Omnimystery News is pleased to feature …
Character and Fitness by C. M. Carleton
A Canton County Chronicles Mystery
Publisher: Hot Pen Press
… as today's second free mystery ebook.
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When Chief Justice Frederick Langston asks Canton County Circuit Court Clerk Kit Babcock for help, she is stunned.
The Chief Justice tells Kit that the Court wants to appoint her as special counsel to handle a reinstatement, a type of case in which a disbarred lawyer tries to get his or her license back. Without the Chief even mentioning the name, Kit immediately knows the identity of the disbarred lawyer in question.
Former Merritt Circuit Judge Elmer Ledbetter was the worst attorney Kit had ever prosecuted in her days as an Assistant Counsel for the Grievance Review Commission. Arrogant and mean, he continues to insist on his innocence — even though he was convicted by a federal jury of bribery and served time in prison. Now Elmer's back, wanting his license so he can run for circuit judge again. And although usually the lawyers at the Grievance Review Commission (where Kit used to work) handle reinstatement cases, the Supreme Court decides to disqualify the entire office for reasons that don't make sense to Kit. Feeling that she can't say no to the Chief Justice, Kit agrees to represent the GRC as special counsel.
To prepare for trial, one of the first people Kit contacts is Elmer's ex-wife, Alice Arnold. Alice isn't exactly thrilled to be drawn into the case, but she agrees to be interviewed. That same evening, Alice's law office in Merritt County is firebombed. Kit learns that Elmer and Alice's former law partner, Lin Pearson, still has an interest in the property. He gets it if Alice dies before he does.
After the arson, Kit is surprised when Alice is still willing to talk to her. Kit learns that Elmer abused Alice during their marriage and was a raging alcoholic. Kit expects Elmer to deny these accusations, setting up a problem with Elmer's honesty, a crucial issue in reinstatement cases. Alice tells Kit to interview Judge Beth Richmond, the woman who ran against Elmer when he was under indictment and beat him. There's no love lost between these two; Beth's father, the late attorney Wells Richmond, went straight to the FBI when Elmer solicited a bribe from him.
As Kit prepares for the hearing, she gets the unwelcome news that her office has been randomly chosen for a dreaded audit by the Supreme Court Clerk, Julian Hayes. Kit knows Julian from his days as a member of the Grievance Review Commission and knows he is a stickler for detail.
And when is the audit scheduled to begin?
The first day of the reinstatement hearing.
And between the reinstatement case and the audit, Kit has to make time to plan the state circuit court clerk convention. She ends up as the acting president after the president resigns — because of a bad audit.
The reinstatement hearing gets started, but then Alice, Kit's star witness, fails to appear and her body is found that same morning. And the death is not exactly an accident. Elmer is shaken by this turn of events and decides to hire an attorney, Scott Norton, who hopes to become state bar president.
But with Alice out of the picture, will Elmer Ledbetter get his license back?
The answer to that question becomes the least of Kit's worries as someone else ends up dead and the audit turns into a political and personal disaster.
— Character and Fitness by C. M. Carleton
