“Ms. Drew, what’s your reaction to the charge against your father?” someone called.
“It’s not true, and that’s all I have to say.” Nancy turned back to Ann Granger.
Looking up into wide, dark eyes, Nancy liked what she saw. The reporter was clearly upset, and her defense of Carson Drew seemed to have come from the heart.
“Come with us,” Nancy said firmly. Turning, she marched toward the double doors as if she had every right to bring the others with her.
Carson Drew was cleaning fingerprinting ink from his fingers when he glanced up and saw the four bearing down on him. In his perfectly tailored suit and dark tie, he looked calm and composed, but Nancy could see the strain in his eyes.
“Nancy!” Carson said, enfolding her in his arms. “I was hoping you wouldn’t hear about this until I’d made bail. Hello, Ned—Bess. Ann, it looks as if you’ve got a lemon of a lawyer. Feel free to cut your losses and find another, if you like. I’ll understand.”
“How can you think such a thing?” Ann Granger protested. “You’re my lawyer, no matter what.”
Nancy’s father smiled slightly. “I appreciate your loyalty, but I’m not sure I can still work to your best advantage. Getting myself out of this will eat up a lot of my time.”
“Dad, are you forgetting me?” Nancy asked. “You can keep working for her. I’ll work for you.”
Drew shook his head. “I’d rather you didn’t, honey. I’ve been set up, and I’m sure organized crime has a hand in it.”
“Mr. Drew?” A young man in uniform stood at Carson’s elbow. “I’m sorry, but your visitors will have to leave now.”
Nancy gave her father a quick hug, smiling to hide how worried she was. “We’ll be waiting for you.”
“He might be a while,” the policeman said gently. “This way, sir.”
He led Carson Drew through a heavy door. It shut with a resounding thud, and that was the last glimpse Nancy had of her father.
Back out in the foyer, Ann Granger began to pace. “This makes no sense at all. Why has it all happened now? The court order, the death threats—the timing is all wrong.”
Nancy turned pale. “Death threats! Are you serious?”
“Only a couple of them.” Ann spoke as if she were used to death threats. “But why now? I’ve already written the articles exposing the insurance fraud, and I’ve cooperated with the grand jury—except for naming my source, of course. The grand jury will be handing down indictments any day now.”
“In other words, everything’s all over,” Ned said.
“Right. So what’s the point? Why threaten me and frame Carson, especially with something as ridiculous as trying to bribe a judge?”
“They goofed,” Nancy agreed. “Who’s going to believe my father would do such a thing?”
“Nancy,” Ned said, his voice gentle. “People will wonder. Don’t forget, your dad’s not accused of bribing just anybody. His accuser is a judge.”
“Which judge?” Nancy asked Ann.
“Renk. Judge Jonathan Renk.”
Nancy stared at her. “You must be mistaken! Uncle Jon would never do this to my dad.”
Ann’s eyes widened with astonishment. “Judge Renk is your uncle?”
“An honorary uncle. He’s a very close friend of my father’s. I’ve known him all my life.”
Ann groaned and slumped down onto a bench. “That makes it even worse. The accusation is coming from a respected judge who’s also a family friend? Even if Carson is cleared, his reputation will be permanently stained.”
“And if he isn’t cleared,” Nancy said, “it means a jail sentence. My father will have to go to prison!”
Chapter Two
Nancy, Ann Granger, and Bess sat in the police precinct’s cafeteria. It was a dingy basement room filled with vending machines, but since it was nearly three, they were all too hungry for the decor to matter. Ned had already eaten and gone back upstairs to see how much longer they’d have to wait.
“I just don’t understand it,” Nancy said again. “How could my uncle Jon do this?”
Ann sipped her coffee. “Judge Renk’s reputation is as impeccable as your father’s. Maybe more so, since he’s been around longer. He must really believe the bribe came from Carson.”