Chapter 26
“I’m being what? I don’t know what you are talking about. Is this some kind of joke?”
“I assure you, ma’am, that this is no joke.”
“Daddy! Do something!”
“I tried Princess but it was no use. There is nothing I can do.”
Mark steps up, “ Officer, there must be some mistake. My wife had nothing to do with this.”
“Sir, we have a warrant for her arrest. I am sorry but she is coming with us. You are welcome to follow us and talk to the judge.”
With that they took Katie away in the police car. Her father and Mark stood on the porch still in shock of the situation. Finally Mark spoke, “ Sir, what’s this all about? What’s going on?” Mr. Warren sighed, “Mark, they found evidence and have a witness that Katie masterminded and paid to have Billy killed.” “That’s ridiculous” Mark shouted. “She is not capable of something like that. This has to be a mistake.” “Mark, I’ve seen it all and I am sorry to say that everything they have points right to her.” “But, you don’t think she did it, do you?” “No, Mark I don’t. But they have enough to convict her and put her away. I have got to figure out how to stop this. Can I use your phone.” “Sure, use the one in K’s office. It will be more private.”
By now, many of the ranch workers had came out to see what was going on. They asked Mark what was happening. He told them that Katie had been arrested on what he saw as bogus charges and everything would soon work out. He told them not to worry and to go back to what they were doing. When they all left, Mark fell to his knees right there on the porch and prayed a sobbing prayer to God to protect Katie and to help him figure out what needed to be done. Just as he was finishing, Katie’s father walked back out. “Think that will help son?” “I know it will. Any ideas on what to do now?” Straightening his tie, “I’ve got business to take care of. I think you should go down to the courthouse, like the office said.”
“Good idea, but where are you going? We might need your help.”
“It’s best that you don’t know and don’t worry I will be helping. Now get going. She’s going to need you. In this small court system, they get things going the same day.”
With that they both left and went their separate ways. Mark had no idea what to do. He was a horse man not a lawyer.
He drove as fast as he could and got to the courthouse just as they were bringing Katie in to see the judge. They stated the charges against her. Then the prosecutor stated the facts they had. The judge asked Katie if she understood the charges. She said she did and asked if she could speak. Her request was granted. “Your honor, I don’t really understand why I am here today. I loved Billy and was going to marry him. I would never have killed him. These guys come in and take me from my home with no real explanation. I didn’t get a phone call or a lawyer or anything. At least I am owed that.”
“Right you are ma’am. Please accept my apology. We were trying to get things finished for the day. We just jumped right in. So, before we go any further, let her call her lawyer. Bail hearing will be held tomorrow at 10 AM. Until then, Mrs. Dean will be held.” Katie spoke up, “Your honor, may I have a few minutes with my husband?” “Certainly ma’am. It’s the least I can do. You have ten minutes in the holding cell. We will have him brought in. Where is he?” “There your honor.” She points to Mark who raises his hand. “Very wel,l then. Court adjourned.”
Chapter 27
Mark walked down the long drab hallway behind the bailiff. As they rounded the corner, Katie jumped up from her seat. The guard opened the door. “I’ll be back in 10. Call if you need anything.” Mark walked into the cell as the guard shut the door behind him and walked away.
“Mark, what is going on here?”
“I don’t know K. I was about to ask you the same thing. I know you didn’t have anything to do with this. It’s all a big mistake.”
“Yes it is. Where’s Daddy?”
“He said he had some business to take care of and took off. He wouldn’t tell me where he was going.”
“Well, I have to get a lawyer. See if you can call his cell.”
“I tried hun but he didn’t answer. Don’t you know anyone else?”
“Well, no one I can get in touch with from here. What am I going to do?”
Katie started to cry as the guard walks down the hallway. “Ma’am, your lawyer is here.” “Lawyer? I didn’t call a lawyer.” Then a familiar face rounded the corner. Katie jumped up. “Uncle Doug! What are you doing here? How did you know?”
“Hey K-bird, your father called me just after they took you in. Sorry I am late but I got here as soon as I could. Who’s this fellow with you?”
“Yeah, sorry. This is my husband Mark. Mark, this is Uncle Doug. He’s not really my uncle. He’s one of Daddy’s best friends. I have called him uncle since I was little.”
“Well, hey Uncle Doug. Nice to meet you. Wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Same here, Mark. We better get started. We’ve got lots of work to do. They handed me the transcript when I came in. Let me read over it and see where we are.” Doug quickly read it. “Well, K-bird, you did well. Your dad raised you right. Now give it to me straight and tell me all you know.”
Katie told Doug the entire story. It was hard reliving all those feelings and memories again. She thought she had put it all behind her, but it all changed that afternoon. She told Doug that Mark knew where all the papers and information she collected was in her office and told him to stay at the Ranch. Doug told her not to worry. He’d get the information from the prosecutor and be back first thing in the morning. He told Mark he’d have the guard give them a couple of more minutes and then follow him back to the ranch.
“I wish I knew where Daddy was,” Katie told Mark as Doug rounded the corner. “It is so unlike him to run off when he is needed. At least he called Uncle Doug. Mark give him whatever he needs. Hold nothing back.”
“You know I will K. I know this is easier said than done, but you’ve got to promise me you won’t worry about this. God will work it out.”
Smiling she answers, “I will if you will. I know He will work it out but it is just so hard to see that right now. Let’s pray before you go.”
Mark took Katie’s hand and began to pray for her and about the situation. After he finished, he just held her until the guard came and told h
im he had to go. Mark kissed Katie, told her he loved her and would be back with Doug in the morning. He then walked back down the long drab hallway to the lobby where Doug was talking to the prosecutor.
Doug motioned to Mark to give him a minute. Mark poured himself a very bad cup of coffee and while waiting on Doug. After a few minutes, Doug came over, “I’ve got what I needed. Let’s get to work. It’s gonna be a long night. You lead the way.” They both left and Doug followed Mark back to the ranch. It was almost dark by the time they arrived and the ranch hands were finishing up the day’s work.
As Doug got out of the car, he looked at Mark and said, “Man, this is a real ranch. I didn’t know these still existed.” Mark chuckled as he led Doug into the house. As they walked in, Ms. Sue is already cooking dinner. “We have a guest for dinner Ms. Sue,” Mark calls to her. “We will be in the office. Call when it is ready.”
“Must be nice to have all of this, Mark,” Doug says.
“Well Doug, its all part of the business and it’s all thanks to Katie. She basically built this entire operation from nothing. Please sit here at the desk.”
“Thanks. I didn’t know she was capable of all of this. Man, I am proud of her, just as my own. So, let’s get down to business. Now, from what the prosecutor was telling me, they have motive and a strong witness. We’ve got to find enough doubt to not only get her bail tomorrow but eventually break down their case. K-bird, um, I mean Katie, said she had some information that she had been gathering. What do you have?”
Mark walked to a locked file cabinet in the back corner of the office. He unlocked it with the key he took out of the desk. He pulled the bottom drawer out to its full length. Way in the back he pulled out a file. “Man, she really was trying to forget all of this,” Doug remarks.
As Mark kicked the drawer closed he answers, “ Yeah she wanted to throw it all out but I wouldn’t let her.” Placing the file in front of Doug, “ I thought that she one day might want to find out what happened to Billy. I never knew it might be used for helping her like this.”
“Well Mark, it’s a cruel world we live in. I never thought I’d get a call to be her lawyer like this. This will be the most important case of my life. I’ll be fighting for her life and frankly, for her sake, I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t pull it off.”
“Doug, let’s focus on tomorrow. Take one step at a time.”
“Right you are, son.” Doug continued, “Now I was thinking on this during the drive over here. They said they had motive. The prosecutor told me that the ranch was worth $2.5 million on the deed Billy had. Any idea what it’s worth now?”
“Well, according to our numbers about three months ago, somewhere in the neighborhood of about $8 - 10 million.”
“Ok, well, they can’t include all of that. They can no more triple the amount from the original to use as motive scenario money. Is Katie sole owner?”
“Yes. She wanted to write me in after we married, but I just didn’t feel right, it being Billy’s and all.” “Well, too bad. Now they could take it all. At least some might have been saved if you were on it too, but it’s not going to hurt us. So Billy is not on the deed either?”
“No, after he died, his parents had it put solely in K’s name. Said it was their gift to her.”
“Nice gift. Do you have the original deed?”
“Yes, it’s in the safe in K’s private office. I’ll go get it. Anything else you need?”
“Glass of Ice tea would be nice.”
“You got it. Be back in a few.”
As Mark left the room, Doug began to look through the folder of information that Katie had collected. He found several items that he thought might help and several he was interested in investigating more. He was reading the original note that Brian had given her the day at the cemetery. He found it very interesting. As Mark walked in and set the glass of tea on the desk, Doug asked him if he knew Brain.
“Only what Katie has told me about him. They lost contact after a while which was one reason she stopped investigating things. Why do you ask?”
“I was just reading through this stuff and it seems he knows what happened or at least wanted Katie to think that. Also, on the list the prosecutor gave me of all the men in Billy’s unit, Brian is not listed.”
“That’s strange Katie told me, he was there the day Billy was killed. Why would they leave him off?”
“Good question Mark. He’s not on the report the Army filed about the incident either. It’s almost like he didn’t even exist. Do you have the deed?” Mark handed Doug the deed. Doug immediately noticed something very strange. “Wait, it has her maiden name on here. Did she have it changed later?” Mark is confused by his question and thought he was joking.
“Well I told her she could keep it that way. I can be a modern man,” he chuckles.
“No Mark, I am serious. Did she have the deed later changed from Jones back to Warren?” Mark is now really confused. He realizes Doug didn’t know Katie and Billy were never married. “She never was a Jones, Doug. You didn’t know that?”
Doug looked at Mark very puzzled. “ You mean she never officially did a name change after the wedding before Billy was killed?”
“ No Doug, I mean they never got married. You didn’t know that?”
“No, I have been out of the country for a while, starting right before the time they were supposed to be married. Just been back a few months. So she never was a Jones? So, why does it say here on the information from the prosecutor that the motive was, as Billy’s wife, Katie would gain deed to the ranch and its value, but if they were not married it would have gone to his parents. How did she end up with it anyway?”
“Billy’s parents gave it to her, sometime after his death.”
“You mean that even though they were never married, they just gave Katie the ranch?”
“Yes, they said they knew it would be what Billy wanted, that she would take care of it and there was no one else they could give it to or something like that.”
“Ok, something’s not right here. Do you know what day Katie and Billy were suppose to be married?” Mark thought for a minute.
“She told me the date was like June 20th or something like that but not exactly sure.”
“You’re kidding me! This report from the Army says that Billy was killed on November 10th.
That’s almost six months after they were suppose to be married, yet he was killed before the wedding. This is all wrong. Why would it be off that much? I need to think about this. Care to join me on the porch for a cigar before dinner? It helps me think.”
“No thanks, you go right ahead. I’ve got to finish up things for the day.” As they walked outside, Ms. Sue who was setting the table tells them dinner would be ready about twenty minutes. Mark thanked her and went out to make sure everything was done for the day. Doug sat down on the huge front porch and lit his cigar.
