Crime & Passion (22 page)

“Hello. My name is Madeline Scott. I’m
calling for a friend of mine who needs representation. I know about
the tragedy in Mr. Rains’ life today, but I was hoping his partner
might be in.”

“Actually, Mr. Rains is here working. Poor
thing needed a distraction. I’ll transfer you, please hold.”

“No, wait,” Madeline yelled into the phone,
panic setting in as the dull monotone on the other line alerted her
to the fact she’d been placed on hold. What could she say to
Jeremy? Eventually she needed to cook him a casserole and express
her condolences, but she didn’t want to speak to him right now.

“Jeremy Rains. What can I do for you?” His
voice sounded broken up, as though he’d been crying right before
answering the phone.

Madeline swallowed in an effort to ease her
dry throat. “Hello, Jeremy. It’s Madeline Scott.”

“Ah, Madeline. How are you holding up, dear?
You do know Maria was wild about you, don’t you? She always talked
about you.”

Madeline blinked back tears, not knowing what
to say. She had met Jeremy in passing a few times, but didn’t know
him nearly like she knew Maria. Yet here he was, offering sympathy
to her. And if it wasn’t for her, Maria would never have been in
the store that morning.

“I’m so sorry for what happened. It should
have been me.” She bit back a sob, not sure why she said that. It
wasn’t likely to help him with his pain.

Jeremy laughed bitterly. “Survivor’s guilt
goes all around today, huh? I’m sitting here regretting that I
didn’t go into the shop with her, knowing there was a killer on the
loose.” He sighed. “We’ll have to find a way to forgive ourselves.
Maria wouldn’t want us playing the blame game.”

“She was a terrific woman. This town will be
lonely without her.”

“Especially for me,” he whispered. Silence
came across the line for a moment until Jeremy cleared his throat.
“I feel horrible for Donovan. I’m sure he feels guilty too, even
though he shouldn’t.”

Well, she’d never get a better opening than
that. “He does. It’s been a tough day for him too. I’m sure he
wanted to come to you, but probably didn’t feel like he’d be
welcome.”

“He’s family,” Jeremy said firmly. “He’s
always welcome. Tell him I said to stop by tonight. The girls are
coming home so we can go through pictures for the obituary.” His
voice cracked on the last word and he sighed. “I couldn’t face all
that on my own today. There’s so much to get done before her
funeral.”

Madeline’s heart clenched upon hearing the
pain in Jeremy’s voice. The man should be zonked out on Valium or
something, not trying to run his business. She hated to add to his
problems, but she needed to get Donovan a lawyer.

“I don’t think Donovan will make it tonight.
He’s in a bit of trouble. I actually wanted to talk to your law
associate.”

“Why?”

Madeline met Eric’s eyes across from her. He
watched her intently, a question on his face. She shook her head at
him.

“Donovan’s been arrested for Maria’s murder,”
she said quietly.

“That’s outrageous! Who’s running the
investigation?”

The anger in Jeremy’s voice eased Madeline’s
anxiety somewhat. “As far as I can tell, Chief Stone is pretty much
taking care of this himself. They have evidence, but I think it’s a
setup.” She didn’t know if she should be telling him all this
information, but she needed help, and he didn’t seem to blame
Donovan. “I don’t know who to contact. If your partner’s not
available, can you refer me to someone else?”

“Look no further. I’m on my way down there
right now. I’ll call in a favor with the judge to move Donovan up
the list so we can get him out tonight. Don’t worry, Madeline.”

“I think that might be a conflict of
interests,” she said.

“I want to take this case. Let me help. I
know Donovan’s innocent, no matter what paltry evidence they have.
He’s family to us. It’s what Maria would want me to do.”

The anguish in that last sentence convinced
her. She needed to let him do this. They could always use him today
and then find someone else later if it seemed he couldn’t stay
impartial or do a good job. “What do I need to do?”

“I’ll come down there and get things under
control for Donovan. I hope he’s not said anything incriminating.
He thinks those men are his friends, but they will twist his words.
Happens all the time.” He paused and Madeline heard a scribbling
noise, as though he jotted down some notes. “You, my dear, can head
home for now. I hope to get everything arranged in a few hours, but
I’ll call and tell you when to meet us at the courthouse.”

“What will happen today? Does he have to
plead not guilty or something?”

“No. That happens at his arraignment. This is
just the first appearance. The judge will make sure he understands
the charges and set the amount for his bail.”

That didn’t sound too bad. Getting him out
tonight was the only thing that mattered. “Is there anything else I
need to do?”

“Bring your checkbook. I’m sure it will cost
a bit to get him out.”

“All rise. The honorable James Rothenberg
presiding.”

Donovan stood, pulling at the stiff collar of
the dress shirt Jeremy brought him. He felt out of sorts. If the
change in clothing was supposed to be reassuring, it wasn’t.

He glanced over his shoulder at Madeline.
She, too, had changed into a smart business suit. A gray blazer
hugged her large breasts and the conservative skirt rose just above
her knee level. She’d pulled her hair back into a perfectly
straight ponytail, showing off her high cheekbones and wide
eyes.

When she noticed him looking, she gave him a
small grin. “It will be okay,” she mouthed in an exaggerated
fashion.

Donovan nodded, more to reassure her than
because he believed it. He returned his attention to the front of
the courtroom and watched the judge enter.

James Rothenberg’s mouth formed a grim line
as he took his place behind the bench. Though Donovan had been in
Rothenberg’s courtroom many times before, this was his first
appearance as the defendant.

“Be seated.”

The judge put on thick, black-framed glasses
and looked through the papers on his desk. He looked up at Donovan.
“Would the defendant please rise?”

Donovan stood, Jeremy standing with him.

Rothenberg shuffled a paper to the top. “Will
the defendant state his name for the record?”

“Donovan Michael Andrews,” Donovan replied
clearly.

Rothenberg nodded and removed his glasses,
toying with them in his hand. “The charges you face include two
counts of first-degree murder, which may carry the maximum penalty
of life in prison or death each. Do you understand the
charges?”

Behind him, he heard Madeline suck in a quick
breath. Perhaps it only now dawned on her how serious the situation
was.

He cleared his throat. “I understand, Your
Honor.”

Rothenberg nodded. “We will now hear
arguments for bail. Defense will go first.”

Jeremy stood a little straighter. “Your
Honor, Donovan Andrews is an upstanding citizen of this town. He’s
been a decorated police officer for over twenty-one years, twelve
of them in this town. He has strong ties to the community, coaching
Little League and basketball, helping organize our local charity
for needy children during Christmas. He even helped organize that
soup kitchen up in Eureka last year. On top of that, the evidence
against him is circumstantial.”

“Keep it short, Mr. Rains,” the judge
cautioned. “We aren’t conducting the trial right now.”

“Sorry, Your Honor. Donovan has been a son to
me, and Maria loved him very much. He’s not a danger to anyone and
has no prior criminal history. I recommend he be released on his
own recognizance.”

Yeah, they’ll never go for that.
Donovan almost wished Jeremy had made an offer of a reasonable
bail, something he could somehow get his hands on.

It was the prosecution’s turn. The D.A.
smoothed his hands across the front of his jacket. “Mr. Andrews has
no real family to speak of and no reason not to flee. In addition,
due to the vicious nature of these crimes and the fact they are
happening so close together, we feel there is imminent danger to
the city. The State requests remand, Your Honor.”

Donovan’s stomach twisted. If it were anyone
else, he would agree with the prosecutor. He prayed Rothenberg
would consider all the good things Donovan had done for this town
and remember he really was innocent until proven guilty.

Rothenberg sat in thought for several
minutes. He finally focused his attention on Jeremy. “I’m surprised
to see you here, especially in defense of Mr. Andrews. I would
think it would be in your interest to keep him behind bars.”

Jeremy lifted his head proudly. “I believe in
him, sir.”

The judge nodded. “Bail is set at $700,000.
The preliminary hearing will be held the twelfth of June at eleven
in the morning.” He banged his gavel once. “Next case.”

With that number, he may as well have granted
the request for remand. There was mass confusion for the next few
moments as the bailiff came forward to take Donovan into
custody.

Madeline leaned across the banister
separating them and put her arms around him as she gave him a quick
kiss. “I’ll get you out somehow,” she promised.

Donovan sat quietly as the man cuffed his
hands behind his back. How would she get him out of this? He
certainly didn’t have that kind of money and didn’t figure a
jobless schoolteacher did either. It looked like he’d be spending
the night with Big Bubba. He hoped he made it through to the
morning.

***

Madeline watched helplessly as they hauled
Donovan through a side door. Fear clutched at her insides. They
might pursue the death penalty? That was ridiculous. Donovan was
innocent. She wanted to trust the system, but knew it wasn’t
perfect. What if they took Donovan away from her for good?

“What do I do now?” she asked Jeremy as he
stepped through the half swinging door to her side of the
partition. “I don’t have that much money.”

Jeremy nodded. “I know. Who does? You can
hire a bail bondsman. There’s an office across the street. Problem
is, you won’t get that money back, even when Donovan appears for
court like he’s supposed to.”

She waved that aside. “But it’s cheaper?”

“Usually ten percent.”

Madeline’s heart sank to her toes. “Seventy
thousand dollars? How can I get that?” Madeline thought of the
fifteen thousand sitting in her bank account, saved for the
remaining ten months on her lease for the apartment. That would
barely make a dent in what she needed. “I don’t really know much
about Donovan. Does he have any family anywhere that will help
him?”

Jeremy shook his head, walking for the
doorway. “Donovan was orphaned early in life.”

“He was?” So much for learning more about
each other. How could he not have told her about that?

“He wasn’t ever adopted, and I gather his
foster family wasn’t the best. He doesn’t talk about it much.” He
led the way into the entry hall. “I can come up with some of the
money. Maria and I are saving up for a cruise for our anniversary,
but I’m sure she’ll say it’s okay to use it.” He stopped walking,
as his words penetrated both of their minds. “Damn it.”

“I’m sorry, Jeremy.” Madeline wrapped him in
a hug. “And I know that doesn’t help at all, but I don’t know what
else to say.”

He clung to her for a moment, sniffling
against her shoulder. “I just can’t seem to get a grip on reality
sometimes. Right now, this doesn’t seem real.”

Madeline hoped he could hang onto the feeling
for a while. When reality came crashing in, she had a feeling he
wouldn’t be doing quite as well as he was now.

He stepped back from her, wiping his eyes.
“Donovan never has been good at saving money, so I doubt he’ll be
much help,” he said in a brisk tone, once again all business. “I
can easily get my hands on thirty thousand. We’ll have to get
creative for the rest of it. Do you have any rich friends?”

She shook her head. She could talk to her
parents, but Mom would cause a fuss when she told them why she
needed the money. Madeline could hear her now, ‘You want us to help
a murderer?’

Dad was more understanding and pretty much a
bleeding heart. If she focused on the fact that Donovan was
unjustly accused, he might wire her money. Then again, that ran the
risk of causing problems between her parents. If it came down to
that, she’d have to take that chance. She couldn’t leave
Donovan.

“There’s quite a bit of equity in my car,”
she said. “I paid off the loan before moving here. I could borrow
against that.”

“How much is it worth?”

“It’s practically brand new...fifteen maybe.
I also have fifteen in my bank.” And then she’d have to figure out
how to pay her rent next month. But that could be next month’s
problem.

“That still leaves us ten short.” Jeremy
opened the door and they stepped out into the late afternoon
sunshine. “Either way, it looks like we’re not getting him out
tonight. You can’t get the loan until tomorrow. Maybe by then we’ll
figure out how to get the remaining money.”

The thought of Donovan stuck in there
overnight with actual criminals tore at her heart. “It’s not
fair.”

“No, it’s not, but I was afraid Judge
Rothenberg would refuse bail at all. We at least have a chance to
get him out. It could be a very long time until we’re ready for the
trial. I’d rather he not stay in there.” He ran a hand through his
silver hair. “Visiting hours are over at six. Why don’t we go to
the jail and see him real quick?”

Madeline nodded, though part of her didn’t
want to go. How could she tell Donovan they were ten thousand
dollars away from his freedom?