First Degree, page 8
Veronica closed the partition, muffling the sound as she walked back and spoke to who I could only presume was Terry. A big, burly guy with an unkempt moustache, Terry looked over Veronica’s shoulder and glared at me. Finally, he patted her on the arm and opened a service door, leading to the warehouse where I stood.
“Can I help you?” he asked. Terry wore a blue shirt with his name embroidered in the center of a white patch.
“Mr. Nelson,” I said, extending my hand. He wiped his off on his pant leg and shook mine.
“You want to know about Rudy?” he asked. “What the hell’s he got himself into this time?”
“Nothing,” I said. “That is, I don’t know. I just want to talk to him about a case I’m working on. It’s to do with his son. Are you not aware of that situation?”
Terry screwed up his face. Then he shrugged. “I stay out of domestic issues,” he said.
What in the ever-loving hell was going on here?
“Look,” I said. “I just want to talk to the guy. If you could help me out with where to find him, that’d be great.”
Terry let out a laugh. “Where to find him? Lady, you got no idea. I’ve been looking for that mother effer myself for weeks.”
He jerked his chin toward Veronica. She scurried to the other side of the room and pulled something out of a file drawer. Terry went up to the window and took it from her.
“You said you’re working for his kid?” Terry asked.
“I am,” I said. “I’m his attorney. My name is Cass Leary.”
“Fine,” he said. “I don’t care. His kid probably needs this more than Rudy does. The hell with him. Rudy doesn’t work for me anymore. I’ve been trying to fire his ass for about a month. He’s AWOL. Screwed up my whole supply chain. You have no idea how many chances I’ve given him.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. Adrenaline heated my blood.
I looked at the envelope he’d given me. It was from the payroll department, presumably Rudy Mathison’s last check.
“Mr. Nelson,” I said. “When’s the last time you or anyone here has heard from or seen Rudy Mathison?”
He looked at Veronica again. Even behind her plexiglass, she apparently heard every word we said. She turned and typed something on her computer. I followed Terry as he walked closer to her. Veronica turned the screen toward us.
“He was supposed to show up on Monday, September 2nd,” she said. “Never did. Phone log says we’ve tried to call him something like twenty times. He was last here the morning of Saturday, August 31st.”
My throat ran dry. I could barely find the words to say thank you for your time. As I collected myself and walked out of that warehouse, reality sank in.
Rudy Mathison hadn’t been seen or heard from since August 31st. The very night Lauren Rice disappeared.
Chapter 12
I’d wanted to avoid it. The single biggest reason I hesitated getting involved in Cole Mathison’s defense descended on my front door.
“Trick or treat!”
My niece Jessa peered up at me through a black silk mask. I perched a giant orange bowl on my hip and had the urge to dump the entire thing right into her pillowcase. She was just that cute.
“I’m a ninja!” she proclaimed.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to tell people that,” Joe said behind her. ”It defeats the purpose, Jess.” He came up the walk with Katy and Matty trailing behind. Vangie brought up the rear, carrying a second pillowcase full of candy.
“She hit the west end of the lake first,” Vangie said.
Emma stood to the side of them, her arms crossed, sulking in the shadows. My sister Vangie caught sight of her and gritted her teeth through a smile.
“Come on, Emma,” Vangie said. “Jessa’s been looking forward to walking with you. We still have a lot of houses to cover.”
Vangie heaved the full pillowcase to Matty. It caught him right in the gut. He made a big show out of doubling over, making Jessa giggle.
“I’ll share my reefus cups with you,” Jessa said. She started pronouncing it that way last year when she lost her front teeth. It stuck.
Only Jessa could have gotten a smile out of Emma’s face, I think. Emma took Jessa by the hand. She and Vangie turned back down the walk and headed to my neighbor’s house.
That just left me to deal with the rest of the sullen faces as they brushed past me on their way to the pizzas I’d already ordered. “How bad is he?” I whispered to Katy as my brothers disappeared into the house.
“About an eight and a half,” she said. “They had a fight on the way over. A beer would take the edge off, but he’s not going to do that around Matty. I don’t think we’ll stay long tonight.”
“Got it,” I said. I was about to close the door when a pair of Disney princesses and a Jedi stormed up the walk yelling “trick or treat.”
Katy took the candy bowl from me. “I’ll take over,” she said.
“Traitor,” I whispered. “I was born into this family. You actually had a choice.”
Laughing, I squeezed her arm and turned to confront my sulking brother.
Matty was just as traitorous. He’d already made his way out the back door toward the water’s edge. That left me alone with Joe. I could tell from the set of his jaw that Katy had misjudged. He was well on his way to a nine out of ten.
“You’ve got to talk some sense into her,” Joe said.
“Which her are we talking about? I thought I was the one you normally think needs more sense.”
“You do,” he said. “But I’m talking about Emma.”
I sat at the kitchen table. A beer would have been good for me too, but not with Matty around. His sobriety was far too fragile.
“Cass,” he said, instantly deflating. “I need you to be straight with me.”
“When have I not been?” I asked.
He plopped down across from me. “Am I wrong about this kid? I don’t think I am. It’s just …”
“It’s just your daughter is dating a guy who’s accused of murdering his last girlfriend,” I finished for him.
“She’s still seeing him,” he said. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you. She hasn’t come over to the house with him, but I know she’s gone to his place.”
“Joe, I need to know everything. And I need to talk to you about something.”
He lifted his chin, alarm lighting his eyes. “Cass …”
“I need you to tell me about Rudy Mathison. You’ve only said you didn’t think he was much interested in spending time with his own son. What else do you know about him?”
I hadn’t told anyone but Jeanie and Tori about what I’d learned, not even Cole. That was tomorrow’s task. In the meantime, I was still waiting for the fruits of a subpoena on Rudy Mathison’s phone records.
“I don’t know much,” he said. “Just ... I don’t know. He always came off as a real blowhard. Cole was a pretty good football player. For Delphi, anyway. Too small to play in college. But he tried really hard. I coached him in Pop Warner like ten years ago. He’s always just been a hard-working, earnest kid. Coachable. Starved for it, really. And Rudy ... I don’t know. I saw something I didn’t like.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like he wasn’t happy unless Cole was trying to beat the crap out of some other kid. He’d lose it if Cole did anything less than run with the ball himself. And if Cole got hurt, well, Rudy didn’t have a lot of sympathy for that. It got to a point where the other coaches didn’t like having him at practices.”
“I see,” I said. It fit with the impression I had of Roxanne Mathison. Her fear when talking to me felt like something more than just concern for Cole.
“Do you think he was abusive?” I asked.
“Cass, I can’t say that for sure. But I asked Cole about it once. He was helping me replace some rotted wood around one of the windows in my garage. I reached across him to grab a hammer off a hook on the wall. Cole kind of recoiled. Hard. It was totally involuntary.”
“Like a conditioned response to an arm coming at him?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “And ... I know that feeling.”
I cast my eyes downward. Of course Joe would know it. Our own father had laid hands on him when we were growing up.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“He shrugged me off,” Joe said. “I didn’t press. But I never wanted Emma over there. That’s one of the reasons I preferred them hanging out at our house instead of his. I don’t like that she’s going over there now.”
“Understandable,” I said.
“Cass,” Joe said. “I just want to know. Am I wrong about this kid? I need you to promise me. If you have any reason to start thinking he hurt that girl, you have to tell me.”
“Joe ...”
“No!” my brother shouted. He pounded his fist against the table. “Don’t you lay any crap on me about attorney-client privilege. This is Emma we’re talking about.”
“And you’re the one who begged me to get involved in the first place, Joe,” I said.
“I know!” He was still shouting. Katy poked her head around the corner. She gave me an ‘I told you so’ look, then disappeared once the doorbell rang.
“I know,” he said, quieter. “I’m just worried about Emma. I told you. She’s been seeing him. Going over to his house.”
“Joe, have you seen Rudy around town lately?”
“I haven’t,” he said. “I think he’s moved out again. He’s done that in the past when things get extra tense with Roxanne. That’s what Emma has told me. She’s just so wrapped up in it all. I never thought, not in a million years, that things would go this far. I thought the cops would figure out they had the wrong kid. That there’d be something … Cass. He didn’t do this. He can’t have done this. But what if …”
He couldn’t finish the sentence. I’d never seen my brother this distraught. Well, almost never. We’d lost a lot together. And we’d survived much worse.
“Joe,” I said. “I don’t think you’re wrong about this kid. But I can’t make you any promises. You know that. I agree with you. The case against Cole is weak. To be honest, I can’t figure out why Rafe Johnson pushed it to trial so fast.”
“I’ve heard things about him,” Joe said. “Nothing great. Rafe Johnson’s not one of us, Cass.”
“Joe, you’re a lot of things. Racist isn’t one of them,” I said sharply.
“No,” he said quickly. “I’m not talking about the color of his skin. Christ. You know me better than that. He’s not from Delphi. He’s just using that job as a stepping stone to something else. He’s not like Jack.”
“You’re right,” I said. I believed it in my gut that Jack LaForge never would have signed off on charges against Cole. But here we were.
“So you’ll tell me,” Joe said. At that point, Matty came back into the house, probably sensing that Joe had cooled back down.
“I’ll tell you what I can,” I said. “And you have to believe me. You both have to believe me that Emma’s on my mind in this too. For her own sake, maybe she needs to pull back and stop seeing Cole for a while.”
“No!” Emma’s shriek zinged straight through my veins.
“Christ!” Matty said, jumping too.
Breathless, Katy hurried around the corner. “Sorry,” she said. “I told her to leave you guys alone to talk.”
“No,” Emma said. “Aunt Cass, you’re Cole’s lawyer. You have to be that before you’re my aunt. You took an oath.”
“Calm down,” I said. “I can be both.”
“I knew he’d try to get you on his side,” Emma said. “I’m not giving up on Cole. You have no idea what all of this is doing to him. I’m worried. Really worried.”
“Have a seat,” I said. “There were some things I wanted to talk to you about too. Maybe you can help.”
I got an admiring glance from Joe. I’d said the exact right thing to calm Emma down. She sat beside me.
“Emma,” I said. “What do you know about Cole’s dad?”
She folded her hands in her lap. Her skin went a little pale, and it told me far more than her words.
“He’s afraid of him,” she finally answered. “Mr. Mathison has a temper. I’ve asked Cole about it. I mean, specifically. He won’t talk about it. But ... I’ve seen bruises.”
“On Cole?” I asked.
She nodded. “And on his mom. One time when Cole’s car was in the shop, I picked him up to take him to work. Mrs. Mathison answered the door. She had a black eye. I don’t think she was expecting me. She tried to cover it real quick. And Mr. Mathison came up behind her. He pretty much slammed the door in my face and told me to wait in the car.”
“Dammit, Emma,” Joe said. “That’s the kind of thing you need to tell me.”
“And what?” she asked. “Were you going to fly over there and beat the crap out of him?”
“Maybe!” Joe shouted.
“We don’t hang out there usually,” she said. “Cole doesn’t like being there when his dad’s around. And I’m not stupid. I don’t like Cole’s dad either. Even without all that other stuff.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
She bunched her shoulders. Joe being here wasn’t helping. I was about to ask him to leave us alone when Emma blurted out the rest of it.
“He’s inappropriate,” she said.
Joe’s face turned red. Katy got to him and whispered something in his ear. He clenched his jaw but stayed quiet.
“How?” I asked.
“It’s like he’s in a constant pissing contest with Cole. He’d always try to embarrass Cole around me. I didn’t like the way Mr. Mathison looked at me either. It was kind of leering, you know? Like he’d look me up and down. Compliment me on my clothes or my looks more than he should. He was just creepy.”
“Son of a …” Joe spat. I put a hand up to silence him.
“When was the last time Cole spoke to his father?” I asked.
Emma looked up. “I don’t ... I don’t know. Why are you asking me that? Did you ask Cole?”
I pursed my lips. We were getting into territory I wasn’t comfortable talking about.
“Did Cole’s dad lie? About where Cole was that night? Is that why the cops think Cole did this?”
“Emma,” I said.
She jumped out of her seat. “It’s a lie. Aunt Cass, if Mr. Mathison said something to make things worse for Cole, it’s a lie. He hates him. Even my dad knows that. Did he tell you about when he was coaching? He’s a bad guy. I can’t even believe it. Poor Cole. I was …”
Her eyes widened. I didn’t like the expression that came over her face.
“I’ll tell them he was with me. I swear to God I will!”
“Emma!” Joe, Matty, and I all shouted her name in unison.
“Don’t say another word,” Joe said.
“What if I did?” she asked, her voice raising an octave.
“Emma,” I said, trying to keep my tone even. “I don’t want you to finish that sentence, let alone that thought. Whatever you say to me, to anyone ... well, it damn well better be the truth. Do you hear me?”
“If his dad says he didn’t see Cole ... if he says anything to jam him up, it’s a lie. I don’t understand it. I don’t know how any parent could think it. But Cole’s dad acts like he hates him. Like he’s jealous of him or something. And I’m telling you I wouldn’t put it past him to try to make things worse for him.”
“What the hell?” Matty said. “It’s not like we don’t have experience with a crappy father. But this would just be a whole other level.”
“Yes,” I said. “It would. Emma, do we understand each other?”
She tightened her lips into an ‘o’ that reminded me so much of one of Joe’s expressions. Stubborn. But reasonable when pushed.
“Yes,” she said, sitting down hard. “I wouldn’t. I said I’m not stupid.”
“I know,” I said, reaching for her. “And I also know how unbelievably hard this has to be for you.”
“I just feel so helpless. It’s like Cole has nobody in his corner. His mom is checked out. His dad is ... I don’t even know what. I feel like it’s just me holding him together.”
I saw my brother’s face darken. That was exactly what he was worried about. I wanted to tell them both that everything would be okay. While it was true the case against Cole was weak, that didn’t mean I could make them any promises.
As my niece finally crumpled and fell into her father’s arms, I took great comfort in that. If Cole Mathison’s father was as bad as I thought he was, at least Emma had one of the good ones.
But it made my need to find and talk to Rudy Mathison just that much more urgent.
Chapter 13
I hadn’t seen Cole in almost two weeks. My court schedule on other matters heated up as everyone wanted to get things resolved before the holidays. When I walked into his living room, Cole’s appearance shocked me.
He’d lost a lot of weight since his arrest. I noticed bald patches near his ears. Roxanne hovered. She set down a tray of soft drinks and a cheese plate. She gave me a knowing, concerned look that seemed to ask me if I could talk some sense into him. I thanked her and waited for her to leave.
“You look horrible,” I said. “You aren’t eating.”
With an unsteady hand, he reached for a cheese cube and ate it as if trying to prove me wrong.
“I’m fine,” he said. “It’s just hard.”
“I know,” I said.
“I know you’re worried,” he said. “About me, yeah. Sure. But Emma. We had a fight.”
“Oh?” I said. “Is that something you want to talk about?”
“Not really,” he said. “But you should know. I told her her dad was right. Maybe it’s not a good idea for her to be coming around. You know. Maybe after. But if ... Cass, she shouldn’t have to be dealing with this crap. I don’t want her to get hurt. She’s supposed to be enjoying her freshman year in college, not pining over her train wreck of a boyfriend who’s probably going to end up dead.”
“Cole,” I said. “You don’t have to handle all of this on your own. If you need to talk to someone …”
