Chapter 84

TUESDAY MORNING — SEPTEMBER 24

Breakfast was nearly over. Jeff looked over at Dave. "What's on the agenda for today, you two?"

Dave glanced at Evie. "We're going to check on the barn first thing, then I want to look at the new dam on the Thompsons' place to make sure all that fresh dirt survived the rain. We need to check with Korey about some of the jobs in Denver that are coming to a close. After that, if there's time, we need to check on how the real estate broker is coming along with the property around Jeb and Annie's house..."

"Sounds good," Jeff said. "I talked with the Thompsons and Fontaine. We're going to hold off on the closing on the farm until tomorrow, because of Joyce's interview. I want both of the attorneys focused — well all of us who are involved, focused — until we're on firmer ground. I thought about having the closing early this morning up here, instead of in Denver, but decided that it would be too rushed. I think it would be better on the Thompsons if we had it here, anyway. They certainly won't have as far to drive."

"What time, Boss? I'll talk to the Thompsons while I'm down there this morning."

"Let's make it tentatively for ten tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure that Fontaine will be here this morning with Patton, so when the interview is over, I'll check if he's free for tomorrow."

Evie began helping with the cleanup, but Diana grabbed her arm. Pushing the little blond toward her husband, Diana said, "We'll do this. There are plenty of us to take care of it. You're a working woman. Now get out of here with that hunk of a husband of yours."

Laughing, Evie turned to Dave only to find Linda giving him a thorough kiss. Evie grabbed his arm. "Cut it out you two. We'll never get him out of here if you keep that up much longer."

Linda rolled her lip out pretending to pout, but giggled as Evie tickled her when she passed. Turning around, Evie went over to Joyce. Pulling the deputy to her feet, she hugged her. "Chin up. Kick their ass," she said.

Dave hugged her as well. "Good luck. Everybody is on your side except this asshole DA. Jeff will take care of him. We'll see you later today."

"Thanks you two. I appreciate it," Joyce replied hugging them back.

As soon as Dave and Evie had gone, Jeff poured himself another cup of coffee. Helen, Laura and Diana slid their cups over as well. When Jeff returned the pot and sat down, "Now for our council of war. Here are my thoughts..."

Helen, assisted by Laura, carefully applied Diana's makeup. The dark lipstick didn't become her, and the makeup ... wrong for her coloring, appeared inexpertly done. Her luscious hair was pinned up until it barely touched her shoulders.

"This isn't going to be comfortable," Helen said holding up a long, eight-inch-wide elastic bandage designed for a leg injury.

"Yeah, I know. But I can put up with it for a while," Diana said, turning her back to her sister-wife. Helen reached under Diana's outstretched arms to carefully place the elastic across her breasts, then wrapped the elastic bandage twice around Diana before attaching the bandage to itself to keep it in place.

"Can you breathe?" Helen said, checking out her work on the now much less voluptuous appearing Diana.

"Yeah," Diana said, "but just barely. Alright. Let's get the tee-shirt on, then the shirt. I want to make sure that the elastic doesn't show."

"But I still don't understand why," Jennie said. "Oh, I know that our husband wants it that way. I just don't understand why."

"I don't want to give this asshole anything," Jeff said walking in. "Not even a hard on. And if this doesn't pan out the way we hope, I don't want him to be able to recognize Diana later on. I can't explain it ... I just want it this way," he finished.

"Well, she surely doesn't look like Mom," Arlene said as she watched her mother put the tee-shirt on, then handed her the uniform shirt.

When Diana buttoned the shirt and tucked it into her pants, she turned around for them. "Well, how do I look?"

Ann hesitated, then, "You look forty. My gosh, Helen. How did you learn to do that?"

"I used to help the Theater class at school out a little with their wardrobe and makeup. It doesn't look very realistic if the 'father and mother' in the cast do not look older than their 'kids.' It's simple, really, once you learn the techniques."

"Well, it sure works," Ann laughed.

"You did great, Helen," Jeff said, smiling at her.

"Well, it wasn't all me, Laura did her hair and picked the uniform."

Jeff checked out the maroon uniform with the Wainwright name and logo high on the left breast, with "Doris" in gold letters beneath the logo. The blouse was a little large as were the pants in the seat.

"There's a whole big closet full of uniforms in the basement. It wasn't hard to find one that almost fit," she laughed.

Diana looked at herself in the mirror. "Frank will crap on himself if he sees me in this. This uniform would look great if it fit."

"Well, we're not into making you or it look great. I want this assistant DA to think that you are just the hired help."

"Yes, Massuh," she teased.

"I'll 'Massuh, ' you across my knee when this is over."

"Promises, promises," Diana laughed. Then, as the computer chimed and turned on the monitor, "Oops. That looks like the Sheriff's car turning into the drive."

Shortly, the computer confirmed Diana's assumption.

"He said he would be here early. The two investigators are scheduled to be here thirty minutes after Tate. And that looks like the attorneys turning in behind the Sheriff."

"I'll meet them in the reception area," Joyce said starting for the door.

"No. Let me," Diana said. "I'll use them for practice. Besides, I want to see the look on the Sheriff's face when he sees me," Diana laughed. Well, tried to. She quickly found out that it was uncomfortable laughing with her breasts tied so tightly. "I want to see if he notices my breasts."

"Yeah," Ann said, giggling. "He's going to think you had on falsies, before, or something."

"Nah. Tate is sharper than that," Jeff said. "It'll take him about three seconds to figure it out. I'll bet he doesn't even blink."

A few minutes later, Tate walked into the front reception area accompanied by both attorneys and their assistants. Tate grinned when he saw Diana, winked at her and said, "Well, now. We haven't met, have we, uh ... Doris, is it?" he said reading her name tag.

Fontaine stopped and looked. "I swear that I wouldn't have recognized you if I had met you on the street, Mrs. Matthews, uh, Diana," he quickly corrected.

"Doris for today," Diana said.

"And whose idea was this?" Patton asked.

"My husband's," Diana answered. "And don't even ask me why."

"I don't blame him one bit," Patton said. "I assume that you and your husband will be the only members of your family that the DA will see today?"

"Yes," Diana said. "Just us. This way," she finished, directing them toward the elevator. "We're using a conference room on the third floor. The elevator has been programmed to not stop on the first or second floors. When the assistant DA gets back on, it will take him directly to this landing. Jeff says that the rest of this house and anyone in it are none of his business."

To prove her point, when they got on the elevator, she pressed both the other floors before pressing for the third. The elevator rose smoothly past the other floors before stopping on the third floor.

"It's two doors down on the right," Diana said, leading them into the conference room. "There is a vestibule off to the side there," she said pointing to the other end of the "L" shaped room.

"That's fine," Patton said checking the room out. "This okay with you Chuck?"

"Yes, this will be fine," Fontaine said as he walked to the other end of the room and turned right into the vestibule. "We'll be able to hear from here, but effectively be out of the way."

"And if the DA objects to their presence?" Jeff said, walking in.

"It's your home. Do you want them in that room?" Patton said, grinning.

"Absolutely," Jeff replied.

"Then if this assistant DA can't work with that, he can leave and get a subpoena for Joyce. Of course, I will then advise my client to refuse to answer anything he asks, since she will have completed her obligations to her department by then."

Pulling out a chair and sitting down, he looked at Jeff. "I assume that you want to be in the meeting?"

"The Sheriff said I could be in the room, but couldn't say anything. He said that the investigators didn't care one way or the other. They only had a couple of questions for Joyce and they would be done."

"Excellent," Patton said. "And where is Deputy Cramer?"

"She'll be along in a minute. They're finishing with her makeup."

"But I told her not to wear any..." Patton started before catching himself, remembering Diana's appearance. "Oh," he finished, grinning.

A few minutes later, Joyce walked in, definitely not her spry self. Patton's grin got bigger. Getting up, he carefully checked Joyce over. "Whoever did this is a professional," he quietly said. "If anyone asks you in front of the DA how you are feeling..."

"I'm doing okay," Joyce said. "I'm not to lie, but if he gets a wrong impression, that's his problem."

Patton grinned and sat back down. "All right. Now let's go over some things before the others get here. Remember..."

Just past Martha's restaurant, the assistant DA pulled off the county road onto a small dirt road barely more than a path. A part of his mind vaguely thought that the road had probably once been a logging road. Whatever it was, it fit his needs. Stopping only after he was out of sight of the main road, he put his SUV in Park and pulled a small pouch from under the passenger side floor mat. Inside were several cheap lighters, a metal tube about three inches long, and a small plastic baggy containing several chips of rock cocaine, each about the size of a pea. The metal tube was roughly the diameter of a cigarette and had a rubber tip to keep the tube from burning his lips.

Taking out one of the rocks, he pushed it into the metal tube until it was firmly against the copper mesh pulled from a scouring pad. Satisfied that the mesh was still intact enough to keep the piece of burning cocaine from being pulled into his mouth, he selected a lighter. Holding the rubber-tipped end of the metal tube in his mouth, he held the flame against the crack cocaine and inhaled. The world around him brightened. Euphoria engulfed him as the cocaine flooded his system.

Fighting to keep from laughing, he held the fire against the rock and took another hit off the crack pipe.

Time to go kick ass, he thought as he finished the rock a few minutes later. These hicks aren't in my class. Hell, they're not even close.

Replacing the pouch under the passenger-side floor mat, he dropped the vehicle into Drive. Turning off the road, he spun the wheel, then backed up, finishing his turn. Bushes scratched the side of the vehicle with a squeaking sound. "Fuck," he snarled as he stomped down on the accelerator, throwing gravel and mud as he headed back to the pavement.

Diana met the assistant DA as he came through the front door.

"Good morning, Sir. I'm to direct you to the meeting area."

"That's fine; let's get on with it then," the DA said, rudely brushing past her toward the open elevator.

Diana glared at his back. I should just let you go on by yourself. I wonder how many locked doors you would have to try before you stumbled onto the conference room? You're the absolute walking epitome of the Little Man Syndrome, shoulders thrown back, that look on your face. It's obvious that you're an arrogant little prick.

Smiling sweetly, she slouched toward him as he stood glaring at her from the elevator.

"Press one of those damned buttons. I'm a busy man. I need to get this over with."

Diana turned and pressed the button. When the elevator stopped, the assistant DA brushed past her again, then stopped.

Oh, shit. Jeff would have my ass if I had tripped this turd, but I was sooo tempted, she thought as she calmly walked out of the elevator. "This way, Sir," she managed in a somewhat civil tone as she turned right and led the way. I swear that if he pushes past me when I open that door, I'm going to trip him.

When she opened the door and the assistant DA stumbled inside, she closed the door behind him, stifling laughter. Turning, she walked to an alcove down the hall a short distance where she had put her book and thermos of coffee. The original plan was for her to follow him on inside the conference room where she was supposed to offer everyone beverages, then leave the room.

Screw him. Let him do without, she thought. Let Jeff deal with him, or let the arrogant little bastard starve. Sitting and picking up her book, she opened it to her place. Jeff is going to eat this guy's lunch. Grinning, she poured herself a cup of coffee, propped her feet up and began on her story where she had left off.

"All right. Let's get started," the assistant DA said without offering any pleasantries, putting his recorder on the table and turning it on as Patton walked into the room. The DA, ignoring Patton as the attorney took a seat, frowned as both investigators quickly put their own recorders on the table and activated them. "Uh, I am District Attorney, Jonathan Randolph..." Still standing, he went on to give the date, the location, the purpose of the meeting and to say that also present were Ms. Joyce Cramer and Sheriff Tate. "Now I would like to start off by asking Ms. Cramer..." he started.

Just as Sheriff Tate opened his mouth, his investigator, Sergeant Griffin, spoke up. "No, Sir. First of all, we're going to correct a mistake you just made and add some things that you left out. There is no Ms. Joyce Cramer in this room. There is, however, a Deputy Joyce Cramer present, and her attorney Mr. Tyler Patton. Also present is Sergeant Hernandez, myself, Sergeant Griffin, and Mr. Jeff Matthews who has provided this meeting room for us."

Turning to the other investigator, Sergeant Griffin asked, "Do you have anything to add Sergeant Hernandez?"