The Veiled Cage (Lady Lawyer Series Romantic Suspense Novels Book 1) (14 page)

“
I miss that man something terrible
.
”

“
It means what you had is worth missing. I
t’
s natural to feel sorrow along with joy. I
t’
s important to feel both
.
”

“
Yo
u’
re pretty wise for a young thing
.
”

“
Yo
u’
re pretty sharp for a stubborn old woman
.
”

Carol laughed and squeezed Jasmin
e’
s hand
.“
Thank you, dear. I needed that
.
”

“
Carol, did you stay inside after you brought your tray in
?”
Ruby asked.

“
No. I came back out here
.
”

“
I know it was dark, but did any sounds, any scents stand out to you
?
”

“
Now that you mention it, I smelled smoke coming from the woods
.
”

“
Is it unusual to have fires in this area
?
”

“
No. People have always enjoyed circling around a good bonfire. It brought me back to my girlhood. My parents loved to take us camping. W
e’
d take out marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate, and make
s’
mores
.
”

“
Ah, the real deal
.
”

“
Now they have that Soy More treat. I do
n’
t care for it
.
”

“
I do
n’
t either
,”
Ruby said
.“
But the group that goes wild for the glowing green goop loves soy
.”
Ruby glanced over at Jasmine.

Carol missed the exchange
.“
Ther
e’
s nothing like a golden marshmallow straight from the fire and chocolate sandwiched between crisp sweet crackers. It was one of the best parts of summer. W
e’
d take turns gathering more wood for the fire. Tha
t’
s what I smelled. Burning wood
.
”

“
Do you remember sensing anything else
?
”

“
I was drifting off when a car came down the road
.
”

“
Could you tell anything about it
?
”

“
Yes, I recognized it by the sound.
I’
ve seen a car over at the Combes cabin with Jeral
d’
s truck. A black sedan. It sounded like a small jet rocketing down the roa
d—
almost as loud as that bike that came by here a short while before you came knocking
.
”

“
What happened after you saw that car
?
”

“
The flashing lights started coming. Once they set up those spotlights I could see I was right. The black sedan was parked over there, and Jeral
d’
s truck
.
”

“
How did you see the Combe
s’
driveway
?
”

“
I peeked out the kitchen window
.
”

“
Do you know who the driver of the sedan was
?
”

“
No. Jerald would answer the door whenever I went over there. You know, to complain about the noise. H
e’
d walk outside and talk to me on the steps. Then h
e’
d go back inside and things would quiet down. He had a charming way about him
.
”

“
Did you like him
?
”

“
Oh no,
I’
ve never trusted a charmer. I learned that the hard way with the man I dated before my Jeffrey. I had a heck of a time shaking him loose
.
”

“
Thank you, Carol.
I’
ll give you my card in case you think of anything else. Yo
u’
ve been superbly helpful
.”
She rose and gestured for Jasmine to do the same.

“
Oh,
I’
m glad. These seem like such little things to remember. Would you like a Soy More for the road
?
”

“
No, thanks
,”
Ruby said before Jasmine could speak
.“
It does
n’
t contain any of my food groups
.
”

“
What are those, dear
?
”

“
Caffeine and sugar
.
”

“
With a diet like that i
t’
s a marvel yo
u’
re so skinny
.
”

“
I prefer svelte
.
”

“
I could
n’
t agree more
,”
Jasmine crossed her arms and leaned back with a satisfied smirk.

“
What should I tell the police if they make their way over
?
”

“
The truth
,”
Ruby said simply, and handed Carol her business card.

Carol picked her reading glasses up from the coffee table and adjusted them on her face. After peering at the card, she said
,“
The new face of criminal defense in person on my porch
.”
She tapped Rub
y’
s card on her thigh, beaming
.“
I thought you looked familiar. My granddaughter is a puny thing, kind of like you. Seven years old, and she wants to grow up and be the boss of her own law firm. She practices by bossing her little sister around. Her mother and I are happy she has women like you as her role models
.
”

“
I do
n’
t know about being a role model
.
”

“
Sh
e’
s being modest, Carol. I know I look up to her. Give us a call.
I’
m sure Ruby would love to show your granddaughter around. Have her sit at her desk. Play lady lawyer for the day
.
”

“
What a marvelous idea!
I’
ll call my daughter first thing in the morning
.
”

Carol stayed on the steps and waved until they were out of sight.

“
Thanks a lot, Jazz
.
”

“
All I wanted was a Soy More. Would it have been so hard to accept her offer? I would have eaten yours, or offered it to Justin. With a body like his, he must appreciate health food
.
”

“
You have a knack for payback with a smile. Le
t’
s go talk to the driver of the black sedan
.
”

“
Who
?
”

“
Mr. Stuart Johnston, Kaye County Attorney. Have you met him
?
”

“
No
.
”

“
Yo
u’
re in for a treat. If you were a reporter, h
e’
d flash you his thousand-volt smile. H
e’
ll likely charm you anyway, since yo
u’
re a woman. Me, h
e’
s not too fond of. I think he forgot my gender, and I prefer it this way
.
”

Ruby and Jasmine approached Stuart.

“
I heard i
t’
s your buddy in there
,”
Ruby said
.“I’
m sorry for your loss, Stu
.
”

“
Thank you, Ruby
.”
He turned toward Jasmine
.“
I do
n’
t believe
I’
ve had the pleasure
.
”

“
Jasmine Sinclair,
I’
m Rub
y’
s intern
.
”

“
I see
.”
He shifted his gaze back to Ruby
.“
Jerr
y’
s wife must have lawyered up
.
”

“
Yes, Susan Combes hired me
.
”

“
Trying to get her off, are you
?
”

“
Trying to figure out what happened
,”
Ruby countered
.“
Sounds like yo
u’
re trying to do the same
.
”

“
I know what happene
d—
saw it with my own eyes
.
”

“
You witnessed a murder
?
”

“
No, but I was on the phone with Jerry. Your killer client was tailing him. Sh
e’
d picked a fight at home and followed him all the way to the cabin. He thought he could reason with her. I told him he could
n’
t argue with crazy. It would
n’
t end well
.”
Stuart became more animated as he fell into the cadence of his story
.“
He tells me h
e’
s going to talk to her, calm her down. And the next thing I know
I’
m pulling in as his wife is pulling out
.
”

“
Of the driveway
?
”

“
Yes, of the driveway
.
”

“
How did you know it was her
?
”

“
I recognized her blue car, her face. She had this wild look in her eyes, and a kitchen knife in her right hand. Sh
e’
s good for this, Ruby
,”
he finished by shaking his fist.

“
You noticed a lot, Stu, for just thinking you were dropping in to hang out with your buddy
.
”

“I’
m a very observant man
.
”

“
And
I’
m a very observant woman. Nice to see we have some common ground, Stu. I know we had our differences when I worked at Kay
e
—”

“
Tha
t’
s an understatement
.
”

“
Yes, it is. But we both want to figure out what happened, do
n’
t we
?
”

“
I already know what happened
.
”

“
Okay then, let me put it this way. My team is seeking the truth. I would
n’
t want any personal feelings to hinder this search. The system is designed to dispense justice. It can only do that if we both play by the rules. Can I count on you to play by the rules, Stu
?
”

He puffed out his chest
.“
Ask any of the boys here.
I’
ve given them clear instructions to follow protocol perfectly
.
”

“I’
m aware of that order, and the one to have all evidence sent to your office as i
t’
s collected and tested. I
t’
d sure show good faith if you forwarded wha
t’
s collected to my office by Monday morning. Technology makes it so easy to expedite and disclose discovery, does
n’
t it? W
e’
re all working around the clock on this so I think tha
t’
s reasonable, do
n’
t you? After all, your office managed to push through formal charges at an astounding rate
.
”