Page 19 of Dead Sure
“I blame Ronan. I must have picked up that word at your house.” Kaye smiled at her son-in-law.
“I know there’s a lot to do, Reagan, but how are my kids?” Ten’s eyes were on Ronan.
“They’re good. Ezra’s at preschool and Everly is home with Jace, Wolf, and Aurora. She wanted to come today, but I said no. She’s angry at me, but I knew you wouldn’t want her to see you like this.”
Ten nodded. As disappointed as he was not to see his daughter, Ten knew Ronan had made the right decision. “I’m ready, Reagan.”
“The arraignment is a simple hearing. We go before the judge, who’ll read the charges against you. He’ll ask how you want to plead and you’ll say, ‘not guilty, your honor.’ He’ll decide if you get remanded back to jail until the trial or will grant bail, and in what amount.”
“Is there a chance Ten will be remanded?” Cope asked, looking horrified.
“There is a chance. The district attorney is out for blood. He called you a public menace at his press conference yesterday. He’s looking to make an example of you.”
“Why?” Ten asked. What the hell had he done to catch the attention of the Essex County District Attorney?
“Kent Briggs is one of those Christian Nationalist assholes,” Jude said.
“How the hell did that kind of man get elected here in Massachusetts?” Ten asked. He didn’t pay a lot of attention to local politics, but maybe he should start now.
“He wasn’t elected,” Jude continued. “The DA we elected was asked to serve on the governor’s staff and Briggs was his replacement. He hates witches and wants to see all of the psychic shops in Salem shut down. Same goes for the Witch Museum and the local monuments to the innocent people lost in 1692.”
“Lucky me,” Ten said, under his breath. “How do we get around him?”
“We don’t for the moment,” Pryce said. “This hearing is just for you to enter a plea. Now isn’t the time to litigate our case. That will come later, hopefully never.”
A knock sounded on the inner door of the room. “Your case is up, Reagan,” a bailiff called through the door.
“We’ll see the rest of you in there.”
“You’re coming home with me, Ten. I promise.” Ronan pressed a kiss to Ten’s lips and filed out of the room along with the others, leaving Ten alone with Reagan.
“Am I going home?” Ten asked, scared of the answer.
“Ordinarily, I would guarantee it, but with this DA, I’m not sure. If it helps, Everly said you would be, but Ronan reminded me that the future is fluid, so at this point, your guess is as good as mine. Just remember to control your emotions and leave the rest to me.” Reagan grabbed his briefcase and opened the connecting door. Ten followed behind him, taking a seat at the defense table. He turned around to see all of his family and friends sitting behind him. Cisco Jackson, Eli Dixon, Fitz, Ronan, and Jude sat in the front row, their badges gleaming under the fluorescent light.
“All rise for the Honorable Judge Matthew Clayton,” the bailiff called out.
Ten’s eyes widened at the Judge’s name. He was one of Ten’s clients. Matt came in every year on June 27, to speak to his deceased mother on her birthday. Ten knew judges were supposed to be unbiased, but he hoped to God that in this onesituation the judge was on his side. If he went to jail, Mrs. Clayton was going to miss her birthday meeting with her son.
“Be seated.” Judge Clayton made eye contact with Tennyson, but Ten couldn’t tell if he was on his side or against him.
“Docket 2026-5593, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Tennyson Grimm,” the bailiff read. “Three charges of fraud stemming from fortunetelling.”
“Mr. Grimm, how do you plead to these charges?” Judge Clayton asked.
Ten stood, his eyes on the judge. “Not guilty, your honor,” he said, proud that his voice and knees hadn’t shaken.
“I’ll hear arguments on bail, District Attorney Briggs.” The judge’s eyes were on the prosecutor.
“Conman Tennyson Grimm is a menace to society. Over his ten plus years working in Salem he’s defrauded thousands of victims. The Commonwealth asks for remand, your honor.” Briggs smirked at Tennyson.
“Attorney for the defense?”
“Reagan Pryce, your honor. Tennyson Grimm is an upstanding member of this community. He has no criminal record and is not a flight risk. I request that the defendant should be released on his own recognizance.”
“So ordered. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for May 4, 2026. The court is in recess.” The judge banged his gavel and left the courtroom.
“What just happened?” Ten asked, feeling scared. He’d been a fan of courtroom dramas his entire life, but at the moment, he had no idea what the judge’s ruling meant.
