Chapter 6

The wheels of justice grind slowly. Even in a low crime county like Idaho county, in a fairly low crime state like Idaho. It still seemed like things were taking forever. I’m sure that most of it was the boredom of the jail cell, combined with frustration on my part. But time seemed to drag. It was during one of these periods that I was called up for a lawyers’ meeting. As they say, any news is good news.

After cuffing up, I was taken to an interview room. Inside was Suzy. It took me a minute to realize that Steve was there also. It didn’t matter, but Suzy was dressed in an outfit I had never seen before. Something so out of character for her that I had to look again. She was dressed in a dark grey ladies’ business suit. A below the knees skirt, white blouse under a jacket that matched the skirt. She was also wearing horn-rim glasses, low heels, and her hair was done in a tight bun at the back of her head.

I was used to seeing her in a Pendleton shirt and Levi’s. Her hair in a ponytail or loose depending on her mood.

You might wonder why I was noticing the way Suzy was dressed. That wasn’t the only thing. It had been so long since I had seen her that my heart literally ached. But with my restraints and the unwanted audience of the guard, I couldn’t do anything.

Once I was uncuffed, and the guard left, I don’t think you could have used a crowbar to separate us. That lasted about 5 seconds. Then Suzy pulled back and slapped me. Hard. I can still see stars when I think about it.

“Matt, how dare you get thrown into jail? If there is anybody around here that needs to defend my honor, it’s me.” She grabbed me again, and this time the lip lock continued until Steve, very gently, interrupted.

“Look, kids, this little reunion, while touching, has a time limit on it. Matt, I was able to get Suzy included in this meeting by claiming that she is my assistant, my paralegal. If one of the guards comes in, the jig is up, and Suzy will have to leave. And, most likely, we won’t have another unsupervised meeting.”

“That having been said, this meeting isn’t an excuse for you two to swap spit. I do have some information that you need to hear both of you. So, Suzy, while it’s ok to sit next to Matt, sitting on his lap isn’t. So, move over, and let’s get down to business.”

Reluctantly Suzy started to stand. I stopped her and told her she had to “Pay the toll.” A heart-stopping kiss later, she moved next to me. From above the tabletop, there was a modest distance between us. Below was a different story.

Steve sat for a moment, shaking his head. “Ok, let’s get down to business.”

“First off, let’s talk about Randy Clausen, the district attorney. As I thought, he is your typical politician. He has a reputation as a straight shooter. Honest and devoted. But he is a politician first and foremost. This makes him easy to predict. He’ll do exactly what he thinks needs to be done. But I think with the right arguments, we may be able to blunt his enthusiasm in prosecuting you. Mainly he sees this as a public relation move. Because of the notoriety, he is getting a lot of press. Which he hopes will turn into votes when he finally makes his move.

“Next is Judge Eskelson, Matt, you hit the lottery with this guy. He’s a good old country boy. Born and bred. He has a very low tolerance for big city baloney. But, and this is vital, he will not tolerate games. Be straight forward, tell the truth, and he will do what the law allows. Get funny with the wording or try to reinterpret the law, and he’ll fall on you like a ton of bricks. He’s the kind of guy to invite fishing or bar-b-que. But don’t try it until after the verdict.”

“Next is Nigel St. Gaudens, the ‘victim’ in this judicial drama.”

“Mr. St. Gaudens is a citizen of Great Britain. In fact, his family is related to the royal family. In a roundabout and very distant connection. He is the 3rd son of a fairly wealthy family. Being the third son, he is unlikely to inherit the family title or wealth.”

“He had a private school education up until what we would call high school. In his senior year, there was some scandal. Drugs and criminal charges. My investigators have been unable to get any details yet.”

“It was almost immediately that Mr. St. Gaudens received a student visa and came to the US for his undergraduate schooling. The first universities that he attended, he was a dismal failure. He was on the edge of being sent back to England when he enrolled in Pine Tree University in Oregon state.”