Read Online An Extraordinary Match (The Match Series Book 3) by Barbara Dunlop - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Barbara Dunlop
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through several doorways, traversing a busy office area, down a set of stairs, through a parking garage, up another set of stairs, and finally into the courtroom.
She was seated in a prisoner’s box at one side of the crowded room. There was an air of unreality to the situation, almost like being on a movie set. The judge was reading some paperwork. The sheriff stood by, hand resting on his firearm, looking like he expected her to bolt at any second. He was clearly ready to shoot if she did. There were a bunch of people in the gallery, most chatting amongst themselves. People she assumed were the courtroom staff and lawyers worked at various tables in the front of the room.
Finally, the judge looked at her. “Ms. Korrigan, I can set bail immediately at twenty-five thousand dollars, or you can wait until Tuesday for the public defender.”
Jade felt a first glimmer of hope. “Bail, please.” She didn’t have twenty-five thousand dollars, but she had a hope of raising that amount in the not-too-distant future.
“Bail has been arranged,” said a woman sitting at a small desk in a corner of the court.
Jade glanced around in confusion. Again, she wanted to ask a question, but she didn’t want to say the wrong thing.
“Then the prisoner is free to go,” said the judge, bringing down his gavel.
The sheriff unlocked her handcuffs.
“You’ll need to remain in the state,” the judge said to Jade.
She nodded.
“Trial will be set for…” The judge looked to the woman in the corner.
“October fifteenth,” said the woman.
“October fifteenth.”
And then everyone’s attention seemed to move on.
Jade could see the pathway out, through a small swinging door, past the visitor gallery, and out of the courtroom. But it took her a moment to work up the courage to move.
The sheriff spoke. “You can pick up your belongings in the station next door. Talk to the intake deputy.”
“Thank you.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she realized they were comical. She was thanking the man who’d arrested her and held her in jail.
Sheriff Edwards gave her a curious look.
Then she girded her courage and swallowed her pride. “Could you possibly take me back the way we came in?”
He seemed surprised by the question. “No.”
“There are people outside I don’t want to see.”
“That does not surprise me.”
She gritted her teeth. “Please. I won’t be any trouble.”
He seemed to hesitate. Then he muttered something under his breath. It sounded like he said the words “Logan” and “right,” but that was all she could make out.
“This way,” he told her, pointing to the door behind them.
She was relieved to make it all the way back to the hotel without seeing either Ewan or John. But that was where her luck ran out. The Twin Peaks had kicked her out of her room, and a hostile, stone-faced desk clerk handed over her suitcase and a credit card receipt for the room charges.
Dejected and defeated, and still worried about running into Ewan and John, Jade took a back door out to the park, dragging her wheeled suitcase down a gravel pathway. She sat on a bench along the lakeshore and gave thanks that her cell phone had half its battery power left. But when she tried to book a flight back to Denver, she was told the next available seat was three days in the future.
The hotels in town all claimed to be full, and she couldn’t get through to Virgil. With the sun setting, her options were diminishing by the minute. She couldn’t stay out on the street all night, and she had to stay away from Ewan and John.
After discarding every other option, she made a painful choice. There was only one other way to get from Mirror Falls to Denver.
Chapter Five
L ogan entered the small office building above the float-plane dock and stopped dead in his tracks. He shot his dispatcher an incredulous look, raising his palms to silently question the situation.
“I couldn’t get her to leave,” said Danica,
She was seated in a prisoner’s box at one side of the crowded room. There was an air of unreality to the situation, almost like being on a movie set. The judge was reading some paperwork. The sheriff stood by, hand resting on his firearm, looking like he expected her to bolt at any second. He was clearly ready to shoot if she did. There were a bunch of people in the gallery, most chatting amongst themselves. People she assumed were the courtroom staff and lawyers worked at various tables in the front of the room.
Finally, the judge looked at her. “Ms. Korrigan, I can set bail immediately at twenty-five thousand dollars, or you can wait until Tuesday for the public defender.”
Jade felt a first glimmer of hope. “Bail, please.” She didn’t have twenty-five thousand dollars, but she had a hope of raising that amount in the not-too-distant future.
“Bail has been arranged,” said a woman sitting at a small desk in a corner of the court.
Jade glanced around in confusion. Again, she wanted to ask a question, but she didn’t want to say the wrong thing.
“Then the prisoner is free to go,” said the judge, bringing down his gavel.
The sheriff unlocked her handcuffs.
“You’ll need to remain in the state,” the judge said to Jade.
She nodded.
“Trial will be set for…” The judge looked to the woman in the corner.
“October fifteenth,” said the woman.
“October fifteenth.”
And then everyone’s attention seemed to move on.
Jade could see the pathway out, through a small swinging door, past the visitor gallery, and out of the courtroom. But it took her a moment to work up the courage to move.
The sheriff spoke. “You can pick up your belongings in the station next door. Talk to the intake deputy.”
“Thank you.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she realized they were comical. She was thanking the man who’d arrested her and held her in jail.
Sheriff Edwards gave her a curious look.
Then she girded her courage and swallowed her pride. “Could you possibly take me back the way we came in?”
He seemed surprised by the question. “No.”
“There are people outside I don’t want to see.”
“That does not surprise me.”
She gritted her teeth. “Please. I won’t be any trouble.”
He seemed to hesitate. Then he muttered something under his breath. It sounded like he said the words “Logan” and “right,” but that was all she could make out.
“This way,” he told her, pointing to the door behind them.
She was relieved to make it all the way back to the hotel without seeing either Ewan or John. But that was where her luck ran out. The Twin Peaks had kicked her out of her room, and a hostile, stone-faced desk clerk handed over her suitcase and a credit card receipt for the room charges.
Dejected and defeated, and still worried about running into Ewan and John, Jade took a back door out to the park, dragging her wheeled suitcase down a gravel pathway. She sat on a bench along the lakeshore and gave thanks that her cell phone had half its battery power left. But when she tried to book a flight back to Denver, she was told the next available seat was three days in the future.
The hotels in town all claimed to be full, and she couldn’t get through to Virgil. With the sun setting, her options were diminishing by the minute. She couldn’t stay out on the street all night, and she had to stay away from Ewan and John.
After discarding every other option, she made a painful choice. There was only one other way to get from Mirror Falls to Denver.
Chapter Five
L ogan entered the small office building above the float-plane dock and stopped dead in his tracks. He shot his dispatcher an incredulous look, raising his palms to silently question the situation.
“I couldn’t get her to leave,” said Danica,
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