Through the Trees
"Diane! Diane, wait up!" Cary's voice followed her down the hall, penetrating her preoccupied mind just as the elevator doors slid open. She sighed, mentally dismissing her plans for fresh air and a coffee from the shop on the corner, and turned around to face the young associate currently jogging toward her. The elevator doors slid noiselessly closed again behind her.
"Yes?" she asked, sliding off her sunglasses to observe Cary's eager expression.
"I have a client. A new client," he blurted, slightly out of breath. God, how long had he been chasing her before she heard him?
"Good," she said with a nod. "Who? What's the case?"
"The mother of a woman who lives in my building. She's been arrested for murder."
"Your mother is fine, Daisy." Cary seemed to realise the implausibility of his words and clarified as he briefly touched the arm of the petite, young, blonde woman seated beside him. "I mean, she's doing as well can be expected in her situation. She understands the charges against her and she's going to cooperate with us in every way she can to help us get her out of there. Her first court appearance is tomorrow morning and we'll try to get her out on bail then."
The young woman sniffed and wiped her weepy eyes while the distinguished-looking older gentleman on her other side patted the hand he was holding. "My granddaughter is very upset, Mr. Agos. First her father is killed, and then Karen is arrested for her murder? It's just too much. Tell me, what are the chances of her making bail?"
"Good," Diane interjected from the other side of the table at Cary's questioning glance. She'd been sitting quietly since her introduction, making notes on a legal pad and letting the first year associate do the talking. He'd done well so far. Their client's family seemed to trust him. "She's an upstanding member of the community, with a business and a family here. She's never been in any kind of trouble before. I don't foresee any problems."
"Can you tell us again what happened?" Cary asked. "Give us every detail you can remember; you never know what might turn out to be important."
Diane mentally nodded her approval and underlined Cary's name in her notes. This case could be the one that puts him over the top in her and Will's little associate zero-sum game.
Daisy took a sip of water from the bottle in front of her before speaking. "I arrived at my parents' house at about 8:00 pm. I was supposed to be meeting them there and we were all going to go out to dinner. Dad called earlier in the day while I was at work to invite me. He said they had something to discuss with me."
"Do you know what that something was?" Cary asked.
"No, not really. I mean, not for certain." She looked to her grandfather, who spoke up. "If I had to guess, I'd say they were going to tell Daisy they were separating."
Diane looked up from her note-taking. "They were having marital problems?" That was not going to play in their favour.
Daisy laughed mirthlessly, but shook her head. "They were always having marital problems, but I don't think that's what they wanted to talk about. I'm sure Mother could tell you, though."
"We'll be sure to ask," Cary assured her. "So what happened when you got to the house?"
"I got out of my car and walked up to the front door..."
"Were there any other cars there?" Cary interrupted with an apologetic look.
"Yes, Mother's Volvo was in the driveway. I didn't see Dad's truck, but it could have been in the garage."
Cary nodded. John Patterson's red 4x4 had indeed been found in the home's detached garage; there were photographs in the file.
Daisy glanced at her grandfather and continued, playing with water bottle as she spoke. "I opened the door with my key and let myself in. Nobody was on the main floor, so I called out and took a quick look around, but there was no one home. I assumed that they were out together and were just running late, so I sent Dad a text to tell him I had arrived."
Diane made a note to have Kalinda find out whether the victim's phone had received a text from his daughter and whether or not it had been read. It could be helpful in pinning down the exact time of death.
"What did you do while you waited?" Cary asked.
"I had a book in my purse, so I sat on the couch in the den and read. I was there maybe ten minutes, before I heard it." Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, her eyes frantically blinking back tears. "The gunshot," she added, her quavering voice barely above a whisper.
Roger MacPhee pushed his chair back and stood, placing his hand on Daisy's shoulder. "Mr. Agos, Ms. Lockhart, as you can see, my granddaughter is very distressed and I'd like to take her home now. Can we continue this tomorrow?"
"No, no, Grandpa, it's okay." Daisy wiped her eyes and took another sip of water. "I have to help Mother. Let's just get this over with, please. Where was I?"
Diane smiled sympathetically as Mr. MacPhee retook his seat. Deep lines of exhaustion and worry marred the older man's face; his eyes were bloodshot and sunken, his expensive business suit wrinkled.
"You had just heard the shot," Cary prompted.
"Right, yes. I heard the shot, but I didn't really think anything of it at first. The house is surrounded by woods, and it's not really unusual for people to be hunting too close. We don't like it, of course, but other than posting signs, there wasn't much my parents could do. So I…I just went back to my book. Maybe if I had gone to investigate…" Daisy voice trailed off again, but before anyone could move to comfort her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, visibly pulling herself together.
When she opened her eyes again and spoke, her voice was steady. "I was going to say maybe I could have helped Dad, but I know that's not true, is it? The police said he died instantly. That's right, isn't it?"
Cary grimaced. "Yes, that's what's in the police report. Of course we'll have our own experts go over everything, but no one seems to be disputing the fact that the gunshot was immediately fatal."
The young woman nodded. "So I went back to my book and a few minutes later I heard someone on the back porch. The door opened and Mother came running in, covered in blood. She started screaming when she saw me, saying to call an ambulance, that Dad had been shot."
"How long was it between the shot and your mother coming in?" Diane asked, looking up when Cary missed the obvious question.
"I'm not sure," Daisy replied. "I…maybe five minutes? Long enough for me to read a couple of pages. I don't really know."
"And then what happened?" Cary prompted.
"I called 911 on my cell phone and followed Mother out into the woods as I was talking." Daisy's face had taken on a calm, almost serene quality, as if she had detached herself from the conversation and was speaking to them from somewhere else entirely.
Cary glanced at Diane, then back to Daisy. "And what did you find in the woods?"
"My father. On the ground under a tree. A bloody hole in his head. He was dead."
She never did get her coffee and fresh air, Diane realized, sometime after eight that night, as she signed the last expense report in her pile. It was too late for caffeine now, but she had a bottle of wine in her fridge and her housekeeper had texted that dinner was ready and waiting: grilled chicken penne, salad, and some good crusty bread. Maybe she'll even indulge in a small dish of ice cream while she watched the evening news.
"Hey there."
She looked up from her work to find Will leaning against her doorjamb, a bottle of scotch in one hand and two glasses in the other.
"Hey yourself. What's the occasion?" she asked, nodding at the bottle.
He shrugged, straightening up and entering the room. "Another day, another dollar?"
She grinned. "Of which we may get to keep a nickel after the jackals take their cut? Sure, why not?"
"Heard your boy Cary brought in a new client."
"He did. A wife charged with killing her husband. It's a big one, Will. Karen and John Patterson are very prominent citizens, well-off, involved in the community. There is going to be a lot of media attention. Cary could really make a name for himself here."
"You're going to let him take the lead?"
She nodded. "I don't really have a choice. The daughter trusts him and the mother is taking her cues from her. I'll keep close tabs on him, but he's the one they want."
"What's the charge?"
"First-degree murder."
"She do it?"
Diane shrugged. "Does it matter?"
"Not to me." Will set the glasses down on the desk and poured two fingers in each. He passed one to Diane and held his own up in the air. "To things that don't matter."
Diane clinked his glass with hers and lifted it to her lips, draining it and wincing slightly as the strong alcohol burned its way down her throat.
Will set his glass down and glanced at his watch. "Damn, it's late. I hate to drink and run, but I have an appointment."
Diane laughed. "What's her name?"
Will smirked in return. "Kelly. Met her at the gym. She is in excellent shape."
"I'm sure. Have fun."
Will turned to leave, but paused in the doorway and looked back at her. "Hey, Diane. Your case, what was the cause of death?"
"Gunshot, why?"
"If you need ballistics, I've got a guy you should meet."
A/N: The Mchart is coming I promise! If I can keep my motivation level up, this will be somewhat lengthy. At least, it is in my head. I hope you enjoyyy! :D:D