“I got your room right here. Everything’s been paid in advance! You even get a free breakfast across the street at the Holiday Comfort.”
That meant she’d have to face Jane Dark each morning over the waffle machine, before facing her again at court.
Something else was bothering her, but she had no recollection of part of the drive over. That weird word again. She tried to recollect back to the last few hours of the night and felt an intense spasm of pain, like she was eating a liquid nitrogen popsicle too fast. Why couldn’t she remember?
“Hold on a second,” Denise said. “Rayne, what do you think?”
Rayne looked around the lobby like a detective. “Are you sure you want to stay here, Denise? Are you even sure you want to keep doing this? We can drive you wherever you want. I want to keep going west. Or south even. Hell, I’ve got relatives who run a bed and breakfast over in Puerto Penasco a few hours across the border in Mexico if you want to hide out where no one can find you. I ran away from it all when I was on a high school field trip. I hid there over Spring Break till my mom sent out the Air Force to get me.”
Denise knew vaguely that Puerto Penasco was where Rayne had conceived Rita with some mysterious stranger. Rayne had a wistful look in her eye, maybe she was thinking of a lost love.
“What’s a Puerto Penasco?” Rita asked.
“It’s a resort town on the Gulf of California and it’s like only five hours from here. It’s, ummm, where I met up with your father.”
Rita smiled, but said nothing.
“What would I do there?” Denise asked.
“Denise, they’re always hiring at the resorts. You can get a job as a waitress, as a lifeguard, as anything.”
Working at a beach resort as a tour guide or even as a waitress sure sounded better than being stuck in Lordsburg as a clinical law student trying to get her brother out of jail. There was enough sand here for a beach, but no ocean. Denise blinked and felt a cool ocean breeze blow across her face. She didn’t really drink, but she could almost taste the Pina Coladas. Being a bar tender at a tiki bar would pull her out of her shell. Maybe Hikaru could even come down to join her…
Someone pulled her hand, yanking her away from the beach. “Auntie Denise,” Rita said. “I mean just Denise. You have court tomorrow morning. Your brother needs you. Your mother needs you. Denise, you don’t want to be a fake lawyer forever.”
Denise stared into Rita’s eyes. She was on the edge of tears. This girl actually looked up to her and no one had ever done that before. If Denise got in that car and left Lordsburg with them, Rita’s heart would be broken.
“I’ll do it for you, Rita,” Denise said. “And you can call me Auntie again.”
“Are you sure you want to stay here?” Rayne asked. “Last chance at freedom.”
“I’m going to stay,” Denise said.
“Can we go now?” Rita turned and asked her mom. “I’m glad Auntie is staying, but this place creeps me out.”
“You’re in room thirteen,” Titus said, placing the key in Denise’s hands. They hadn’t realized that he had still been standing there the whole time.
It was a regular key; magnetic key cards hadn’t arrived at the Last Palm. The new century hadn’t arrived here either.
Denise took a deep breath and looked around the Last Palm. She somehow knew that Denny was dead without her. Somehow, her mother would be dead too, if she didn’t help Denny.
“I’m good,” she said. “Room 13?”
After a round of hugs, Rayne and Rita hit the freeway back to Las Cruces. Denise was now all alone in her room at the Last Palm motel. The TV was color at least.
She checked the nmcourts.gov site. Luna had indeed entered her appearance as counsel of record for the status hearing tomorrow. Denise was still listed as a clinical law student. What was a status hearing anyhow?
Chapter 29
Wednesday, July 22
Feeling groggy the next morning, Denise crossed the parking lot and faced Jane Dark at the Holiday Comfort breakfast buffet. A sign in the lobby said: WELCOME HIDALGO COUNTY ROTARY. Denise had to show a free buffet ticket. Caliban pretended that he didn’t recognize her.
Standing in line behind the Rotary members, Denise slipped and nearly fell. Catching herself on the counter, she noticed the waffle batter dispenser had exploded and the batter was flowing out of the faucet like lava. The batter had already attached itself to her black shoes.
“How much batter is in that thing?” a man asked, pointing at the batter flow. Denise recognized the famous attorney-author who was sidestepping the batter flood. “It keeps coming!”
Caliban hurried over to staunch the flow. “Please be careful, sir,” he said. “That stuff has a mind of its own.”
“Invasion of the batter snatchers,” the man said. “I think there’s a book there.” The attorney-author hurried back to his room leaving specks of batter on the carpet with his waffle soles. Caliban quickly produced a mop and bucket and cleaned up the flow of batter before it reached any of the other tables.
Denise grabbed a hard-boiled egg and some fruit on the far side of the buffet, then turned around to see a smiling Jane Dark.
“Please join me.” Jane Dark wore green Dartmouth University sweats, rubbing her swollen belly. “I sure hope your mom is OK. She was a role model to me.”
“My mom? Jen Song was a role model to you?”
“That big-dollar verdict inspired me to pursue law. And now look at me, barefoot and pregnant in Lordsburg.”
“You have nice shoes on your bare feet, at least,” Denise said. “I have dried waffle batter on mine.”
“This is just my job, there’s nothing personal. I have to win this case if I ever hope to get back to civilization and provide for my daughter. Let’s just say Lordsburg is a detour.”
“What happened?”
“I signed a non-disclosure agreement about that, but let’s say I’m in Lordsburg for my sins. I’m practically wearing a scarlet letter.”
Was it a judge’s child, a supervisor’s, the Governor’s?
“I think I’m here for my sins as well,” Denise said.
“What sins do you have?” Jane Dark asked. “I bet you’re a virgin.”
Denise frowned. “I’ll take the fifth on that. See you in court, counselor.”
She crossed the parking lot back to her room at the Last Palm Motel to get ready for the day. Why did Jane Dark’s assumption draw blood? After freshening up and grabbing the last of her files, Rayne called via FaceTime.
“Good news?” Denise asked.
“Good news and bad news. Hikaru was right. All the records involving Denny are in one place. At the Syrinx facility on the missile range. I’ve got the name of the contact to serve, someone named Maldonado or something like that.”
“They should be easy to get then.”
“That’s the bad news. They won’t let us anywhere near the missile range without some kind of super subpoena. And I have to be there personally because I have the right clearance.”
Denise realized she had never filed a subpoena duces tecum. She would have to ask her aunt how to proceed. “Luna will handle it I suppose,” Denise said. “Email her the name of your contact.”
“I’ll do it, but that Maldonado person gave me some more bad news. As some of the records are medical, you’ll need your brother to sign a HIPAA release.”
Denise frowned. “He’ll freak.”
God, she hoped Luna had this all under control.
* * *
Denise drove the Kia to the district courthouse for the status hearing. When she arrived, Shakespeare Street was already packed. She parked two blocks down from the courthouse. While the town’s population doubled on docket days, on jury trial days, it would go up by another twelve, with two alternates.
Inside the cramped courtroom, the Asian students we
re sitting in the front row this time. Out of custody, they were dressed in the latest fashions. Denise didn’t recognize the conspicuous labels on their polo shirts.
She heard them muttering about being stuck in Hidalgo County, and not being allowed to cross the county line for any reason. As she passed, they recognized her from court the last time.
“One of us,” the first student said to her. “Ni hao,” he greeted her in Chinese.
“Anyoung haseyo,” Denise replied in Korean, correcting them on her ancestry.
“We’re all the same out here,” the second student said. He was actually quite handsome and looked like a young Bruce Lee.
“Denise come here!” Hurricane Luna had already made landfall at the defense table. Luna was talking to Denny. He was in his orange jump suit, still a little unsure of who this well-dressed woman was and why she was taking over his case. “So, you’re my lawyer and my auntie?”
“Haven’t you heard the story? I named you guys before you were born,” Luna was saying to Denny when Denise joined them. “De-niece and De-nephew. I’m glad you went with Denny.”
“I am too,” he said.
“I see the resemblance between you and your sister, my niece.”
“Thanks,” Denny said. “But I still want my sister, Denise, on my case.”
“She will be, but she’s working under me.”
“I told her I’m not crazy.”
“Crazy isn’t the legal term,” Luna said. “Competency is. Just think, if you’re found incompetent to stand trial, the case might be dismissed.”
“Will I be able to get out then?” Denny said. “I really got to get out.”
“I hope so.”
“Is there anything you need me to do, Aunt Luna?” Denise asked. Denise could only read Luna when Luna let down her defenses. Now was not one of those times.
“I’m Ms. Cruz when I’m in the courtroom,” Luna said.
Denise felt even shorter than usual next to Luna in her towering heels made of a barracuda’s scales.
“Let me work my Luna Law magic,” Luna said. She went over to Jane Dark at the State’s counsel table. After a moment with Hurricane Luna, Jane Dark stipulated to Luna and Denise continuing as counsel for the defendant.
“Oh by the way,” Denise said when Luna returned to the table, “Rayne said the records are all at the Syrinx facility, but we’ll only be able to get the records with a subpoena duces tecum and someone with a security clearance has to pick them up. And we’ll need a HIPAA release from Denny.”
“Way ahead of you,” Luna said. “She already sent me the name of the person we need to serve to get the records, we only need to get it drafted.”
“All rise.” Caliban was bailiff again. He didn’t feel the need for a boomerang today. “Judge Shahrazad Sanchez presiding.”
“State v. Song,” the judge said. “Appearances please?”
Luna stood up. “Luna Cruz for the defendant. Denise Song will be appearing as a clinical law student under my direct tutelage and we will be raising competency on our client’s case.”
Denise noticed that her aunt had shifted her accent, so it was more of a down home New Mexico lilt. Luna had spent her formative years in Crater County, New Mexico, so she could lilt with the best of them.
“Thank you, your honor,” the judge said to Luna. “I mean thank you counsel.”
“Umm… Jane Dark for the great State of New Mexico.” Normally the state was supposed to go first.
“When can the forensic evaluation report be completed?” the judge asked.
“I’ve already contacted Dr. Mary Ann Romero,” Luna said. “She can be here on Monday to begin the evaluation.”
“Monday?” the judge asked. “That was quick.”
“I’m on top of this case,” Luna said.
“We will have another status hearing in thirty days,” the judge said.
“Can I get out on my own recognition or whatever it is?” Denny asked the judge. “My mom is in the hospital.”
“Let’s see what happens with the competency evaluation which will start on Monday,” the judge said, “and whether you’re considered dangerous. Your lawyer can file a motion for a furlough for you to visit your mother in the meantime. Anything else?”
Luna shoved several HIPAA release forms in front of Denny. “What are these for?” he asked.
“We can’t issue subpoenas for records without a medical release. You need to sign these forms so we can get the medical records from the military,” Luna said, ignoring the judge and everyone else in the courtroom.
“Your honor, we are opposed to the release of any military records,” Jane Dark said. “They might be classified.”
“I’ll only sign the forms if you get me out of jail,” Denny said.
Luna was prepared. “Your honor, my assistant here, Ms. Song, I mean my clinical law student, will be drafting a motion for a furlough for the young man and will draft a brief in support of getting his military records via subpoena duces tecum. We do have people on our team with security clearances. Ms. Song will be preparing them both forthwith.”
“Forthwith?” Denise asked.
“I’ll reserve ruling until I see the motion and the brief,” the judge said.
“See, Denise is filing the motion to get you out, sign the damn release so we can get your records,” Luna said to Denny. Denny looked over at Denise who nodded. He signed it. Luna handed the release form to Denise.
“Get them both done, Denise,” Luna said. “Forthwith.”
“Forthwith it shall be,” Denise said. “Ms. Cruz.”
“You’re on your own in Lordsburg for a while,” Luna said, her back already turned. “Have fun. I’m late for court in Truth or Consequences.”
“Is her hearing in Truth or is it in Consequences?” one of the Asian students asked, not aware of the New Mexico town named after the old game show.
Denise watched as Hurricane Luna, with her long stride, was quickly out the door and halfway to T or C.
Chapter 30
So much for forthwith. Denise sat in her motel room for the rest of the day with a bad case of writer’s block. Hikaru, Rayne, Rita and even Dew all told her that these motions couldn’t be that hard. She wanted to believe them.
Denise hadn’t written any substantive briefs or motions in her time as a clinical law student. She had failed out of law school before enrolling in those classes. She might as well be writing a novel.
She talked to Hikaru before she went to bed. After she told him that her mom had been in Korea, she’d asked if he’d ever been there.
He had. “Sometimes I feel like I’m going into the future when I’m in Seoul or Tokyo.”
“That’s cool,” she said. “When I’m in Lordsburg, I feel like I need to turn back the clocks. Back to 1950.”
“I was born in Los Alamos and it can be the same way once you leave the labs and go into town. The main street is named after the Trinity site and Trinity happened back in 1945. The town sometimes seems stuck in a time warp. I wonder if all the radiation in the water made everyone so crazy.”
“That’s an interesting theory,” she said. “Did you ever get bitten by a radioactive spider?”
“I was stung by a bee once, but I just got hives.”
“I was only in Los Alamos once, that time we went for a mock trial competition, and everybody acted smart there.”
“There are a lot of dumb people in Los Alamos. I’ve sure worked for a few.”
“I haven’t gone to as many places as you, I’m sure.”
“If you could go anywhere on Earth, where would you go?”
She thought for a moment, she noticed that her Nastia files were sprawled on the bed mixed with her brother’s files. “Would it have to be on Planet Earth?”
“For now.”
�
��Then Roswell, the actual alien landing site. After seeing all the hype in the town, I’d like to see what the hype is about.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “Did you know the actual landing took place closer to a town called Corona. The aliens crashed there, it wasn’t supposed to be their final destination.”
Chapter 31
Thursday, July 23
Denise woke at the crack of dawn on Thursday and made another attempt at writing the briefs. She hit writer’s block again. Well, it hit her, right in the forehead. She had a splitting headache.
She saw a text from Rita. AUNTIE I TRIED TO LOOK UP YOUR BROTHER BUT NONE OF THE OLD STUFF IS ONLINE!
Rita was right. None of the local media companies had websites. Then she remembered the abandoned Lordsburg Liberal building. Where did people go to find old news stories before there was an internet? She took her laptop along with her to the car. They would have wifi there, right?
The Lordsburg public library opened early. She was the only patron there at nine, and the ancient librarian was scanning her every move. “You’re representing Denny, no?” the librarian asked.
“Kinda.”
The librarian smiled. She looked like the cliched librarian with her glasses and hair tied in a bun and an outfit that was right out of the fifties. She was happy to talk as Denise might be the only person who she would see today. “He came here to this library a lot when he was in school. He was odd, but his heart was in the right place. You’re his lawyer, no? The twin sister?”
Denise didn’t know what to say. Was this librarian for him or against him?
The librarian smiled at her. “He came here a lot in a town where people don’t read,” she said. “How can I help you?”
Denise remembered the film Desperado, where a young Salma Hayek ran a bookstore in a tough town. This sixty-year old librarian could have been Salma Hayek, if she ended up in Lordsburg and never escaped with Antonio Banderas.
“Did Denny ever make the local papers?”
The librarian laughed. “His letters to the editor ran every Tuesday in the Lordsburg Liberal Speak Up column starting when he was in eighth grade.”
The Shakespeare Incident Page 18
