Chasing Justice: A Matt Royal Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

me?”
    “Abby’s fingerprints were found in the condo. She was a school teacher, so her prints were in the system. Bannister’s computer had lots of emails from and to Abby. Most were suggestive of an affair. But the worst one came from Abby. It was a threat to kill Bannister. It was dated two days ago.”
    I took a deep breath. What they had was a long way from enough evidence to convict, but it certainly wasn’t good for Abby.
    Harry continued. “There was a wine glass on the bedside table in Bannister’s bedroom that had Abby’s fingerprints on it. The sheets on Bannister’s bed were rather ripe with semen and vaginal fluid. Those are at the crime lab. We should have some DNA evidence back soon.”
    “That’s not good,” I said.
    “No. Are you going to tell Bill?”
    “Not yet. I’ll want to talk to Abby some more before I let Bill know about this.”
    “He’s got friends in our department. Including our chief. He might have his own sources. He’ll probably find out.”
    “I can’t do anything about that, but right now I’ve got a confidential relationship with Abby. I’ll have to see how this plays out. Has the ME determined the time of death?”
    “Doc Hawkins said he was probably killed about ten o’clock on Sunday evening.”
    “Doc’s usually on the money.”
    “Is there anything I can do?” Robson asked.
    “See if you can get Abby into some sort of isolation. I don’t think it’d be a good idea to put the chief’s wife in general lockup.”
    “I’m sure I can get that done. I’ll talk to the corrections lieutenant, James Forrest. He’s a good guy.”
    “I appreciate that.”
    “Good luck, Matt.”
    “Thanks, Harry. And thanks for being a friend. Watch your back with Lucas.”
    “Don’t worry. I can handle him.”
    * * *
    It was only a little after five when I got back into my Explorer. Too early to call J.D. so I called Bill Lester instead. “You got coffee on?”
    “Where are you?”
    “Just leaving the jail.”
    “It’ll be ready by the time you get here.”
    Bill and Abby lived in a small house on a canal near the south end of Longboat Key. He was waiting at the door with a cup of black coffee in his hand. “Well?”
    “Let’s sit, Bill.”
    “Of course. Sorry.”
    I took a seat on a sofa and he sat in a recliner facing me. “What did you find out?”
    “Not much. She’s accused of killing Nate Bannister and she’s charged with second-degree murder. But you already knew that. Harry Robson says that Doc Hawkins puts the time of death at about ten on Sunday evening. Was Abby here with you?”
    “I wasn’t here. I’d gone to visit my mom in a nursing home. I didn’t get home until almost midnight. Bad timing, huh?”
    “That’s not too big of a problem. If you testified that you were here with Abby at the time of Bannister’s murder, the jury might not put much credence in it anyway. You being the husband and all.”
    “Who’s handling the case?”
    “The FDLE assigned an agent named Wes Lucas. Ever heard of him?”
    “Yeah. Just rumors. But never anything good.”
    “He’s a hardass,” I said. “And a bully. He likes to throw his weight around.” I told him about our encounter in the interview room.
    “You never did take well to threats.”
    I shook my head. “Jack Dobbyn has already recused himself, and I wouldn’t be surprised if all the judges in the Twelfth Circuit did the same thing.”
    “How soon do you think the governor will appoint somebody else?”
    “I’m guessing he’ll do it quickly. He’ll be worried about the publicity, so he’ll want to get everything in place as soon as possible.”
    “What about bail?” Bill asked.
    “I don’t know. Second-degree murder carries a twenty-five year to life sentence, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the new prosecutor takes the case to a grand jury and ups the charge to first-degree murder. The rules make exception to bail in these kinds of cases, but the prosecution has to show that