“That’s right. You’ll be free to go.”

Hannah turned so that the officer of the court could put on the handcuffs and guide her through a side door. She was afraid to say a word for fear it would be something that might hurt her later.

She stumbled once, walking down the hall, and the officer gripped her arm. “Hey! Are you okay?”

“I . . . I think so.”

“You should be. You’re almost out of here. Your family went to the clerk’s office to pay your bail and that’s where we’re going. I’ll take these cuffs off the minute the paperwork’s done.”

Hannah swallowed hard. “Thanks. I was really scared. I’ve never been in court before.”

The officer gave a little laugh. “I figured that. I saw your legs shaking when you stood up, and I was all ready to catch you if you passed out.”

Hannah turned to look at the female officer, who couldn’t have weighed over a hundred pounds. “Thanks, but I probably would have taken you down with me.”

“Not me,” the officer said. “I’ve caught bigger ones than you and eased them down to the floor so they didn’t hurt themselves.”

They walked down the hallway in tandem for a few steps and then the officer spoke again. “You lucked out, that’s for sure. I’ve never seen Judge Colfax give bail that light before.”

“Really?” Hannah turned to her in shock. “I thought fifty thousand was a lot.”

“Oh, no. Don’t forget you only have to put up ten percent and sign a note for the rest. That’s only five thousand. All the other homicide cases I’ve heard have been over a hundred thousand and more.”

Hannah knew enough not to comment. To her, five thousand dollars seemed like a huge amount.

“Here we are,” the officer said, opening the door and ushering Hannah in. “We stay in here, but the door is open to the clerk’s office and you can hear what’s going on. Sorry, but I have to stay with you.”

“That’s okay,” Hannah said quickly. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been all alone in a cell and I appreciate the company.”

The officer turned to look at her in shock. “Nobody’s ever told me that before! I can’t do anything for you, you know. If your family doesn’t make bail, I can’t intercede.”

“Oh, no. I wasn’t thinking that at all. I’m just glad I have somebody to talk to.” Hannah watched as a smile played over the officer’s lips. And then she asked a question. “You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, but do you like your job? I’m just curious, that’s all.”

“I like it. It pays well and I’m a county employee. I get good bennies. That means a lot because my husband is out of work now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hannah said, feeling immediately sympathetic. “What kind of work does he do?”

“He’s an auto mechanic.”

Hannah thought fast. Lisa had mentioned that one of Cyril’s mechanics had quit and he was looking for a replacement. “I don’t know where you live, but is Lake Eden too far for him to drive?”