Free The Code of the Hills by Nancy Allen

her up for disaster.
    Leaning against the wall for support, she moaned. “Oh man, Nedra, are you sure she’s not coming in this morning?”
    â€œAbsolutely positive.”
    â€œCan I reach her on her cell?”
    Nedra shook her head. “She left instructions that she was not to be disturbed under any circumstances.” She paused, then added in a whisper, “She’s at her gynecologist.”
    Grasping for a crisis extreme enough to justify this desertion, Elsie asked, “Is it an emergency? Is she sick?”
    â€œNo,” Nedra hissed, obviously offended. “It’s her annual exam.”
    â€œYou are kidding me. Nedra, we don’t have the witnesses we need for preliminary; the case will be dismissed. I have to get in touch with her.”
    â€œWell, she did say that if you weren’t confident enough to proceed on your own, get it continued. Until Friday. She has some room on her calendar Friday morning.”
    â€œFriday!” she wailed, but Nedra moved on down the hall.
    Back at her desk, Elsie flipped through the file. Nothing had been done or added since she first reviewed it on Saturday. She checked the return copies of the subpoenas; as she feared, they were not updated. One subpoena was issued for Al Taney, and the other had been served on Tina Peroni, a social worker whose testimony would serve no purpose at the preliminary hearing.
    Shutting the door, returning to her chair, she willed herself to calm down and think. The blood pounded in her temples. She was used to flying solo but was supposed to be second chair on Taney. It was the job of the first chair—­Madeleine—­to take the lead and ensure that catastrophe was averted. The role of second chair was to provide support.
    The prospect of appearing alone at the preliminary hearing, when the state was clearly unprepared, terrified her. The state would lose; the judge would be furious; and the victims, the press, and the public at large would lay the blame at her feet.
    She shut her eyes and tried to breathe slowly. A knock sounded at the door. Stacie called, “Your witness is here.”
    Elsie’s heart jumped. “Which one?”
    â€œTina Peroni from Social Ser­vices.”
    Well, of course it was Tina. Al Taney was gone with the wind; she reckoned it was more likely to see Paris Hilton walk through the office door, toting a little dog in a fancy handbag, than Kris Taney’s elusive brother.
    She told Stacie she’d be right out and sat quietly for a moment. Reaching for the phone, she dialed the Detective Division of the Barton Police Department. When the line picked up, she said, “Connect me with Detective Ashlock, please.”
    After waiting for a second, she heard his voice: “Ashlock here.”
    Those words came through the line like a chorus of angels.
    â€œOh, Ash, it’s Elsie, and I’m in a terrible bind. You got a minute?”
    â€œSure, Elsie. I’m heading to a meeting, but I can talk for a minute. What’s up?”
    â€œMadeleine dumped the Taney case on me, and I have a preliminary hearing in thirty minutes, and I’ve got no witness. The place is crawling with press. I don’t know what to do. Don’t have a clue.” She was so relieved to confide in him, she nearly cried.
    The detective’s voice was warm and calm as he spoke into her ear. “Elsie, I’d be glad to help, but if you don’t have a case, how are you going to come up with one in thirty minutes? Is there a witness that needs to be picked up? Can I get a patrolman to round somebody up for you?”
    On a pad in front of her, she drew frantic circles. “I don’t think we can find the witness on time. It’s the defendant’s brother. He skipped a meeting with us on Saturday, and I couldn’t find him at his address.”
    â€œWhat’s up with this guy? Isn’t he the one who blew the whistle on the