Taken by Tuesday

Chapter Twenty



   The plain white walls inside a prison cell did a wonderful job of giving those inside the opportunity to concentrate on their inner thoughts. Rick supposed if he were actually guilty of any crime, being alone with his thoughts would be painful. All Rick could think about was Judy. She was out there and he was in jail unable to get to her if something happened. He trusted Neil to watch over her, keep her safe, but no one was more invested in keeping her safe than him.

Rick met Joe Rodden in a secluded room the next morning. The lawyer dressed as a high-paid attorney should. His three-piece suit and impeccably groomed beard, peppered with a little gray, screamed confidence. They shook hands and settled behind the table.
     



“How is Judy?”

Joe lifted his eyebrow as he pulled a notebook from his briefcase. “She’s fine. Neil asked me to relay that she’s under twenty-four-hour personal protection.”

He already knew that . . . but hearing it again helped him breathe easier.

“How are you holding up?”

“Beats the desert in the Middle East.”

Joe tapped his pen and sat back. “Let’s jump right in, shall we?”

“I want out of here.”

“I’m sure you do. I’m going to make that happen as soon as we can get in front of a judge for an arraignment.”

“Monday?”

“Unfortunately.”

Two more nights.

“Do you understand the charges?” Joe asked.

“Yeah.” Assault, attempted murder with special circumstances.

Joe didn’t miss a beat. “Did you do it?”

Rick met the man’s eyes. “No!”

“I had to ask.” He sat forward to get to work, but Rick couldn’t tell if the attorney believed him or not. “So let’s go over the timeline on the day of the attack.”

Rick detailed out everything he remembered up to the point of walking into the hospital and finding Judy with the shit beat out of her. Joe asked about the military, his discharge. When he asked about Colorado and Mickey’s death, Rick paused. “You’ll have to ask the Marines about that. It’s classified.”

“I thought you said you’ve been out of active duty for seven years.”

“I have. Two years ago, all that changed for a brief time. Once a Marine, always a Marine and all that.”

“A man was killed.”

“Yes.”

“Shot in the back.”

Rick laid a hand on his thigh, remembering the pain of recovery after Mickey nearly killed him. Saw Mickey’s gun swaying toward Neil. He took the shot. “Not everything is as it seems.”

“Everything you tell me is confidential.”

“I’m more concerned with the long arm of the Marines than I am about confidentiality with an attorney. No offense, but I’ve known you for less than an hour. If the DA thinks they can use what happened in Colorado against me, they better be prepared for the USMC to shut that argument down.”

“Before we go to trial, if we go to trial, the DA will disclose everything they plan on using against you. My job is to counter every argument and to do that I need the facts.”

“If the DA brings up Colorado, I’ll give you the name of my superiors on the inside.”

“Fair enough.”

A knock sounded on the door. “The police have more questions. I suggest we let them ask so that I can start working on your ticket out of here.” Joe explained how he wanted Rick to wait for his approval before answering any questions. To keep his answers to as few words as possible.

Raskin and Perozo started with some of the same questions they had before. Where was he when . . . what time did he leave to pick Judy up for their date. Did he know that no one at the flower shop could identify him?

At one point Joe stopped the questions with one of his own. “It doesn’t sound like you have enough probable cause for an arrest, gentlemen.”

“Hold that thought, Counselor.”

“How long have you had a tracking device on Judy’s car?”

Rick glanced at his attorney. When he nodded, Rick answered. “Shortly after she moved here from Seattle.”

“Why?”

“I take her security seriously. Michael Wolfe’s fans have snuck on his property, tried to get close to those around him. As his sister living in his house, I thought it was best to keep close tabs on where she was.”

Raskin didn’t appear convinced. “Does Judy know about the tap?”

Rick held his answer.

Perozo tapped the side of the table with his toe.

“Not that I know of.”

“Why keep it from her?”

“Don’t answer that,” Joe said.

Rick wasn’t sure he could without sounding exactly like these guys wanted him to sound.

“You met Judy a year ago?”

“That’s right.”

“You’ve been keeping tabs on her ever since?”

“I’m head of her brother’s security, it isn’t uncommon of me to watch over all his family from time to time.”

“But Judy lived in Seattle.”

“So?”

Perozo tapped obsessively. “Michael has another younger sister, right?”

“Hannah,” Rick told them.

“And where does Hannah go to school?”

“I have no idea.”

“You knew where Judy went to school . . . knew where she lived.”

Ahh, he saw where this was headed now. “It isn’t a secret that Judy and I have an attraction. Yes, I’m head of her security, her brother’s when he’s in town. I kept track of where she lived so I could encourage her to move if she ended up in a bad neighborhood.”

“Did she know you kept track of her?”

Rick glanced Joe.

“Don’t answer that.”

The detectives smirked at each other and it pissed Rick off.

“Let’s speed up the clock a little. Where did you go after you dropped Judy off at work yesterday?”

“Don’t answer that,” Joe said before Rick could open his mouth.

“Why?” Rick couldn’t be more confused about the question or his need to not answer it.

Joe shook his head.

“How many cameras are in this room right now?” Raskin asked before glancing around the stark room.

Rick looked around and then took a peek under the table. “Six.”

“You’re good,” Perozo said.

“Keeping people safe is what I do.”

The questions dried up and Joe requested a private room a second time.

Once alone, Rick asked, “Why did they ask me about yesterday?”

Joe brought out another stack of papers and proceeded to tap them on the desk. “Another young woman was attacked a few blocks away from Judy’s building. Only she wasn’t as lucky as Judy.”

The hair on Rick’s arms stood on end. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” Another woman was attacked? And Judy is out there.

“Because as of right now they aren’t charging you with anything in regards to the second crime. Your reaction to their question wouldn’t have been the same if you knew it was coming. You obviously had no idea what prompted the question.”

“I don’t give a crap about that. This girl, did she look like Judy? Work with architects?”

“I don’t have those answers yet.”

Rick rubbed both hands over his face, scratched the stubble he would normally shave away every morning. “I’ve got to get out of here. This guy is going to come back. I can’t keep her safe if I’m in here.”

“Relax, Rick.”

“Relax? Have you ever had someone attack someone you cared about, Joe?”

Rick stood and started to pace.

“Listen, in regards to the assault case, it sounds like all they have is circumstantial evidence and Judy’s testimony. If she started answering questions about not knowing you bugged her car or kept track of her when she lived in Seattle, it can be damning enough to move the trial forward. There shouldn’t be any trouble getting the judge to grant bail, but chances are he’ll tell you to stay away from Judy.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Joe shrugged. “Which might convince the judge to deny bail. Especially in light of the new attack.”
     



“You have to be f*cking kidding me.” How the hell was this happening? He pushed both his hands against the wall and considered hitting his head to see if everything happening was just a nightmare and the jolt would wake him up.

“There is another route we can use to convince the judge that the DA doesn’t have enough evidence to hold you.”

Rick looked over his shoulder.

Joe took a deep breath and spread the papers out in front of him. “Spouses are not mandated to testify in any trial their husband or wife might be a defendant in. Right now Judy’s pending testimony on the attack is the only real evidence the DA is going on.”

Rick tilted his head. “Judy and I are dating, not married.”

“I’m aware of that. A simple signature changes that, however.” Joe tapped the paper in front of him with a ready pen. “If a judge understands there will never be testimony from your wife against you, he can’t deny bail. Only your wife can ask for a restraining order and the court won’t keep you away from each other.”

The information was trickling into Rick’s brain slowly. “What about the murder?”

“The police will question you on your whereabouts at the time of the murder and scramble to deny you have an alibi. A lack of an alibi isn’t evidence that you committed the crime, or probable cause to hold you. They’re going to have to work a whole lot harder to pin this on you without Judy’s testimony. I’m not saying they won’t try, but it won’t be easy.”

“I didn’t attack Judy, and I didn’t murder any woman.”

“Clearing your name will be a lot easier out of here than in.”

Rick took a step toward the table, glanced at the paper in front of Joe.

Certificate of Marriage.

Joe twisted it around to let him look at it.

His name was there next to Judy’s. When his vision focused on Judy’s signature, some of the anger inside him simply blew away.

“This was Judy’s idea.”

Rick glanced up from the paper. “Really?”

Joe smoothed down the hair on his chin and lifted one corner of his mouth. It was the only smile he’d seen on the man since they’d met. “Brilliant, really. I’d encourage her to study law if she hadn’t just gotten her degree.”

Rick sat and stared at the certificate, traced his finger over her signature.

“Kimberly, my colleague representing Judy, asked that I give you a message.”

His pixie was willing to marry him just to keep him out of jail. He wasn’t sure anyone ever displayed that kind of trust in him. “What message is that?”

“Judy asked that I mention Karen and Mike, and said you could work out concerns later. She said you’d understand.”

He smiled. His smart, resourceful girl . . . “All I have to do is sign here and we’re married?”

“Legally.”

“She doesn’t even have to be here?”

“Sad, but no. Lawyers have solicited signatures for legal marriages for hundreds of years. You sign this and you’re married with all the laws that protect you with that union  .”

“And Judy . . .”

“She’s half married already. Just needs you to seal the deal.”

To think, less than a month ago he was happily pestering her to go out with him, and here he was adding his signature to a piece of paper making Judy his wife.

He traced his name after he added his signature. Too easy . . .

“Can you get a message to Neil?”

“Of course.”

“Tell him to keep my wife safe.”



“Dad is going to be pissed.”

Judy stared at her brother and laughed. “What else is new? He can be pissed all he wants, it isn’t going to change anything.”

“But marriage?” Karen asked.

It was an intervention, only they were too late. Judy had the copy of the marriage certificate and Rick’s signature was on it.

“This question from you, Karen?”

Karen glanced at Zach. “She has me there.”

“Exactly.”

Zach wasn’t as easy. “There had to be another way.”

“Maybe there was, but this was the easiest and fastest. Rick will be out tomorrow, and not worrying about him going back to jail will afford us time to find the real criminal.”

“Since when are you part of the police department?” Zach asked.

“The police aren’t looking for anyone, they think they have him. And I’m damn tired of having a chaperone every minute of every day.” It was Sunday, and she’d been under a self-imposed house arrest with either Russell, Dennis, or Neil close by every hour since Rick had been taken away. “I can’t live like this.”

“How is it you’re going to find this guy?”

Judy stared at her brother. “I’m not. He’s going to find me.”

“The hell!”

“Oh, don’t go there. I’m not going to try to attract him. I’m not stupid. I just know he’ll be back. Last night I remembered his last words before he knocked me out. ‘Next time’ . . . he said ‘next time.’ Only next time I won’t be so alone or unprepared for him.”

Zach rested a hand over hers. “Judy . . . you’re a girl from a small town who plans on drawing for a living. You’re not some superwoman who can take out anyone.”

She patted Zach’s hand. “I’m married to a Marine, Zach. And he can take out anyone.”



His pixie wore red. The low-cut dress was skintight and stopped just above her knees. Rick managed a peek at the black hose she wore with two thin ropes up the back of each leg. To add to the allure, she topped her head with a hat that matched the dress. Damn he’d missed her. Her smile lit the room when their gazes met and held.

Judy sat among Neil, Gwen, Zach, Karen, and Meg. Every one of them dressed like royalty . . . well, except Neil, he just filled up his seat with bulk and attitude. He probably felt naked without his guns. Lord knew Rick did.

Since this was an arraignment and not a trial, Rick was forced to wear the blue jumpsuit every incarcerated man wore while inside.

Some media personnel had a presence in the back row of the courtroom. But they kept to themselves and wrote notes.

Everyone stood when the judge walked into the courtroom.

Rick was asked to stay standing and Joe stood along with him.

“How do you plead?” the judge asked as if it were a simple exercise.

“Not guilty.”

The DA stood and started to ask the judge to consider holding him without bail when Joe stopped the prosecution. “Can we approach the bench, Your Honor?”

Rick turned and winked at Judy, who offered a little wave.

The attorneys stood at the bench, talking in heated tones.

“Married?” the DA said loud enough for everyone in the courtroom to hear.

There was more not so hushed talking, but catching every other word didn’t do the argument justice.

Several seats in front of Judy and her entourage sat Detectives Raskin and Perozo. The confusion on their faces was priceless. Idiots.

The attorneys walked away from the bench, the DA tossing his papers on the desk while Joe wore a grin.

“Mr. Evans?” the judge said, looking Rick in the eye.

“Yes, Your Honor?” Rick stood.

“In light of the new situation, you’re free to go without bail.”

A sigh came from the back of the room.

“Mr. Perkinson?” the judge addressed the DA. “I’m setting the court date in two months. I suggest you not waste my time.”
     



The DA glared at Joe and Rick. “Yes, Your Honor.”

The judge smacked his gavel and called in the next case.

Rick shook Joe’s hand and let the police guide him away so he could go through the process of getting his life back.