That was why Darius chose her over Matthew Reynolds, Oscar Montoya and the other established criminal defense lawyers.
"Who's our judge?" Darius asked.
"Pat Norwood."
"What's he like?"
"He's a crusty old codger who's nearing retirement.
He looks like a troll and acts like an ogre in court. He's no legal scholar, either. But he is completely impartial.
Norwood's rude and impatient with the prosecution and the defense and he won't be buffaloed by Alan Page or the press. If Page doesn't meet his burden of proof on the bail issue, Norwood will do the right thing."
"Do you think the State will meet its burden?" Darius asked.
"No, Martin, I don't think they will."
Darius smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear." Then the smile faded as he changed the subject. "Is Lisa going to be in court?"
"Of course. I talked to her yesterday."
"Looks like you're having more luck getting in touch with my wife than I am."
"Lisa's staying with her father. She didn't feel comfortable -alone in the house."
"That's funny," Darius said, flashing Betsy a chilly smile. "I called His Honor last night and he told me she wasn't home."
"She may have been out."
"Right. The next time you talk to my wife, please ask her to visit me, will you?"
"Sure. Oh, before I forget, there's a woman named Nora Sloane who's writing an article about women defense attorneys. She wants to follow me through your case. If I let her, there's a chance she might learn defense strategy or attorney-client confidences. I told her I had to ask your permission before I let her get involved. Do you have any objections to her tagging along?"
Darius held the question for a moment, then shook his head.
"I don't mind. Besides"-he grinned-"you'll have more incentive to do a great job for me if someone is writing about you."
"I never thought of it that way."
"That's why I'm a millionaire, Tannenbaum. I always figure the angles."
There were several new courtrooms outfitted with state of-the-art video equipment and computer technology that Patrick L. Norwood could have commandeered because of his senior status, but judge Norwood preferred the courtroom where he had ruled with an iron fist for twenty years. It had high ceilings, grand marble columns and a hand-carved wooden dais.
It was an old-fashioned courtroom, perfect for a man with the judicial temperament of a nineteenth-century hanging judge.
The courtroom was filled to capacity for the Martin Darius bail hearing.
Those who were too late to find a seat stood in line in the hall.
Spectators had to pass through a metal detector before entering the courtroom and there were extra security guards inside, because of death threats.
Harvey Cobb, an elderly black man, called the court to order. He had been Norwood's bailiff from the day the judge was appointed. Norwood came out of his chambers through a door behind the bench. Short and squat, he was ugly as sin, but his toadlike face was crowned by a full head of beautiful snowy white hair.
"Be seated," Cobb said. Betsy took her place beside Martin Darius and glanced briefly at Alan Page, who was sitting next to Randy Highsmith.
"Call your first witness, Mr. Page," Norwood ordered.
"The State calls Ross Barrow, Your Honor."
Harvey Cobb had Detective Barrow raise his right hand and swear to tell the truth. Barrow sat in the witness box and Page established his credentials as a homicide investigator.
"Detective Barrow, sometime in mid-August did you become aware of a series of unusual disappearances?"
"Yes, I did. In August a detective from our missing persons bureau told me that a woman named Laura Farrar was reported missing by her husband, Larry Farrar.
Larry told the detective that Objection, hearsay," Betsy said, standing.
"No," Norwood ruled. "This is a bail hearing, not a trial. I'm going to permit the State some leeway. If you need to examine some of these Witnesses, you can subpoena them. Let's move on, Mr. Page."
Page nodded at Barrow, who continued with his account of the investigation.
"Farrar told the detective that he had come home from work on August tenth, about eight o'clock. His house looked perfectly normal, but his wife was missing.
None of her clothes was missing or her makeup. In fact, nothing was missing from the house, as far as he could tell. The only unusual circumstance was a rose and a note Mr. Farrar found on his wife's pillow."
"Was there anything odd about the rose?"
"Yes, sir. A lab report on the rose indicates that it had been dyed black."
"What did the note say?"
"Gone, But Not Forgotten." Page handed a document and a photograph to the judge's clerk.
"This is a photocopy of the Farrar note and a photo graph of the rose, Your Honor. The originals are still at the lab. I talked about this with Mrs. Tannenbaum and she's willing to stipulate to the introduction of these and other copies, solely for purposes of this hearing."
"Is that so?" Norwood asked Betsy. She nodded.
"The exhibits will be received."
"Did the detective from missing persons tell you about a second disappearance in mid-September?"
"Yes, sir. Wendy Reiser, the wife of Thomas Reiser, was reported missing by her husband identical circumstances."
"Nothing disturbed in the house or missing?"
"Correct."
"Did Mr. Reiser find a black rose and a note on his wife's pillow?"
"He did."
Page introduced a photocopy of the Reiser note and a photograph of the Reiser rose.
"What did the lab say about the second note and rose?"
"They are identical to the note and rose found at the Farrar house."
"Finally, Detective, did you learn about a third, recent disappearance?"
"Yes, sir. Russell Miller reported his wife, Victoria, missing circumstances that were identical to the other cases. Note and rose on the pillow. Nothing disturbed or missing in the house."
"Several days ago, did you learn where the women were?"
Barrow nodded gravely. "The three women and an unidentified male were found buried in a construction site owned by Darius Construction."
"Who owns Darius Construction?"
"Martin Darius, the defendant."
"Was the gate to the site locked?"
"Yes, sir."
"Was a gaping hole located in the fence near the area where the bodies were found?"
"Yes, sir."
"Were tire tracks located near that hole?"
"They were."
"On the evening Mr. Darius was arrested, did you execute a search warrant at his residence?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you locate any vehicles during the search?"
"We located a station wagon, a BMW and a black Ferrari."
"Move to introduce exhibits ten to twenty-three, which are photographs of the construction site, the hole in the fence, the tire tracks, the burial site and the bodies being removed from it, and the vehicles."
"No objection," Betsy said.
"Received."
"Was a cast made of the tire tracks?"
"It was. The tracks at the site match the tread on the BMW we found at Darius's house."
"Was the trunk of the BMW examined for trace evidence, such as hairs and fibers, that might have belonged to any of the victims?"
"Yes, sir. None was found."
"Did the lab report explain why?"
"The trunk had been recently vacuumed and cleaned."
"How old was the BMW?"
"A year old."
"Not a brand-new car?"
"No, sir."
"Detective Barrow, are you aware of any connections between the defendant and the murdered women?"
"I am. Yes. Mr. Reiser works for the law firm that represents Darius Construction. He and his wife met the defendant at a party Mr. Darius threw this summer to celebrate the opening of a new mall."
"How soon before the disappearance of the first woman, Laura Farrar, was this party?"
"Approximately three weeks."
"Were Mr. and Mrs. Farrar at that party?"
"They were. Mr. Farrar works for the accounting firm that Mr. Darius uses."
"And Russell and Victoria Miller?"