They told him they would look into him, too, and hung up so they could get started on the search.
Kole and Abby were on top of finding Kelsi, but he hated that he was stuck behind.
Dylan sent a quick message off to Boone, who had made it to Oyster Shoals and was with their moms. He gave him arundown of their situation and asked that he keep a tighter eye on the women in case they didn’t stop with abducting Kelsi. Boone confirmed he had it under control and wished him luck in getting his girl back.
Dylan spared a minute to collect his thoughts, then headed toward the judge’s chambers. He rang the intercom, waited until a judicial assistant answered, and asked to speak to Judge Bolton. He stressed how important it was, stating he needed to speak to her immediately, before the trial.
The assistant didn’t reply for a few moments, checking with the judge to see if the private conversation without opposing counsel was allowed. Rather than speaking to him over the intercom again, she appeared at the door a few minutes later, allowing him to enter, and led him to Judge Bolton’s office.
The judge lifted her head when they stopped at her doorway and nodded at the assistant in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Eileen. Close the door behind you, please.” She eyed Dylan with suspicion as he shut the door behind him. “I’m not entirely sure that this conversation should be happening right now, Mr. Holloway. Not without Mr. Carver present.”
“Yes, Your Honor. I understand this is unorthodox. I’m willing to record this conversation if you’d like, so that it could be presented on the record if need be.”
It was a Hail Mary. He knew that it was impermissible for the judge to speak with only one side regarding an active case, but he had no other choice. Not when he thought the defendant was involved in the kidnapping of his cocounsel.
She regarded him coolly for a long, tense moment, before nodding her head. “Okay. I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you.” He sat in the open chair in front of her desk and laid his phone out on the table, opening up the recording app and pressing the record button. “Is this acceptable?” He gestured to the phone between them.
“Yes, it is.” She verbally acknowledged his question for the recording’s benefit.
He took a deep breath before diving in. “I wanted to meet with you off the record this morning, and without Mr. Carver present, because my cocounsel is missing.”
Judge Bolton’s eyebrows lifted, shock evident in her face.
“She’s been kidnapped. I believe that it’s related to this case.”
The judge’s brows slammed back down. “Do you have evidence that the defendant is involved?”
“Not yet,” he hedged. “But it would be too much of a coincidence if he wasn’t. And, taking into account the history of this prosecution, it’s reasonable to assume that McGuinness would be somehow involved. Kelsi’s also been receiving anonymous threats about this case for weeks.”
Judge Bolton rested her hands on her desk, her posture telling him she was taking this as seriously as he was. “Why haven’t you gone to the police about this?”
“Kelsi was worried about retaliation if word got back to whoever was threatening her, so she couldn’t go to them. Now, this is the first thing that has happened in a separate jurisdiction, but I’m worried that if we get the police involved now, he’ll hurt her before we can find her.”
“What are you asking me for here, Mr. Holloway?”
“A day. Just a day to try to find Kelsi and bring her back safely, without going to the police. If this is related to the trialtoday, whoever took her must’ve had a purpose behind it. If we go forward without her, that may play right into their hands. And I don’t want him to escape the judicial process if we can avoid it. I would also rather not have Mr. Carver informed of this for now. I don’t know if he’s involved or not, and I don’t want to risk him telling McGuinness that I suspect him. If he’s involved and is tipped off, there’s no telling what he might do to her.” He knew he was asking a lot of the judge. First in asking her to make concessions for him, and second in asking her to conceal this from the defense attorney.
She was silent for a long moment, staring at him and absorbing his expressions, most likely examining every possible situation and outcome that could happen here. The longer the silence lasted, the more violently his stomach churned, acid burning as he waited to hear her verdict.
Finally, she flicked her eyes to the phone still indicating it was recording and said, “Okay. I will delay the proceeding, but I can only give you until after lunch. If you haven’t found her by then, you will have to either proceed with the jury trial yourself or I will declare a mistrial.”
He nodded, knowing it was the best she could offer and that it was at least a boon of some time to join in the search for her. “Thank you.” He held her eyes, letting her see his gratitude.
Judge Bolton leaned over the desk and tapped off the recording. “She means a lot more to you than a coworker, doesn’t she?” she asked this quietly, assessing him.
“She means everything to me,” he agreed, before rising to his feet.
“I will have to convene the court at nine thirty still, but I will explain to everyone that we will break and resume after lunch. The jury will be sequestered until we return.”
He thanked her again and walked out of her office.
Back in the hallway, he sat impatiently, eyes locked on the doors to courtroom six. When the deputy came and opened the doors, he was the first to walk in. He headed straight for the prosecutor’s table, laying his briefcase on the floor next to it while taking a seat. His leg bounced as other attorneys and parties filtered in through the doors.
McGuinness was one of the last to walk in, right at the docket call at nine thirty. He swaggered down the aisle between the benches as if his shit doesn’t stink. He sat down on a bench on the defense counsel’s side of the courtroom and sent a smirk at Dylan when they made eye contact.
Dylan glared back, nostrils flaring as he fought every instinct and remained seated, when all he wanted to do was storm over and force the man to tell him where Kelsi was.
