The Heart of Lies

chapter 20



When Emily and Colin entered, Maggie was seated in the courtroom, first row on the left, flanked by Camille and Isabel. Alex had waited on the aisle seat for Josh’s case to be called.

Isabel saw them and waved them over. Alex stood and stepped into the aisle to let them in, shaking Colin’s hand as he passed by.

They scooted past their seated friends, and Emily stopped long enough to bend down and give Maggie a quick hug and squeeze Camille’s hand before taking a seat on the bench next to Isabel.

“How’s she holding up?” Emily whispered to Isabel.

“As well as can be expected, I guess,” Isabel quietly replied.

Another attorney stood at the front of the courtroom at the defendant’s table—a young man in a cheap, blue suit that Emily thought looked like someone fresh out of law school, likely a public defender. The female defendant stood next to him, her bleached blonde hair a wild mess, looking none too pleased to be wearing orange.

The judge barked out the bail amount and slammed his gavel down. “Next!” he hollered.

A deputy escorted Josh into the courtroom, and Alex rose and strode to the defense table.

“Joshua Sullivan?” the judge asked.

“Yes, sir, Your Honor,” Josh replied respectfully, standing at attention.

Alex bowed his head and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “Alex Martínez, attorney for the defense, Your Honor.”

Across the aisle was the Assistant District Attorney. She stood and introduced herself, as well. “Alison Laraway, for the State, Your Honor.”

Emily recognized her even before she’d introduced herself. She was the same formidable, blonde ADA that had worked to prove Delia McCall guilty of murder, and she was the same attractive woman who’d had hopes of a relationship with Colin when he had first come to Paradise Valley.

Emily had won out on both counts and she was sure Alison would not forget it. Emily slinked down in her seat, trying not to be seen by the ADA.

“How do you plead?” the judge asked, after the charges were read.

“Not guilty, Your Honor.” Josh peeked over his shoulder at his mother.

“Your Honor, the defendant is charged with the brutal murder of his mother’s lover and the State asks that no bail be allowed,” Laraway stated.

It was Alex’s turn. “Your Honor, the defendant was a proud member of the US Navy and he fought for this country. He is a man of honor with deep roots in this community and he does not have the financial wherewithal to be a flight risk. The victim, Lucas Wakefield, was not his mother’s lover, as Ms. Laraway is salaciously trying to suggest, he was engaged to the defendant’s mother, to be married shortly. Also, we have recently learned that the victim had duped quite a number of local people out of millions of dollars. The murderer could have been any number of people. The State has a very flimsy—”

The judge raised his hand. “Save it for the trial, Mr. Martínez.” He folded his hands in front of him, and looked directly at Josh. “Young man, I appreciate your brave service for our country. That being said,” he paused, “this is a serious crime and the State seems to believe they have enough evidence to charge you with Lucas Wakefield’s murder.”

The judge momentarily glanced over at ADA Laraway before proceeding. “Bail is set at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, in cash or bond.”

The banging gavel echoed throughout the courtroom. Emily and her friends watched as Alex leaned over and said something to Josh before the deputy escorted him from the courtroom. Words of encouragement perhaps.

The row full of friends sat with their eyes riveted on Alex, waiting for news of the next step, like hungry baby birds waiting to be fed by their mother. He picked up his briefcase and walked through the low, swinging door to speak with them.

“Maggie, I’ll need to take you to arrange for the bail.”

“I can put my house up for collateral,” she offered. “I don’t owe much on it.”

“What about Josh?” Camille asked. “What’s going to happen to him?”

“I’ll do all I can to get Josh out today,” he assured them all, looking from face to face. “Why don’t we step out into the hallway?” he suggested, motioning toward the door with an outstretched arm. “There’s another arraignment coming up.”

They all filed out of the row and congregated in the wide hallway.

“I was half expectin’ Lucas’s momma to be here,” Maggie said.

“She’s probably still in the hospital,” Emily suspected. “Maybe Colin and I could stop by and check on her.”

“I can’t even imagine walking in and finding my son lying bloody and dead on the floor. No wonder she had a heart attack,” Camille said.

Isabel elbowed her and shot her a harsh glance.

“What?” Camille snapped at Isabel.

Then as suddenly as she spoke, she seemed to realize her inappropriate comment with Maggie staring at her, tears filling her tired, bloodshot eyes. “I am so sorry, honey,” she gushed, putting her arms around Maggie. “Me and my big mouth.”

“Seems like a good time to get to the bail bond office, Maggie. Shall we?” Alex held out his hand to her.

Camille released her embrace. Maggie took Alex’s hand, and then he brushed a light kiss on Isabel’s cheek as he led their distraught friend away.

“See you for dinner?” Isabel called after her husband as he and Maggie rushed down the hallway.

“I’ll call you,” Alex yelled back over his shoulder.

~*~

Emily and Colin arrived at St. Luke’s Hospital and checked in with the gray-haired woman at the circular information kiosk in the lobby. She happily looked up Gloria’s room number on the computer and wrote the room number on a slip of note paper.

“Thank you, Mrs. Grimaldi.” Emily took the note from the woman and turned to walk away.

“You’re welcome, dear. Bye, now.”

They boarded the elevator and glided up to the third floor.

“You know that woman?” Colin asked while in the elevator.

“No,” Emily answered, watching the numbers change above the door.

“You called her by name.”

“It was on her name tag,” Emily replied, threading her hand through the crook in Colin’s arm.

“I thought maybe you knew everyone in town,” Colin laughed.

“Actually, I do know her,” she admitted, “or at least I did. I listed and sold her home in my first year in real estate. She was quite a talker. Nice lady, but lonely. She moved into senior housing after the house sold and I never saw her again. She probably forgot who I was.”

“Why didn’t you mention it to her?”

“Did you want to be stuck there, talking for the next hour?”

“Not really.” He patted her hand that was still clinging to his arm.

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. The nurse’s station was directly in front of them and a young Hispanic nurse dressed in blue scrubs sat behind the counter. Emily recognized her too—she had helped the nurse and her husband buy a home a few years before. After a few words of pleasantries and greetings, they inquired about Mrs. Wakefield’s condition and asked if they could visit her.

“She’s doing better, she should be checking out before too long. Her daughter is with her right now.”

“Her daughter?” Emily peered up at Colin with a curious look. There had never been any mention of Lucas having a sister.

“Yes, but I’m sure she won’t mind you visiting. She’s been here every day since Mrs. Wakefield checked in,” the nurse said. “She might welcome a break.”

The nurse directed them to the room number, and they thanked her as they strolled down the wide sterile hallway toward her room.

“I’ll ask the nurses again when I come back, Mom. Try to get some sleep,” Emily and Colin overheard the female voice say as they opened the door to the room, almost bumping into the young woman coming out.

“Fiona?” Emily questioned with surprise.

Wait. What? Did I just hear her call Gloria, Mom?

“Uh, Emily, hi. What are you doing here?” Fiona looked surprised, as well. “Let’s talk out here,” she said in a low voice, pulling the door shut. “Mrs. Wakefield is trying to sleep.”

“We came to see how Gloria was doing. We didn’t think anyone else would be here,” Emily said.

Fiona looked up at Colin. “Hello, I’m Fiona. I don’t think we’ve met.” She extended her hand.

“I’m Colin, a friend of Emily’s.” He gave her hand a quick shake.

“I’m Lucas’s assistant, that is, I was his assistant…” her voice crackled and trailed off as she began to tear up.

“Oh, I see,” Colin said.

“That must have been quite a shock to hear he died, Fiona.” Emily exhibited sympathy but she wondered how much of a shock it really had been. “I guess you’ll be looking for another job now.”

“Yes, but not ’til Mrs. Wakefield is out of the hospital. Lucas would want someone looking after his mother, don’t you think? It’s the least I can do. He was always good to me. He was a wonderful boss.” Fiona looked past Colin and Emily. She wiped a tear with her hand as it trickled down her cheek.

Fiona’s tears definitely exposed her real feelings for Lucas, confirming what Emily had already suspected—that they shared more than just a working relationship. But was she really his sister?

Should she bring it up? Emily decided against parading what she knew, hoping to learn more first.

“I’m sure he was good to you, Fiona.” Emily nodded, placating her. “By the way, did I just hear you call Mrs. Wakefield, Mom?”

“Yes,” Fiona giggled nervously. “But only so the nurses would let me see her,” she replied softly, peering around as if to make sure no nurses were within earshot. “She has no one else. After I heard what happened to Lucas on the news, and that his mother had a heart attack from the shock of it, I rushed right over here. I’m glad I did—the poor woman is all alone in the world now.”

“Did she know who you were?” Colin asked.

“Yes, she did. I had met her at the engagement party, so she recognized me as her son’s assistant. She seemed glad for the company. After the doctors and nurses started letting me see her without questioning me, she asked me if I’d keep calling her Mom. She said it would make her feel better, since her only child was gone now. So, I’m just doing it to humor her.” Fiona turned and glanced back at the door. “I feel sorry for the old woman.”

“Well, if she’s trying to sleep, we’d better not bother her,” Emily remarked. “Let her know we were by, all right?”

“Sure, I’ll tell her,” Fiona promised.

Emily and Colin left Fiona standing in the hallway and made their way back to the elevator. As they passed the nurse’s station, the young dark-haired nurse looked up from a file on her desk. “That was a short visit,” she commented.

“Mrs. Wakefield was trying to sleep, so we’ll come back another time,” Colin explained.

“That’s probably just as well. She hasn’t gotten much sleep, she must have had a bad experience in the hospital before.”

“What do you mean?” Emily asked.

“Oh, you know women—we like to keep our personal items and valuables close by. It seems she and her purse got separated when she was checked in downstairs in Emergency and we haven’t located it yet.”

“Valuables?” Colin questioned.

“We women keep our entire lives in our handbags,” Emily said, thinking about all the things she had stashed in her own.

“Yes,” the nurse agreed. “She said it had her cash and credit cards, the keys to her Mercedes—family photos.”

“We’ll be back to see her another time,” Emily told the nurse as she and Colin walked to the elevator.

The doors opened and they stepped inside.

“What now?” he asked, taking her hand as he watched the numbers descend. “Check in with Ernie? See if they’ve searched the office again?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”