hands in hers. “Do you know who I am?”
The dull brown eyes squinted at her. “I’m not real sure. Are you Jane?”
“I’m Peggy Lee from the Potting Shed. Who’s Jane?”
“My daughter. They said she was coming to see me.”
“She’ll probably be here later. I brought you a lawyer who’s going to defend you. You have to tell her everything you saw the night Mark Warner was killed.”
“Who? I didn’t see anyone killed.”
“I’m Hunter Ollson, Mr. Cheever. Do you understand why the police brought you in?”
“They said I took something.”
“That’s right. You took some things from a man in Peggy’s shop. Do you remember that?”
He nodded, gazing into the distance like he was trying to remember. “He was lying on the floor.”
Peggy squeezed his hand. “Yes! He was on the floor. How did you get into the shop?”
“The door was open. I walked in. He was asleep. He didn’t need his shoes or that other stuff. It was cold. I couldn’t find my shoes.”
“But he was already dead when you got there,” Hunter clarified. “That makes you guilty of robbery, but not murder. That plus diminished capacity should get you off, no problem.”
“He’s not at his best right now,” Peggy told her. “He’s usually quoting Shakespeare and singing arias from Madame Butterfly . I don’t know why he’s like this, but maybe you should ask to have a doctor see him.”
“Okay. The important thing is that he’s innocent.”
Peggy got Mr. Cheever’s attention again. “Do you remember seeing anyone else at the shop the night Mark Warner was killed?”
“That woman.”
“What woman? What did she look like?”
“She ran out. I heard them yelling. I saw the door open and went inside. He was on the floor.”
“Did you see her face?” Peggy asked him.
Mr. Cheever stared at the wall behind her. “I’m hungry. Can I get something to eat? Where’s Jane?”
Hunter took Peggy aside. “I think we should have a doctor see him before he says anything else. If he’s been injured or he’s sick, it would be better to have it documented. We don’t seem to be getting through to him right now. Let me see what’s going on, when they plan to arraign him or whatever. I don’t know if he’s even been charged yet.”
Peggy agreed. She hated to leave him there, but she got what she came for. He couldn’t possibly lie in his condition. He was barely able to put two sentences together. He went into the shop because the door was open. Mark was already dead.
She sat back down with him while Hunter made the arrangements and found out what was happening. Peggy tried to talk to him again, but he was rambling about food and his daughter. Most of what he said didn’t make any sense.
When Hunter returned, the deputy took Mr. Cheever back to his cell.
“He’s very hungry,” Peggy told the deputy. “Could he have something to eat?”
“Sure. We’ll get him something.”
Hunter waited until they were alone, then took Peggy’s arm and bent her head close as they stood in the hall. “The DA has already formally charged him with first-degree murder and robbery. He’ll be arraigned this afternoon. They’re going to take him to have some tests done. We’ll see what happens.”
“Can you be there with him at the arraignment?”
“Of course. And I’ll be entering a not-guilty plea, although we may have to consider diminished capacity if something’s happened to him.”
They walked out of the visiting area directly into Al and Jonas. Peggy ducked her head, but it was too late.
“What in blazes are you doing here?” Jonas’s nasal Northern accent filled the entryway.
Peggy started to speak, but Hunter inserted herself between her new friend and the irate police officer. “She’s my temporary legal assistant. I’m representing Joseph Cheever. If you have any legal questions, please address them to me.”
Al shook his head and purposely didn’t look at Peggy. Jonas glared at all of them, then
The dull brown eyes squinted at her. “I’m not real sure. Are you Jane?”
“I’m Peggy Lee from the Potting Shed. Who’s Jane?”
“My daughter. They said she was coming to see me.”
“She’ll probably be here later. I brought you a lawyer who’s going to defend you. You have to tell her everything you saw the night Mark Warner was killed.”
“Who? I didn’t see anyone killed.”
“I’m Hunter Ollson, Mr. Cheever. Do you understand why the police brought you in?”
“They said I took something.”
“That’s right. You took some things from a man in Peggy’s shop. Do you remember that?”
He nodded, gazing into the distance like he was trying to remember. “He was lying on the floor.”
Peggy squeezed his hand. “Yes! He was on the floor. How did you get into the shop?”
“The door was open. I walked in. He was asleep. He didn’t need his shoes or that other stuff. It was cold. I couldn’t find my shoes.”
“But he was already dead when you got there,” Hunter clarified. “That makes you guilty of robbery, but not murder. That plus diminished capacity should get you off, no problem.”
“He’s not at his best right now,” Peggy told her. “He’s usually quoting Shakespeare and singing arias from Madame Butterfly . I don’t know why he’s like this, but maybe you should ask to have a doctor see him.”
“Okay. The important thing is that he’s innocent.”
Peggy got Mr. Cheever’s attention again. “Do you remember seeing anyone else at the shop the night Mark Warner was killed?”
“That woman.”
“What woman? What did she look like?”
“She ran out. I heard them yelling. I saw the door open and went inside. He was on the floor.”
“Did you see her face?” Peggy asked him.
Mr. Cheever stared at the wall behind her. “I’m hungry. Can I get something to eat? Where’s Jane?”
Hunter took Peggy aside. “I think we should have a doctor see him before he says anything else. If he’s been injured or he’s sick, it would be better to have it documented. We don’t seem to be getting through to him right now. Let me see what’s going on, when they plan to arraign him or whatever. I don’t know if he’s even been charged yet.”
Peggy agreed. She hated to leave him there, but she got what she came for. He couldn’t possibly lie in his condition. He was barely able to put two sentences together. He went into the shop because the door was open. Mark was already dead.
She sat back down with him while Hunter made the arrangements and found out what was happening. Peggy tried to talk to him again, but he was rambling about food and his daughter. Most of what he said didn’t make any sense.
When Hunter returned, the deputy took Mr. Cheever back to his cell.
“He’s very hungry,” Peggy told the deputy. “Could he have something to eat?”
“Sure. We’ll get him something.”
Hunter waited until they were alone, then took Peggy’s arm and bent her head close as they stood in the hall. “The DA has already formally charged him with first-degree murder and robbery. He’ll be arraigned this afternoon. They’re going to take him to have some tests done. We’ll see what happens.”
“Can you be there with him at the arraignment?”
“Of course. And I’ll be entering a not-guilty plea, although we may have to consider diminished capacity if something’s happened to him.”
They walked out of the visiting area directly into Al and Jonas. Peggy ducked her head, but it was too late.
“What in blazes are you doing here?” Jonas’s nasal Northern accent filled the entryway.
Peggy started to speak, but Hunter inserted herself between her new friend and the irate police officer. “She’s my temporary legal assistant. I’m representing Joseph Cheever. If you have any legal questions, please address them to me.”
Al shook his head and purposely didn’t look at Peggy. Jonas glared at all of them, then
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