Deadly Sins by Kylie Brant Page A

was a godless ass who ran amuck in every courtroom he oversaw.” Newell’s voice trembled with fury. “It was only a matter of time before someone took him out. Are you expecting me to care that he’s dead? ‘There are many whose mouths must be stopped.’ He’s trampled the constitution his entire career, and he got exactly what was coming to him. And I will do everything in my power as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to be damned sure Jolson doesn’t nominate a godless carbon copy of Reinbeck to fill that vacancy.” The smile he gave them was chilling. “And that, people, is called a silver lining. Now get the hell out of my office.”
    This time they left. None of them said a word until they reached their vehicle. Settled themselves inside it. “Nice guy.” Shepherd turned the key in the ignition. Looked in the rearview mirror before backing out of the spot. “I’m thinking about campaigning for him.”
    Jaid turned in her seat so she could see Adam in the back. “Where’d you get that information? And why wasn’t it brought out at Reinbeck’s confirmation hearings? It should have disqualified Newell from taking part in them, at the very least.”
    “Those records don’t even exist anymore. And you can be sure the people in the system who recalled the case would have been unforthcoming if a U.S. senator brought all his power to bear. Newell’s clout didn’t affect Reinbeck’s ruling on his grandson’s case, but he would have used every means at his disposal to get that record sealed and later to have it expunged completely.”
    Jaid considered this. It was entirely possible that Reinbeck’s widow had given the information to Adam. She recalled his friendship with the couple from when she’d worked with him. Reinbeck had still been on the circuit then. Where he’d gotten the details, however, paled in importance to what they meant. “You realize that gives Senator Newell a pretty powerful motive for wanting the judge out of the way.”
    Shepherd sounded doubtful. “And he waited, what, twenty years or so to enact his revenge? He doesn’t seem like the patient sort to me.”
    “That merely set the stage for his hatred of Byron,” Adam said, his head bent over his phone. “No doubt his later rulings cemented it.” He stopped for a moment, brought his phone up to better read something on it. “ ‘There are many whose mouths must be stopped.’ Old Testament, Titus, chapter ten, verses ten and eleven.” His smile was grim. “So we’ve got a longtime congressman who quotes the Bible and has reason to despise Byron Reinbeck. It’d be interesting to look at the Supreme Court’s docket for the year. See what cases are going to be heard that Senator Newell’s opinion on could be predicted.”
    Jaid turned back in her seat, pensive. The senator had taken no pains to disguise his feelings about Reinbeck. Was his confidence born of ego or did he think the power of his position would insulate him?
    She needed to take another look at that risk-assessment data. Do a little digging into the other names that appeared there.
    “What’s Joseph’s last name? Newell’s grandson?”
    “Bailey,” Adam answered. “His mother is Newell’s oldest daughter.”
    “Maybe we should have a talk with him, too. If the senator is still carrying a grudge all these years, there’s no telling what Bailey feels toward the judge.”
    Her phone sounded in her hand, signaling an incoming text. She took a moment to read it. Turned to Shepherd. “Hedgelin wants us back in his office immediately.”
    “You mean Newell already lodged a complaint about us?” Shepherd nosed the car out of the parking garage and onto the street. “That was quick.”
    “I don’t think so.” She looked over her shoulder at Adam. “He mentioned Reinbeck’s phone.”

    “I had them do another examination of the judge’s smartphone after you left this morning.” Hedgelin handed them each a copy of a faxed lab report.