For her it was her aunt. For the judge, an uncle.
A light bulb flashed in her head. Could that be Raymond Logue?
“If you have a question, ask. The food’s getting cold.”
“Okay. So, we talked about how similar our paths have been, right? How our childhoods were difficult, but Catholic Prep was a refuge for us both. I’m interested in, well I’m wondering in particular, what made you want to be a lawyer? You mentioned the uncle who helped you get an education, just like my aunt helped me. Was he a lawyer, too?”
Madison made her eyes wide and innocent. But Judge Conroy wasn’t fooled. She knew where this was going. An angry flush spread up from her neck, and her jaw tightened with fury.
“Why are you here, Madison? What do you want from me?”
Pay dirt. But also danger. Just then the doorbell rang.
“Is it Wallace?” Madison blurted in alarm.
The judge’s mouth fell open. “You know his name?”
The bell rang again, insistently. The judge got to her feet, her gaze roaming the kitchen. The dark-gray Prada tote that she carried everywhere was sitting on the island. She grabbed it, pulling out a gun. Madison’s eyes went wide. She jumped up, ready to run.
“Sit down and be quiet. If it is him, trust me, you don’t want him knowing you’re still here.”
Still? Shit. The implications were clear. Wallace knew she’d been there before. And he was capable of hurting her.
As the judge went to answer, Madison retreated behind the island and took a knife from the block. Not that it would be much help when Wallace and the judge both had guns. Judge Conroy opened the front door, letting in a waft of night air. She was talking to someone. Madison couldn’t make out the words, but the visitor was a woman. Thank God. She breathed out. The conversation went on. Their voices were agitated, angry. Eventually, the judge slammed the door, muttering under her breath as she came back to the kitchen.
Seeing Madison holding the butcher knife, she stopped short, eyes wide.
“What are you doing? Put that away.”
“You pulled a gun, so—”
“Yes, and I still have it,” she said, waving it menacingly.
“No, I meant— It wasn’t to hurt you, Judge. I thought you might need help.”
“Oh, like you were going to back me up?”
“It’s the truth,” Madison said, putting down the knife.
Sighing, Judge Conroy returned to the table, laying the gun beside her knife and spoon. She topped off both their wineglasses.
“Sit down, all right? We need to talk.”
Madison joined her, taking a gulp of the wine. “Who was that?” she asked. And then realized the likely answer. “Was it Nancy?”
The judge didn’t reply.
“Why would she show up unannounced?”
“You ask a lot of questions, Madison. My phone’s been off, all right? She got worried.”
That made no sense. She was lying again.
“Your case manager comes to your house on a Saturday night because your phone is off? When the doorbell rings, you grab a gun? An armed man tries to break into your house, and I’m supposed to trick him into thinking you’re home when you’re not? What is going on?”
“You tell me. You’re the one being dishonest. You said in the interview that you’re an only child. But that’s a lie.”
The judge plucked papers from her bag and threw them on the table. The employment form was on top, but there were other documents, too. She picked them up and displayed them one by one, her voice tight with anger.
“This is your background form, in which you strategically left off your brother’s name. And these? Your birth certificate and his. Proving that he’s your brother. This? His booking form, showing that he’s a defendant in a drug case before me. You purposely concealed a connection to a known criminal. That’s a crime. I’m very disappointed.”
Madison was shaking, more with anger than surprise. The judge knew about Danny. How long had she known? What more was she hiding? She wanted to get in the judge’s face right now and demand to know where her brother was. Then her eyes fell on the gun, gleaming on the table by the judge’s right hand. Was it wise to start making accusations? Judge Conroy wouldn’t hurt her, she was certain. Then again, the woman kept a bag of cash hidden in her toilet tank and had a close personal relationship with a corrupt cop. Obviously, Madison didn’t know her as well as she thought. It wouldn’t help Danny if she got shot. She should defuse the situation first and ask questions later.