Con Sampler

Chapter 4 – Money, Money, Money-3

“I watched the press conference. I was surprised that there was no mention of your former Detective, Kelly Rice. Wasn’t she arraigned too?”

Mel wiped her mouth and then shoveled in another bite of her chicken. “Dana, honey, this is so good! You say you don’t cook much but I think you’re fibbing there. Wow!” She took a sip of her water while I beamed.

She put her fork down and shook her head, “I got sidetracked there; I’m sorry! You were asking about Kelly Rice, right?”

I nodded.

“The DA has decided to have a Grand Jury weigh in on her. So far, all we have is her on video breaking department policy by moving a prisoner alone without a jailer escort and, on the criminal side a possible accessory after the fact charge for warning a moonshine runner, said prisoner Ethan Funk, not to say anything during an official interrogation. We’re investigating but so far we don’t have any evidence to tie her directly to McClarnan, Jones or even to Funk.”

“What about the file full of information you found that she was keeping about you?”

“I turned that over to the DA. There’s a boatload of crap in there but there’s no law against her collecting it even though it is a little creepy and beyond suspect.”

“Your other Detective...what’s his name?”

“Shane Harding,” Mel supplied.

“Yes, Shane. Did he or did he not come into my hospital room on Sunday and show us an engagement announcement for Kelly and Noland Troutman, your competition for Sheriff in the election?”

“He did.”

“And that’s not suspicious to you?”

“It’s very suspicious! Everything about it smacks of some sort of insider campaign to get to me prior to the election. Unfortunately, we can only charge her with what we can prove and that’s accessory after the fact on the mum warning to McClarnan’s ‘shine runner, Ethan Funk.”

“Is the video of that enough to nail her?”

“With the enhanced audio, the DA thinks so but, in a move that surprised me and the DA who’s very familiar with his history, Funk’s family stepped up and got him an attorney. He’s taking a deal to turn State’s Evidence and that should help to nail the charges on her.”

“Hmm. I have to wonder about the wisdom of that from his perspective. He probably thinks the only person he should fear is McClarnan who’s in jail and who isn’t going anywhere. What if he’s wrong and he has to fear Kelly Rice or whoever is behind her order to him?”

“That’s a good point but it’s not really my problem now is it? Besides, do you really think if Noland Troutman were behind what she did, he’d jeopardize himself by pulling something else right now? We’re less than two months from the election.”

“True, I guess. So, what do you think is going to happen to Rice?”

“It really depends on the Grand Jury, but I think they’ll indict. Regardless, she’s lawyered up. She’s signed Boswell Bates out of Cleveland on. He’s a high dollar mouthpiece and a royal pain in the ass. He’ll do everything in his power to tie it all up in court forever, if it gets that far.”

After that pronouncement, Mel stood and made another one, “I’m dishing up seconds of your amazing chicken if you want more and then we need to start talking about your day today and what’s going on with you.” She eyeballed me pointedly.

“Don’t give me your cop glare!” I couldn’t help but laugh at her though. She was even cute when she scowled.

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