Practice to Deceive

hung herself. She had put all of her files out, and told us what she wanted done. It rocked my world. Our family was fractured—and it had been for such a long time. Losing Brenda may have brought us together a little bit. But only time would tell.”
    Brenda was to have been a witness for the state in Peggy’s trial—an event set to start in only four days. Brenda’s death notice was only a short column in the Whidbey Island papers: PEGGY THOMAS’S RELATIVE DECEASED . There was no mention of her having been on the witness list for the upcoming trial.
    Peggy Sue’s trial was quickly postponed for four weeks, although no reason was given. Peggy’s day in court was to begin on October 24. That would be a wondrous season in Coupeville as yellow and scarlet leaves fluttered on the trees that lined streets where beautifully restored old houses abounded.
    Tourists would flock to bed-and-breakfasts and stroll through shops before the end of the season. Once the fierce winds blustered off the Sound, Whidbey Island wouldn’t be nearly as welcoming.
    It didn’t matter for reporters, writers, and television docudrama teams. All of us booked reservations, guessing how long Peggy Sue’s trial might last. Most thought it would be two—possibly three—weeks.
    ABC’s Dateline was rumored to be following the strange murder of Russel Douglas, and so was 48 Hours. Whatever verdict was handed down by her jury, Peggy Thomas’s fate would undoubtedly be determined by Thanksgiving.
    But no one could have foreseen just how long it was going to take for either Jim Huden’s or Peggy Sue Thomas’s trials to actually take place.
    I made and canceled many hotel reservations, packed and unpacked, and often wondered if I would ever actually write this book.

C HAPTER T HIRTY-ONE
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    O N OCTOBER 3, 2011, defense attorney Craig Platt presented the court with an amazing request. He explained that his client, Peggy Sue, needed time and the freedom to travel because she had so many loose ends to tie up. Forcing her into a premature trial without letting her take care of her affairs would be unfair.
    Michael Moynihan—a visiting judge from Bellingham, Washington—was sitting in for Judge Alan Hancock. Moynihan had retired from the bench, although he occasionally took over the reins from superior court judges when they took time off.
    Moynihan pondered Platt’s reasons for asking that Peggy Sue be allowed to travel to at least five states over the following two weeks to visit her several properties and for personal reasons!
    Island County prosecutor Greg Banks listened, astounded, as Platt ticked off the errands the defendant had to see to before the end of October.
    Peggy’s attorney said she needed money to pay for her defense. She and her mother, Doris, had already put up two of their properties for her bail bond. In order to liquidate more of her assets, she found herself forced to sell outright one of her other houses—the one she had purchased in Roswell, New Mexico, after her divorce from Mark Allen.
    Platt said that Peggy Sue also had to clean out another New Mexico residence and bring her possessions back to Nevada. She needed to get her winter clothing, she had to winterize her houseboat, and see that her lawn and garden in Henderson, Nevada, met the standards of the homeowner’s association in her gated community. If she didn’t do that, Craig Platt said, she would be fined by the association.
    There were so many things the accused murderer needed to tend to. Peggy Sue had her own dentist in Nevada and her teeth needed attention. Almost as important, she wanted to get her car and bring it up to Whidbey Island so she could run errands, seek employment, and attend court.
    Platt added that Peggy Sue also needed to retrieve items, including photographs, to use in her defense on the first-degree murder charges.
    And then there was the tragedy of her half sister Brenda’s suicide. The Stackhouse family would gather in Idaho for her services. She wanted to go to Brenda’s funeral in Bonners Ferry.
    Greg Banks was against it. Why did Peggy want to go to Brenda’s funeral when she knew Brenda was going to testify against her in her upcoming trial?
    Not surprisingly, Island County prosecuting attorney Greg Banks opposed Platt’s other requests. He pointed out to Judge Moynihan that Peggy had not been released on her own personal recognizance, and she shouldn’t be treated as if she was. She was being monitored constantly