“Didn’t you have lunch with her yesterday? And the day before?”
“Well, yes. Yes, sir, I did. But I didn’t get enough of her.” He let out a sheepish grin. “I haven’t seen anything like her come to Magic Valley for a good long time. She’s a regular ball of fire!”
“Isn’t she, though.” Ben pursed his lips. “We’re going to be very busy. We have a murder trial to gear up for.”
“Oh, I know, I know. But I figured, she’s gotta eat, right?”
“Yeah, right.”
“Unless you’ve got some objection …”
“What am I, her father? What Christina does in her spare time is her business. I need to speak to my client now.”
“Understood.” Sheriff Allen tipped his hat, then headed toward the back of the courtroom.
Ben slid into the chair next to his client. “How’s it going, Zak?”
Zak brushed his hair out of his eyes and grinned. His hair seemed particularly limp and dirty. They probably don’t supply Johnson’s baby shampoo in the slammer, Ben thought.
“I’m all right,” he answered. “Jail time is no walk in the park, but I’m used to it. How’s my case coming? Got any leads?”
“Not yet. But I have managed to get the Green Rage seal of approval.”
“Well, that ain’t no small feat.”
“Zak, I need to talk to you about something.”
“What’s up?”
“I had a talk with the prosecutor yesterday, and it was … disturbing. She seems very confident about her case against you.”
“Does that surprise you? She’s got her career on the line. She doesn’t want me messing up her win-loss record.”
“Maybe so. But she also intimated that she had a lot of evidence against you that I don’t know anything about. Do you know what that might possibly be?”
“Sorry, counselor. No idea.”
“Think hard, Zak. This is important.”
He spread his arms. “I’m telling you, I don’t know.”
“She seemed pretty secure about her theory of motive, too, although she didn’t care to share it with me. Any ideas?”
“Oh, hell, that’s not hard to figure. She’s going to say I am a crazed zealot eco-bandit, some tree-loving nutcase who thought he had the right to kill to further his cause. Isn’t it obvious?”
“Maybe. I just don’t want to be caught flat-footed. It’s important that you tell me everything, the good and the bad. If there’s something you’ve held back, please tell me now.”
“Relax, Ben. There’s nothing. Nothing at all. The woman was probably just jerkin’ your chain.”
“And you didn’t know Dwayne Gardiner?”
“Right.”
Ben eased off, but he still wasn’t satisfied. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but the whole situation left him with a very uncomfortable feeling.
“All rise.”
The bailiff brought everyone in the courtroom to their feet. Ben saw that Granny had slipped in at the other table while he was talking to Zak.
“Court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Tyrone J. Pickens presiding.”
The judge took his seat at the bench, then peered out into the courtroom. “Well now, looks like old home week, doesn’t it?” He adjusted his glasses and scowled at Ben. “What’d you do this time, son? Rescue a lobster from a seafood restaurant?”
“Uh, no, sir.” Ben cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m not the defendant.”
Judge Pickens pulled a face. “You’re not? Then what’re you doin’ here?”
“I’m counsel for the defendant.” He gestured in Zak’s general direction.
“You’re a lawyer?” Pickens’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right. You represented the animal freaks.”
“Not freaks, your honor. They’re people concerned about the unethical treatment of living creatures.”
Pickens sighed. “I can see this is going to be a fun trial.” He took the papers handed to him by the bailiff and skimmed them quickly. “So you’re representing this George Zakin?”
“That’s right, your honor.”
“I see. You’ve regressed from varmint hugging to tree hugging.”
“Your honor, I must ask you not to prejudge-”
“I’m not prejudging anything, son.” He jabbed the gavel in Ben’s direction. “When this trial begins, I’ll be entirely fair and impartial. Doesn’t mean I have to forget all common sense in the meantime.” He shifted his gaze to the other side of the courtroom. “You prosecutin’ this one, Granny?”
“I am, sir.”
“How long is this going to take?”
“I can’t speak for my esteemed opposition,” Granny said, swishing her head so that her radiant hair danced around her shoulders. “But our case won’t take more than a week. Probably less.”
“A week? Damn.” He tossed his bifocals down on the bench. “Don’t you people know it’s fishing season?” He looked up abruptly. “Oh, excuse me, Mr. Defense Attorney. You probably object to fishing, too.”
“Catch and capture, or catch and release?”
“Catch and
Ben shrugged. “I never understood the point of fishing to begin with.”
“Mr. Kincaid, I fear you and I are not going to get along.” He nipped a page in his desk calendar. “We’ll start the trial Monday of next week. Any motions I need to hear?”
“I’ve filed a motion to be admitted to practice before this court
“Right, right, granted.” Judge Pickens grimaced. “I don’t suppose I can keep you out of the courtroom, however much I might like to. You death-qualified, boy?”
“Several times over, your honor.”
“Good thing.” He looked up. “You going for the death penalty, Granny?”
“You better believe it,” she answered.
“Figured as much.” Eyes back to Ben. “So you stay on your toes and handle this thing right. Understand, son?”
“Perfectly.”
“I don’t want the appellate boys hassling me about incompetent counsel. Anything else I can do for you?”
“I haven’t received all of the prosecution’s exhibits.”
Granny looked incredulous. “He just entered his appearance yesterday!”
“But the case has been on the docket for weeks. We specifically requested the medical examiner’s report.”
“Couldn’t lay my hands on it,” Granny said. “Given the short notice. I’m sure it’ll turn up.”
Yeah, right, Ben thought. She was withholding the report for a reason. And he’d have to figure out what that reason was without any help from her.
“Any other motions?”
Ben stepped forward. “Yes, your honor. I’ve filed a motion for change of venue.”
“You got somethin’ against my courtroom, son?”
Heaven forbid. “No, your honor. But I have become aware that there is a certain local hostility toward the group my client leads.”
“After stunts like they pulled last night, what do you expect?”
What had happened? What did everyone in town except him already know about?
There was an awkward pause. “You do know what happened last night, don’t you, son?”
Ben bit down on his lower lip. “Well, actually …”
