The Long Stitch Good Night: An Embroidery Mystery by Amanda Lee Page A
Authors: Amanda Lee
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his arm around his wife and was patting her shoulder and whispering to her.
I slid onto the bench beside Sadie. “I’m so sorry.”
We’d known each other long enough that she knew I was talking about her parents rather than the arraignment, and she rolled her eyes. “It’s okay. It’s a distraction if nothing else.”
I was thinking it was a
sideshow
, but I didn’t say so. Instead, I looked toward the tables in front of the judge’s bench. “Where are Blake and Todd?”
“They’re in the prisoner holding area,” Sadie said. “They aren’t allowed into the courtroom until their case is called. Those are their lawyers.”
“Which one’s which?” I whispered.
“The heavyset guy with the bushy gray hair and beard is Todd’s lawyer, Campbell Whitting. The skinny one with the bad comb-over is ours—Harry McQuiston.”
“Who’s she?” I asked, nodding toward the other table at the woman in the red skirt and white silk blouse. She wore red and white spectator pumps, and her dark brown corkscrew curls were held captive by a large black barrette.
“That’s District Attorney Landers,” Sadie said. “I’ve heard her called a pit bull in pumps.”
“She looks nice enough.” I was trying to be helpful and pretend that the rumors I’d heard about Alicia Landers were overblown.
“Looks can be deceiving.”
Mrs. Van Huss leaned across in front of Sadie to tell me hello. “So nice of you to come and support the family in our hour of need,” she said, reaching over to squeeze my hand.
Rather at a loss for words, I mumbled, “Good to see you.” Not wanting to get into a conversation with Mrs. Van Huss, I looked around to see if Ted was in the courtroom. If he was, I couldn’t see him.
District Attorney Landers walked over to the defense counsel table, and she and the two defense lawyers exchanged some quiet conversation. It appeared to me that Mr. Whitting took the lead over Mr. McQuiston and that McQuiston was happy to have him do it.
I wondered if McQuiston viewed Whitting as his superior. After all, Whitting did have a stellar reputation. I hadn’t heard anything good or bad about Mr. McQuiston. Still, it concerned me that Sadie and Blake hadn’t retained a more aggressive attorney.
“How did you find Mr. McQuiston?” I asked Sadie.
Mrs. Van Huss overheard and answered my question. “He’s been a friend of our family for years. He did our wills.”
“Oh,” I said. I wanted to ask if Mr. McQuiston was well versed in criminal law, but that would be rude. Sadie’s parents wouldn’t knowingly have had her hire someone incompetent to represent Blake. Still, this was his
life
hanging in the balance.
District Attorney Landers returned to her table and busied herself straightening papers. Whitting checked his phone, and McQuiston looked nervous.
A uniformed bailiff walked into the courtroom and told us to stand as the judge entered.
“The Honorable Warren Street presiding,” the bailiff announced. As soon as the judge took his seat, the bailiff told us we could be seated.
“
The People versus Todd Calloway and BlakeMcKenzie
,” the bailiff called. “Docket number two four seven three nine.”
He went to a door at the right of the courtroom and brought out Blake and Todd, whose hands were cuffed in front of them. The bailiff led them to stand before the judge’s bench. The guys still wore those awful orange jumpsuits, and they looked pale and tired. I took Sadie’s hand as Mrs. Van Huss sobbed into her husband’s shoulder.
The judge, a man who was in his mid- to late fifties, with sandy hair and tortoiseshell glasses, asked, “Do the defense attorneys waive the reading of the charges in this matter?”
“We do, Your Honor,” Campbell Whitting said.
I had looked up arraignments online last night, and I knew it was common for the reading of the charges to be waived. I suppose it was simply seen as a waste of time, since everyone already knew why they were in court.
The
I slid onto the bench beside Sadie. “I’m so sorry.”
We’d known each other long enough that she knew I was talking about her parents rather than the arraignment, and she rolled her eyes. “It’s okay. It’s a distraction if nothing else.”
I was thinking it was a
sideshow
, but I didn’t say so. Instead, I looked toward the tables in front of the judge’s bench. “Where are Blake and Todd?”
“They’re in the prisoner holding area,” Sadie said. “They aren’t allowed into the courtroom until their case is called. Those are their lawyers.”
“Which one’s which?” I whispered.
“The heavyset guy with the bushy gray hair and beard is Todd’s lawyer, Campbell Whitting. The skinny one with the bad comb-over is ours—Harry McQuiston.”
“Who’s she?” I asked, nodding toward the other table at the woman in the red skirt and white silk blouse. She wore red and white spectator pumps, and her dark brown corkscrew curls were held captive by a large black barrette.
“That’s District Attorney Landers,” Sadie said. “I’ve heard her called a pit bull in pumps.”
“She looks nice enough.” I was trying to be helpful and pretend that the rumors I’d heard about Alicia Landers were overblown.
“Looks can be deceiving.”
Mrs. Van Huss leaned across in front of Sadie to tell me hello. “So nice of you to come and support the family in our hour of need,” she said, reaching over to squeeze my hand.
Rather at a loss for words, I mumbled, “Good to see you.” Not wanting to get into a conversation with Mrs. Van Huss, I looked around to see if Ted was in the courtroom. If he was, I couldn’t see him.
District Attorney Landers walked over to the defense counsel table, and she and the two defense lawyers exchanged some quiet conversation. It appeared to me that Mr. Whitting took the lead over Mr. McQuiston and that McQuiston was happy to have him do it.
I wondered if McQuiston viewed Whitting as his superior. After all, Whitting did have a stellar reputation. I hadn’t heard anything good or bad about Mr. McQuiston. Still, it concerned me that Sadie and Blake hadn’t retained a more aggressive attorney.
“How did you find Mr. McQuiston?” I asked Sadie.
Mrs. Van Huss overheard and answered my question. “He’s been a friend of our family for years. He did our wills.”
“Oh,” I said. I wanted to ask if Mr. McQuiston was well versed in criminal law, but that would be rude. Sadie’s parents wouldn’t knowingly have had her hire someone incompetent to represent Blake. Still, this was his
life
hanging in the balance.
District Attorney Landers returned to her table and busied herself straightening papers. Whitting checked his phone, and McQuiston looked nervous.
A uniformed bailiff walked into the courtroom and told us to stand as the judge entered.
“The Honorable Warren Street presiding,” the bailiff announced. As soon as the judge took his seat, the bailiff told us we could be seated.
“
The People versus Todd Calloway and BlakeMcKenzie
,” the bailiff called. “Docket number two four seven three nine.”
He went to a door at the right of the courtroom and brought out Blake and Todd, whose hands were cuffed in front of them. The bailiff led them to stand before the judge’s bench. The guys still wore those awful orange jumpsuits, and they looked pale and tired. I took Sadie’s hand as Mrs. Van Huss sobbed into her husband’s shoulder.
The judge, a man who was in his mid- to late fifties, with sandy hair and tortoiseshell glasses, asked, “Do the defense attorneys waive the reading of the charges in this matter?”
“We do, Your Honor,” Campbell Whitting said.
I had looked up arraignments online last night, and I knew it was common for the reading of the charges to be waived. I suppose it was simply seen as a waste of time, since everyone already knew why they were in court.
The
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