Delusional Page 15

  “This isn’t an ex parte discussion,” Judge Crayton said. “In fact, this isn’t about the Smithson case at all.”

  Toni relaxed just a bit. I guess I’m not in trouble. She waited for the judge to continue.

  “I’ve been talking to Anne Mulhoney,” the judge continued, “and I’m a little concerned.”

  Oh, crap. Maybe I am in trouble if she’s talking to my boss. Toni tried to keep her composure. She was racking her brain, trying to think of what she could have done wrong. But if I screwed up, why isn’t Anne lecturing me instead of the judge?

  Judge Crayton must have seen the look on Toni’s face. “No, dear. You aren’t in trouble.” She smiled again. “I know that Detective Carter is working on these murders.”

  Toni felt her entire body relax. She trusted Judge Crayton completely and knew that she was above reproach. If Anne Mulhoney trusted someone, then Toni surely could.

  “Anne and I have been conferring with Captain Billings about all this,” she continued. “Off the record, of course. We know that you have your own little task force.”

  “We just help Vicky come up with ideas,” Toni said. “Nothing that would interfere with my job.” She wasn’t sure if what she was doing was allowed.

  “Oh, goodness, dear. I’m not reprimanding you.” Judge Crayton smiled and shook her head.“Quite the opposite.I happen to know that you have a certain knack for this kind of thing. Anyway, I know that one of your suspects is Peter Johnson.”

  Toni wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She knew that Vicky was keeping Captain Billings apprised of their investigation and ideas, but she had no idea it had gone further than that. She blinked a couple times and nodded.

  “Now this is completely between you, me and the fence post,” she continued. “Well, for your group also.” Her voice was quieter now. “I’ve had some issues with our mayor for some time now,” she said. “Nothing that was concrete, mind you, but issues nonetheless. I smell a rat, that’s all. And my senses are pretty good if I do say so myself. I know that the mayor has taken Peter under his wing, so I just wanted to caution you all to be careful.”

  “You think that the mayor could cause some trouble for us?”

  “Yes, unfortunately I do.”The judge said slowly.“I just wanted to make sure you all kept a wary eye about.” She looked at her watch. “It’s almost time for me to take the bench.”

  Toni stood. “Thank you, Judge. I’ll pass along this information.”

  Judge Crayton nodded.

  Toni headed to the door and just as she was about to open it, the judge spoke again.

  “Who all is in your group, Toni?”

  “Well, there’s Vicky Carter of course, Detective Patty Green, Agent Johnnie Layton and Boggs. I mean Investigator Boggsworth.”

  “You make a fine team. Keep up the good work.” The judge looked at the papers on her desk. “See you in the courtroom.”

  Toni made her way back to the prosecutor’s table in the courtroom. The defense counsel was already sitting at his table with his client. She barely had time to look at her notes again before the bailiff called for everyone to rise. It was a good thing the hearing was pretty routine, because Toni could hardly concentrate. Her mind was on the conversation she’d had with the judge.

  The rest of the day flew by, with Toni going from one courtroom to another. During the afternoon she had two students with her and spent every free moment answering their questions and explaining different areas of the law. By the time she sat at her own desk it was nearly four fifteen and she felt exhausted. There was a Post-it note stuck to the arm of her chair. It had a drawing of a stick person with a heart in his hand. She grinned and placed it in her drawer along with the dozens of other similar notes. God, I love that woman.

  As if on cue, Boggs appeared at her door. “Hiya, gorgeous. How about calling it quits early and giving a girl a ride home?”

  “Thanks for the note,” Toni replied.

  “Just reminding you that you’ve got my heart,” Boggs said, grinning. “Can you leave now or do you have more work to do?”

  “I’ve always got more work to do,” Toni said, “but nothing that can’t wait until Monday. Let me just check my e-mail to make sure nothing drastic happened while I was in court.”

  Boggs sat and stretched out her legs. “I don’t know about you, but I’m sure glad it’s Friday. This was an incredibly long week. The good news is that next week is short.”

  Toni finished checking her e-mails. “I know. I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving. Are you going to be able to take off Wednesday?”

  “I think so. Anne’s case pled today, so there won’t be a trial on Monday. Sam said there wouldn’t be a problem.” She winked at Toni. “That means we’ll have all day together. How about we plan on staying in bed the entire day?”

  Toni grinned. “I like the way you think. As long as the house is clean, the only thing we really need to do is roast the first turkey. Once we throw it in the oven, we can have the day to ourselves.” She gathered her things and grabbed her briefcase. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go home.”

  Boggs looked at her watch. “If we hurry, we’ll have almost an hour before the gang comes over.”

  Toni grabbed her arm as she went out the door. “What are you waiting for?”

  The doorbell rang at ten minutes until six.

  “Shit,” Toni said, rolling over and glancing at the clock on the nightstand. “Is it six o’clock already?”

  Boggs kissed the back of her neck. “Let’s ignore them.”

  The bell rang again, this time in several short bursts.

  Toni laughed. “You know how Vicky is. She’ll probably climb up the side of the house and knock on our window if we don’t answer.”

  Boggs grumbled as Toni got out of bed and pulled on her sweats and a long-sleeved T-shirt. She pulled out a pair of sweats from the dresser and threw them at Boggs. The doorbell rang again.

  Boggs walked across the bedroom, buck naked, and pushed a button on the intercom. She had the sweats in her hand. “Yes?” She sounded very serious.

  Toni giggled. “Now that’s a look I could get used to. Wait till I tell Vicky you answered in your birthday suit.”

  Boggs seemed to realize how funny that was and started laughing. Vicky was talking loudly. “Open the damn door. I’m freezing my butt off out here.” Boggs continued to laugh and started dancing around the room, swinging the sweatpants above her head.

  “I hear you guys laughing. What’s going on? Let me IN.”

  Toni went over to the intercom. “I’ll buzz you in, Vic. Meet us in the kitchen.” She pushed the red button that unlocked the front door.

  “Are you going to put those on or strut around naked?”

  Boggs was still laughing. “I don’t know why I think this is so funny,” she said. “Just the thought of Vicky standing out there while we’re in here undressed and everything.” She shook her head. “I must be slaphappy or something.” She pulled on the sweatpants and dug in the dresser for a sweatshirt. She slipped on a pair of moccasins and looked at Toni. “You might consider putting on a hat or something,” she said, grinning.

  Toni’s hand went immediately to her hair. “Does it look awful?”

  “Well, it looks like, um, it looks like you just got out of bed. And it’s pretty obvious that you weren’t just sleeping.”

  Toni felt her face flush. “That noticeable, huh?”

  Boggs nodded, then wrapped her arms around her. “And I love that.”

  Toni kissed her and for a moment she was tempted to pull her back into bed. Instead, she pulled away, grabbed a baseball hat from the top of the dresser and put it on. “Better?”

  “You look good enough to eat,” Boggs replied with a sly grin.

  They went downstairs with their arms wrapped around each other. Vicky was sitting at the kitchen island with a beer in her hand. She was petting Mr. Rupert, who was sitting on the stool next to her. When she saw Toni and Boggs, she rolled he
r eyes. “Gee, did I interrupt something?”

  Toni felt her face get hot. “Um, no, not at all,” she stammered.

  “Yes, you sure as hell did,” Boggs said. “But fortunately for you, we were at a stopping point.” She grinned. “And I need food and beverage to regain my strength.”

  Toni rolled her eyes this time and got a beer for herself and Boggs. “Now that you mention it, I am kind of hungry.”

  “I told Patty it was her turn to bring food,” Vicky said after several sips of her beer. “I hope she doesn’t stop by Subs R Us. I’m sick of those. In fact if she brings those, I say we don’t let her in until she gets something else.”

  “Well, you’re a crab tonight,” Boggs said, sitting next to her. “What’s up? Not getting any?”

  Vicky punched Boggs on the arm. “You’re such an ass.” She looked at Toni and shrugged. She had an apologetic look on her face. “Sorry. I guess I am a little edgy. I just can’t figure out what this maniac is going to do next. And I don’t want anyone else to have to die for us to figure this out.”

  Toni went over and gave Vicky a hug. “I know, sweetie. This is getting to all of us. Maybe after we eat we can go over what we know and something will click.”

  “I hope so.” Vicky finished the rest of her beer. “Damn. Seeing you two makes me wish Claire didn’t work the night shift. I hardly ever get to see her.”

  Toni sat at one of the kitchen stools. Mr. Rupert was still sitting in the one next to Vicky. She rubbed his head and laughed. “It looks like Mr. Rupert is waiting for food along with us.”

  “I’ll feed the boys before Patty gets here so they’ll leave us alone,”Boggs said.She got out a can of wet food and divided it onto two plates. Mr. Rupert hopped up on the counter to eat. Boggs took the other plate to Little Tuffy, who was waiting patiently on one of the ottomans. She waited until they finished, about seventeen seconds, then put their plates in the dishwasher.

  “You guys are so cute,” Vicky said.

  Toni expected an additional sarcastic remark, but Vicky remained silent.

  “Jeez, Vic, you’re serious aren’t you?”

  “Actually I am.” She took a sip of her fresh beer. “All this crap has made me realize how short life really is. I want what you guys have,” she added softly.

  Toni scooted over to the stool Mr. Rupert had vacated. She put her arm around Vicky and squeezed. “Do you love her, Vic?”

  Vicky lowered her head and sighed. She was quiet for so long that Toni almost asked her again.

  “Yes,” Vicky said, her voice just above a whisper. “I really do.”

  “Do you think she feels the same way?”

  “I’m pretty sure. She tells me she loves me all the time. It’s just hard to believe that someone like her would love someone like me, that’s all.”

  “I feel the same way about Boggs,” Toni said. “I have a hard time believing it.”

  “Are you nuts?” Boggs asked. “It’s the other way around. I’m the one who lucked out.”

  “See what I mean?” Vicky said. “You guys really love each other and you get to spend all your off time together.”

  “Are you thinking of asking Claire to move in with you?” Toni asked.

  “I’m afraid to. What if she says no?”

  “I know exactly how you feel,” Boggs said. “I was terrified that Toni would say no, or worse, that she would laugh at me.”

  “Really?” Toni couldn’t believe that Boggs had felt that way.

  “Yeah, I did. But I figured it was worth taking the chance.” She took another sip of beer and smiled at Toni. “Cuz I love you so much.” She put her hand on Vicky’s shoulder. “If you love her, take the chance, Vic. Believe me, it’s totally worth it.”

  “If I thought I could be half as happy as you guys, I’d do it. I’m, uh, really considering it. I’ve been talking to your Aunt Francie.” Vicky was almost blushing.

  “You’re thinking of buying a place?” Boggs asked. Her aunt was a realtor.

  “Yeah. I’ve been living in my tiny apartment for eight years now,” she continued. “The landlord has never raised my rent, but then again he’s never done a damn thing to fix the place either. Anyway, he said a few months ago that he was going to sell the building, so I started kind of looking around. I’ve saved enough money for a good down payment, plus enough to start fixing a place up.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Toni said. “What about Claire? Does she rent or own a place?”

  “She rents a small place across from the hospital,” Vicky said. “She’s been living there since she was a resident.”

  “Where are you looking?” Boggs asked.

  “Actually, Francie showed me a place only a block from here. It’s not quite as big as this place, and obviously not rehabbed like yours, but it has good bones. And I’m pretty handy at doing some of the work myself. And Claire said she likes to do things like that. We talked about it once, kind of hypothetically.”

  “We can help you do painting and stuff,” Toni said. “Have you made an offer?”

  “Not yet, but I think I’m going to. Even if I don’t ask Claire to move in with me. With the way the market is right now, I think this is a good time to buy.”

  “Oh, I agree,” Toni said. “The perfect time.”

  “And Aunt Francie is good,” Boggs added. “She’ll be able to tell you how low you can bid.”

  Vicky’s eyes seemed to brighten. “I think I will. I need something positive to focus on.” She pulled out her phone and dialed. After a short conversation she closed her phone. “Francie said she’d have the paperwork ready for me in the morning. She thinks I can offer a lot less than I expected.”

  Toni hugged her again. “This is fabulous, hon. When are you going to talk to Claire?”

  Vicky took a long drink from her beer. “One thing at a time, okay?” She grinned. “But it sure would be nice if we could be working on it together.”

  The doorbell rang.

  “Hey, don’t tell them yet, okay?” Vicky asked. “I don’t want to jinx anything.”

  “Got it,” Boggs said as she got up to answer the door.

  “I hope you don’t have Subs R Us,” Vicky yelled as Patty and Johnnie entered the foyer.

  “We stopped at the pet store and got dog food,” Johnnie replied as they came around the corner to the kitchen. She was carrying two reusable grocery bags.

  “Good one,” Boggs said, chuckling.

  Patty laughed. “We stopped at that new grocery store down the street,” she said as she started to unload the bags. “They have a fantastic deli there. Have you guys tried it?”

  “Anne talked about it yesterday,” Toni said as she peered into one of the bags. “It sure smells good.”

  Boggs was getting out plates for everyone. “Who wants beer?”

  “We do,” Patty said as she began opening the containers. “We got a little bit of everything just to try it. Here’s some potato salad, chicken tenders, lasagna, mac and cheese, hot wings, scalloped potatoes and some ham.”

  “Holy crap, Patty,” Boggs said. “Were you guys hungry or something?”She took a forkful of the potato salad.“This is pretty good,” she said with her mouth still full.

  They filled their plates and ate quickly, as though they hadn’t had a meal in days. Toni licked the hot sauce off her fingers and pushed her plate away. “Jeez, I’m stuffed. Thanks for the great food, you guys.”

  “It’s not that I would go there every day,” Patty said. “But it’s damn good.”

  “Yeah,” Johnnie agreed. “Now I can bring some actual food for Thanksgiving.”

  Toni laughed.“I think we’ve got it covered.Just stick with your original plan of soda and beer. You all ready to go downstairs?”

  They cleaned up the remaining food, got fresh drinks and headed down to the game room. Johnnie sat at the end of the bar, took out her laptop and lit a cigarette. Patty sat next to her. Toni and Boggs sat on one end of the sectional couch and Vicky took the ot
her side with Mr. Rupert.

  “First off,” Toni began, “I had an interesting talk with Judge Crayton today.” She recounted their conversation.

  “That’s interesting,” Boggs said. “I already think that Peter is a slimeball, and I knew I didn’t like the mayor. But I was just thinking the mayor was a bigot, not necessarily doing something illegal.”

  “I trust the judge’s instincts,” Toni said. “But I have no idea how the mayor could make trouble for us.”

  “I’m not sure either,” Vicky said. “But when I was digging into all that crap about dirty lawyers and judges a few months ago, the mayor’s name came up a couple of times. He’s just the kind of religious idiot that probably diddles with little boys or something. I could never find anything solid on him, but it was just a feeling, you know? At least it’s nice to know that we have some decent folks on our side. The judge, Anne Mulhoney and Captain Billings.”

  Vicky’s phone rang and she glanced at the name. “Speak of the devil. It’s Captain Billings.” She listened mostly and gave short replies. “I understand, Captain. Okay, we’ll keep you updated.” She closed her phone. “He says that no one came around Amy’s room today and he has to release the body now. Guess our guy didn’t care. And Captain Billings said the mayor is going to give a press conference at seven tonight. It will be on Channel Eleven.”

  “What the hell for?” Boggs asked.

  “Apparently he’s going to reassure us peons that his police department will get to the bottom of these home invasions or else he’ll find replacements.”

  “What an ass,” Boggs replied.

  “It’s almost seven now,” Toni said. She picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned on the television.

  Vicky scooted to the other side of the couch next to Boggs so she could see the screen. Johnnie and Patty could see from where they were. They watched as the mayor gave his press conference. It was more like a sermon, but he made his point. Toni hit the mute button when it was over.

  “Funny how he seemed most upset about Joshua Andrews, the widower and loving father of two wonderful children.”Vicky’s face was red with anger. “He barely mentioned Linda, and she was a city firefighter for God’s sake.”