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Back Legacy of Lies
Chapters (88)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. PART ONE
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. PART TWO
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. PART THREE
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. 59
  67. PART FOUR
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. 68
  77. 69
  78. 70
  79. 71
  80. 72
  81. 73
  82. 74
  83. 75
  84. 76
  85. 77
  86. EPILOGUE
  87. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  88. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“All right, then get to it. I don’t want any holdups once we start pretrial motions this afternoon. If everything goes smooth, we may have a jury in the box by the end of the day and might even squeeze in opening statements.”

“That’s not going to happen,” a raspy voice said from the doorway.

Helen wheeled at the sound and saw an unwelcome visitor standing in the opening, holding a newspaper in his hand.

The Honorable Harold Page was a tall, skinny man with thin white hair and a bald spot on the back of his head. He eased into the room, nodding at Gloria and Trish and then propping himself on the edge of Trish’s desk.

“Your Honor, what gives us the pleasure?” Helen asked, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

Page folded the paper and stuck it into the crook of his armpit. “You’re not going to like it,” he said, and the frown on his face caused his eyebrows to crease. Page had been a circuit court judge in Giles County since Ronald Reagan was president, and most members of the bar didn’t even know what he had done before taking the bench.

Helen did. The judge had been an assistant district attorney when she had joined the office in the early eighties. They had worked on a few cases together, and she had found him to be dim witted and dull. She also hadn’t liked the way he would sometimes put his arm around her and let his hand drift a little too close to her backside. But Page was affable and had family connections littered throughout the town. He won election to the court in 1983 and had always been perceived as a prosecution-friendly judge.

Helen never liked the man and still didn’t. If there was one quality in a human being that she detested above all else, it was laziness, and Harold Page was lazy. She suspected he was about to prove it again.

“I’m waiting with bated breath,” Helen said. “What am I not going to like?”

“General, my judicial assistant just got off the phone with Sandra over in Lou Horn’s office. Sandra told Clarice that Lou is vomiting in the bathroom. Not sure if it was something he ate or if he’s come down with a bug.” He stopped, and Helen gazed back at him with a cold stare.

“And?” she said.

“He’s asked for a continuance until tomorrow morning.”