Elena clapped a palm against her forehead. “I haven’t a clue. Oh dear.”
Caroline stopped a man with a briefcase crossing the lobby. “Excuse me. I’m ever so sorry to interrupt your day, but we need help.”
The man scrunched his features, shoving his phone into his pocket. “Do you need an attorney?”
“We need to know where arraignments are held.”
“Oh.” He pointed toward an office door. “Clerk of Courts can tell you.”
“Thank you,” she answered.
“Very good, Caroline,” Elena said with a nod as they crossed to the door and pushed into the office.
“Can I help you?” a blonde behind a reception desk asked.
“We’re looking for Victoria Kingsley’s arraignment.”
The woman held up a finger as she tapped on her keyboard with her other hand. “She is in courtroom 403A.”
“403A,” Elena said with a nod. “Got it. Thank you.”
They left the office behind, found the elevators, and took one to the fourth floor. A sign pointed them to the left, and they wandered through the wide hall in search of the appropriate space.
“Here,” Elena said with a grin as she pointed to a sign marked 403A.
They opened the doors and slipped inside. Tears formed in Maddie’s eyes as she spotted her mother standing behind the defendant’s table still in handcuffs.
Charles’s eyes went wide as he glanced over his shoulder.
He rose, hunched over, and hurried back to them. “Maddie, what are you doing here?”
“Mr. Kingsley, we have evidence to help Mrs. Kingsley’s case,” Elena whispered.
“What?” Charles asked as the judge spoke from the bench.
“Everyone, please take your seats or take your conversation into the hall. This is a courtroom, not a cafeteria. Now, both sides have presented their information, and given Mrs. Kingsley’s vast resources, I would agree with the prosecution that bail should be denied for the–“
“Just a moment!” Elena shouted.
The judge peered over his readers at her, a frown forming on his lips. “Excuse me, miss, but I am going to have to ask you to sit down or I will hold you in contempt of this court.”
“But I have information material to this case.”
“This isn’t a trial, miss. This is a bail hearing, and–“
“For a crime that this woman hasn’t committed, and I have the proof.”
The judge sucked in a breath, leaning back in his chair. “Look, I don’t know who you think you are–“
“I am Princess Elena Monclair.” She raised the camera in the air. “I have evidence that will exonerate Mrs. Kingsley–a video of the crime being committed which clearly shows that Victoria Kingsley did not commit this crime. I demand that it be reviewed at once.”
“Your Honor, this is highly irregular,” the prosecutor complained. “This is exactly the prosecution’s point on Mrs. Kingsley’s powerful friends.”
The judge held up a hand to stop him. “What is this so-called evidence that you have that proves her innocence and why is it not in the possession of the police?”
“I have a camera from Chloe Hartman’s apartment that recorded the entire event. Why the police did not find it is a question that I cannot answer. However, if you’ll just review this video, you’ll see that this entire proceeding is unnecessary as you have the wrong person.”
The judge shifted his gaze to Clifford. “Counselor, do you know anything about this?”