“Mr. Kalvin?”
He extends a hand. “Justin. You must be Aaron.”
“What do you know?”
“Nothing yet. I’m going in now for the court hearing. It’s a hearing via video with a judge who will determine if there’s probable cause. If there isn’t, she’ll be released. If there is, he will determine bond.”
“Bond? As in bail? I’ll pay it.”
He checks his watch. “I need to get in there. I’d like to have a few minutes with her before the hearing.”
“Let’s go.”
“You can’t go with me. The only people allowed in the hearing are Devyn, her counsel, and the prosecuting attorney.”
“Shit.”
“I’m not going to sugarcoat this, Aaron. Maddox told me about Devyn’s history. She’s a convicted felon recently released from a state jail. If the judge finds probable cause, she may have a hefty bail.”
“I don’t care what it takes, I’ll find the money.”
“I’ll meet you here when we’re done. Hopefully Devyn will be with me.”
“Thanks for taking this on with such short notice.”
“Jason’s a good friend of mine. We were fraternity brothers. If he says y’all are good people, I believe him.”
“Tell Devyn I’m here, and I’ll do everything in my power to help her fight this.”
“I’ll let her know.”
He walks inside, and I lean against the building. Ninety minutes go by. I’m ready to march inside and ask what the holdup is when Justin exits the building alone. I can tell from the look on his face that he doesn’t have good news.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“She’s not getting out?”
He shakes his head. “But it’s a good thing you didn’t go with a public defender on this one. Apparently Devyn thought she was being charged with stealing food from the lodge.”
“That’s not what the police said last night.”
“The DA told the judge she confessed to the police before she was read her rights. But Devyn thought she was confessing to stealing food, not money, jewelry, and the laptop they found in her room.”
“I’m confused. So did she do it or not?”
“Devyn says she didn’t do it. Said she was with you in the morning and then with Maddox’s wife all day. She did visit the lodge to pick up thread or something she wanted to take into town and match at a store.”
“If she said she didn’t do it, then she didn’t. Believe me. If she had done it, she’d accept the punishment.”
“I’m her attorney, I have no choice but to take your word and hers. But the judge is faced with a tough decision. All evidence points to Devyn. She was homeless after her recent release. She stole food and slept in the attic without permission until you offered her a job that gave her direct access to the valuables of the guests, which were found in a room only being used by Devyn.”
“What about fingerprints?”
“They haven’t been analyzed yet, but don’t get too excited. A lack of her fingerprints would not exonerate her.”
“But she’ll get out on bail until she has to go to court, right? How much do I have to come up with?”
“Maybe we should have this conversation elsewhere.”
Fuck. More bad news is coming. “Just tell me, Justin.”
“Every person arrested gets a PSA score. That’s a public safety assessment. Some people who have no record and have a proven job and means to support themselves might be released on presumption of personal bond before they’re even booked. Especially on a non-violent charge like this one. The PSA score determines how likely a person is to show up for their court appearance. Given Devyn’s prior conviction, her lack of employment, and no known address, she’s considered a flight risk.”
“But she has a job, and she lives with me.”
“Neither of those things are documented.”
“So she has to stay in jail?”
“There’s more.”
“For Christ’s sake, what?”
“The judge was contacted by Devyn’s father, Congressman DeMaggio. He said Devyn came to his house and harassed his wife and daughter last month.”
“What the fuck?” I kick the wall. “That’s bullshit. Roseanne voluntarily let us through the gate and into her house, and her daughter wasn’t even home.”
“Be that as it may, he has a lot of influence.”
Something occurs to me. “How the hell did DeMaggio even know she was arrested?”
“Beats me.”
“The whole goddamn system is corrupt.”
“Right now, things don’t look good for her. With Devyn in custody, there is no incentive for police to look at anyone else.”
“What’s our worst-case scenario?”
“This could go to trial as a state jail felony, which means the goods stolen were worth more than fifteen hundred dollars but less than twenty thousand. A state jail felony could put her away for up to two years. I’m going to try to get the DA to lower the charges to multiple misdemeanors, as in each item was worth less than fifteen hundred. If I’m successful, she may not get any jail time at all, just probation or community service and retribution.”
“What about DeMaggio? Can he influence the DA?”
“Yeah. I’m going to try and find out if they have a social relationship. Maybe we’ll get lucky and they don’t.”
I stare at the ground. “Devyn’s never been particularly lucky.”
“That’s not true. She has you. I’d say she’s very lucky.”
“Can I do anything?”
“Legally, no. But if Devyn is telling the truth, and she didn’t steal those things, who did?”
Oh, shit. All this time, I’ve been thinking maybe she did it because she wanted to be punished somehow. But she doesn’t want to go back to jail. She wants to be with me. She wants to have Casey. “I swear to God, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I’ll question every guest until I figure this out.”
“Don’t go out of bounds, Aaron. You’ll only make things worse for her.”
“When can I see her?”
“She’ll be transferred to the county jail today. She’ll have her first court appearance in three or four days. I’ll keep you posted, but you should be able to see her tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. He might as well have said next year, because at this point, tomorrow seems like a fucking lifetime away.
Chapter Forty
Devyn
For the second time in my life, I’m locked up in the county jail awaiting a court appearance. But this time is nothing like the last time. I’m innocent. I don’t deserve to be here. I rub my belly. He doesn’t deserve to be here.
I try not to fall into the dark place I went to years ago. I try not to look at the ceiling tiles. I block out the smell coming from the plastic mattress with rips in it. I close my eyes and think of Aaron. Will he hate me for this? My lawyer, Justin, said Aaron hired him and would do anything to get me out, but I have to wonder if it’s for me or for Casey. Justin said all the evidence was in my old room, which I use for reading and sewing. I’m a convicted felon. Will anyone truly believe me when I claim innocence?