Long Range (Joe Pickett Book 20)(66)

“You’re right,” Marybeth said. “But what if she’d broken up with her lover and he wanted revenge? Or he wanted Judge Hewitt out of the picture so he could take another run at her? Or what if Sue was the target all along?”

Joe thought about it and shook his head. “I don’t see how that works. She would never have been hit if the judge hadn’t ducked at exactly the right second. There’s no shooter alive who could have anticipated that happening. The bullet was literally already in the air when Judge Hewitt leaned away.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Marybeth said. “But now you’ve got me thinking of everything that happened in a different way.”

“Me too,” Joe said.

“So how do we find out who she was meeting at the county building?” she asked. “It doesn’t have to be for romantic reasons, I guess.”

Joe explained that, in addition to a closed-circuit camera mounted above Stovepipe’s metal detector, every person entering and exiting the building had to register their name and reason for being there in a logbook. Stovepipe kept his logs in three-ring binders.

“I’ve signed in dozens of times,” Joe said.

“But we know she went there,” Marybeth said. “How does knowing the exact days help us?”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking about all afternoon, and this is where you come in,” Joe said. “You’re a county employee. You have access to the county-wide Google calendar for everybody and everything, right?”

“Right.”

“So if we check Sue’s visits against the calendar for, what, the last six months? Maybe you can find a pattern to what was going on and who was in the building at the times she showed up. Maybe something will jump out at you.”

She sat back and a slow grin took over her face. “I see what you’re thinking,” she said. “So how do we get the logbooks?”

“I’ll figure that out,” Joe said.

She shook her head and whistled. “This is getting interesting,” she said. “Do you think it’ll help Nate?”

“Maybe,” Joe said. “I hope so. But what I really hope is that it helps us get closer to the shooter. I know if we learn something, the sheriff won’t even listen, but I’ll go over his head to Duane or even the judge if we’ve got a new suspect.”

“The judge may not want to hear who his wife was visiting,” Marybeth warned.

“You’re right,” Joe said. “I’ll loop Duane in, though. But not until we’ve got something solid.”

“Oh,” Marybeth said, raising a finger in the air. “I did some research and found out where Sue got her fortune before Judge Hewitt married her.”

“Where?”

“Her grandfather founded Castle Arms in Connecticut. He was a gunmaker. He later sold the company to Remington and now they make long-range rifles.”

“Interesting.”

“And ironic if the rifle that eventually killed her was a Remington,” Marybeth said. “And another thing: I figured out the connection between the judge and Governor Allen.”

“Let me guess . . .”

“The judge was a major contributor to Allen’s campaign,” she said. “There’s also some speculation that our judge has been advising the gov through many of his legal issues.”

“Ah,” Joe said.

The waitress appeared and she asked if they wanted a second drink.

“I don’t,” Joe said. “I’ve got things to do.”

Marybeth ordered a club soda. She said she’d wait until Kink Beran arrived.

*

WHEN JOE ENTERED the lobby of the courthouse, Stovepipe was kicked back in his chair with his cowboy boots up on his desk and his hat brim pulled down over his eyes. His mouth was agape and he was napping. It was five minutes before six by the ancient clock on the wall. The public parts of the county building were locked up at six, although the sheriff’s department had a 24/7 entrance in the back of the building.

Joe’s boots clopped along the stone floor, but apparently not loud enough to wake Stovepipe.

“Hey, buddy,” Joe said gently as he took in the security camera mounted over the doorway that led to the courtroom.

Stovepipe awoke with a start and he made an “Unnngh” sound. The old rodeo cowboy swung his feet down and peered at Joe though sleepy eyes.

“Didn’t hear you come in,” he said. “Nobody ever comes in this late.”

“Sorry,” Joe said.

“Did you hear about Sue?”

“I did.”

“Bless her heart,” Stovepipe said sadly. “I thought she was going to make it.”

“We all did.”

“My heart hurts for her,” Stovepipe said.

Joe nodded in agreement.

Stovepipe reached over and hit a button that activated the metal detector. “Coming through?” he asked.

“Nope,” Joe said. “I was just wondering about the camera up there. Do you know how long they keep the digital files of who comes and goes through the lobby?”

Stovepipe cocked his head, puzzled. “Why do you want to know that?”

“It’s for an ongoing investigation,” Joe said. “It might not mean anything at all.”