“Nothing more.”
“I’ll put my investigator on this. I want to know when that house burned down, how, and who owns the property now. Somebody has to be paying property taxes. I won’t know if their murders are related until I have the facts.” Bennie shifted position. “Now. Courtney will be arraigned tomorrow, which means that she’ll be formally charged with first-degree murder. She’ll plead not guilty. She made that decision when we met.”
“First-degree murder,” Julia repeated, reeling. “This is a nightmare.”
Paul looked down.
“Next, about two weeks after the arraignment, there’s a preliminary hearing. Normally a preliminary hearing is pro forma, in that all the Commonwealth has to show is that they have enough proof to keep somebody locked up. Mind you, not enough to convict them, but keep them locked up until trial. Understand the difference?”
“Yes.”
“I like preliminary hearings because we hear the proof they have, and by then, they’ll have ballistics tests.” Bennie’s blue eyes lit up.“Usually, I can’t get anybody out of jail after a preliminary hearing, but this time, I have a shot. If they have these proof failures, they’re going to have a hard time. I don’t know how they got the D.A. to charge this case unless he’s very friendly to the Buckley cops.”
“Maybe he’s in on the conspiracy, too?”
“Possible.”
“So you’re saying you can get her out after the preliminary hearing?”
“Yes, I’m going to try, but the bad news is that Courtney’s in jail until after then.”
“When is the preliminary hearing?”
“Within fourteen days after the preliminary arraignment.”
“When’s that?”
“That’s anytime, even tonight.” Bennie checked her watch. “A preliminary arraignment can happen whenever they get a magistrate judge, even after hours. It’s a routine proceeding, and they’ll probably do it from the county prison via closed-circuit TV.”
“Not in person?”
“No.”
“Can we go watch?”
“Yes, of course. I go as her counsel, and you can come with. We’ll have to wait for them to call. Stay in touch with me.”
Julia thought it over. “So you’re saying that Courtney could be out in two weeks?”
“Yes, if we win.”
“Thank God.” Julia felt a wave of relief. She wondered if she’d get a vision sooner than that or if she could cause one.
“That’s good news,” Paul said after a moment.
“Happy to help.” Bennie paused, her expression turning grim. “Butwe have to talk about the worst-case scenario. If we lose the preliminary hearing, she’s in jail until trial, which can take a year or two.”
No.Julia felt tears come to her eyes.
Paul looked down.
“She doesn’t want to plea bargain, and the Commonwealth didn’t make an offer yet anyway. If their reason for arresting her is corrupt, they won’t. If we lose the preliminary hearing, they’ll transfer her to Muncy, a women’s prison. It’s minimum security, but it’s still prison.”
Julia shuddered. “Can we visit?”
“Yes, after they intake her. I can always see her and I’ll let you know how she’s doing. She asked me to notify her company. She’s worried she’ll lose her job but I’m going to get her put on leave.” Bennie looked at Paul. “You okay? You’ve been pretty quiet.”
“I’m shocked that this can happen.”