The Advocate's Justice

by Teresa Burrell

  Chapter 41

  JP found Ron sitting against the tire of a pickup truck. “Dang! He did a number on you. Do you think you can stand?”

  “I think so.”

  “Let me help you up, so we can see how bad you are.” JP bent down to help him.

  “Better come at me from the other side. That shoulder is pretty sore.”

  JP switched over and put his arm around Ron to brace him.

  “Are you still dizzy?”

  “Things are spinning, just not quite as fast.”

  “Can you put weight on your leg?”

  Ron gingerly shifted his weight. “I don’t think it’s broken, but I’m sure I’m going to have a bad bruise on my thigh. It’s tender as hell.”

  “Can you walk?”

  “I could, if you’d stop the world from moving.”

  JP helped Ron to his truck. “I’m taking you to the hospital. You may have a concussion, and you need to get that cut stitched up.”

  “No. I don’t like hospitals. And they’ll ask a bunch of senseless questions.” Ron moved his arm, checking his range. “The arm is good. I don’t have anything broken. Please take me to your house.”

  “Sabre’s there, and she’ll be mad at both of us for not calling an ambulance. Then she’ll make you go to the hospital anyway.”

  “You have a point. It’ll be easier dealing with the hospital than my sister.”

  On the way, JP called Gene’s cell phone and got no answer. That wasn’t a surprise, because Gene often didn’t answer. But at this point JP didn’t know if Gene was in cahoots with Soper and Rankin, or if he was in trouble.

  ~~~

  “What happened?” the young, male doctor asked.

  “I came out of a bar and someone didn’t like my looks,” Ron said. “So they tried to change them.”

  “He got you pretty good.”

  “You should see the other guy.”

  “Did you get in a few punches?”

  “Nope, not a scratch on him.”

  “So, you were mugged?”

  “I guess you could say that.”

  The doctor gave Ron a thorough examination and sent him for x-rays.

  While he was gone, JP called Sabre and told her what had happened. “Before you say anything, I know it was stupid, and I won’t put him in that position again. He’s coherent and has no apparent broken bones. Ron’s getting x-rays right now.”

  Sabre took it better than JP expected her to. “I need to see him, but Morgan’s asleep and I can’t leave her here alone. Maybe I could get someone to come over and stay with her so I can go to the hospital.”

  “If that doesn’t work, I’ll come home.” JP hung up and tried Gene’s cell again. No answer. He hoped Sabre was able to find a babysitter, so he could go check on Gene. The more he thought about it, the more upset he got at his brother. JP had warned Gene not to approach those guys, but for all he knew, they were working together.

  He called Sabre back. “Don’t worry about asking anyone to babysit. I’m coming home. You can sit with Ron.”

  ~~~

  While Sabre waited in Ron’s ER room, she took out her iPad and checked for messages. She had one from Bill that read: I’d rather do dinner.

  She responded: I’d rather do coffee.

  When Ron was wheeled back into the room, she closed her tablet.

  “JP called you, didn’t he?” Ron asked.

  “Yes, and I’m glad he did.”

  “You didn’t need to come here. I’m fine.”

  She looked at his bandaged face. “Yeah, I can see that.” The nurse parked Ron in the room, hooked him back up to his monitor, and left.

  “They took x-rays and did an MRI on my head. The doctor will be here eventually to tell me the results, but I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything broken.”

  “Are you still dizzy?”

  “Not so much.”

  “What happened? JP only gave me the highlights.”

  Ron told her the whole story. “And don’t blame JP because I got sloppy. He warned me about getting too close, and I blew it.”

  “Because you’re not trained to do this job. He never should’ve put you on it.”

  “Sis, please. I’m a big boy. I can make my own mistakes. I’ve already discussed this with JP, and I’m going to continue. But I plan to get some training.”

  “I wish you’d just find some other kind of work. I don’t need both men in my life risking theirs.”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll just be a surgeon or an airline pilot. Or, I know, a male stripper. I haven’t decided which.”

  Sabre smiled, then changed the subject. They continued to chat for nearly an hour before the doctor came in.

  “Hi, doc,” Ron said. “You’re still here, I see.”

  “The important thing is that you are.”

  “You’re a hoot.”

  “Yeah, my day job is stand-up comedy. I just decided to do this ER thing on the side for fun. I even thought about going to med school, but I don’t have the time.”

  Sabre laughed, a good feeling after a long stressful day.

  “Am I going to live?” Ron asked.

  “Probably longer than you should,” the doctor said. “If your goal is to leave this world, today is not your day.” He looked at Ron’s chart. “No broken bones, no brain damage, and no brain bleeds. But you’ll be sore for a while. You have some pretty nasty bruises, but those will go away in a week or so. If headaches persist more than forty-eight hours, or if you get nauseous, you need to come back in. Your face should heal just fine without stitches. You may want to come up with a good story about how you got the black eye. It could make for interesting conversation.”

  “Does he need any prescriptions?” Sabre asked.

  “Just some Ibuprofen and a self-defense course.”

  Chapter 42

  The next morning, JP called Gene’s phone again. No answer. He called Ginny.

  “No, I haven’t seen him in a couple of days,” she said, sounding sleepy. “But that’s not unusual.”

  “I’m sure it’s not.” JP asked her to let him know if she heard from his brother, then hung up.

  Sabre walked into the kitchen. “That coffee smells so good.”

  “It’s leaded. If you drink it, you could fly to work instead of drive. I can make you some decaf.”

  “I’ll drink my tea instead, but thanks.” Sabre put water into the teapot and turned it on. “Still no word from Gene?”

  “No. And I wouldn’t think anything of it if Ron wasn’t pretty certain it was Gene’s voice he heard last night. The problem is, I don’t know if he’s in trouble or scheming with Soper and Rankin.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “I don’t understand why my brother does most of the things he does. He could be trying to get information out of them, because he thinks one of them killed Bullet. Or he conspired with them to kill Bullet, and he’s snowing me. Everywhere I go and everyone I talk to leads me to another dead end. I’m starting to think they’re all in on it. One big conspiracy and Conner got caught in the middle.”

  “If Gene’s in trouble, you need to help him.”

  “I know. He just makes me mad. He’s like a dime holdin’ up a dollar.”

  Sabre chuckled. “I don’t even know what that means.”

  “He acts like he’s tryin’ to help, but he gets in the way more than he helps. It’s bad enough trying to figure out this mess, but then I have to worry about him on top of everything else.”

  Sabre put her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I wish I could make it all better.”

  “You already do. I couldn’t make it through this without you. You’ve been incredible the way you’ve taken care of Morgan.”

  “You’d do the same for me and my family.”

  JP pulled her closer and gave her a sweet, long kiss.

  “Mushy, mushy,” Morgan said, walking into the room.

  They all laughed.

 
“You weren’t here to tell me goodnight, Uncle Johnny. If you’re going to be a responsible parent, you have to change your game a little,” the girl teased.

  JP tousled Morgan’s hair. “I have a lot to learn about this parenting thing, but I can tell you this, Munchkin. As long as I got a biscuit, you got half.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Johnny, but I don’t like biscuits much. Would you share a donut with me if you had one?”

  “You bet. Now, eat your breakfast, so we can get you to school.”

  “Can you take her this morning?” Sabre asked. “I need to stop by my office and pick up a file before I go to court. I can take her if you’re busy, but we’d be a little rushed.”

  “I can do it.” He turned toward Morgan. “That’s what a responsible parent would do.”

  ~~~

  When Sabre met up with Bob at court, she told him about what had happened to Ron.

  “Will he be all right?” Bob asked.

  “Yes, he’s home resting now. I talked to him on the way to court.”

  “Good. Ron’s a nice guy. I’d hate to see anything happen to him.”

  “I’d never forgive myself if something happened when he was working for me or JP. I wish he’d find some regular work, but he’s talking about getting some investigative training.”

  “If he likes the work, that’s not a bad idea. JP knows what he’s doing, and he could train him right.” Bob motioned to the bench in front of Department 4. “Let’s sit. There’s a hearing in there right now.”

  “All my cases are here this morning,” she said, sitting down.

  Bob joined her. “Any new prospects in your search for the perfect man?”

  Sabre scowled. “I found one without a photo, who likes kids, and his name is Bill.”

  “You think he didn’t even change his name?”

  “He may have changed his last name, but Bill is pretty common. Why not use it? It might even be his real name.”

  “Have you communicated with him?”

  “We’re having coffee today at one-thirty.”

  Bob’s jaw tightened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I just did.”

  “Only because I asked.”

  “I just got the confirmation this morning, and I planned to tell you. Are you available to be my bodyguard and photographer?”

  “I think so.” Bob pulled his calendar from his coat pocket and looked at his schedule. “I’ll be there. By the way, have you told JP yet?”

  “No, but I will.”

  “When?”

  “I don’t know. He has a lot on his mind right now. His brother appears to be missing.”

  “What do you mean by missing?”

  “He hasn’t heard from him since yesterday afternoon.”

  “He hadn’t heard from him for over twenty years before. Why is he in a panic about twenty-four hours or less?”

  “Because of what Ron witnessed last night. There was a third guy with those thugs, and he thinks he heard Gene’s voice.” Sabre touched Bob’s arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell JP about the dating site soon.”

  Chapter 43

  “Do you have everything you need?” JP asked.

  “I think so,” Morgan said.

  “Your backpack?”

  “Check.”

  “Your lunch?”

  “Check.”

  “Your homework?”

  “I didn’t have any.”

  “You may need a light jacket,” JP said. “It’s a little chilly out. I’m sure it will warm up, but you might need it this morning.”

  “I’ll get one.”

  “I need to check something really quick, then I’ll be ready.”

  Morgan went to her room, and JP fired up his computer. He was getting impatient waiting for it to boot up when he spotted Sabre’s laptop on the small desk in the corner. He walked over and opened it up. He was pleased to see she hadn’t shut it down. This would be a lot quicker than waiting on his slow machine.

  He didn’t want to close anything she’d left open, in case she needed it later, so he looked at the address windows to find where to click another one. Her computer was set up a little different than his, and he was no expert. He read the tabs for the open sites. The first was Inbox. He knew that was her email. The next one was LexisAdvance.com, which Sabre had told him was a legal-research site. The last was an online dating site.

  More research? He hesitated, then opened it.

  A profile was open, displaying a photo of what looked like Sabre in a blonde wig. What the hell? He enlarged the photo and confirmed his initial suspicion. He read the profile. Everything was made up, and she claimed to have children. Why? He clicked on the Inbox and saw a message from someone named Bill. It read: I love children and don’t have any of my own. How about dinner tomorrow at 7:00 at George’s in La Jolla?

  Sabre, who was using the name Sheila, had responded: How about coffee at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon at Starbucks at 4380 Kearny Mesa Road?

  Bill: I’d rather do dinner.

  Sheila: I’d rather do coffee.

  Bill: Coffee then—at Starbucks.

  JP couldn’t get himself to read anything more. He took his notebook out of his pocket and wrote down the time and address. A loud sound emanated from his computer, indicating it had opened. He minimized the dating site on Sabre’s laptop, closed it, and walked to his desk in a daze. He was confused, shocked, and hurt. The last thing he expected was for Sabre to cheat on him.

  Morgan returned to the room. “I’m ready, Uncle Johnny.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m ready.”

  JP stood for a second, paralyzed with anger and frustration.

  “What’s the matter?”

  JP shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, “Oh, nothing. Just a little frustrated. It’s not about you.” He touched Morgan lightly on the top of her head. “Let’s go, Munchkin.”

  The ride to school was quiet. JP tried to engage, but his mind kept going back to the messages on Sabre’s computer. He tried to think of all the reasons she might be on a dating site, but he kept coming back to the one that hurt the most. He had always had a jealous streak that was hard to control, but he had been better with Sabre. He had trusted her, and that made this news even harder.

  JP stopped the truck in front of the school.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Morgan asked.

  He forced a smile. “I’m fine. Just some bothersome work stuff.”

  After Morgan got out, he decided to go see Soper and Rankin. If he concentrated on finding Gene, he hoped it would get his mind off of Sabre.

  His first stop was at Derek Bloome’s house. Derek answered the door with sleepy eyes and no shirt. “Is it morning already?”

  “It’s past morning,” JP said.

  “Come in. I was about to make coffee. But if it’s past morning, maybe I’ll have a beer.” He walked to the refrigerator. “Want one?”

  “No thanks. Have you seen Gene?”

  “Not since day before yesterday.”

  “He may be in trouble.”

  “Gene’s always in trouble. You need to be a little more specific.”

  JP told him what had happened to Ron. “I’m headed to see Soper and Rankin, but I doubt if they’ll tell me anything. Still, I can’t just ignore this.”

  Derek put his beer back in the fridge. “Let me get my shirt. You might need some help.”

  JP was a little surprised by the offer, but he didn’t mind the backup, especially from a guy Derek’s size.

  “Any idea how to handle these thugs?” JP asked.

  “I only do things one way. I ask ‘em right out. If I think they’re lying, I’ll apply a little friendly persuasion. I guess I do it two ways, because sometimes I apply the persuasion first.”

  “How about if I do the askin’, and we hold off on the persuasion?”

  “It’s your party,” Derek said.

  As they got into JP’s truck, he said, “I thought we’d start at Ra
nkin’s house.”

  “He may not be there, but I know where Soper will be.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “He plays poker with some suckers every Wednesday, starting about six in the morning.”

  “How long do they play?”

  “Until Soper takes all their money.” Derek looked at his watch. “Which is probably pretty soon now.”

  “And you know that because…?”

  “I used to play too, but I got tired of Soper’s cheating. The thing is, he didn’t need to cheat. They’re all such bad players, he could win anyway. Some of those old guys are pretty decent folks, but they sure can’t play poker. One guy is nearly blind, can barely see his cards, but he still plays. Soper don’t care. He’ll take advantage of anyone.”

  “Lead the way,” JP said.

  They arrived at the poker-game house just as Soper was leaving. JP stopped his truck in front, and they both climbed out. Soper was walking toward them. He moved past a red Ford Focus parked in the driveway. Derek’s gait was a little faster than JP’s, putting him a step ahead. Driven by anger at Sabre and concern about his brother, JP picked up his pace and passed Derek. He stepped up to Soper and without any warning punched him in the face knocking him back against the parked car, stunned and dazed. JP hit him again before the thug could get his balance and strike back. JP then grabbed Soper’s shirt with his right hand. As he pulled him towards him, he used his left hand to grab the back of his left shoulder and spun him around. JP wrapped his right arm around Soper’s neck and used his left hand to assist in applying pressure in a cop’s restraining hold. Quickly JP jammed his hand in the small of Soper’s back, and took a small step back, leaving Soper’s feet in place and keeping him off balance.

  Soper tried to pull JP’s arm down away from his neck. He tried to kick, but was too far off balance. Soper turned his head in an attempt to relieve the pressure and squirmed to get away. JP applied a little more pressure, gaining complete control, and then directed Derek to check him for weapons.

  It all happened so fast, Derek was shocked, but he did what he was told. “Nothing there.”

  “Where’s Gene?” JP asked Soper.

  “I don’t know.”