ethan and Orin beat
him when he was a kid. He suffered psychological abuse as well.”
LaShaun stopped short of saying how learning he was a product of
incest had twisted Manny’s mind even more.

“More reason he needs to stay locked up. That
makes him less likely to respond to short-term therapy,” Josh put
in.

“Which makes him a threat to public safety;
that fact along with the physical evidence linking him to the
murders means the jury got it right the first time. The death
penalty was made for guys like Emanuel Young,” Hazelton said.

“Sounds like you’ve got your closing argument
half-way finished,” Chase said with a half grin.

“Just about,” Hazelton answered. “Judge
Barrow is known to lean toward extenuating circumstances and the
bad childhood argument.”

“Crap, Patricia Barrow is your judge?” Chase
rubbed his forehead.

“What’s wrong?” LaShaun asked and tapped
Chase’s arm.

“Judge Patricia Barrow isn’t exactly a fan of
law enforcement procedures. She views some of our routine practices
as going over the line to trap suspects.” Chase scowled as he
spoke.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Josh said. “Judge
Barrow has handed down her share of convictions in bench
trials.”

“Mostly in trials of misdemeanor cases
though. She also thinks the system is stacked against minority
defendants.” Hazelton shook his head.

“I happen to agree with her,” LaShaun said
more sharply than she probably should have. “And more than a few
studies back that up.” The three men grew quiet for several
seconds. A knock on the door broke the silence.

A court deputy stuck his head in the door.
“Court is about to be called back in session, guys.”

“Thanks.” Hazelton nodded at him. “Well, the
issue of bias on the basis of race won’t come up with Manny anyway.
That’s something. Look, Ms. Rousselle, I realize you came to feel a
certain empathy with his family, maybe even for him.”

“I know exactly who and what Manny is, Mr.
Hazelton.” LaShaun spoke calmly as they walked out of the old court
building and toward the more modern version. “He needs to stay in a
secure setting for a long, long time.”

“LaShaun doesn’t have any ammunition that’s
going to blow apart the case against Manny,” Chase said.

“What about you, Deputy Broussard?” Hazelton
shot back. “You were at those interviews, and you brought in Orin
Young.”

“And the rest of his gang, too,” Josh added
with a serious expression on his fresh, young face.

Chase grunted. “His lawyers sure as hell
won’t get any traction from anything I have to say. Manny may be
nuts, but he knew exactly what he was doing; same goes for his
granddaddy. They killed because they liked it. Nothing supernatural
about that.”

They reached the entrance to the courthouse.
Another court deputy checked LaShaun’s purse. He also made sure
Chase wasn’t carrying his service hand gun before he let them go to
Court Room B. More than three dozen spectators were seated on the
two rows of long wooden benches. LaShaun guessed at least a third
of those were reporters. Hazelton and his assistant strode down the
center aisle and took their places at a table. The court officials
were separated from the audience section by a three-foot-tall solid
wood gate with little swinging doors at both ends. A tall man with
jet black hair stood talking to a woman.

“That’s Neal Montgomery.” Chase was about to
go on when he let out a hiss. “Oh hell, look who’s here.”

James Schaffer waved to LaShaun when she
glanced around. She ignored him and went back to studying Neal
Montgomery. He stood at least six feet tall. His skin had the olive
tone that implied he had Italian ancestry mixed in with the Irish,
but it was his intense violet blue eyes that made Montgomery stand
out. Suddenly, he turned from talking to the woman next to him. He
gazed directly at LaShaun without looking around at anyone else. He
smiled and nodded a greeting to her as though they’d met. LaShaun’s
heart beat fast. Something was wrong.

“You know the guy?” Chase asked with a
frown.

“Never met him before,” LaShaun said.

“Well I already don’t like him,” Chase
muttered and stared back at Montgomery. The tall man gave a nod and
went back to his conversation. “What the hell was that about?”

“I have a feeling Mr. Montgomery knows all
about us right down to the size of our shoes,” LaShaun
whispered.

The police officer on duty pointed them to a
bench close to the front that had space that he’d reserved, right
behind the prosecution table. “Y’all come up to this front bench.
How you doin’, Sheriff Broussard?”

Chase gave him a collegial clap on the
shoulder. “Not yet, but keep a good thought on that, Danny. This is
my fiancée.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” The man gave a
respectful nod then went back to his duties. He studied the
audience before going back to stand against the wall to the right
of the judge’s bench.

LaShaun sat next to Chase. She waited to see
if Montgomery would look at her again. She intended to do her own
research about the striking man. He gave off a different kind of
aura than she’d expected. Yet LaShaun couldn’t quite put her finger
on what it was or why it felt so odd.

Chase leaned close and spoke softly. “You got
a funny feeling about Manny’s lawyer. I can tell.”

“Yes, but...” LaShaun sighed. “Maybe it’s
nothing. Some people are so strong-willed they affect me that way.
It doesn’t happen often though.”

“So did I knock you back a few steps?” Chase
grinned at her.

“Yes, you did, Deputy Broussard. And in a
very good way,” LaShaun quipped with a grin. Before she or Chase
could continue flirting, the bailiff’s voice broke in.

“All rise. Court is now in session. The
Honorable Patricia Robertson Barrow,” Danny boomed.

“Thank you, officer. You may be seated,”
Judge Barrow said without looking at the audience after she sat
down. “Mr. Montgomery, the court has taken your request for a new
trial into consideration. I find no evidence to suggest the first
conviction would have been different had the jury known about Mr.
Young’s history of childhood abuse. Further, none of the facts
surrounding the investigation of his grandfather’s crimes show
evidence that Orin Young committed these crimes. Therefore, your
request for a new trial is denied.”

“Yes!” Josh blurted out. He winced when the
judge glared at him.

“Your honor, we wanted to question a witness.
Ms. Rousselle might have shed some light on the entire facts
surrounding the murders Mr. Young’s grandfather is alleged to have
committed. At the very least he seems to have instigated them.
Those would constitute mitigating circumstances that might change
his death sentence, or support the need for a new trial.”

“Mr. Montgomery, I read your arguments and
your petition. According to the records, Mr. Emanuel Young never
implicated his grandfather. Mr. Orin Young never confessed to the
earlier string of murders. Request for a new trial denied,” Judge
Barrow spoke sharply as though her patience was being sorely
tested. She banged her gavel as a symbolic and emphatic end to
Montgomery’s attempts to debate.

The audience in the courtroom set up a
growing buzz of conversation. The officer on duty firmly invited
people to find the nearest exit or keep quiet. His expression
clearly communicated he’d help them find the doors if they didn’t
comply. Chase gave him a wave. He and LaShaun followed the two
prosecutors out through a side door and into a side hallway.

“Put one in the win column for the good
guys,” Chase said and gave a sigh of relief.

Hazelton tucked a large expanding folder
under his right arm. “Judge Barrow surprised me.”

“Surprised? I about broke my jaw when it hit
the floor,” Josh put in.

“I’m just happy LaShaun didn’t have to
testify,” Chase said. His relaxed smile was back.

LaShaun started to answer him when Montgomery
pushed through the doors. His female colleague came right behind
him. She had dark red hair that contrasted with her strikingly pale
skin. She followed Montgomery’s gaze and studied LaShaun. The woman
nodded at LaShaun before they strode off, hand in hand. Both seemed
to say they would meet again on their terms.

“This issue isn’t over,” LaShaun said, her
voice cutting off the conversation between Chase and the two
men.

“Sure. It’s routine for lawyers to file an
appeal, but we have a solid argument, especially if even liberal
Judge Barrow didn’t buy their attempt at a new trial,” Hazelton
replied with confidence.

“Yes, and the important thing is Manny will
stay locked up for years while they fight a losing battle,” Josh
added.

“Even more good news,” Chase said. Still he
glanced at LaShaun. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

LaShaun watched the handsome couple stride
down the hallway and turn a corner. Both left behind traces of
their strong auras, two powerful personalities not easily
discouraged from a path once chosen. Their efforts on Manny’s
behalf weren’t over. LaShaun somehow sensed that it went beyond the
court case.

“This isn’t over,” she repeated softly.

Chapter 5

Two days later, LaShaun sat in the den off
her large kitchen enjoying a second cup of strong Louisiana coffee.
In her lap was a book of legends, but the morning news had
distracted her. The election campaign had turned hectic. Between
his duties as a chief investigator and visiting with civic groups,
LaShaun had not seen Chase since they’d been in court. All she’d
had of his time were a few telephone conversations and one video
chat. For a mostly rural parish with a relatively small population,
folks in Vermilion Parish seemed up to a lot of no-good deeds
lately. LaShaun tried not to believe there was more to it than the
usual rowdy, randy and stupid human nature.

Chase’s opponent hardly let a chance slip by
to mention the latest crime wave, and hint that a lack of proper
leadership was the problem. Dave Godchaux was giving an interview
to the leggy blonde host of a local television morning show. This
was his third appearance in the last five months. Supposedly,
Godchaux was there to talk about a Knights of Columbus pancake
breakfast fundraiser. LaShaun frowned at the TV screen when good
old Dave talked about the importance of good family values.

“We believe that our program to mentor young
men has an affect not only on their lives, but on the lives of
others. We save one young man, and quite possibly we save someone
from becoming the victim of a crime.”

“So true, Deputy Godchaux,” the host said.
Then she beamed at the camera. “Once again, the breakfast will be
held on March 22nd at the Our Lady of Lourdes Recreational Center.
For information on tickets call the number on our screen.”

“That’s right, folks. Come out and help us
help our community,” Dave intoned. He gave off the right mixture of
caring and determination to do good works.

“On to a less pleasant topic, tell us about
the crime statistics in Vermilion Parish. I hear that we’ve had a
slight decrease in burglaries, but a sharp increase in murders.”
The blonde tried to look like a tough journalist and failed. Maybe
it was because she spent most of her time interviewing garden club
members about roses and giggling over cute pet videos.

Dave’s expression grew somber. “Sadly we’ve
experienced a string of brutal crimes. The good people of this
parish can rest assured that your Sheriff’s Department is ready to
respond and protect our citizens. We could use more resources,
which is why I’ve helped our legislative delegation draft several
bills that help tighten certain laws.”