THERE WAS A short delay while Esther was checked out of the county jail and picked up her belongings. The sheriff had made sure the procedure went smoothly and quickly. Within a few minutes, J.D. and I were in my Explorer driving Esther to The Villages and home. J.D. had called ahead and her neighbors were holding an impromptu party in her driveway. Somebody had even stuck a plastic flamingo in the front yard.
Esther had hugged me and broken down in tears as Judge Gallagher adjourned the court. It was the first sign of distress I’d seen in her in the seven weeks she’d been in jail facing the possibility of a life sentence.
As we pulled into the driveway, my phone rang. The caller ID told me it was Meredith. I knew how it felt to lose a case and I hesitated to answer. I didn’t want to say anything to this outstanding prosecutor that would leave her with the impression I was gloating. Finally, I decided it would be rude to ignore her. I answered.
“You glorious bastard,” she said. “You owe me some whiskey.”
“What’s your poison?”
“Bourbon.”
“Maker’s Mark or Wild Turkey?”
“Ah, the good stuff. Either will do just fine.”
“Why don’t you come down to Longboat to drink it? You haven’t met my girl J.D. yet, and she has a condo that you’re welcome to use. She can bunk in with me.”
“Is she the pretty blond who was in the courtroom today?”
“She is, except the blond is a disguise. She’s a brunette and will be again as soon a her hair grows out.”
“I won’t even ask why she needs a disguise.”
“Come on down and we’ll fill you in. Maybe the boss will give you some time off. You sure as hell have been busy this week.”
“I’d like to do that, Counselor. When would be a convenient time?”
“J.D. and I are going home tomorrow morning. You’re welcome anytime after that.”
“Thanks, buddy. I can sure do with some R & R.”
“We’ll be looking for you.”
J.D. and Esther had gotten out of the car and joined the party. J.D. gave me a questioning look as I approached and I whispered, “That was Meredith. I invited her to Longboat and offered her your condo.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Only, I’ll have to sleep with you.”
“And that’s bad?”
“Nah. I can live with it for a few days, I guess.”
The mob of neighbors shifted away from Esther and came over to congratulate me. There were hugs all around as I told them that J.D. had done all the legwork. She demurred, but the questions started to flow and we spent the rest of the evening giving them a blow-by-blow account of the investigation and the trial.
Toward the end of the evening, as the neighbors started to drift toward home, a car drove up in front of Esther’s house. A man got out and walked toward me. It took me a minute to recognize him, but when I did, I detached myself and went to meet him. He gave me a bear hug, and said, “So Florida’s best lawyer once more kicks some Sumter County ass.”
“It always helps to have an innocent client,” I said. “I’ve never tried a case up here without one.”
“A little bit of luck never hurt anybody. Come on and introduce me to your girl.”
I led him over to J.D. and said, “This is the woman I love, J. D. Duncan. J.D., this is an old friend. Jeff Carpenter.”
“Dr. Jeff Carpenter?”
“Matt knew me better as the defendant Jeff Carpenter.”
“Sheriff Cornett told me all about you and what you did for his daughter,” J.D. said. “It really is a pleasure to meet you. Can I get you a drink?”
“No, thanks. I just came by to congratulate Matt. I’ve been following this case pretty closely, but I’ve stayed away. I didn’t want to jinx your brilliant friend here.”
“Thanks for coming by, Jeff,” I said. “It means a lot.”
“I can never repay you for what you did for me, my friend. Invite me to the wedding.”
“As soon as she agrees to marry me, I’ll let you know.”
We slept in Esther’s guest room that night, enjoyed the breakfast our hostess cooked, and said our good-byes. We stopped in Bushnell to get J.D.’s Camry and began our two-car convoy back to paradise.