Chapter Fourteen

 

Nicole sat on the defender’s side of the courtroom. She laid out Michael’s notes. She was really nervous, this was her first time sitting at the table beside Michael. The only other time she saw him in court she sat back with the other onlookers and was told by Michael to only observe. Granted, she was pretty much doing the same thing now, she was only here to assist Michael and nothing more.

“Well, you get to sit next to Michael today, lucky girl,” Lexi said.

Damn it, Nicole forgot about this bitch. Of course she was going to be here she was the head prosecutor.

“Is this the little number you were talking about?” A short, well-dressed man stepped forward. He was rather handsome in a generic kind of way.

“This is my little helper Steven,” Lexi said.

“Hello, I’m Nicole.” She extended her hand to Steven and he gently shook it.

“You are positively glowing, Nicole. Michael must fuck as good as he looks.”

“That’s something you are never going to find out, Lexi,” Michael said as he walked up to them.

“Ah, how sweet, he has come to your rescue, Nicole.” Lexi walked back over to her table. Steven followed her like an eager puppy.

“Is Adam okay?” Nicole said as Michael sat next to her. She looked over at the empty chair beside her. Johnny was going to be brought in shortly. She was really uncomfortable having to sit next to a serial killer. She was doing her best to try and hide it.

“He will be chained up, so don’t worry, Nicole.”

“Adam?”

Michael chuckled. “No, not Adam, Johnny will be chained up, I see you looking nervously at his chair. Besides, I will protect you. Adam is at your apartment. Monica is with him.”

“Oh good. So, what do you want me to do?”

“You have my notes nice and set out that’s pretty much it for this phase. This is just a preliminary hearing.”

“You changed your suit.”

“I got a little dirty helping Adam get some of his stuff out of his apartment.”

Nicole turned around when she heard the sounds of chains rattling. Johnny’s wrists and ankles were chained. He was being led in by two officers of the court. Nicole couldn’t still believe this guy was a serial killer. He didn’t look the part at all. Hell, if she met him out on the streets she would have talked to him and that thought chilled her. She felt Michael gently grab her hand and give it a little squeeze. She quickly calmed down.

Johnny was seated in the chair next to her.

Nicole glanced over at him. He looked scared.

“So, Johnny are you going to plead guilty and save us all a shit load of time?” Michael said.

“If it gets me away from you sooner, I will,” Johnny said. “You already told me I was fucked so let’s get this over with.”

“Wise choice.”

Everyone stood when the judge entered the room. Michael asked to approach the bench. He looked to make sure the officer of the court was close enough to grab Johnny just in case he decided to go after Nicole. Yet, Michael wasn’t too worried about Johnny doing anything.

“I will be right back. He can’t do anything to you, so don’t worry,” Michael told Nicole then he went up to the judge.

“Are you his girlfriend?” Johnny asked Nicole.

Nicole didn’t know if she should talk to Johnny or not. “Yes,” she replied quickly.

Johnny leaned in a little closer. “What is your name?”

“Nicole.” She kept her gaze on Michael.

“Nicole, what a pretty name.”

“Thank you.”

“You should run from Michael, Nicole. Run as fast as you can.”

She looked over at Johnny. “Why?”

“He is a monster just like me. Run, Nicole, run, or they will find your body laying somewhere.”

Nicole quickly turned her gaze to Michael. She really wished he would hurry up. She wanted to get up and put distance from her and Johnny, but she didn’t want Lexi to perceive her as weak.

“He will kill you if you stay, Nicole. I just have to warn you, maybe it will buy me some good karma.”

“Good karma. You fucking killed all those women…”

“What are you doing to my assistant, Johnny?” Michael said as he came back to the table.

“Making conversation.”

“Good news for you, Johnny. You get life in prison.”

“Do I get away from you?”

“No trial, Johnny boy, so yep you get far away from me.” Michael gestured for the guards to come and get Johnny. They led him out of the courtroom.

“Well, that is disappointing,” Lexi said. “I was so looking forward to spending quality time with you, Michael.” She glanced at Nicole. “Looks like your girl got spooked. You know, you could do better than that timid creature.”

“No, I can’t. I think she might be able to do better than me though.” Michael smiled at Nicole.

God, she loved his smile. It always brought her calm.

Lexi just left the courtroom with Steven right behind her.

“Are you okay, Nicole?” Michael said.

“Yeah. He was trying to talk to me…”

“You should have gotten up and moved away from him. He just wanted to fuck with you. Are you sure you are alright?”

“Yes. Are you glad there is no trial?”

“Yep, it gives me more time with you, Nicole. Let’s get out of here. I know you are dying to see if Adam got settled in okay, and I have to start looking into who got into Adam’s apartment.”

Michael grabbed her hand and led her out of the courtroom.

Nicole gripped his hand a little tighter. She didn’t give what Johnny said to her another thought.

 

***

 

Nicole quietly headed into the kitchen. Adam was sleeping on the sofa. Yesterday was a strange day to say the least. Michael dropped her off at her apartment and then he said he was going to start on trying to find out who got into Adam’s apartment and to see if Linda Bennett on the prepaid cellphone was the same one who got murdered.

She started making coffee. What Johnny said to her yesterday that Michael was a monster just like him…why would he say that? Plus, he wanted disparately to get away from Michael. Why would he want to get away from the man who might be able to get him a lighter sentence? None of this made sense.

“What is troubling you, little Nicole?”

“Holy shit, you scared the hell out of me,” Nicole said as she nearly dropped the coffee pot.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. What are you doing up so early?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Neither could I.”

“You want some coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Nicole got two cups and soon as the coffeemaker made enough coffee she poured them some. She handed Adam a cup.

“I wish Michael would let me help him,” Adam said.

“I think you should have given that phone to the police,” Monica said as she came into the room. “I thought Michael would have advise that you should. I’m kind of surprised that he is keeping the damn phone.”

“I told you what Michael said he was going to do,” Adam said.

“Nicole, I don’t mean anything by this, so don’t get mad, okay,” Monica said.

“Well that depends on what you say.”

“Adam, did you give Michael a key to your apartment?”

“Why would I do that?”

“His foundation is paying the rent, maybe the landlord gave him a key to your apartment.”

“And he brought some poor woman into Adam’s apartment and killed her. Is that what you are getting at?” Nicole said angrily.

“I didn’t say he killed anyone. I’m just saying you might want to ask your landlord if anyone asked for an extra key, and the only way the landlord would have given them the key is if they paid the rent. Isn’t it strange that Michael is taking on all of this himself?”

“No, he is a lawyer, he knows what he is doing,” Adam said.

“He is a lawyer not a cop.”

“Monica, I can’t believe you are thinking these awful things about Michael,” Nicole said.

“We have to cover all the bases. Did you give Mindy a key to your apartment?”

“No. I mostly went to her apartment. She never wanted to go to mine.”

“Nicole, I don’t mean to imply that Michael has anything to do with any of this. But someone could say they are from his foundation and ask for the key to make sure Adam isn’t fucking up the place or something.” Monica was awake most of the night thinking about this. Adam was too trusting and Nicole was in love with Michael, they wouldn’t want to entertain the possibility that Michael isn’t who he said he is. She still couldn’t get the way he looked at her out of her mind. That coupled with what Nicole said about yesterday’s trial. How Johnny told her that Michael was a monster like he was. Monica was getting a really uneasy feeling.

“That might be a possibility that someone is saying they are from the foundation. We should tell Michael your theory, Monica,” Adam said.

“No, he has got enough on his plate right now. Let’s see what he digs up first then we will tell him,” Monica said.

They talked for a couple of hours. Monica feigned that she had some errands to run. She had to do something. Michael gave her the creeps and she wanted to know why. She headed to Adam’s apartment building to talk to his landlord and was surprised to see a bunch of cop cars in front of it.

She walked up to a pleasant-looking middle-aged man who was writing something in a little notebook.

“Excuse me, what happened? My friend lives in one of the apartments and…”

“Somebody killed the landlord of this building, so we aren’t allowing anyone in there until we work the scene.”

“You are a cop?”

“Detective Tim Dane, Miss.” He looked at the young lady. She reminded him of a pixie. She looked spooked. “Is something wrong?”

“I can’t believe that someone got murdered in a place my friend lives.”

“Who is your friend?”

“Adam Matthews.”

“Well, as far as we know this was an isolated event. What is your name?”

“Monica Jenkins.”

He wrote both names down. “I tell you what, Monica Jenkins…” He handed her his card. “Feel free to call me if you want an update.”

She took the card from him. “Thank you.”

He watched her leave the area. He grabbed his cellphone. “Hey Matt, do me a solid and look up any info on an Adam Matthews. I will text you his address. Thanks, man.”