“Her name is Georgia.”
“Georgia’s welfare. She is my main concern. Not you, not her grandparents. Georgia. My hope is that your relationship with the Gilroys will remain amicable, that both parties will graciously accept the outcome of the proceedings. Any resultant animosity could have an adverse effect on Georgia. Everyone, especially the court, wants to avoid that. Which is why arguments for both sides should be carefully weighed, looked at from every angle, and deliberated long and hard before a ruling is handed down.”
He didn’t say anything for a time. Then, “Rousing speech, judge. A real rah-rah. You should save it for a campaign fund-raiser. But I’m not buying a damn word of it, especially the part about deliberating long and hard. You had made up your mind about my petition before you came into that courtroom today, hadn’t you?”
“No.”
He made a skeptical sound.
“Fine. Believe what you want.” She pointed toward the door. “But do it somewhere else. Please go.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll call the police.”
Technically, he was the police, but he huffed a laugh. “Not a chance. Bad publicity. Bad for your campaign. More negative attention drawn to you after today?” He shook his head. “Un-huh. Your rival Sanders, Governor Hutchins, people in general are already speculating on whether or not the shooting was your fault.”
As though he’d literally struck her below the belt, she protectively crossed her arms over her middle and tucked her hands beneath her elbows. “Don’t say that.”
Clearly she’d already considered the possibility that she was somehow responsible, and it bothered her greatly. But he couldn’t soft-soap this to spare her feelings. The stakes for him were too high. When the investigation into the shooting incident was laid to rest, he wanted there to be no misgivings about the action he’d taken today. If there were, he didn’t have a chance in hell of getting Georgia back.
So he pressed. “Did Jorge Rodriguez have a beef with you?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Come on, judge. It’s just you and me now.”
“You’re suggesting that I lied to the police?”
“Everybody lies to the police.”
“I don’t. I had never heard of Jorge Rodriguez until tonight. Why would I lie about it?”
“That’s easy. In November you want to be elected on merit. If there’s something really ugly—”
“Get—”
“—you wouldn’t want it exposed when we’re coming up on voting season.”
“—out!”
“No scandal involving an illegal, then?”
“No!”
Nugent had disclosed that she claimed not to recognize the suspect’s name, but Crawford had wanted to gauge her truthfulness for himself. If she was lying, she was damn good at it. He didn’t detect any of the classic giveaways.
She was, however, raging mad, and, despite his chest-thumping of a few minutes ago, if she ordered him to leave, he would have to go.
“Okay then,” he said, “you didn’t know Rodriguez. So why’d he do it?”
Some of the starch went out of her. Wearily she shook her head, dislodging the hair that she’d hooked behind her ear. She took a deep breath, which shifted the topography under her t-shirt, making him aware of it.
“I have no idea,” she said softly. “I wish I did.”
Dragging himself back on track, he said, “According to Neal and Nugent, they questioned dozens of people, and nobody claims to have seen Rodriguez before he entered your court. Even without the mask, he would have been noticed roaming the courthouse dressed in painters’ overalls.”
She raised her hands at her sides to indicate that she was clueless.
He continued. “It’s reasonable to assume that he was familiar with the building. For starters, he knew there are no security cameras except at the entrances and exits. He also knew he could bring a pistol in with him.” Dryly he added, “I’ll bet the budget for heightened security will be approved now.”
“I was surprised when I moved here and learned that there wasn’t a metal screening at the entrance.”
“It’s always been voted down in favor of spending on something else.”
“Unfortunately for Chet.”
“Yeah.”
“Could he have been the intended target?” she asked.
“I seriously doubt it. I’ve known him since I was a kid. He was the first black deputy in this county. Did you know that?”
She shook her head.
“Spent most of his career serving as bailiff.” Reflecting on the man, he heard himself say, “He winked at me.”
“What?”
“I just now remembered. After swearing me in, as he was turning away, he gave me a little wink.”
She smiled. “That sounds like him. Although, strictly speaking, as a court official, he shouldn’t have been showing any partiality.”