The Judgment by William J. Coughlin Read Free Book Online Page B

fund.”
    “Do you?” he asked.
    “As I told you in the beginning, it doesn’t make any difference what I believe. Can you show the money came out of your personal accounts?”
    He shrugged. “Maybe. I had to do some bookkeeping magic so my wife wouldn’t suspect. I opened a special account. It got complicated.”
    “Complicated or not, you had better start thinking of proving the money came out of your own pocket.”
    “I’ll go to work on it,” he said, but without enthusiasm.
    “When was the last time you talked to Mary Margaret?”
    He thought for a moment. “A week or two back before all this went down. Later, when she didn’t answer the phone, I went over to the house. Some of her things are still there, but not her clothes. It looks like she’s skipped, too.”
    “Like the Mouse?”
    He nodded. “Like the Mouse.”
    “Do you believe in prayer?”
    “That bad?”
    “I think so. We’ll find out more at the examination.”
    He left the office. If he was worried, he didn’t show it.
    But I was worried.
    Now the snow was really coming down. “Be careful driving back to the city,” I said.
    I had two more clients before the day ended. An elderly couple wanted a will. They had one child, a son. The purpose of the will wasn’t to see that the son got everything, quite the opposite. They wanted to ensure that he never got a cent. They were angry over a family matter. I tried to persuade them to wait, to cool off before making that kind of decision, but they wouldn’t hear of it.
    I took down the facts I needed and told them the will would be ready in a few days. I hoped by that time they would reconsider. It didn’t take much to split a family forever.
    The other client was a man who wanted to incorporate a small business he owned. He operated a pizza restaurant and was about to start a delivery service. Someone told him incorporation might limit his personal liability if his drivers hit someone. They were right. As I’d done with the couple before him, I took down the information I needed and told him it would take a couple of days.
    My secretary had left, so I escorted him to the door. The snow was slowing now, but a few inches covered the ground. It looked pretty, pure white against the dark river.
    I went back inside and dialed Sue Gillis at her office. It was her night for dinner. Sometimes she cooked; sometimes we went out. I liked her cooking best, if the choice was mine alone.
    I called the familiar number, then swung around and watched the dark river.
    “Gillis.”
    “It’s me,” I said. “I’m starved.”
    “Bad news, Charley. I’m going to be working late tonight.”
    “How come?”
    “We’ve just been given a murder. A kid. They found the body up on Clarion Road. I’m going over to the medical examiner’s now.”
    “Sex crime?”
    “They don’t know yet. But I’ve been asked to work along with Homicide, just in case.”
    “Shall I wait for you? You have to eat at some point.”
    “Don’t wait. This may be an all-nighter. I’ll grab a sandwich someplace.”
    “Would you like me to bring you one? I know where the medical examiner’s office is.”
    “That’s sweet, Charley, but no. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
    “You’re not off the hook, Sue. It’s still your turn tomorrow.”
    “So much for chivalry,” she said as she hung up.
    I turned out the office lights and continued to watch the river. The snow had stopped so that the lights of Canada were visible again. It was a good feeling, just watching, not thinking about anything.
    Then my stomach reminded me that I was hungry.
    I didn’t want to go to a restaurant solo. Sue had spoiled me. Dining alone, even at a hamburger joint, seemed just too lonely.
    I decided that I would go to my apartment, pop in afrozen dinner, and watch some television. The road was now covered and slippery, so I drove very slowly.
    The fried chicken dinner, complete with mashed potatoes and corn, came out of the microwave looking like the