Long Range (Joe Pickett Book 20)(70)

“It’s not just that I don’t like jail. It’s that someone has threatened my family. It’s totally unrelated to this idiotic case. But I need to protect them.”

Nate briefed Beran on what ex-FBI agent Sandburg had told him. While he did, Beran doodled idly on his legal pad. Whether he did it consciously or not, he drew a skull and crossbones.

When Nate was through, Beran said, “That’s good information to know. We can use that to bolster our motion to get you out of here until trial—if there is a trial.”

“Do what you can,” Nate said. “Or I might have to get out of here on my own.”

“Please don’t say that,” Beran cautioned in a whisper. He chinned toward the camera and the two-way mirror.

“I’m not kidding,” Nate said. “I’m not a fan of our legal system. It can be a stacked deck. I’ve seen too many unaccountable bureaucrats use it to frame innocent people and ruin lives.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Beran said. “To cut ’em off at the pass. So let me do my best. My best is really, really good. We can start by you not explaining how much you dislike and distrust officers of the court. That could be construed by the prosecution as a motive in this case.”

“I didn’t kill Sue Hewitt,” Nate said. “And I didn’t take a shot at Duane Patterson.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Beran said.

“Yes, I do.”

“Don’t do it again.”

Nate shrugged. “I’ll tell anybody and everybody. That’s why I need to get out of here.”

“Please,” Beran pleaded. “Let me do my job.”

Nate said, “You’ve got a couple of days. After that, all bets are off.”

Beran took a deep breath in an effort not to respond. Then he folded the doodled-upon page back to a fresh one. He said, “Let’s start at the beginning. Where were you the night Sue Hewitt was shot?”

“At home with my family. You can check that out with Liv.”

“Oh, we will. And we’ll confirm it using your cell phone GPS log. Were there others besides your wife who can verify your whereabouts?”

“Loren Jean Hill, our nanny.”

“Good, that’s good,” Beran said. “Our hope here is to destroy the prosecution’s case before it ever gets legs. Our goal is to have the charges dismissed at the preliminary hearing—wherever it is.”

Then: “Where were you the night somebody took a shot at the prosecutor?”

“Same place,” Nate said. “I’m a family man.”

“Very good,” Beran said, scribbling. While he did, Nate could hear the attorney’s cell phone vibrate.

“They didn’t take your phone?” Nate asked.

“Not this one,” Beran said with a wink. He reached down and hiked his pant leg up and drew the phone out of the shaft of his boot.

“Speaking of Rulon,” Beran said. Then: “Excuse me, I have to take this.”

“Tell him howdy,” Nate said.

He waited while the two lawyers talked. Beran paced the room and became more and more animated the more he heard. Beran said, “Um-hmmm, Um-hmmm” several times and grinned while he did it. Then he said, “Spell it for me.”

Nate watched as Beran scratched out two words on the pad.

“You’re sure about this?” Beran asked Rulon. After hearing an affirmative response, Beran said, “I owe you one, Spencer.”

*

BERAN SAT DOWN across from Nate with a sloppy smile on his face. After sliding the illicit phone back into his boot top and covering it with his pant leg, he said, “Governor Rulon sends his regards.”

Nate acknowledged them.

“He also said the firm received a call this evening from a man claiming he could exonerate you in this case.”

“Go on,” Nate said.

“Rulon talked to the witness personally. He said the man had a very heavy accent,” Beran said. “But according to the witness, he saw someone come to your house when you and your wife were away and plant the rifle in your birdhouse.”

“It’s called a mews,” Nate said.

“Whatever. That doesn’t matter. What matters is this witness saw the gun being hidden. And there’s more.” With that, Beran’s eyes got large and his grin even larger. “The witness says the vehicle that came to your house was a white SUV with an insignia on the front doors. He’s pretty sure it was a Twelve Sleep County vehicle.”

Nate sat back, a little stunned. “Like a sheriff’s department unit?” he asked.

“That’s what it sounds like,” Beran said.

“When did this happen?”

“The witness said he saw it happen yesterday afternoon.”

“That’s when Liv, Kestrel, and I went to town,” Nate said. “Somehow, the sheriff knew when to plant the gun. But how could he? And how is it this witness saw what happened? We live in an isolated location. Where was this guy, anyway?”

“First things first,” Beran said. “We don’t need to know that now. But what a development! If our witness is credible, there’s no way the charges will stand.”

Nate shook his head, trying to make sense of what he’d just been told.