Chapter Six

Melia let out a small cry of horror when Joe was ushered into the courtroom Tuesday morning—not because of the handcuffs or leg irons but because of the condition of his face and the painful manner in which he moved. “He’s hurt badly,” she whispered angrily to her grandfather. “The judge has got to let him out today before they kill him.”

Ron nodded his agreement. Joe was clearly in a lot of pain, and when he was asked a question, all he could give was a slurred response. Judge Leitner, who presided at the bail hearing, looked at him very sympathetically. But the prosecutor, Nate Vesey, a stocky man around forty years old, insisted that the defendant had been the one to cause the fight that resulted in his obvious injuries and that there should be no sympathy shown to him.

“Mr. Whalen had taunted and then punched another inmate, which resulted in a fight that, in turn, resulted in Joe’s injuries.”

“Your Honor,” Dylan Tokery spoke up, “does the state expect us to believe that Mr. Whalen, who until this latest charge has never had an offense of any kind, would be so stupid as to attack Gus Hammond, a man much larger and with a long history of violence?”

“Mr. Vesey, is Hammond the other party in the assault?” the judge asked.

“Yes, Your Honor, and he was pushed to the extreme by Mr. Whalen.”

The judge shook his head. Then he said to Dylan Tokery, “Counselor, do you feel that your client is in danger in the jail?”

“I certainly do,” Tokery said.

“He’s a troublemaker,” Vesey countered.

“Also, Your Honor, I would ask the court to note that the alleged homicide took place in the defendant’s home after it had been broken into. I think bail should be set in this matter for that reason, if none other.”

“The state strongly opposes that,” Vesey said. “The defendant shot and then hid the victim’s body in a large trunk. That is not something someone would do in self-defense. At trial, we intend to prove that it was cold-blooded, premeditated murder. We believe the defendant lured the victim to his home on some pretext or other and then shot him in the head in cold blood.”

“How did the sheriff’s office come to learn of the trouble at Mr. Whalen’s house?” Judge Leitner asked.

“Joe Whalen himself reported that his house had been broken into, and it was a deputy sheriff who responded and found the body in the trunk. There was blood all around, and no attempt had been made to clean it up,” the defense attorney said.

The arguments went back and forth for several more minutes, but finally, Judge Leitner raised a hand and said, “Enough, gentlemen. Bail in this matter is set at $50,000. We are in recess.”

Melia heaved a sigh of relief, a sound that was echoed by others around her. An hour later, Ron Brady and a bail agent had posted the bond, and Joe hobbled from the jail. Melia threw her arms around him, and then Rosina did the same.

“Thank you,” Joe said to Ron. “You will not regret it.”

Bo congratulated Joe but said, “Joe, you’d better watch your back. You were in danger in the jail, but you’re still in danger now that you’re out. I would suggest you stay with me for a while.”

“I’ll be fine,” Joe said stubbornly. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“I agree with Bo,” Ron said. “You are very much in danger. I have a big house. You’re welcome to stay with Melia and me.”

Once again, Joe declined. “I appreciate it, both of you,” he said, having a very hard time speaking. “But my dog will be with me. I think I’ll let him sleep in the house after this even if my landlord doesn’t like it.”

Rosina spoke up then. “We sure won’t tell him. I am taking you to see a doctor. You don’t look very good.”

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Joe, you are not fine. But let me ask you this: why did that Hammond guy beat you up?”

Joe said nothing except, “I just want to go home. And Ron, I’ll be at work tomorrow.” He refused to say anything about the beating he’d taken.

After Joe went with Rosina to her car, Melia asked Bo, “I know he didn’t attack that Hammond guy, so why doesn’t he say so?”

Bo shook his head. “He’s probably been threatened if he says anything different from what the other inmates stated. It works that way quite often. Gus Hammond is a vicious man, and other inmates wouldn’t dare oppose him any more than Joe does.”

“That’s horrible!” Melia said angrily, shaking her fists.

“We need to find out who killed Emil Eifler,” Bo said evenly. “That’s the only way to end this trouble for Joe.”

“How can we do that? You aren’t allowed to help investigate, and that detective is convinced Joe is guilty,” Melia said. “All he wants is to see his name in the paper and on TV for arresting a murderer. He doesn’t care about the truth, only his own image.”

“You’re right about Merianos. As for who killed Emil, I’ll just have to think of something I can do. I have an idea of who is behind all this trouble,” Bo said. “Gus had a visitor at the jail right before the assault on Joe.”

“Who was it?” Melia asked.

“I don’t believe the guy signed his real name on the visitor roster.”

“Didn’t he have to have some ID?” Melia asked.

“Of course, but he could have produced false ID. I read the name on the roster and did some digging. A person by that name doesn’t exist.”

“But he does,” Melia protested. “He must be the guy who left the notes.”

“I’m sure he is, and whoever he really is, he wants Joe convicted so that no one will look for him in the case. He must know who killed Emil, or he might be the actual killer, and I have to find out who he is, even if I have to do it on my own time. If Joe goes to prison, the real killer will get away with murder.”

“Don’t they have a description of him from when he visited the jail?” Melia asked.

“Yes, of course. He can be seen on a camera at the jail, but who’s to say he wasn’t disguised? Mr. Tokery, the defense attorney, was allowed to view the video, and he also believes the guy was heavily disguised. So, you see, we can’t know for sure who he is.”

“Is Joe going to be able to work?” Melia asked. “He looks like he’s in a lot of pain.”

“If he says he can, you can bet he will. Joe is a determined guy,” Bo said. “I just wish he wouldn’t insist on staying alone at his house. That’s just plain foolish, suicidal even.”

Rosina took Joe out to the Brady farm to pick up his dog and his truck. Ron had kept the old truck for him in his equipment barn. He helped a little with some chores, but Joe realized he was not in good shape. He hurt all over so bad it made him nauseated. But he figured that he’d feel a lot better by the next morning. Rosina helped Melia as well, and both girls tried to talk Joe out of staying at his own house, but he stubbornly insisted that he would be okay.

Rosina took him home and walked to the front door with him after he’d put Herc in the backyard. “You will let him stay in the house, won’t you?” she asked as Joe unlocked his front door.

“I guess I should, but he’s not really housebroken, and you know what my landlord thinks,” he said.

“Better to have an accident or two to clean up than to be alone in the house,” Rosina said sternly.

“I’ll see. I think I will let him be inside, at least when I go to bed,” he said and pushed the door open.

“Joe, what in the world has happened to your house?” Rosina asked as the two of them stared dumfounded at the mess inside. The place had been ransacked. There were broken dishes and plates on the floor. A kitchen chair was busted into several pieces; the rest of them were also too broken to use again. The sofa cushions had been cut open and the stuffing spread around the living room. His TV screen was smashed.

They went into Joe’s bedroom. Similar destruction had occurred there. His drawers had all been opened and the contents scattered around the room. In the bathroom, the mirror had been shattered. The clothes in his closet were scattered all over the room, and some of his shirts had been ripped.

“Joe, what about your guns?” Rosina asked.

“Detective Merianos took my pistol. He says it was the one Emil was shot with, the one I shot Emil with,” he said bitterly. “I had Bo take my other ones. Let’s look in the other room.”

The only room that wasn’t trashed was the room with the trunk that Emil’s body had been stuffed in. But on the lid of the trunk was a typed note.

You killed Emil and you know it. You either confess and plead guilty or you will pay with your life. This is just a sample of what you have coming if you don’t admit that you killed Emil.

Of course, there was no signature.

“We mustn’t touch the note, Joe,” Rosina said. “I’m going to call Bo. And what in the world is that awful smell? I noticed it when we first came in, but it’s strongest in this room.”

“I don’t know,” Joe said, sitting on the twin bed with his head in his hands.

Bo wasn’t the only one who showed up. Detective Merianos also came with another deputy, twenty-five-year-old Jim Grizzel. The arrogant detective showed no sympathy for Joe. Bo and the other deputy, on the other hand, were both appalled. Rosina got on her phone and called Karmen, who promised to come out and help clean up the mess.

“It smells bad,” Detective Merianos said as he wrinkled his nose. “Is there another dead body in here, killer?”

“That’s uncalled for,” Bo said hotly as he inspected the back door. The cardboard Joe had taped in the empty pane had been taken out and dropped on the porch. “Here’s how they got in.”

Detective Merianos gave Bo a dirty look, but he did at least examine the door and agreed that someone could have come in that way. “I want to know what the smell is,” Merianos said. “Are you going to tell me or not?”

“Will, as you know, Joe has been in jail. How would he know what it is?” Bo demanded.

The detective snorted but gave no response.

“It’s strongest in the spare bedroom,” Rosina said.

The officers entered that room and looked around for a moment. Joe and Rosina stood at the doorway. “Maybe we should look in the trunk,” Bo said with a shake of his head.

Will opened it and stepped back, his fingers pinching his nose. “Poaching, too, are you, Joe?” Detective Merianos said. “When did you put this little deer in here?”

“Detective, like I just reminded you, Joe has been in jail. So you know very well that he had nothing to do with this deer,” Bo said. “You need to lighten up here.”

The other deputy agreed with Bo, but Merianos just smirked. “One of you guys call Wildlife Resources,” he said. “This is their problem now, and don’t let Joe touch this deer. I don’t think there’s anything more for me to see here.” He paused and scowled at Joe. “You already know this, Joe, but now I know that two inmates heard you tell Gus Hammond you killed Emil because you owed him money for pot that you refused to pay for.” Then he spun and left the house at a fast walk.

No one was sad that the detective left. In fact, Bo and Rosina were steaming with anger.

“How can there be a fair investigation into the murder of this Emil guy with that jerk in charge of the case?” Rosina said. “We all know that Joe didn’t say that. Did you, Joe?”

Joe did not respond.

“Perhaps I should try to find out who the other inmates are,” Bo said, “and who’s visited them recently.”

The other patrol deputy, Jim Grizzel, spoke up then. “Bo, let me do that. You don’t need the sheriff angry at you.”

“He’s going to know what his star detective said and did here today,” Bo said angrily. “It can’t be ignored.”

“Let me handle that too,” Grizzel said.

Bo actually smiled then and pulled out his cell phone. “Merianos doesn’t know it, but I recorded everything he said in here. I had a feeling he would act this way, so I took precautions. I am going to lodge a complaint with the sheriff. Jim, thanks for the offer, but I’ll do it myself. I would appreciate it though if you would figure things out for me at the jail if it can even be done.”

“I can do that later, but, Bo, I’m coming with you to see the sheriff. And don’t argue,” Jim said.

“All right, maybe that’s best,” Bo agreed. “Then we can both try to figure things out at the jail.”

Karmen arrived at that point, and the first thing she said after giving Bo a rather tender hug was, “What is that awful smell?”

Rosina explained. “Let’s open some windows. Then you and I can start to clean up this mess.”

“Not until we take some pictures,” Bo said. “Jim, would you take the bedrooms and the bathroom? I’ll get the rest. We can just use our cell phones.”

By the time a couple of officers from Wildlife Resources arrived, the pictures had been taken and the girls had started to clean the mess in the kitchen. Joe, despite hurting badly, pitched in and worked as best he could.

The killer finally put his binoculars away. He’d seen enough. Joe was going to cave in and confess, or there would be a lot more trouble coming his way. Maybe even to his family and friends.

The killer was a master at disguise. He could make himself look any way he wanted to, and no one would ever recognize him. Joe would take the fall for what he’d done, for what he, the killer, had had to do. Emil had needed to die. And Joe was a nobody who had angered him one day, a day he hadn’t forgotten. It made him chuckle again at his good luck at having killed Emil in Joe’s house. It wouldn’t hurt Joe to spend his life in prison.

If he lived long enough.

The house cleaning was going well and the wildlife officers had taken the deer and left. They didn’t even attempt to accuse Joe the way the detective had.

Bo and Jim had also left since they were on duty and had other matters to attend to. They hadn’t been gone long, however, when there was a knock on the front door. Rosina answered it. She’d straightened up Joe’s bed as much as she could with the slashed mattress, and it was in good enough shape that he’d finally agreed to lie down. He was hurting, sick to his stomach, and extremely tired. He’d admitted to Rosina that sleeping in the jail had been almost impossible.

“Hi, Melia. Come in,” she said as Melia held out a hot casserole and some rolls.

“Thank you. Grandpa’s waiting in the truck, so I can’t stay. I just wanted Joe to have something to eat. How’s he doing?”

“Not great. He’s resting,” Rosina said. “We insisted, and he wasn’t much help in cleaning up the house the way he was hurting.”

“What happened?” Melia asked with wide eyes as she suddenly became aware of the damage in the house that had yet to be straightened up. “This is horrible!”

“Oh, it’s much better now than it was. Why don’t you have your grandpa come in, and we’ll explain the best we can,” Rosina said as she took the meal from Melia’s hands.

When Ron Brady came in, he was visibly upset. “How come someone can’t leave the poor guy alone?” he fumed. “Enough is enough. What happened here?”

Ron sat on what was left of the sofa. Melia stood beside Rosina and Karmen while they explained what they had found, including the dead deer. “So that’s why the windows are open,” Ron observed. “I thought it was awfully cold for that.”

“We need to go to the store and get some things. We’ll get an air freshener when we do,” Rosina said.

Melia was close to tears. “I can’t believe this is happening. Joe is such a nice guy.”

“Yes, he is,” Rosina agreed.

Melia turned to her grandfather. “Grandpa, if these guys will give me a ride home later, you won’t need to stay. There’s more casserole in the fridge at home. All you’ll need to do is heat it up. I want to help these guys.”

“I guess I’d better,” Ron agreed. “It’s a bit of a shock to me, and my weak heart can’t stand a lot of this kind of thing.”

“Should we eat the casserole while it’s still warm? I made a lot,” Melia said.

“We’ll have to go to the store first. All of Joe’s plates, bowls, and glasses are broken,” Rosina revealed. “We’ve cleaned them up already, but we plan to get some paper ones to tide him over. He’ll also need a few other things.”

Just then Joe staggered into the kitchen.

“Joe!” Melia cried and rushed to him, throwing her arms around him. In a broken voice, she said, “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, this is almost as bad as the jail,” he said. Then he gave a very small, painful smile and added, “Almost, but not quite.”

“Melia brought some casserole and rolls,” Rosina said. “But you need something to eat on. We washed your silverware, but all the plates, bowls, cups and glasses are destroyed. Karmen and I will go get some paper ones and a few other things. It won’t take us long. Melia, you can come too if you’d like.”

“No, I think I’ll stay with Joe,” she said. “He can rest some more while I keep cleaning things up.”

The other girls left, and Melia began to straighten things up in the living room as best she could. Joe hobbled around and helped her. He refused to lie down again. In a way, Melia didn’t mind. She was glad to have him near. She liked him a lot and hoped and prayed that he would be able to overcome the terrible thing he’d been accused of.

Later, after they had all eaten, Melia said, “Joe, please come stay at Grandpa’s house tonight. I’ll be so worried about you being here alone.”

“Well, this place is kind of a mess. Are you sure it wouldn’t be too hard on Ron?” he asked.

“He’ll be fine. So you will come?” she asked with pleading, hopeful eyes.

“I guess so,” he said. “It is going to be kind of hard to stay here until . . . well, until it looks better in here and smells better. It’s mostly the smell that bothers me.”

So a few hours later, Karmen went home, and Rosina delivered Joe, Herc, and Melia to Ron Brady’s farm.