Fortunately, the mystery woman did not head for a parking garage. Instead she walked up Southwest Salmon Street. Portland has one of the best mass transit systems in the U.S., and Madison guessed that the mystery woman was headed for the trolley stop at Tenth Avenue. As she walked across town, the woman kept her eyes down and did not look around. She seemed preoccupied by deep thoughts, and Madison prayed that they would keep her from figuring out that she and Jake were tailing her.
Jake and Madison waited for the trolley on the end of the platform farthest from their quarry. When one of the blue cars stopped in front of them, they got on at the other end from where the woman entered.
The trolley rode into the Pearl District, a collection of highrise condos, upscale restaurants, and fancy boutiques. Madison spotted the mystery woman getting out, and she poked Jake. The two sleuths followed at a safe distance. Madison was prepared to duck into a doorway or pretend to look in a shop window the way she’d seen spies and private eyes do on TV, but it was never necessary.
The woman suddenly turned into the courtyard of a brand-new high rise and punched in an entry code. Madison raced forward just as the door opened. She hoped that the woman would not recognize her and Jake from court, and she got lucky.
“Thanks,” Madison said as she and Jake walked in behind the woman, who just nodded. Madison peeked at her face. She looked worried. Madison decided that they were as good as invisible because the woman was completely focused on whatever was bothering her.
When the elevator stopped, Madison and Jake followed the woman down the hall and stopped at a door as soon as she stopped at another. The woman took a key out of her pocket, but the door opened before she could use it.
“What happened?” Madison heard a familiar voice ask. Madison felt a surge of adrenaline and relief rush through her body. “That’s Mrs. Shelby,” she whispered to Jake. She was alive!
They ran down the hall while the apartment door was still open. Madison skidded to a stop just as the mystery woman was about to go inside.
“Mrs. Shelby, remember me? Madison Kincaid, from your second-grade class at Lewis and Clark?”
Mrs. Shelby was dressed in sweat pants and a Portland Trailblazers T-shirt. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She looked thinner than Madison remembered, and she seemed confused.
“You followed me up here,” the mystery woman accused the two sleuths.
“Actually, we followed you from the courthouse. It was the only way I could think of to find Mrs. Shelby.”
“Why did you want to find me, Madison?” Mrs. Shelby asked.
“My dad is Hamilton Kincaid, Mr. Shelby’s lawyer.”
Mrs. Shelby looked frightened, and the two women glanced at each other.
“You’re not going to tell Mark where I am, are you?” Mrs. Shelby asked. Madison could hear the fear in her voice.
“I have to tell my dad,” Madison said honestly. “Mr. Shelby is accused of killing you, but you’re not dead. Once the DA finds out you’re alive, he’ll dismiss the murder charge against your husband.”
“She’s right,” the other woman said. “This has gone on long enough, Ruth. Now that these two know you’re alive, it doesn’t make any sense to go on punishing Mark.”
Mrs. Shelby folded her arms across her chest. Anger had replaced fear.
“We still don’t know who you are,” Jake told the mystery woman.
“I’m Sarah Tucker, Ruth’s sister, and this is my condo.”
“How did you know I was here?” Ruth Shelby asked Madison. She sounded suspicious and was glaring at her sister.
“Oh, Mrs. Tucker didn’t tell anyone your secret. I deduced that you weren’t dead from the evidence.”
The two women listened carefully while Madison explained how she had solved the mystery of Mrs. Shelby’s disappearance. When Madison finished, Ruth Shelby shook her head.
“You’ve grown up to become quite the detective, young lady,” she said. “I remember you being rather inquisitive when you were in my class.”
“There’s one mystery I still haven’t solved,” Madison said. “Will you tell me why you haven’t cleared your husband’s name?”
Chapter 20
The Truth Comes Out
Judge Young had scheduled the hearing to start up again at nine o’clock the next morning. Madison, Jake, Mrs. Shelby, and her sister walked into Judge Young’s courtroom shortly after court started. The district attorney was examining a policeman. Hamilton was taking careful notes, but the sound of the door opening made him and his client glance over their shoulders. Mark Shelby looked at his wife, returned his attention to the front of the room for a nanosecond, then leaped to his feet.
“It’s her!” he yelled. “It’s Ruth.”
Judge Young pounded her gavel. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Mr. Kincaid, get your client under control.”
Mr. Shelby turned toward the judge. “That’s my wife, Your Honor. She’s not dead.”
Judge Young, the DA, and everyone else in the courtroom stared at Ruth Shelby. The judge recovered immediately.
“Are you this man’s wife?” she demanded.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Ruth Shelby answered, clearly embarrassed by the attention she was receiving.
Judge Young smashed her gavel angrily. “This hearing is in recess. Bailiff, get the parties and that woman into my chambers immediately.”
When Madison and Jake slipped into the judge’s chambers behind Mrs. Shelby and Sarah Tucker, they found Madison’s father and his client, the DA, the judge, a court reporter, and two deputies from the jail. Hamilton, who was sitting beside Mark Shelby, looked very upset.
Shelby jumped to his feet. “Where have you been?” he shouted. His face was scarlet, his fists were clenched, and every muscle in his body was knotted.
“Control your client, Mr. Kincaid. One more outburst and I’ll have him cooling his heels in a jail cell.”
Hamilton stood up and put a restraining hand on his client’s forearm.
Sarah stepped between the Shelbys and stared angrily at her brother-in-law.
“Ruth has been hiding from you, Mark, because of the way you treat her.”
“I spent time in jail. I was arrested.”
“And you deserved everything you got,” Sarah said. Then she turned to Judge Young.
“My sister ran away because Mark hit her. And it’s not the first time. I told her she should tell the police she was alive after Mark was arrested, but she wanted him to suffer awhile so he would know how scared she is every time he loses his temper.”
Hamilton looked at his client. “Is this true? Did you hit your wife the morning she disappeared?”
Mr. Shelby broke eye contact and looked at the floor.
“Sometimes I lose my temper,” he mumbled. Madison could tell he was embarrassed to admit what he’d done.
“Not only is that no excuse,” Judge Young said, “but hitting your wife is a crime—it’s assault. You’re angry that you had to sit in jail, but you could have gotten a much longer jail sentence if Mrs. Shelby had complained to the police. Consider yourself lucky that she hasn’t had you arrested.”
“Where did all the blood in the kitchen come from?” the DA asked.
“I was cutting an onion for a Western omelet when we started arguing. When Mark hit me, I cut my finger. I was waving my hand around when he stormed out and the blood went onto the refrigerator, the floor, and the counter. I threw out the bloody onion and ran upstairs to put on a bandage. While I was upstairs, I decided I’d had it with Mark’s abuse and I packed and left.”