Read Online The Dying Room by Debra Webb - Free Book Online Page B

that?”
    The elevator doors opened once more and Jess waited until they were outside to answer. The March wind whipped hard, making her wish she’d tucked her hair into a ponytail. “I’m not sure.”
    Jess’s middle name, Lee, was after her father. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was ten, but last year she’d learned that most of what she’d believed about her parents had been fiction. Though her father had turned out to be one of the good guys, he had cheated on her mom. It was a long sad story that had shaken her and Lily.
    They loaded into Lori’s red Mustang. “I like the name Beatrice Irene.”
    “Is it a family name?”
    Jess smiled. “My mother’s middle name was Irene.”
    “Are you worried about offending Katherine?”
    Dan’s mother was so excited about the baby Jess was reasonably sure it wouldn’t matter what they named the child. Still, she wanted to do this right. Family was important. She hadn’t really realized just how much so until the past few months.
    “Katherine’s mother’s name was Beatrice.”
    “I like it.” Lori merged into downtown traffic. “It’s elegant.”
    Jess agreed.
Beatrice
. She rubbed her belly. It was perfect.
     
    Crescent Road, 1:30 p.m.
    Joseph Pratt lived in a 1910 Craftsman style home that sat on a hillside overlooking prestigious Forest Park, one of Birmingham’s historic communities. His grandfather had built this house as a gift to his wife. It was a lovely home.
    When the social niceties were out of the way, the former mayor looked directly at Jess. “I suppose you’re here about Harmon’s murder.”
    “We are.” Jess settled her teacup on its saucer. “The two of you traveled in many of the same circles. You worked together on fundraising efforts over the years. You served side by side on various councils. I’m hoping you can provide some insight as to who might have wanted him dead.”
    Pratt sipped his tea before setting it aside. “Harmon lived by one rule: an eye for an eye. Justice was all that mattered to him. If you broke the law and had the misfortune of appearing in his courtroom, you paid the highest penalty allowed by law. I’m sure he left a very long list of enemies.”
    “We’re considering those as well as any friends and close professional associates.”
    He laughed. “I see. Am I a suspect?”
    “Should you be?” Jess turned the question back on him.
    “Harmon and I began our careers around the same time. We were going to be the most powerful and influential people in the city. The movers and shakers who made things happen.” He shrugged. “To a large degree we succeeded.”
    “Did the judge ever cross that line he so rigidly held others to?” They both knew Pratt had crossed a number of lines.
    “You mean was he like me? Capable of doing whatever necessary to achieve his goals?”
    Jess assumed the question was a rhetorical one.
    “Any man who reaches a position of considerable power makes decisions that can weigh on his conscience. It’s a necessary evil. In time, Dan will tell you the same, I’m sure.”
    Jess had wondered how long it would take Pratt to try to drag Dan into the muck with him. “Have you heard any rumors about the judge being involved with a female friend or companion?”
    “Men like Harmon are very careful about their personal lives. If he was keeping company with a lady friend, she would have been a professional.”
    Jess hesitated. “By professional do you mean a companion who gets paid for her time?” There really was no delicate way to put the question.
    “Certainly. There are a number of services in the city that are discreet. If Harmon was enjoying the comforts of a companion you’ll find it was handled in a very businesslike manner. He was far too devoted to his wife to begin a relationship with another woman. Perhaps his companion had a boyfriend who wasn’t happy with her job choice. I suppose, if such a scenario occurred, she could have been followed to Harmon’s