Justice Served: A Barkley and Parker Thriller Read Online Free PDF Page B

common. Each had a
date in Judge Carole Cranston’s courtroom prior to death, on
charges related to domestic violence against women. Trouble is, in
every instance, insufficient evidence or some other luck of the
draw got them off the hook. At least temporarily. Seems as if their
sinful ways caught up to them—”
    Ray drew his brows together skeptically. “You
think someone attending court proceedings may be making sure these
batterers don’t get away scot-free?”
    Nina jerked her head in his direction. “Hey,
it’s worth checking out,” she said defensively, “unless you’ve got
a better idea.”
    “None that I can think of right now,” he
admitted.
    The Criminal Court Plaza was part of a
renovated downtown structure that included the jail and district
attorney’s offices. It was adjacent to the Portland Police Bureau
Headquarters and near the city center.
    Judge Carole Cranston was holding court when
they walked into Courtroom 1A. The detectives sat in the back as
the sharply dressed young female prosecutor hammered away at a
juvenile defendant being charged as an adult on trial for murder.
On several occasions Judge Cranston hammered down her gavel,
matching the tone of her voice in keeping control of the
proceedings.
    From where he sat, Ray couldn’t help but be
more than a little impressed with the lady. How about really impressed. He hadn’t been in the judge’s courtroom before, but had
heard she was a no-nonsense tough lady who could more than hold her
own with any male judge in the criminal court. What he hadn’t been
told was that she was also a knockout and younger than he’d
imagined. Whether she could help them or not on this case remained
to be seen.
    Just after the judge announced a recess, the
detectives approached the bench. The judge barely seemed to notice
them during the commotion of people moving about. To Ray it seemed
as though her mind was elsewhere, as if she had drifted off to sea
in some deep probe. She somehow seemed ill at ease in her black
robe and judge’s stature. If she were not a judge, he could well
imagine her being a Wall Street lawyer. A college professor. A
hotter than hell actress. Or maybe a tough as nails newspaper
reporter.
    Even a super lover crossed his mind.
    When they reached the bench, Nina cleared her
throat, and said: “Judge Cranston?”
    Carole looked down disinterestedly. “Yes,”
came her customary reply.
    “I’m Detective Parker and this is Detective
Barkley.”
    “Detectives,” she said politely.
    “We’re investigating the murder of Roberto
Martinez,” Ray told her.
    Carole lifted her eyes in recognition of the
name. “I see,” she spoke levelly. “Why don’t we go into my
chambers?”
    * * *
    “Please sit down,” Carole directed her
guests, having removed her robe to reveal an aquamarine silk suit.
She watched the detectives sit in Maltese chairs on the other side
of a square glass table. She then sat across from them in a
high-backed Oxblood leather chair.
    A quick regard of her visitors told Carole
the female detective was an attractive woman in her mid thirties
with luminous brown skin and a petite, athletic body beneath a dark
gray blazer and matching pants with a coral sweater. She thought
the Bantu knots looked nice on her. The male detective, wearing a
brown suit, was in his late thirties, tall, bald, and solid in
build. His skin tone was caramel and went well with a chiseled
face. He had intriguing gray eyes with gold flecks and a not too
thick mustache tapered neatly at the corners over an incredibly
sexy mouth. All in all, she thought he was a good-looking man, who
was probably married or, if single, had women falling all over
him.
    Only in meeting his eyes did Carole realize
the detective was appraising her as much as she was him. This
caused her a slight bit of discomfiture as she turned her gaze to
the female detective, while thinking: Make a mental note not to
stare too obviously, unless you want a dose of your