James Buchanan - Deputy Joe 03 - Laying Ghosts by James Buchanan

Author:James Buchanan [Buchanan, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

chapter 20

We made it about halfway down the aisle, towards the doors of the courtroom, when the sight of a pink coat caught me up short. Had to blink a couple of times before my mind really registered who I saw. I hustled over as she stood up. “Mom,” I hissed it out, “what are you doing here?” I looked over my shoulder and caught the glare off the bailiff.

“I came to support...” she whispered as she made her way out of the pew at the back of the room, “support your friend.” I shushed her some, politely as I could. Then, with my hand on her shoulder, I guided her out of the courtroom. She kept talking, at least real low, as I hustled her out. “He doesn’t have family nearby. I talked to the Hardings and they weren’t planning on being here, so I thought it would be, well, the right thing to do.”

“You drove all the way here?” My momma didn’t drive much in town much less down the highway and into the city. “Into Salt Lake?”

“Oh no.” She looked horrified at the prospect. “Mary, you know Jane’s daughter, she grew up next door, used to play with Tina when they were young.” Mom nattered on like we were coming out of Church on Sunday not in the middle of the Federal Courthouse. “She and her husband, well their daughter just had a baby so they all were driving in. Jane was going along to see her first great-grand-baby. So I asked for a ride.” The way she said it, well, made the plan sound about as reasonable as the sun rising the next morning. “I figured you boys would have too much to discuss that you would appreciate me hearing, so I didn’t want to bother you.”

“How did you even know where we’d be?” Instead of answering me, my momma dug in her pocketbook, pulled out a neatly folded bit of paper and handed it to me. When I unfolded it, I realized she’d salvaged that reminder letter from the attorney out of the trash. The one Kabe’d balled up and tossed while we were at my folk’s the other day. She must have heard us going on about more than I’d figured then. “What if the hearing got canceled or you missed us? You’d be stuck in Salt Lake.”

“They’re all going home tonight. Late.” It came out like I must be a little dull to not magically know that. “But Mary’s husband came to the courthouse with me. Looked in and made sure you were here. I have my phone if there was an emergency.” Bare bones basic with big numbers and pre-paid minutes. I’d gotten it for her several years back in case, well, she needed to get a hold of someone when she weren’t near a land line.

That reminded me, though, to turn mine back on. Soon as it powered up, the darn thing went off like a five alarm fire. Ten missed

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