Chapter 8: The Man Who Stood Beside Me
I watched the footage three more times.
Each time, I hoped I would see something different.
A different hand.
A different ring.
A different person.
But the image stayed the same.
A silver eagle ring.
Thomas Reed wore one every day.
He had worn it for years.
A gift from his father.
I remembered because he had once told me the story during a long trial.
His father was a military veteran.
The ring was the only thing he had kept after his father passed away.
A meaningless detail to anyone else.
But not to me.
Because details were never meaningless in my courtroom.
Thomas entered my chambers twenty minutes later.
“You wanted to see me?””
I looked up.
“Yes.””
He noticed my expression.
“What happened?””
I didn’t answer immediately.
I studied him.
The man who had protected me.
The man who had walked into that hallway and stopped Officer Whitmore.
The man who had held my trust for years.
“Where were you last night at 8:13?””
His eyebrows lowered.
“That’s a strange question.””
“Answer it.””
“Home.””
“Anyone with you?””
He stared at me.
“Evelyn.””
“Anyone?””
His face changed.
Not anger.
Pain.
“No.””
I nodded slowly.
“Did you enter the courthouse last night?””
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
I placed the security footage on my monitor.
Thomas looked at the screen.
The silence was immediate.
His face changed.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
“You know that person.””
I watched him carefully.
“No.””
He looked away.
That was enough.
“Thomas.””
He rubbed his forehead.
“I didn’t want you to find out this way.””
The words made my chest tighten.
“Find out what?””
He sat down.
For the first time in years, he looked old.
Tired.
“I was investigating something.””
“Without telling me?””
“Yes.””
“Everyone seems to enjoy keeping secrets from me.””
“This wasn’t about you.””
I almost smiled.
“Everything happening right now is about me.””
He looked at the footage.
“I followed someone.””
“Who?””
“Michael Voss.””
My eyes narrowed.
“Why?””
“Because he was meeting with people connected to the courthouse.””
“Including you?””
“No.””
“Then why hide it?””
Thomas looked at me.
“Because I found out someone inside the courthouse was feeding information to him.””
“Who?””
“I didn’t know.””
“Did you find out?””
He hesitated.
That hesitation told me everything.
“You did.””
Thomas looked down.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
Before he could answer, the courtroom alarm sounded.
Both of us froze.
An emergency alert.
Someone had triggered it.
We rushed into the hallway.
People were moving quickly.
Security officers ran toward Courtroom 4B.
“What happened?”” I asked.
One officer stopped.
“Judge Carter, there’s been a problem.””
“What problem?””
He looked uncomfortable.
“The defendant.””
Michael Voss.
My heart dropped.
“What about him?””
“He’s missing.””
The courtroom was chaos.
Michael’s attorney stood near the defense table, shouting.
“I don’t know how this happened!””
Security searched every exit.
Every hallway.
Every stairwell.
Then someone found his phone.
It was sitting on the defense table.
Open.
Unlocked.
Waiting.
I picked it up.
There was one message.
From an unknown number.
*SHE KNOWS ABOUT THE RING. GET OUT NOW.*
My blood went cold.
Thomas saw it.
And for the first time all day…
He looked afraid.
Not for himself.
For me.
“He knows,” Thomas whispered.
I looked at him.
“Who knows?””
Thomas stared at the message.
“The person who started all of this.””
Before I could ask another question, the courtroom doors opened.
A security officer stepped inside.
“Judge Carter?””
“Yes?””
“We found Michael Voss.””
“Where?””
The officer hesitated.
“Outside.””
“Outside where?””
He looked at me.
“In the parking garage.””
A terrible feeling moved through me.
“Alive?””
The officer didn’t answer.
May you like
He didn’t have to.
Because his silence was the answer.
