Judy glanced at Meg, then the lawyer. “I don’t know everything about his past, his years in the military. They wanted me to think he’s not sane.”
“Did you wonder?”
“No. Rick is one of the most levelheaded men I know. My famous brother is crazier than Rick.”
Meg laughed beside her and spread her arms. “That’s because he leaves this all the time to live out of a trailer on a set. Now that’s crazy!”
Kimberly smiled. “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” She paused. “Why do you think they asked me if I knew where Rick went after he dropped me off at work this morning?”
Meg pulled Judy’s laptop closer and started clicking.
“Do you know where he was?” Kimberly asked.
“I had no idea where he was. I was at work.”
Kimberly scribbled a note. “They were looking for his alibi.”
“Why?”
Russell took that moment to walk in the room.
“There’s more coffee. Decaf,” Judy offered.
“I’m OK . . .” He ran a hand through his hair and seemed to wonder what he was supposed to do with it after that.
“What’s up?”
“Neil . . . he a, told me . . .”
“What?” Judy’s heart really couldn’t take much more for one night.
“There’s been another attack. Happened just after nine this morning. They found the woman just after five.”
Judy swallowed . . . hard. “Found her?”
Russell had a difficult time keeping eye contact. “Back of a garage a few blocks away from your building. Dark hair, medium build . . . pillowcase over her head.”
In an instant, the strong exterior dissolved and Judy remembered the terror inside the pillowcase, the horror of being at someone else’s mercy.
So f**king easy. Her arm burned . . . Next time.
“Judy?”
She tossed up her hand. “Damn it.”
“Is she alive?”
The answer was in Russell’s eyes. No words needed.
Judy slowly shook her head.
“Are you OK?” Meg asked, placed a hand on her arm.
Judy didn’t meant to shrug her friend off, but she did. “I’m fine.”
Meg bounced away as if stung.
“Sorry.” Judy instantly felt bad for pushing away. “I’m pissed. This guy is after me. I know it here.” She placed a finger on her chest. “I know it. I don’t know why, but he is. Now everyone’s attention is on Rick and not finding this guy.”
“A stranger’s death isn’t your fault.”
“I know . . . I get that.” Didn’t stop her from blaming herself on a strange level. Not everyone had access to bodyguards and personal trainers. And she needed hers back. She needed Rick at her side.
“Kimberly . . . what I talk to you about is confidential, right?”
Kimberly smiled, her dark eyes lit with question. “Of course.”
Judy looked at Russell. “Can you excuse us?”
Russell narrowed his gaze but left the room without incident.
Judy patted Meg’s hand, her gaze still on Kimberly. “I need you to do something for me.”
“OK?”
“You’ll be able to talk to Rick’s lawyer, right?”
“Joe Rodden is my colleague. We work in the same office.”
“Great. I need a marriage license and I need Joe to propose to Rick on my behalf.”
Kimberly blinked.
“I’m not forced to testify against my husband.”
The lawyer’s jaw dropped. She snapped it shut and started writing. “And if there is any eyewitness pointing a finger at Rick and this second attack?”
“There won’t be. Rick is innocent and the police weren’t sure of anything or they wouldn’t have been here asking me questions. This bastard is after me. He wouldn’t leave himself open to be caught until he has a second chance.”
“How can you know this?” Kimberly asked.
Judy rubbed at the healing marks on her arm. “I just do.”
Chapter Twenty
The plain white walls inside a prison cell did a wonderful job of giving those inside the opportunity to concentrate on their inner thoughts. Rick supposed if he were actually guilty of any crime, being alone with his thoughts would be painful. All Rick could think about was Judy. She was out there and he was in jail unable to get to her if something happened. He trusted Neil to watch over her, keep her safe, but no one was more invested in keeping her safe than him.
Rick met Joe Rodden in a secluded room the next morning. The lawyer dressed as a high-paid attorney should. His three-piece suit and impeccably groomed beard, peppered with a little gray, screamed confidence. They shook hands and settled behind the table.
“How is Judy?”
Joe lifted his eyebrow as he pulled a notebook from his briefcase. “She’s fine. Neil asked me to relay that she’s under twenty-four-hour personal protection.”
He already knew that . . . but hearing it again helped him breathe easier.
“How are you holding up?”
“Beats the desert in the Middle East.”
Joe tapped his pen and sat back. “Let’s jump right in, shall we?”
“I want out of here.”
“I’m sure you do. I’m going to make that happen as soon as we can get in front of a judge for an arraignment.”
“Monday?”
“Unfortunately.”
Two more nights.
“Do you understand the charges?” Joe asked.
“Yeah.” Assault, attempted murder with special circumstances.
Joe didn’t miss a beat. “Did you do it?”
Rick met the man’s eyes. “No!”
“I had to ask.” He sat forward to get to work, but Rick couldn’t tell if the attorney believed him or not. “So let’s go over the timeline on the day of the attack.”
Rick detailed out everything he remembered up to the point of walking into the hospital and finding Judy with the shit beat out of her. Joe asked about the military, his discharge. When he asked about Colorado and Mickey’s death, Rick paused. “You’ll have to ask the Marines about that. It’s classified.”
“I thought you said you’ve been out of active duty for seven years.”
“I have. Two years ago, all that changed for a brief time. Once a Marine, always a Marine and all that.”
“A man was killed.”