Ties That Bind (35 page)

“I want to assure you, especially now since things must be tough all around, that you’re still on the nomination ticket. The Bingham situation needs to be settled in your favor, of course. But when it is, I believe the appointment will go through.”

Under ordinary circumstances, he would have been elated. But the emotion just wasn’t there. However, the vote of confidence felt good. “Jane, thanks so much for calling to tell me this.”

“I thought you could use some good news.”

Reese hung up and turned to his computer. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Abbott and the call from Jane. He was shocked to feel apathy about assigning one of his cases to a younger man and giving him all the kudos that would accompany the outcome. And it surprised him to suspect, deep in his heart, that the judgeship carried little weight now. He could live without it.

Maybe it was just the yawning expanse of loss he felt about Emily.

But maybe not. Maybe his priorities were changing, just like he’d told Greg. He pictured his robust father leveled by the loss of Emily; he pictured Sofie’s face, Jason and Jimmy, and now Kate.

And Reese wondered if in death, life took on new meaning.

o0o

AT FOUR O’CLOCK, Kate sat on the bench in her courtroom and faced a man who was seeking custody of his children. This was a hearing to determine if the case would go forward to trial.

Kate focused on the petitioner’s lawyer. “All right, Mr. Clarke. Tell me why your client is here.”

The petitioner himself, an Edward Riker, spoke instead. “She’s a damned lesbian. She’s corrupting my girls.”

“Mr. Jones, please inform your client that sexual-orientation slurs will get him nowhere. And may harm his case.”

The lawyer spoke softly to his client.

“Go ahead, Mr. Clarke.”

“My client contends that his ex-wife’s lifestyle is unhealthy for his daughters.”

Kate checked the notes. “And his daughters are thirteen and fifteen?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“I don’t see any negative reports from CWA. They are in good health, doing well in school, no record of police intervention at the home.” She looked up, faking surprise. She knew exactly what was going on here. Bigotry. “What’s the problem?”

“My client is worried their mother’s lifestyle will rub off on them.” Even Kevin Clarke seemed embarrassed.

“Do the girls object to their mother’s lifestyle?”

“No, Your Honor.”

“Because she lets them get away with murder.” Again, Riker spoke out of turn.

“Are the daughters here?” Kate asked.

“No, Judge Renado, they’re in school.”

“First off, I need to speak with the girls.” Kate turned to the mother, a beautiful woman who looked a little like Princess Di. “Ms. Ackerman. Would you like to make a comment?”

“Yes, Your Honor. Our family is all female. My partner, Josie, has two girls, who also live with us. We all love each other and are getting along fine.”

“Oh, great. One big happy homo family.”

“Mr. Riker! I will not listen to this harassment.”

“She’s a pig!”

“Mr. Riker!”

“Makin’ my girls into dykes…”

“That’s it.” Kate pounded the gavel. “I want him in a cell for contempt.”

Riker bolted off his chair. “You can’t do this to me. She’s the one you should lock up.”

Again Kate used the gavel to shut him up. “And I’m fining you one hundred dollars.” She turned to the attorneys. “I’m ordering a CWA investigation into the matter, and I expect to speak to the girls ASAP. Ms. Ackerman, we’ll see you in…”

“Two weeks,” Portia said.

The guards dragged the man out kicking and screaming at Kate. Something about his diatribe was familiar. She was trying to place it, when Portia leaned over. “Hell. Just like that Buckman case five months ago.”

“Ah, yes. The Buckman case.” She pictured a large man. Remembered a gravelly voice. Something about the memory tugged at her. “Herbert Buckman didn’t get personal like this one though. He wasn’t happy, but he was mostly full of hot air.”

“No, Judge, he threatened you. You were leaving for your chambers, but we all heard it.”

“I didn’t hear it. Must be I was out of the courtroom by then.” She thought for a moment. “Oh, no, Portia. I didn’t put Buckman on my list of suspects when I was assaulted.”

“Oh, Lord. I’m so sorry. I honestly thought you heard it. We didn’t talk about it afterward, because we had an emergency right away. But I’m sure he threatened you.”

“What did he say?”

“Something along the lines of…he’d get you. When you least expected it.”

She drew in a breath to calm herself. “I need a recess to call the police.”

Kate rushed to her chambers and called the detective in charge of her case. It would go a long way to cheering her up if Buckman was found to be the one who assaulted her two weeks ago—and she wouldn’t need an escort to and from where she parked.

At the end of the workday, she got her wish. The police found Buckman, and because he was drunk, he admitted to the whole thing to them. Kate had put his son in protective custody because of his drinking and Buckman was striking out at her. His plan had been to rough her up enough to scare her. He’d succeeded.

She dialed Reese’s number right away.

“Bishop,” he said into the phone, sounding weary.

“Reese, it’s Kate.”

“It’s good to hear your voice.”

“I have some good news.”

“Really? I do, too.”

“You go first.”

He told her about the judgeship.

She told him about her attacker. “This means no more escorts needed to and from the parking garage.”

“I’m glad. But still be careful.”

“Maybe things are finally looking up,” she said.

“Maybe. With any luck Sanders will make some headway today, too.” A beep sounded. “Can you hold on a second? I’m afraid that’s the boys.”

She waited on the line until he came back.

“More good news. Sanders says that Warden Evans has the tape of visitors for the last few months. It took a while to find the ones where Bingham was videoed. She released it to him for us. He’s going to drive up and get it. We can watch it tomorrow night after the boys go to bed.”

“Wonderful.” She hesitated. “Um, what about tonight?”

He waited a beat. “What about it, Katie?” She loved the tease in his voice. Maybe “that boy” really could come back.

“I want to see you, hotshot.”

“I love hearing that. I’m swamped here though.”

“I’m done for the day. I’ll head home, and you can come over when you finish. I’ll cook.”

“Don’t cook. We’ll order out. Just like old times.”

And that, Kate thought, was the heart of the matter. Everything did indeed seem like old times.

o0o

FRIDAY NIGHT WAS the piéce de résistance. They sat in Reese’s family room in front of the TV. The boys were asleep—after an exhausting reunion with Reese and Kate, and a dinner where the fondness wore off and they got cranky. Reese had wrestled them into the shower, then to bed, and looked weary himself. Bill Bishop was in the den where he was sleeping on the pull-out couch.

They put in the videotape of A’s and B’s visits and watched it run. Chase Sanders had already seen it, and earmarked the spots that were important, so they got to see the men consecutively. He was excited, but wouldn’t tell them why. He said he needed their confirmation for what he thought he saw in the tapes.

Reese caught on quickly. “Arnie Anders has the same watch on as Bernie Benson.”

Clued in now, Kate looked for similarities. “And they’re the same height and build.”

By the time they’d seen all the tapes, one fact became clear.

Reese vocalized it. “Both men on the tapes are the same person. They’re in disguise—or at least one is, but I’d bet both are concealing their identities.”

Kate frowned. “How did they manage that?”

“They must have had fake ID’s,” Reese guessed.

“But why, Chase? Why would the same person disguise himself two different ways? Visits aren’t limited to how many times one person can go to the prison.”

Sanders said, “If we can answer that question, I think we’ll have solved this case.”

“Where do we go from here?” Reese shook his head. “I know this must be a breakthrough, but I don’t understand how.”

“Truthfully, I don’t, either. I’m going to take these tapes home and review them over the weekend. I suggest you scrutinize the journal again in that time also. We might have missed something.”

“Speaking of the journal, did you talk to Anita Ruiz, the prisoner who tangled with Bingham?”

“No she was in solitary confinement.”

Reese looked up sharply. “Interesting coincidence.”

“I thought so, too. I’ll go back up next week when she gets out. Meanwhile” —Sanders nodded to the TV— “this has to be real headway. We don’t know yet how it fits into the Bingham puzzle, but it has to. Be happy about this.”

Kate smiled at him. “We are.”

Reese showed Sanders out and returned to the family room. “That’s something, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what to make of it though.”

“We just have to have faith.”

She stared up at him.

“In everything, Katie.”

“All right. I’ll have faith.”

“Good, I will, too.”

A shout from upstairs in the boys’ room had them both running. It was probably a good thing, Reese thought, as he followed Kate up. Like he’d said yesterday, this was no time for promises.

JUST LIKE ONE big happy family, they walked into Westwood Lanes for an afternoon of bowling. The crack of balls hitting pins, the shouts of good play, and the buzz of machinery resonated around them. Reese hung on to Jason’s hand, Kate to Jimmy’s; Pa had his arm around Sofie, who’d surprised them by taking the train home for the weekend. As it was early May, she only had a few weeks of school left.

Kate smiled over at Reese. He smiled back. They were being very careful about physical contact, about these kinds of intimate glances. They had to be circumspect so Pa, the boys and Sofie wouldn’t expect too much. But it was hard for Kate not to touch Reese. Not only were they still dealing with their own unsorted emotions for each other, but since Jimmy and Jason arrived yesterday, they’d been a handful. Pa was at his wit’s end. Reese’s suggestion to get everybody out of the house today seemed good at the time.

“I don’t wanna bowl,” Jimmy whined, shrugging off Kate’s grasp.

“Oh, sweetie, at home, you said you did.” Kate was unsure of how much to push and be firm, or whether she should just be patient and let the boys act out.

“Jimmy’s not bowling?” Sofie turned back and feigned shock. “Then I won’t have a partner.” She gave him what Reese used to call his daughter’s you’re dead meat look.

“ ’Kay. I will,” Jimmy said.

Sofie grabbed his hand and Jason’s and said to the others, “Beat you to lane fifteen.” Together, the three of them loped down the alley.

Kate moved in closer to Reese and, since no one was watching them, touched his forearm. It was bare, as he wore an oversize check shirt with black jeans. She was dressed casually, too, in a white blouse and capri jeans. “Another disaster averted.”

“They’re cranky because they didn’t get enough sleep.” Reese looked worn, too. “I finally let them come into my room and lie down with me at about three. I forgot how much work kids were.”

Pa slowed his steps and walked with them. “They’re gonna live with you, son, you best get used to it.”

“He will, Pa,” Kate told her ex-father-in-law. “It’s just going to take adjustment.”

“I wish school was done.” Bill Bishop gave them a defeated look. “I think they’re better with you two than they are with me or the Gates.”

“I can get a tutor,” Reese offered as they neared the lanes designated for their use. Sofie and the boys were off to the side of the alley picking out balls.

Pa shook his head, frowning. “No. The original plan’s best. The Gates deserve their time with the boys. Besides, I don’t know what I’m going to do when they leave North Falls.” His voice cracked and he glanced away.

Reese stopped short and watched his father. “I do.”

His face ragged, Pa looked at Reese. Kate’s heart broke at the sight of the man’s suffering. He was totally lost.

“You know what I’m going to do?” he asked his son.

“Uh-huh. You’re coming to Westwood with them, Pa.”

“What?”

“You’re going to live with us. Permanently.”

“Nonsense. I got a life in North Falls. Friends. A house.”

“You can go visit your friends anytime you want. You can sell your house. You belong with us, Pa. And I need you here.”

“You do?” The older man’s tone was so hopeful, Kate’s eyes misted.

“I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. Family should be together.” His glance to Kate was meaningful. “It’s how you survive the bad times.”

“I guess I wouldn’t mind.” Pa’s brightened expression told Kate that was an understatement. “That couch in the den’s okay.”

Reese grinned, his own expression lightening. “I think we can do better than that. We’ll iron out the details later.”

Pa gave Reese a huge hug. “Can’t tell you how much this means to me, son.”

“I want this, too.”

“Can I tell the boys?” he asked, like a little kid himself.

“Go ahead.”

When Pa drew back, he slid an arm around Kate and hugged her close. “Don’t this beat all, Kate?”

She had trouble speaking past the lump in her throat. “It does.”

Pa hurried ahead. Reese started after him, but Kate remained rooted to the spot. “What’s wrong?” Reese asked when he realized she’d stilled.

She shook her head.

“Don’t you think I should have done that?” His face blanked. “Oh, shit, should I have asked you first? In case we get back…ah, Kate, I’m not thinking right.”

“You’re thinking just fine.”

“Then what are you…?” His expression turned curious. “You’re looking at me the way you used to when we were young.”

“That’s because I’m thinking what a good man you are. Somehow I lost sight of that. I want you to know, Reese Bishop, if there was any doubt in my mind that I was still in love with you, it’s all gone now.”

He crossed to her, blocking the view of the rest of the family. He locked his hand at her neck and kissed her head. “Me, too, baby. These last few days have made me sure about how I feel, too.”