Chapter 11 - A Sleepless Night in Holding
Eleanor spent her first night in county holding demanding a private room, a telephone, and a cup of tea prepared without artificial sweetener. The booking officer explained that none of those requests could be honored.“Do you know who I am?” Eleanor asked.“Your name is on the intake form.”“I am a donor to this county.”“Then your donation has been received.”The officer slid a thin blanket across the counter. Eleanor stared at it as though it were an insult personally designed by Clara.She expected David to arrive with money. David had always arrived with money, or at least with a promise that money was coming. She called him from the holding phone and left three messages.“David, this is an emergency. Contact Martin immediately. I need bail posted tonight.”Her fourth call went unanswered.Eleanor sat on the narrow bed and listened to the other women in the unit. One cried softly behind a closed door. Another argued with a public defender about a missed court date. Somewhere down the hall, a television played a cooking show.The ordinary sounds offended Eleanor. None of these people understood that her arrest was different.Her attorney, Martin Hale, arrived the next morning wearing a dark suit and an expression without sympathy.“The prosecutor requested a significant bond,” he said.“Why?”“Because of the alleged financial loss, the number of documents, and concerns that you might interfere with witnesses or move assets.”“I have never interfered with anyone.”Martin placed a folder on the table. “They have Clara’s recordings, the credit-union records, the mortgage file, the company ledgers, and a statement from the notary.”“The notary is confused.”“The notary says she did not witness your daughter-in-law sign the document.”“Then she is lying.”“Everyone who disagrees with you is not necessarily lying.”Eleanor leaned toward him. “I want David to pay the bond.”“Does he have the funds?”“He has access to family money.”“The family accounts are restricted.”“Then use the company.”“The company has unpaid payroll taxes and a lender asserting default.”Eleanor stared at him.Martin continued, “Your daughter-in-law appears to have filed an ownership correction before the warrant was served.”“She had no right.”“The records indicate otherwise.”“You are my attorney.”“I am your attorney, which means I am required to tell you the truth about the position you are in.”Eleanor stood and paced within the small room. “My friends will help.”She called the first person from memory, a woman who had attended Eleanor’s charity luncheons for fifteen years. The woman listened for twenty seconds, then said she was unable to become involved.The second sent a text through an assistant: Please do not call again.The third asked whether Eleanor had signed anything that could implicate her.Eleanor hung up without answering.By evening, the photograph of her arrest had appeared on a local news website. The headline did not call her a respected donor. It described an alleged property-fraud investigation involving a child’s account.Eleanor told herself Clara had leaked it.Martin told her the information was part of a public booking record.“The public does not understand,” Eleanor said.“The public is not the audience you need to persuade.”“The judge will understand.”“The judge will examine evidence.”Eleanor sat back down. For the first time, she noticed the fingerprint ink still caught in the creases of her fingers.“David should be here.”“Your son has his own legal problems.”“He is my son.”“That does not make him solvent.”She demanded access to a computer so she could check the company accounts. The request was denied. She asked whether Clara had taken the house. The officer said the property dispute would be decided through the proper court process.“It is mine,” Eleanor insisted.The officer looked at the file. “That is not what the current record says.”That night, Eleanor lay awake beneath the thin blanket. She imagined Clara standing in the dining room, wiping potatoes from her face. She imagined the cold smile that had appeared only after the cuffs closed.Eleanor had mistaken that smile for cruelty.Now she wondered whether it had been relief.At three in the morning, she called David again.This time he answered.“Where are you?” Eleanor demanded.There was a long silence.“David?”“I am trying to find somewhere to sleep.”“Use the company card.”“It is frozen.”“Call Jessica.”Another silence.“David, call Jessica.”He gave a broken laugh. “She is not answering me either.”
