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Conrad Kelly was the leader of an antigovernment extremist group, and he’d been found guilty of bombing numerous state and federal buildings in California over a ten-year time span. He’d been convicted earlier that year, and Judge Banks had sentenced him to thirty years in prison. As a result, the judge had received several death threats, but subsequent investigations had led nowhere.
“Got it,” he said to the other man, lifting the top box and placing it on the nearby dining table. “I’ll start with this box.”
Steven hesitated.
Jason paused in the process of opening the box. “Was there something else?”
The legal assistant shifted his weight. “No. It’s just that the judge dealt with a lot of slimeballs. It could have been any one of them. But—”
“But what?”
Steven looked embarrassed. “It’s probably nothing, but there was this one night a few weeks ago, when I was at the judge’s house. We were reviewing a case that’s coming to trial in another week.” Seeing Jason’s expression, he hurried on. “Anyway, as I was leaving that night, there was this car parked outside the house, with someone inside. I didn’t think too much of it, other than the car definitely didn’t belong in a neighborhood like Sea Cliff. But it took off when I came down the walkway toward the sidewalk. I didn’t get a look at the driver.”
Jason frowned. “When was this, exactly?”
“Almost three weeks ago, on Wednesday night at ten.”
“Do you remember the make or model of the car? Could you determine the color?”
“No. I’m not much of a car aficionado, so the best I can tell you is that it was a shit-box sedan, either brown or greenish-brown. But I noticed that one of the taillights wasn’t working.” He made an apologetic gesture. “I’m sorry—that’s the best I can tell you. Like I said, it might not mean anything.”
“Or it could mean everything.” This from Colton, who had come in behind the other man. “Did you tell any of this to the police?”
Steven nodded. “Yeah, of course. I mentioned it when they came to the office to look at the judge’s casework. They said they’d look into it.”
“Thank you, Steven.” Jason shook the other man’s hand. “Deputy Black will show you out.”
Steven hesitated. “Is, uh, Judge Banks’s daughter here? I mean, that’s why you’re here, right? Speaking of which, why would she choose to stay in Santa Cruz and not in San Francisco? I’d think she’d want to be closer to her father.” He gave a self-conscious laugh. “I haven’t seen her since she graduated. Would be nice to say hello.”
Jason exchanged a look with Colton. “Thanks again for coming by. I appreciate you making the drive, and I’ll make sure you get the files back once we’re done.”
He was glad when the other man took the hint and left. Wasting no time, he opened the first box and began methodically removing the case files, laying them all out on the table. He looked up brusquely when Colton returned.
“I want everything you can find on Steven Anderson. How long he’s worked for the judge, and what his relationship is to the family. And to Caroline.”
Colton nodded. “Yes, sir. Probably nothing more than a youthful crush. She’s the boss’s daughter, after all, and she’s very attractive. I’ll bet all the judge’s interns were panting after her back when she lived here. Anderson seems pretty benign.”
Privately, Jason agreed. “Not taking any chances,” he said evenly.
“Got it.”
When Colton departed, Jason glanced toward the stairs. Caroline had claimed a headache and had gone straight to her room when they’d arrived at the beach house. He didn’t doubt that she was exhausted; they had spent the entire day at the hospital with her father, and the ride to Santa Cruz had seemed endless, especially since she had refused to speak with him. Jason had never considered himself much of a conversationalist, and there were few things he hated more than meaningless chitchat. So aside from a few questions related to whether the air-conditioning was sufficient or if she needed to stop and take a break, they hadn’t spoken at all. But he’d been acutely aware of her during the long drive. He’d heard every soft sigh, noticed every shift of position in the seat next to him, and had to keep his hands firmly on the steering wheel to prevent himself from reaching over to cover her fingers with his own. In short, the drive had been sheer torture.
Outside, the sun had disappeared over the horizon, and he walked deliberately through the house, checking the windows and doors. Upstairs, he paused outside Caroline’s room to listen, but there was no sound from inside. He moved down the hall to the guest room and opened the door. This was his room when he stayed at the beach house, and seeing it now brought the events of that long-ago summer night rushing back.
