Chapter 14 - Locked Down
The bomb threat delayed Ethan's hearing but did not cancel it.
Judge Hart ordered the courthouse cleared floor by floor while bomb technicians searched the building.
Ethan remained inside the secure underground holding area.
Claire, Nora, Kim, and federal agents waited across the street inside a government building.
The red coat sat inside its garment bag on a chair between them like a silent witness.
Claire read the anonymous note again.
"The ledger is already in the courthouse."
Cole nodded.
"If Elise wrote it, she got the material inside before the evacuation."
"How?"
"Courthouse employees, attorneys, jurors, contractors, mail, evidence delivery, public filing."
Nora looked toward the courthouse windows.
"Which means searching for a book could take hours."
Cole's phone rang.
She listened and frowned.
"What?"
Claire stood.
"The bomb threat came from a disposable phone purchased yesterday."
"Can you trace it?"
"The store camera got the buyer."
Kim stepped closer.
"Who?"
Cole turned her screen.
The image showed Leon Briggs buying two prepaid phones.
Claire's stomach tightened.
"Dane's former driver."
"Yes."
Nora looked at the courthouse.
"So the threat was meant to empty the building."
"Probably."
"Why?"
Cole answered slowly.
"To retrieve something Elise put inside."
Claire grabbed the garment bag.
"Then we need to go back."
Cole stopped her.
"The building is still closed."
"And whoever made the threat may already have access."
Cole looked at Kim.
Kim was already calling courthouse security.
Inside the holding level, Ethan sat alone behind a steel door.
Grant had been ordered upstairs to assist with evacuation security.
A deputy named Collins remained at the desk outside.
At 9:27 A.M., the lights flickered once.
Ethan immediately stood.
After the power failure at Redstone, even a flicker felt like a warning.
The holding door opened.
Collins appeared.
"Walker, move."
"Where?"
"Alternate holding."
"Why?"
"Security sweep."
Ethan stepped into the corridor.
"Where is Officer Grant?"
"Busy."
Collins walked him toward an elevator.
Ethan stopped.
"The courtroom holding rooms are that way."
"Bomb team needs the corridor."
"Where are you taking me?"
Collins's expression hardened.
"Do you want restraints?"
Ethan looked at the elevator indicator.
It was descending from the parking level.
"I want my attorney notified."
"She will be."
The doors opened.
Leon Briggs stood inside wearing a courthouse maintenance jacket.
Ethan recognized him from the photograph Cole had shown him.
For one frozen second, everyone stared at one another.
Then Ethan stepped backward.
"No."
Collins grabbed his arm.
"Get in."
Ethan twisted free.
"Help!"
Briggs lunged from the elevator.
Ethan shoved him into the wall.
Collins reached for his radio, but Ethan slapped the radio away before he could call anyone.
Briggs swung at Ethan.
Ethan ducked and backed toward the secure holding door.
"Officer!"
Collins grabbed him from behind.
"Stop fighting!"
Ethan understood immediately how the report would read if they succeeded.
INMATE BECAME COMBATIVE DURING EMERGENCY EVACUATION.
Everything had been designed to look procedural.
The elevator chimed again.
Grant stepped out from the stairwell at the same moment.
He saw Briggs.
His hand went to his weapon.
"Back away from Walker."
Collins froze.
Briggs did not.
He ran toward the service stairs.
Grant shouted into his radio.
"Suspect moving east on holding level, maintenance jacket, lock all exits."
This time, the radio worked.
Collins released Ethan.
Grant turned his weapon toward him.
"Hands where I can see them."
Collins raised both hands.
"He attacked me."
Ethan laughed from disbelief.
"Of course I did."
Grant kept his eyes on Collins.
"Why was Briggs in a secure elevator?"
"I don't know who that was."
"You were putting Walker in the elevator with him."
"I had an evacuation order."
Grant looked at Ethan.
"From who?"
"He said alternate holding."
Collins snapped.
"Stop talking."
Grant's face hardened.
"You do not get to give him orders anymore."
Federal agents reached the holding level three minutes later.
Collins was detained.
Briggs was caught on the third floor trying to remove the maintenance jacket in a restroom.
He carried no weapon.
He did carry a courthouse master key card and a folded diagram of the records office.
Cole looked at the diagram.
"He was not here for Ethan."
Grant stared at her.
"Then why was he in the elevator?"
"Maybe Ethan was opportunity."
Ethan looked at the marked diagram.
"Or a distraction."
Cole turned toward him.
"What?"
"If everyone is dealing with an inmate incident in the basement, who is watching records?"
Cole's eyes widened.
She called upstairs immediately.
The courthouse records office was on the second floor.
During the evacuation, one internal door had been opened using a master key.
No files were reported missing.
But a cardboard evidence box had been placed beneath the clerk's desk.
Nobody knew who put it there.
The box was addressed to JUDGE AMELIA HART.
Inside was a red leather accounting ledger.
Cole stared at it through the open doorway.
"Do not touch anything."
A bomb technician scanned it first.
Then a forensic agent photographed and bagged it.
The first page contained columns of dates, project names, initials, and payment amounts.
Nora stood beside Cole wearing gloves.
"Can we identify the initials?"
"Some."
Nora pointed.
P.R. appeared beside multiple payments.
S.B. appeared beside three.
M.E. appeared twice.
V.D. appeared at the bottom of several pages beside the word APPROVED.
Claire looked at the dates.
One entry had been made the day after Ethan's arrest.
P.R. - WALKER CLOSED - 250K.
Claire's breath caught.
"They paid him."
Cole's jaw tightened.
"It appears that way."
Nora photographed the page.
"Can this get Ethan out today?"
"That is for the judge."
Claire almost screamed.
"Everything is always for someone else to decide."
Cole looked at her.
"Today, at least, the person deciding is finally seeing the evidence."
At 11:42 A.M., bomb technicians cleared the courthouse.
Judge Hart reconvened the hearing at noon.
Ethan entered without restraints.
Claire saw him across the courtroom and stopped breathing.
It was the first time in four years she had seen him in the same room without glass between them and without being allowed to touch him.
Lily was safe at the federal residence with Dean and two agents.
Claire wished desperately that she were there.
Ethan looked toward Claire.
Their eyes met.
He smiled once.
Claire mouthed two words.
"I'm here."
Ethan nodded.
Judge Hart entered.
Everyone stood.
The hearing began with Samuel Ortiz.
Then Marcus Hale.
Then Ryan Walker.
Ryan testified for nearly two hours.
He admitted borrowing Ethan's truck.
He admitted meeting Wade Mercer.
He admitted being present when Rourke and Evans discussed using Ethan as the suspect.
Sloan cross-examined him aggressively.
"You lied for four years."
"Yes."
"You protected yourself."
"Yes."
"You are asking this court to trust you now because you suddenly developed a conscience."
Ryan looked toward Ethan.
"No."
Sloan paused.
Ryan continued.
"I am asking the court to believe the records, the video, the repair invoice, the payments, and every other thing that proves I was a coward before I admitted it."
Ethan lowered his eyes.
Claire saw his hands shaking beneath the table.
Then Dr. Kendra Price testified about the original drive.
Then Special Agent Cole authenticated Bell's phone messages.
Finally, the red ledger was introduced under seal pending full forensic examination.
Sloan stood.
"Your Honor, the state has serious concerns about an anonymously delivered ledger whose chain of custody begins during a bomb threat."
Nora rose.
"The state had fewer concerns when a glove appeared in Ethan Walker's garage after Detective Rourke already knew someone else had his truck."
Judge Hart looked at both attorneys.
"I will hear argument tomorrow morning."
Claire's heart sank.
"Tomorrow?"
The judge continued.
"Mr. Walker will return to Redstone under the protective order."
Nora stood.
"Your Honor, after two attempted transfers, planted contraband, a suspicious power failure, and today's incident involving Leon Briggs, sending him back is an unacceptable risk."
Sloan stood as well.
"The county jail is already at capacity."
Judge Hart looked toward Ethan.
"Mr. Walker, approach."
Ethan walked forward with Nora.
The judge lowered her voice.
"I am not blind to what has happened."
Ethan said nothing.
"But I need a complete record before I issue a ruling that may vacate an eighteen-year conviction."
Ethan's voice was controlled.
"I have been waiting four years for people to need one more day."
Judge Hart held his gaze.
"I understand."
"Respectfully, you understand the file."
Nora touched his arm.
Ethan continued anyway.
"My daughter understands the days."
The courtroom went silent.
Judge Hart's expression softened, but her ruling did not change.
"Tomorrow morning."
Ethan stepped back.
As deputies prepared to escort him out, Claire moved toward the aisle.
She was not allowed to touch him.
They passed within three feet of each other.
"Tell Lily I love her."
"Tell her yourself tomorrow."
Ethan gave Claire a tired smile.
"That sounds like a promise."
"It is."
He was taken through the secure door.
At 5:26 P.M., the transport vehicle reached Redstone.
The outer gate opened.
The inner gate did not.
Grant spoke to the control tower over the radio.
"Transport one requesting entry."
Static answered.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Ethan looked through the reinforced window.
Smoke was rising from one of the administration buildings.
An alarm began sounding.
Grant swore.
"What is happening?"
A guard ran toward the vehicle.
"Electrical fire in central control."
Grant stared at him.
"Cameras?"
The guard shook his head.
"Whole west side just went dark."
Ethan closed his eyes.
May you like
Plan B was still alive.
