Murdered at the Courthouse Read online

  MURDERED AT THE COURTHOUSE

  By

  Dianne Harman

  (A Midwest Cozy Mystery - Book 3)

  Copyright © 2018 Dianne Harman

  www.dianneharman.com

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1984358523

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I have written many times that without you, my readers, I wouldn’t be a successful author. I was reminded of that when I was recently notified, that for the second time in six months, I have again been recognized as a USA Today Bestselling Author, and it’s all because of you. I so appreciate the time you take to read my books. I also thank you for your reviews and the emails you send me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  And as always, thanks to the people who make all of my books possible – Vivek, Connie, and Tom.

  And To My New Readers: May you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed the write!

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  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  RECIPES

  PROLOGUE

  A broad smile lit up Kat Denham’s face as she turned to her husband of one month, District Attorney Blaine Evans. “Blaine, I know it sounds trite, but I have to pinch myself every time I realize we’re married. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”

  He pulled her to him and gently kissed her. “We’ve been through a lot in the last few months, and I don’t think anyone would deny us some happiness. I’ve heard experts say the honeymoon phase of a marriage lasts for only about six months. Let’s prove them wrong and just stay in it indefinitely. What do you say?”

  Kat snuggled in closer. “At the moment, I can’t think of any reason why we shouldn’t.”

  What the experts don’t agree on is how a murder can affect the honeymoon phase, particularly when the bride and groom are only one month into the marriage.

  CHAPTER 1

  “What are your plans for the day, Mr. District Attorney?” Kat said as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped into the sheer pink robe from the peignoir set she’d been given as a wedding gift by her friend and editor, Bev. Every time she looked at it she felt embarrassed to be wearing such a sensuous set of nightwear at her age, but her editor, Bev, had been adamant that mid-life romance could be every bit as exciting as it had been twenty-five years earlier. In spite of the books she’d written under the pen name of Sexy Cissy, Kat had always felt what went on behind closed doors should stay there, but Bev had definitely been right.

  Being a middle-aged woman and in love was easier than Kat could have ever imagined. There was no angst or game-playing, both of which were often potential thorns in the side of a younger courtship. Instead, she and Blaine were confident individuals who knew their own minds and recognized their lives would be happier and more meaningful together than apart. She wasn’t foolish enough to expect marriage to be plain sailing all the time, but she was confident that she and Blaine could weather whatever squalls came their way.

  “Actually, I probably better get moving,” Blaine said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “My deputy district attorney, Ryan Walsh, is starting a high-profile case today in Judge Dickerson’s court. The judge has a reputation for being cantankerous and a real pain in the neck, so I wanted to meet with Ryan this morning and give him a little pep talk. Believe me, he’s going to need it.”

  Kat sat at her dressing table and ran a hairbrush through her dark blond hair. “Which case is it, and couldn’t you get another judge?”

  “It’s the one where that coed, Krysta Lawrence, was murdered. I think Lexie told me she’d been in a class with her last semester,” he said, referring to Kat’s daughter.

  Kat watched Blaine in the mirror, his expression solemn.

  “As far as getting another judge, trust me, if there was any way I could have, I definitely would have filed a motion to do it. The problem is we’re just a small college town, and we pretty much have to take whatever judge is assigned to a case. The court hold all the cards on this one. Couple that with the fact there’s only one other judge in the county, and he’s on vacation for a month. This is not my favorite scenario for trying an important case.”

  Kat put her hairbrush down and turned to her husband. “Blaine, I’m getting the distinct impression that you don’t like the judge.”

  “That might be the understatement of the year,” Blaine said as he headed into the bathroom. “I can’t stand the man. He’s egotistical, downright nasty, and from the rumors swirling around, the guy has a lot of baggage.”

  “Now you’ve aroused my curiosity. What kind of baggage?” she asked as she stood up and headed to the door to go downstairs. It was time to let Jazz, their white West Highland Terrier, and Rudy, their big Rottweiler, out for their morning constitutional and feed them.

  “Can’t hear you,” he said, his voice muffled by the shower. “Be down in a few minutes.”

  “Okay. I’ll start breakfast.”

  After she’d taken care of the dogs, Kat made a pot of coffee and took two breakfast burritos she’d made the week before out of the freezer. She knew how much Blaine liked Mexican food and figured if he was going to have an early meeting and possibly a stressful day, the burritos would at least be a good start. While the refrigerator door was open she noticed the plastic bowl with the leftover rice from two nights ago. Kat remembered how Blaine had said it was the best rice he’d ever had.

  That seems easy enough. Mexican restaurants always serve rice with their specials, so my breakfast special will be burritos and rice, Kat thought. That should give Blaine enough energy to get through the morning.

  She hummed to herself as she set the table, placing orange juice, salsa, and sour cream in the middle of it. When she heard him walking down the stairs, she popped the two burritos in the microwave.

  Blaine smiled as he entered the kitchen, freshly shaven and his hair still wet from the shower. “That orange juice looks great, and I definitely need a cup of coffee.” He gave her a puzzled look. “Why am I not seeing toast or eggs or any of the usual things you make for breakfast on the table?” he said as he sat down and poured himself a glass of juice.

  Kat handed him a cup of coffee. “I decided this was a perfect occasion to try out some breakfast burritos I made last week, plus I’m heating up some of the rice from the other night that you liked so much. If the day gets rough, I want you to think back to breakfast and how content you were when you finished it.”
r />   A few minutes later, Blaine looked like he was thoroughly enjoying his breakfast. “Kat this is delicious. I think you can forget the eggs, toast, and whatever else we usually have for breakfast,” he said, helping himself to more orange juice. “This has just become my new favorite go-to breakfast. I mean what’s not to like about tortillas, scrambled eggs, sausage, and everything else that’s in this, plus the rice on the side. I’m sure no matter what the day brings, after this I can handle it. And what’s on your agenda for the day?”

  She sipped her coffee and smiled sheepishly. “I have an appointment with Mitzi this afternoon. It’s time for my monthly acupuncture treatment. As many hours as I spend sitting in front of my computer writing, I think the acupuncture helps to keep things moving.” She chewed on her lower lip and paused before continuing. “To another subject. Blaine, what would you say if I told you I was thinking about writing another Sexy Cissy novel? I’ve had so many people email me and ask when the next installment in the Lusty Women series is going to be published. I hate to tell them I’m no longer writing in that genre. Since I’m getting bored with that particular series, so I’ll probably start a new series in the that genre.”

  The fine lines around Blaine’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Kat, if you want to write another one, I’m fine with it. I think in some ways it might be your subverted alter ego coming out. Sure, some people in town know that you’re actually Sexy Cissy, and I have to tell you, I’ve had several men tell me how envious they are that I’m married to Sexy Cissy.” He began to laugh. “Believe it or not, a lot of them think you must be the role model for the women in your novels, thus the envy.”

  Kat raised her hand to her mouth, her cheeks turning crimson. “Oh, Blaine, that’s what I’ve always been afraid of. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “No, and I mean it. I’ve read a couple of them, and I wouldn’t mind the next one either. I just have one favor to ask.” He leaned closer to Kat.

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “If you decide to do any research, I’d like to be the one to participate in it,” he said with a wink and a lecherous smile.

  “You’re incorrigible,” she said laughing, as she threw her napkin at him. “Get out of here. I’m sure Ryan is waiting to receive your wise counsel for his coming performance in front of Judge Dickerson. I’ll see you tonight.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Blaine pulled into the parking lot of the Lindsay, Kansas courthouse where the district attorney’s office was located, parked his car in his designated spot, walked through the door of the red brick courthouse, and down the hall to his office. Ryan was sitting on a bench in the hallway outside Blaine’s office, waiting for him.

  “Good morning, Ryan. Come in,” Blaine said as he unlocked the door. “I hope you’ve had your morning coffee, because Carly won’t be here for another hour, and it’s a disaster when I try to make it. Are you ready to do battle?”

  “I hope so,” Ryan said, picking up his briefcase and following Blaine into his office. “I’ve talked to several other deputy district attorneys, and Judge Dickerson is definitely not going to be the winner of Judge of the Year, if it’s a popularity contest.”

  Blaine laughed as he took off his suit coat and draped it over the back of the chair behind his desk. “I hear you. My sentiments exactly. Glad you’re the one playing David to his Goliath, and not me. Anyway, let’s make sure you’re as ready for battle as possible.” He sat at his desk and motioned for Ryan to take the seat opposite him. “And the strange thing is, usually in cases like this, we worry about the opposing attorney. We’re not supposed to live in fear of the judge. Oh well, it is what it is. What’s your strategy?”

  Ryan adjusted his glasses and opened his briefcase which was bursting with papers. For the next hour Blaine listened as Ryan outlined his trial strategy, occasionally interjecting thoughts and comments. Blaine was older and more seasoned than Ryan, and in a situation like this, experience counts.

  Blaine stretched and looked at his watch. “Ryan, the time has come. The last thing you need to do is be late and upset a judge who’s already about as crotchety as they come. Give me a call when you get out of court and let me know how the opening day went. As they say in show business, break a leg.”

  He shook Ryan’s hand and watched him leave his office, glad Ryan was trying this case, and not him. He well remembered several months ago how Ryan had come to his office asking for a chance to try the case after Cameron Baker had pleaded not guilty to the murder of the coed. He’d told Blaine he wanted to try the case because he knew it was the type of case that could make or break a young attorney’s political career.

  The small university town of Lindsay, Kansas, had been up in arms about one of their young women, Krysta Lawrence, being murdered while she was on her way to the library, and the evidence that she’d been sexually abused had only fed their anger. It was the talk of the town and stayed that way for several months until a wildfire had started in one of the surrounding wheat fields and quickly spread to several farms on the outskirts of town. The fire put news about her murder on the back burner. Lindsay was a town dependent on wheat, and whenever fire, drought, or a bad hail storm happened, it could change the economy of the small town in a blink of an eye.

  Even though Ryan had never tried a case quite like this one, Blaine had no doubt he would do well. The fact that there had been witnesses to Krysta’s murder, and that Cameron Baker had been arrested a number of times for public intoxication and selling drugs to a minor, had convinced Blaine that the case should be a slam dunk for the prosecuting attorney. After the meeting he’d just had with Ryan, Blaine felt even better about the eventual outcome of the case. Ryan had asked for a jury trial, and Blaine couldn’t believe a jury wouldn’t bring in a guilty verdict.

  Blaine spent the rest of the morning meeting with staff attorneys and Frank Moore, the town’s police chief, about upcoming cases, as well as making decisions as to which cases submitted to his office by the police would be prosecuted. Lunch consisted of a sandwich his secretary, Carly, got for him at a nearby sandwich shop. He continued to work through the lunch hour and into the early hours of the afternoon. It was just another routine day at the office.

  *****

  At 2:00 that afternoon Carly buzzed him and said he had an urgent call from Judge Dickerson’s court clerk, Hannah Joseph. Blaine picked up the phone and said, “Blaine Evans.” He moved the stapler to the side of his desk and scribbled a note on a post-it to ask Carly to refill it with staples.

  “Mr. Evans, I’m sorry to bother you, but Judge Dickerson is requesting that you meet with him in his chambers immediately.”

  Blaine tapped his pen on the desk. Judge Dickerson’s clerk, Hannah, had worked for Blaine when he was practicing law before he became the district attorney, and he considered her to be a friend. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was having a stressful day.

  “Hannah, what’s this about? I don’t have any cases before Judge Dickerson. Ryan Walsh is handling the Krystal Lawrence murder case. Are you sure you meant to call me?”

  He heard a sigh on the other end of the line, and then Hannah said, “Blaine, all I know is that the judge is not happy with Mr. Walsh, and that’s why he wants to see you. When I say he is not happy, you have no idea how unhappy he is.”

  Blaine was already getting up. “Thanks, Hannah. I’m on my way. Be there in two minutes,” he said slamming down the phone and grabbing his coat from the back of his chair. He said in a loud voice, “Carly, Judge Dickerson wants to see me. I have no idea why. I’ll let you know what’s happening.” With that, he strode down the hall of the county courthouse to where Judge Dickerson’s court and chambers were located.

  CHAPTER 3

  Blaine hurriedly opened the door to the judge’s courtroom which was empty, with the exception of Hannah and Ryan Walsh. Ryan was pale and looked like he’d aged twenty years since Blaine had seen him earlier in the day.

  Hannah motioned Blaine over
to her desk which was to the right of the judge’s raised bench. She spoke in a low whisper. “Judge Dickerson is on a real tirade. He’s so mad I’m ready to call the paramedics, just in case. I saw him a moment ago, and his face was almost purple, he was so angry. Plus, I saw a nasty looking blood vein pulsing on his temple. Good luck in there!”

  She stood up from her desk and walked over to the door to the judge’s chambers, knocked, and opened it before stepping away. Blaine walked into the chambers, closely followed by Ryan.

  Hannah closed the door behind her and said a silent prayer for her ex-boss, feeling like she was in ancient Rome and had just witnessed a sacrificial lamb being offered to a lion.

  Blaine’s heart was beating so loudly he was sure Judge Dickerson and Ryan Walsh could both hear it as he walked over to where the judge was seated at his desk. Hannah had been right. The judge looked apoplectic. His eyes were bulging and his face was set in a scowl.

  “Judge, I understand you wanted to see me,” Blaine said. From the look on Ryan’s face, it was obvious he knew why the judge wanted to see both of them in chambers.

  “You bet I want to see you.” Judge Dickerson started shaking his finger at Blaine. “First of all, let me tell you that Attorney Walsh is about the most incompetent attorney who has ever appeared before me. Secondly, I will not have him in my courtroom trying this case.” He stared at Blaine. “You’re the district attorney. You’re the one who should be trying it, not some idiotic lackey of yours who knows nothing of courtroom procedure, much less how to try a serious case of this nature.”

  Blaine didn’t know whether to remain standing or sit down in one of the empty chairs across from the judge. Since the judge hadn’t told him to sit down he remained standing, as did Ryan.

  Blaine took a deep breath and began to speak. “Your Honor, forgive me for being surprised to hear this. Ryan Walsh is one of my best deputy district attorneys, and I consider him to be a fine lawyer. I don’t know what happened in your courtroom, but I can assure you that Mr. Walsh is anything but incompetent.”