He shouldn’t have shut Jane down about the key.
Coffee in hand, Reid sat on the back deck as dawn pinked the eastern sky over the trees. Frogs croaked in the marsh, and he heard the splash of something in the river. The hearing was set for nine, three hours from now, and it couldn’t come soon enough. Every minute ticked by like a year.
He just wanted Will safe and sound at home.
Headlights came up the drive, and he recognized Jane’s SUV. He got up to greet her as she got out with Parker and came up the back steps.
“You’re up early.” He pulled her into his arms and held her close.
She was trembling, and he could see how fragile her emotions were. His own were just as bad, but he as a guy, he felt he wasn’t supposed to show them.
“I didn’t get a wink of sleep,” she said in a husky voice.
“Me neither.” Not with their boy locked up. He kissed her, then pressed his cheek against hers. “We’ll get him out this morning. The judge knows you. He’ll let us take him. It’s going to be okay.”
She pulled away and shook her head. “Getting him out of juvie solves nothing, Reid. We’ve got Everest to climb ahead of us.”
“I know, but at least he’ll be where we can protect him.”
She bit her lip and stepped back. “Got coffee?”
“A whole pot.” He gestured to the hot pot on the table. “I’ll get another cup.” When he returned from the kitchen, he found her in a chair, looking at her phone. “Any news?”
“A text from Scott. He’s already talked to the DA and she won’t argue against Will’s release. So it should be routine to get him out.”
“Thank the Lord.” He poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her.
She wrapped her hands around the mug. “It’s probably too early to make any calls to Lauren’s neighbors.”
“Unless we want to make them too mad to talk to us.”
They sat sipping their coffee in companionable silence for several minutes.
“Have you talked to your dad this morning?” Reid asked.
“He called at five. He’d been up all night and offered money if we needed it for bail.” Jane took a sip of her coffee. “Nice of him, but juvie doesn’t take bail. They either release him into our custody or they retain him.”
“He feels responsible since he didn’t stay with Will. He was putting in some equipment in the bunker and thought he’d be okay for a few hours.”
Jane’s eyes widened. “I hope he isn’t thinking they will charge him in adult court.”
“Could they?”
“Oh yes. Alabama is hard-core with crime, no matter how young the offender. Many kids have been handed over to adult court for serious crimes like this.” She shook her head. “They can’t do that. I don’t think Augusta would go for it.”
“What if the DA is insistent?”
“It could happen then. I have to admit I keep wishing Dad had stayed with him the whole time. If he had been there, we wouldn’t be in this mess. There would have been a corroborative witness. Now we have nothing but Will’s word, and a whole lot of evidence that contradicts his story.”
Reid snapped his fingers. “Witnesses. Has either of your officers put out a request for anyone driving past at that time? Spoken to any of my neighbors?”
“Augusta said no one has come forward. Olivia called this morning too. She said she was going to look for a nursing home instead of staying at your house, but she needs us to take Megan. I told Olivia we still wanted them. That’s okay, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is.” Though he had no idea how they would work out care. “The kids can probably help out too.”
“She has insurance that will help pay for an aide. We can look for someone. I didn’t want her to go to a nursing home.” Jane raked her fingers through her light-brown hair. “Everything is a mess, Reid. How did we get here in only a few days?”
“I don’t know, honey. All we need is one break to lead us to Lauren’s murderer and get Will out of trouble.”
“And Olivia. I vacillate between feeling overwhelmed and wanting to help all I can. There’s so much going on I can’t even evaluate the situation properly. I can’t think or reason. Everything is resting on the outcome today.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to bite your head off about the key.”
She reached over and took his hand. “I understood. I’m not sure I’m ready to go there either. A murder that old isn’t high on our list to solve. It was more for distraction than anything. I don’t even know if Gabriel is still in town.”
“He’s still in town. Alfie saw smoke from campfires out there. I’ve wondered if Gabriel is behind this. He hates me and your mother.”
“But this?” She shook her head. “Seems extreme, even for him. He’s been waiting to hear if I spoke to my mom.”
“But maybe he wanted to give us extra incentive to deliver what he wants.”
Her heart twisted in her chest. “What our boy is facing . . . It’s awful, Reid.”
He held out his arms. “Come here, honey.”
She moved over to his lap and put her head against his chest. He wanted to reassure her, to comfort her. He was a strong guy, but even his strength couldn’t hold back the forces marshaling against their son.
* * *
Jane had been in the courtroom in Bay Minette many times before, but never with so much at stake. It was the first time she’d noticed its true odor—one of fear and despair. She held Reid’s hand at the back of the room and scanned the front tables for their son.
“There he is,” Reid said as Will twisted around at the defendant’s table to stare at them. Reid gave a little wave, and Will nodded in their direction.
He seemed smaller today, younger. The poor kid, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, looked scared and near tears. She knew his night hadn’t been pleasant, but they’d bring him home today, and she’d bake chocolate chip cookies for him. He’d forget all about the past eighteen hours.
They slid into the front row right behind Will. Jane gave him an encouraging smile and leaned forward to whisper to him. “This will be over soon, Will. Stay strong.”
“Sure, Mom.” His wobbly voice was soft, and he swallowed hard before he turned back around.
A movement to her left caught her attention. Megan helped Olivia slide into the seat beside Reid. Jane’s father was with them. Their support here was like a balm to her hurting heart. Her dad hadn’t said much when she dropped Parker off to run in the woods while she was busy today.
Thank you, she mouthed. Jane glanced over at the prosecutor’s table and bit back a gasp. The district attorney was here. Why would Wendy Chan bother with a juvenile case like this?
Jane clutched Reid’s hand and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “I don’t like that the DA is here. They usually send an assistant.” She glanced around for Augusta, but the detective wasn’t present.
If only Jane had her phone . . . but none were allowed in the courtroom. Maybe Wendy was there because of the high-profile nature of the case, with the accused being the teenage son of the Pelican Harbor chief of police. Media would be hungry for the salacious story.
“All rise,” the bailiff announced. “Judge Glen Cole presiding.”
They rose as the tall, lanky judge entered the courtroom. He’d always reminded Jane of Morgan Freeman, right down to his kindly manner. He was a true gentleman, and she was glad he was adjudicating. Fair and impartial, he always seemed to see directly into the heart of every case. There’d been rumors he planned to retire this year, but she didn’t see him ever leaving the bench.
He settled behind the bench and addressed the DA. “What do you have for me this morning, Ms. Chan? I’m a bit surprised to see you here.”
Wendy rose and came around the end of the table. “This case is complex, Your Honor. And new information emerged this morning. The state is charging Will Dixon with murder as an adult based on this new evidence.”
Jane gasped and half rose, but Reid grabbed her forearm and kept her in her seat. She reached out and grasped the rail in front of her. What was going on?
“Will Dixon wantonly and with malice aforethought took the life of his mother, Lauren Dixon.”
“She’s not my mother!” Will started to rise, but Scott grabbed him and kept him in his seat.
Jane closed her eyes and gulped. Will’s anger would testify against him.
The judge glared at the defendant’s table. “Control your client, Mr. Foster.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Proceed, Ms. Chan.”
“The police discovered clothing covered with Mrs. Dixon’s blood at the accused’s property. There’s also blood spatter and a pool of blood inside the outbuilding, which identifies it as the murder location and not the water as the defendant claimed. This elevates the crime beyond manslaughter to first-degree murder, which is what the state charges this morning. May I approach the bench?”
The judge motioned to her, and she brought documents to the bench, then handed a copy of the same papers to Scott. Jane felt faint. This couldn’t be happening. The judge wouldn’t release Will with a first-degree murder charge. Will would stay incarcerated until trial. Even worse, he’d be remanded to the adult jail unless Scott was able to get a stay on that because of his age.
The judge perused the documents and looked at Scott. “What do you have to say, Mr. Foster?”
He cleared his throat. “This is a gross miscarriage of justice, Your Honor. My client was attacked by the deceased, and in defending himself, Mrs. Dixon fell into the water. When he tried to help her, she ordered him away. He’s just a kid, only fifteen, so he did as she directed. He didn’t strike her with anything. There’s no evidence he hit her. He left his tackle box and fishing pole at the river, where anyone could have taken it and attacked her. Further investigation will prove someone is trying to implicate an innocent child. We are asking for his release into the custody of his parents.”
“A hidden tackle box was found in his closet with her hair and blood on it. And his fingerprints,” the judge pointed out. He stared for a long moment at Will before he sighed and turned to his bailiff. “Request granted, Ms. Chan. Bailiff, please transfer Mr. Dixon accordingly.”
Jane gasped and leaped to her feet. “Your Honor, please! This is not right.”
Judge Cole’s expression was kind. “I understand your dismay, Chief Hardy, so I won’t sanction you for your outburst. You must let justice play out in this case, and I have to protect the community.”
Scott splayed his hands at his sides. “Your Honor, I beg the court to allow the lad to stay at juvenile hall in light of his very young years. He just turned fifteen. An adult jail would be beyond harmful to him. You know this, sir.”
The judge pressed his lips together and glanced from Will to Scott, then back to Will. He finally nodded. “I’ll grant that request. Juvenile court can retain custody.” He exited the bench and vanished through the back door.
Will turned toward Jane. “Mom, what’s happening?” His eyes were filled with horror and fear.
Ignoring protocol, Jane went past the railing and embraced him. He quivered like a frightened puppy, and she had to use all of her strength to keep from sobbing against him.
She patted his back. “We’re going to get you out, Will. Your dad and I will spend every minute finding out who did this. Stay strong.”
“Yes, we will,” Reid vowed at her side.
He had his arm around both of them, and Jane hadn’t realized he’d followed her.
The bailiff took her arm. “I must take him now.”
At least his voice was kind and understanding. It could have been worse. Jane released Will and stepped into the circle of Reid’s strong right arm. Her legs were wobbly, and she wasn’t sure they would hold her much longer. Nausea roiled in her stomach, and she had to swallow the bile at the back of her throat.
She sent an appealing glance at Scott, who shook his head.
He put his hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing we can do today. I’ll talk to Wendy and see if we can reach some kind of agreement.”
“No plea deal! Will is innocent, and he’s not pleading guilty to anything.”
“Of course.”
“And we need a bail hearing since he’s being charged as an adult.”
“I’ll get that done.” Scott’s flat tone told her he didn’t hold out much hope.
She watched the bailiff lead Will off before she let the tears flow against Reid’s chest.