“You pulled a gun, so—”
“Yes, and I still have it,” she said, waving it menacingly.
“No, I meant— It wasn’t to hurt you, Judge. I thought you might need help.”
“Oh, like you were going to back me up?”
“It’s the truth,” Madison said, putting down the knife.
Sighing, Judge Conroy returned to the table, laying the gun beside her knife and spoon. She topped off both their wineglasses.
“Sit down, all right? We need to talk.”
Madison joined her, taking a gulp of the wine. “Who was that?” she asked. And then realized the likely answer. “Was it Nancy?”
The judge didn’t reply.
“Why would she show up unannounced?”
“You ask a lot of questions, Madison. My phone’s been off, all right? She got worried.”
That made no sense. She was lying again.
“Your case manager comes to your house on a Saturday night because your phone is off? When the doorbell rings, you grab a gun? An armed man tries to break into your house, and I’m supposed to trick him into thinking you’re home when you’re not? What is going on?”
“You tell me. You’re the one being dishonest. You said in the interview that you’re an only child. But that’s a lie.”
The judge plucked papers from her bag and threw them on the table. The employment form was on top, but there were other documents, too. She picked them up and displayed them one by one, her voice tight with anger.
“This is your background form, in which you strategically left off your brother’s name. And these? Your birth certificate and his. Proving that he’s your brother. This? His booking form, showing that he’s a defendant in a drug case before me. You purposely concealed a connection to a known criminal. That’s a crime. I’m very disappointed.”
Madison was shaking, more with anger than surprise. The judge knew about Danny. How long had she known? What more was she hiding? She wanted to get in the judge’s face right now and demand to know where her brother was. Then her eyes fell on the gun, gleaming on the table by the judge’s right hand. Was it wise to start making accusations? Judge Conroy wouldn’t hurt her, she was certain. Then again, the woman kept a bag of cash hidden in her toilet tank and had a close personal relationship with a corrupt cop. Obviously, Madison didn’t know her as well as she thought. It wouldn’t help Danny if she got shot. She should defuse the situation first and ask questions later.
She kept her voice calm and her gaze steady.
“You’re right, Danny is my brother. I apologize sincerely for withholding that information. I should have told you. That was wrong. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Why should I? I trusted you, and you lied.”
We trusted each other. And you lied. But she couldn’t say that.
“I’m truly sorry for disappointing you. I let my ambition get the better of me. I wanted the internship so bad. I know it’s no excuse, but I was afraid you wouldn’t hire me if you knew.”
“No. If this was just about getting the job, you wouldn’t be grilling me about my past. You’re after something, Madison. What is it? And who put you up to it?”
“Nobody. My only motive is to help you, Judge. Last night, when Wallace came to the door, I felt in my gut that he was there to hurt you. I feared for your safety, more than my own. I knew his name from Danny’s case, so I looked him up online. You know what I found? That he was the lead investigator on your husband’s murder, which was never solved. That made me wonder. Does he have some sort of hold on you? Are you afraid of him? Please, tell me what’s going on.”
The judge’s chin trembled. For a moment, Madison thought she was going to cry, but she shook it off, throwing back her shoulders with an angry glint in her eye.
“I won’t talk about this,” she said. “I can’t.”
“Did he threaten you? You can tell me.”
“Don’t push me, Madison. You’re on thin ice. I’d be within my rights to inform the dean of your dishonesty. Or the bar association, so you’d never practice law. I could even have you prosecuted.”
She’d been so focused on Danny that she’d lost sight of the threat to her own future. Her career hung in the balance, and she still cared about that, very much. She had to head this off.
“I hope you won’t do any of those things. I know it’s a lot to ask you to trust me again. But I promise you, I meant no harm. I only wanted to help you. Please, give me a second chance.”
The judge took a sip of wine, studying Madison thoughtfully.
“The truth is, I could use an ally. In a strange way, the fact that you lied almost makes it easier to trust you again. I have something over you now. You’re in a precarious position. The best-case scenario is that you infiltrated my chambers to influence my decision on your brother’s case. But there’s another interpretation that could lead to very serious criminal liability. If you had a vendetta or were plotting to harm me, that could mean years in prison.”
She gasped. “You know I would never—”
“I don’t really think you would. But it might look that way to an outsider. The point is, with what I know about you, I could destroy you, Madison. But I don’t want to. I’d rather make use of you instead.”
“Are you … blackmailing me?”
“Let’s not get dramatic. This is a difficult moment for us both. I’m simply suggesting that we’d be wise to throw in together.”
“Okay. How?”
“Well, for now, I just need you to stay close by. In fact, I’m going to insist that you stay here so I can keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t try to compromise me when my back is turned.”
“Stay at your house? For how long? Exams are coming up. I have obligations.”
“I’m not asking you to skip school. You need to go to class, law review, the internship. Keep up your normal routine. Don’t attract attention. At night, come here and be available in case I need help.”
Gooseflesh rose on her arms. “If you’re expecting Wallace to come back, I’m not the right person to—”
“No, it’s not that. I can’t go into specifics right now. This is more like … running errands.”
“Judge, I won’t break the law.”
The judge smiled mirthlessly. “Funny, I thought you already had. Look, I don’t know what you think of me, Madison. What you’ve taken into your head that I’m involved in, and I’m not sure I want to know. But I’m not asking you to do anything illegal. When the time comes, you can always say no. Plus, I’ll pay you. Let’s say two thousand for one week, cash up front, plus Ubers back and forth to campus to make it easier to get around without being seen. If the arrangement goes longer than a week, I’ll pay more.”
“Two thousand dollars is a lot of money. There’s something you’re not telling me.”
The judge sighed. “Of course there is, and there’s plenty you’re not telling me. We’re both hiding things. But sometimes, mutual suspicion can make for a solid partnership. If my offer seems overly generous, it’s because I’m compensating you for the risk of being around me. There are people who want to hurt me.”
“You mean Wallace.”
“It’s bigger than one person. And I’m not the only one at risk. They know who you are. They’re watching you, too.”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “Wallace knows my name?”
“Oh, yes. He’s the one who told me you lied on that form.”
“Are you suggesting that he’d hurt me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Her voice rose. “But it’s what you meant.”