28
Nova Euclid pulled up her assignments on her Karpel legal case-management software and scrolled through some of the new ones. Five new greenies—the nickname deputy district attorneys had for unfiled cases because of the green paper they used—had popped up in the last twenty-four hours. She grimaced. Her caseload was getting longer by the minute. She paused, briefly, on an unfiled case entitledPeople v. Brooksfield, which was marked with an exclamation point to signify importance. She grinned, feeling her heart quickening in pace. Could this be the case she thought it was?
She quickly scrolled through the case’s files, which included a recording of an interrogation, a couple of police reports, completed lab work that had been forwarded to their office, a recording of a 911 call, and some other miscellaneous items. It was definitely the Willy Grooms murder, and now it had been assigned to her. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was involved, and so was the sheriff’s office. Suggested charges that were forwarded from CBI: two counts of first-degree murder after deliberation, four counts of money laundering, two counts of embezzlement, one count of forgery.
Euclid noticed with distaste that defense counsel was Belen Caldas, an aggressive and expensive defense attorney. Caldas had recently mopped the floor with Lukas Otto during a felony theft trial, despite the fact that Otto was a seasoned prosecutor with over thirty trials under his belt. She would have her work cut out for her, that was for sure.
Euclid pulled up the case notes. Among them was a request to visitthe district attorney, Udoka Adewale, before filing.People v. Brooksfieldwas the highest-profile case currently being assigned out. After two years of working as a deputy district attorney in the homicide unit, this would be her biggest one yet. A real beaut. A career-maker.
Euclid closed her laptop and disconnected it from the monitor before hurrying down the hallway of the Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, dodging gaggles of penguin-suited prosecutors on their way to their morning hearings. She paused in front of the DA’s mahogany door, distinct from the hollow-core wood doors to other offices that lined the spartan hallways. She rapped politely and heard the muffled invitation through the thick wood.
Euclid angled open the door, shutting it quietly behind her, and stood to attention in front of Adewale’s executive desk—also mahogany—which was the size of a pool table. Adewale held up a finger to signify to Euclid she was finishing up something on her computer. Euclid rarely had the occasion to come in here, and she was curious. The room smelled pleasantly of lavender and coconut. An extravagant standing lamp depicting hanging wisterias cast an orange-blue glow. A row of legal books were stratified along the wall behind Adewale’s desk. A copy ofCrime and Punishmentsat on the corner of the desk closest to the door, which looked like it had been placed there for show instead of reading, next to a family photo.
“You’re here about the Brooksfield case,” Adewale stated, rather than asked, sliding out from her seat and holding an elegant hand out for Euclid to shake.
She was a tall and thin woman, with a crop of tight black curls and skin so dark it was almost ebony. Simple gold jewelry encircled her neck and wrists. The woman was formidable—and intimidating. Euclid swallowed the frog in her throat and stepped forward with false confidence to shake Adewale’s hand.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said, “This is the one that’s all over the news?”
“That would be a correct assumption.” Adewale spoke unpretentiously, but with intention. “There is some unfortunate footage of the second victim that has gone viral on social media. I need someone who can handle the press with tact and care. Naturally, I thought of you. I was pleased with the way you handled the Scalzi case last year.”
Euclid smiled, trying not to get giddy from the compliment. Adewale’spraise was rare, and when she gave a compliment, she meant it. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“This will be a vertical prosecution case. Meaning that you will be the only prosecutor involved from start to finish. Of course, I’ll assign one of the newer DAs to help with trial prep later on. I want you to start getting involved in the case now. We aren’t ready to file charges against the suspect, Margaret Brooksfield, yet.” She tapped the file on her desk with a long polished fingernail. “We need more evidence. Caldas is too good of a lawyer, and we can’t let Brooksfield wriggle out if we bring them too early. I’ve hired a PI to make sure she doesn’t flee the country. Philip Ross—I think you’ve used him before. Make sure to let him know you’ve been assigned the case and to keep you apprised of any updates, no matter how small.”
“How solid is the evidence against Brooksfield?”
“We have DNA evidence of her on scene. Suspicious transfers of two-point-five million dollars of Grooms’s money to an account of a nonprofit organization called Paradox. She’s admitted to embezzling two hundred and twenty thousand dollars from those transfers. Not only that, but she’s the sole beneficiary of his estate, which it turns out is worth millions. She claimed to know nothing about that, despite the fact that she witnessed and signed the will—and admits that it’s her signature.”
“Solid motives there.”
“Yes. And there are some religious aspects to the first homicide with the wafers and Communion wine—Brooksfield is deeply religious. We have evidence of her presence at the cabin during the general time period when the torture and homicide were committed.”
“Is there any direct physical evidence connecting her to either crime?”
“Not yet, and that’s a concern. Investigators are working on it. We’re pretty sure she knows more than she’s admitted so far. We also know at least three other individuals were involved in the murder. Our strategy is to put pressure on her to turn state’s evidence and plead. Maybe we won’t even have to file charges.”
Euclid felt a little uneasy about the approach, but it was pretty standard, and after all, the defendant had already admitted embezzlement. While the evidence for murder was circumstantial, Brooksfield was no innocent.
“What are our talking points for the press?”
“I’m sure you know this, but it doesn’t hurt to have a reminder: Ethical rules of conduct prevent prosecutors from making public statements that would prejudice the proceedings or rile the public. This is a big one, so I’ll handle the pressers, which you’ll also attend. There’s one this Wednesday at eleven a.m. If you get ambushed, our sound bite is,We are working closely with the sheriff’s office to efficiently resolve the case and cannot comment at this time on an active investigation.Don’t mention CBI. There’s some bad press going around about CBI Agent Cash, and I want to distance ourselves from it where possible.”
Adewale turned to look at Euclid with fierce green eyes. “Not that this is an issue, but I want you looking smart, clean, and lively every day. This case will be a lot of work, and we can’t have you leaving the office looking like you slept on your desk—even if you did.”
Euclid laughed. “Got it.”
“Lastly, case files don’t leave the office. I’ve heard through the grapevine there might be a leak.”
“Definitely won’t have to worry about that with me.”
Adewale nodded. “Margie Brooksfield was not working alone. The torture, the subsequent embalmment—this screams conspiracy and that she was almost certainly an accessory. We need the people she’s working with, and for that, we need to put maximum pressure on her. More evidence is essential. When we strike, we want to charge as many counts as possible to encourage the defense to bargain them away.”
“Agreed.”
“I’m counting on you, Nova. This is your first big one. If you crush it, there could be a promotion for you on the horizon.”
Euclid said her goodbyes and left Adewale’s office. This was her moment, and she would be damned if she would let it pass her by. Belen Caldas was going down.
