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Seeing her sister in a prison uniform choked off Savannah’s initial greeting. Jess saw her shock and smiled. “The highest fashion they could offer me. It’s fine, Savannah. It’s only clothes.”
“We’ve got to get you out of here. You saw Hez?”
Jess nodded. “He agreed to represent me.”
Savannah leaned forward and put her hand on the plexiglass. If only she could touch Jess, comfort her. “Have you heard the evidence against you yet?”
“Not yet. Hez says that will come at a hearing.”
“I know you didn’t hurt anyone. I’m going to find out who’s behind this.”
Jess shook her head. “Someone killed two people and broke into my house to plant evidence. Whoever is behind this is determined and dangerous. If they find out you’re poking your nose into this, you’ll be in their crosshairs. I want you to stay out of it. Let Hez figure it out. That’s what I’m paying him for.”
Savannah lifted her chin. “I’m not staying out of this, Jess. You’re my sister and I love you. I promise you I’ll figure it out. I’ll do whatever it takes to exonerate you.”
Jess’s eyes filled with tears, and Savannah’s throat closed at the unfamiliar sight. Jess needed her, and she would find a way to free her.
Chapter 26
Hez got his first glimpse of hope—quite literally—when he walked into the courtroom. Deputy District Attorney Hope Norcross sat at the prosecution table, chatting with the bailiff. Hez knew her well from a gang case they’d prosecuted together five years ago. She had been fresh out of law school, and he had rescued her from several rookie mistakes. They stayed in touch, and he informally mentored her until his booze-fueled collapse. He hadn’t talked to her since, but if anyone in the DA’s office would show some flexibility on his bail motion, she would.
As he walked up the center aisle, the side door opened. A deputy emerged, followed by Jess and a second officer. Jess caught his eye and motioned him over. The deputies deposited Jess at the defense table and sat behind her. Hez took the seat next to her.
Jess leaned over and whispered, “Give me an update. I hate that I can’t have a phone.”
“I just got the complaint this morning,” he whispered back. “They’re charging you with two counts of capital murder and a bunch of included offenses. The only real surprise was a charge for embezzlement. I—”
“What about bail?”
“That will be decided today. The judge will also schedule the prelim, which is where we’ll get our first real look at the prosecution’s case.”
“All rise,” the bailiff intoned. “The District Court for Baldwin County is now in session, the Honorable Judge Achilles Hopkins presiding.”
Judge Hopkins limped to his seat and settled in while everyone in the courtroom stood silently. He was a burly, middle-aged former cop who went to law school after a teenaged carjacker ended Hopkins’s law enforcement career by ramming his police cruiser while trying to get through a roadblock, crushing Hopkins’s right hip. Unsurprisingly, he was a tough-on-crime judge who tended to give the prosecution what it asked for—so Hez’s real job today wasn’t to persuade the judge to grant bail. He needed to persuade Hope.
After a couple of minutes of formal appearances and other “legal liturgy,” as Hez’s first boss called it, the judge got down to business. “Okay, is your client waiving the reading of the complaint, Mr. Webster?”
Hez stood. “Yes, Your Honor. We received a copy this morning. No need for a formal reading.”
“Good. And how does your client plead?”
“Not guilty, Your Honor.”
The judge nodded and jotted down a note on a yellow pad. “Next on the agenda is setting a preliminary hearing.” He turned to a large paper calendar hanging on the courtroom wall. “I’ve got a trial starting tomorrow that will last the rest of the week. Ms. Norcross, does October twenty-three at nine work for the DA’s office?”
Hope pulled out her phone and scrolled for a moment. “Could we make it the twenty-fifth at nine, Your Honor?”
The judge nodded. “That works for me. Mr. Webster?”
“We would prefer an earlier date, Your Honor, but I have no problem accommodating Ms. Norcross.” He glanced at her, and she smiled and mouthed, Thank you.
The judge made another note. “All right, the final item on our agenda is pretrial detention. Mr. Webster, is your client requesting bail?”
“Yes, Your Honor. We recognize that Ms. Legare is charged with very serious crimes, but every other factor argues in favor of pretrial release with an appropriate bond. First, she has no criminal history. None. Second, she has strong ties to the community. All her family is here. Her job is here. Her home is here. Third, she is the chief financial officer at Tupelo Grove University. That’s a critically important role, and depriving the university of her services will harm its employees, students, and hundreds—if not thousands—of others who rely on the university.”
Judge Hopkins shifted in his seat. He was up for reelection in less than a year, and he hopefully didn’t want to needlessly antagonize a large chunk of the electorate.
“Finally, based on the foregoing, it’s clear that Ms. Legare is not a flight risk. This is her home, and she will stay here to clear her name. We think a bond of one hundred fifty thousand dollars is more than sufficient. That’s double the maximum bond for regular murder. But if Ms. Norcross disagrees, we’ll work with her to find a mutually acceptable amount.”
