Interest of Justice

by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

  Rickerson spun around and faced him. “Who? What’s his name? Why haven’t you brought this to my attention? Are you sure it was an attorney? Maybe it was a judge?”

  “Uh, I don’t know, but I’m certain he said he was an attorney. He was real pushy, wanting to know about any suspects we might have had. I mean, it isn’t a lead or anything. Besides, I misplaced the guy’s name. I have so much junk on my desk, I guess I threw it away.”

  Rickerson completely lost it and stomped right on Mike Bradshaw’s foot. While the young man yelped and jumped around on the linoleum, he snarled at him. “You incompetent little fool. I want to know everything, do you hear me? Absolutely everything. And what did you tell this man, huh? What in the fuck did you tell him?”

  “Nothing…You stepped on my foot, man.”

  Looking up at a spot on the wall, Rickerson sucked air into his lungs and then slowly let it go. That’s all he needed right now was for this little shit to go running to his father. His voice became soft, as if talking to a child. “I’m sorry, Mike. That was an accident, but don’t you think you should keep me informed? Isn’t that what we agreed on from the start?”

  “I think the lady judge is involved. See, what I think is this was a big extortion and crime ring. She was the inside contact, the protection.”

  “Yeah,” Rickerson said, turning and walking fast down the corridor on his long legs, making the little man almost run to keep up with him. “Well, I’d keep my damn mouth shut if I were you. I think you’ve been reading too many crime novels or watching too much TV. She may have asked Connors to lay off a few times, but that’s it.”

  “Can I see the pictures? Dad said there were some incriminating pictures.”

  Rickerson stopped again and the other man ran right into his back. He turned and faced him, purposely puffing cigar smoke in his face. “No, you cannot see the pictures. The purpose is to stop this type of activity, not promote it.”

  “But I’m on the case,” he said, his voice almost rising to a whine. “Is there anyone in the pictures that we know?”

  “Mike,” Rickerson barked, “just do what I tell you and don’t ask questions where you don’t belong.”

  While the younger man stood there with a blank expression on his face, Rickerson entered the men’s room. A few seconds later, Bradshaw followed him, and Rickerson spun around and grabbed him by the lapels. “I’m going to take a crap now. Do you mind?”

  “Dad just said to stay with you at all times.”

  Rickerson shook his head. As if he didn’t have enough problems. “Let me tell you something, Mike,” he said, spitting the words into the little man’s face, “I know who leaked that stuff to the press. If you give me any shit at all, I’ll tell your daddy.”

  “But I…”

  “You what? You thought it was fine, huh? You thought it was fun being the big guy, giving the press some juicy tidbits. Those juicy tidbits will make that kid’s life hell. How would you feel if that was your mother? Now, get the hell out of here and leave me the fuck alone.”

  While Josh was out on his bike, Lara removed the bloody T-shirt from his backpack and took it to Emmet’s. “I don’t have Sam’s blood type yet. The autopsy report isn’t finished.”

  “Do…you have…Josh’s?”

  “Wait a minute,” she said. “It’s on his birth certificate, right? I saw it in all the documents from the pawnshop. They must have kept all that stuff in the safe.”

  “Good,” Emmet said. “Then…we…have a start.”

  Lara ran back to the condo and found the birth certificate. For a few moments she held it in her hand, looking at the tiny footprints, wondering what it was like to give birth to a child. Then she walked over to Emmet’s and told him the blood type. It was type AB.

  He said it would take a few days. While Lara watched, he rolled the T-shirt up in a ball and slipped it inside a plastic bag. Then he addressed a Federal Express envelope and handed it to Lara, telling her to drop it in the bin when she left the condo. He’d already contacted his friend the biologist. Lara thought of driving it over herself, but she had to go back to her place and wait for Josh.

  She’d set strict guidelines, telling him where he could ride his bike and how long he could stay out. He was late. The minutes clicked by and turned into hours. She kept walking to the window and looking out, then returning to sit on the sofa and stare.

  Finally she got in the Jaguar and rode around the neighborhood but no Josh. She didn’t know what to do. He’d gone out the other day and come back a few hours later. She was frightened, but she had no choice but to wait. Lara knew the reality of his mother’s death was finally beginning to sink in. Either that or he was afraid. Afraid they were getting close to finding out what had really happened in that house.

  After pacing back and forth in the condo for about an hour, she decided to leave him a note and check in at the office. No matter what Rickerson said, she had to see Evergreen. She could forgo discussing this man Packy Cummings, but Evergreen was her boss.

  Phillip informed her that the funeral arrangements were complete. The funeral was to be held in three days, which fell on a Monday. The medical examiner had made a commitment to release the bodies to the funeral home today, and Phillip had prepared the obituary Lara had dictated yesterday when she was in the office. It was only a paragraph. “What do you think?” she asked him, knowing he’d seen the newspapers this morning. “Should I just forget the obituary after what’s happened? Is everyone talking about it?”

  Phillip looked down at his desk and started shuffling papers from side to side. “I mean, that’s your decision. But maybe it would be better to have a small, dignified service and forget the newspaper.”

  “You’re right,” she said, dropping the paper back on his desk and entering her office.

  A few minutes later, Phillip came in with an enormous stack of papers. “I need your signature on these documents. A lot of them are late. I’ve been holding them. I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “Do you know where Evergreen is right now?” Lara said, signing her name on each piece of paper without even reading it.

  “I’ll check. He got a pro-tern to handle the calendar. He’s probably in his office.”

  “Forget it,” she told him, turning another document over and starting on the next one. “I’ll just go down there when I’m finished here. Any other calls?”

  The young man sighed. “Dozens.”

  “Anything pressing…that can’t wait?”

  “Social Services called. They need to see you ASAP about your nephew. I didn’t give them your new number.”

  “Good,” she said. “I’ll call them when I get back.”

  Only a few more documents were left to sign when Lara noticed a form she didn’t recognize. Grabbing her glasses, she quickly scanned it and then looked up at Phillip. What he had given her was a bank form verifying his employment and salary. Phillip’s annual salary was thirty-six thousand a year. On the form he had listed his salary at fifty thousand. “Didn’t I sign another loan paper like this just a few months ago?”

  “Ah, yes…I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I’m having some financial problems. I really…need this loan. I have to pay my tuition at law school…and my car broke down last week.”

  “Aren’t you afraid they’ll contact county personnel and find out we’re fudging on your salary? I don’t mind helping you, Phillip. I mean, we all have financial problems from time to time, but it doesn’t look good for me to be caught in a lie. I have enough problems right now.”

  “This bank doesn’t go through personnel. They go directly to the employee’s supervisor. I know, remember. I already got one loan from them.”

  Lara felt sorry for the young man. She remembered all too well how difficult it was to put herself through law school. She signed her name and handed him the stack of papers. “Just don’t overextend yourself. It took me years to pay off my student loans.”

  Clasping the stack of papers to
his chest, Phillip said, “I don’t know how to thank you. I really appreciate this.”

  “No problem,” Lara said, standing. “If you need me, I’ll be in Evergreen’s office.”

  She walked down the back corridor to the older judge’s chambers. It was silent in the windowless, carpeted halls. She glanced at her watch. Most of the courts were still in session, for it was only a little after three o’clock. “Is he in?” she asked his secretary. The woman got all flustered and refused to look at her. Lara assumed she’d seen the newspaper article about Ivory. She silently nodded and Lara walked in.

  Evergreen stood. She could see the gray at the roots of his dyed red hair, but he was a dapper dresser and Lara admired his suit.

  “Lara,” he said. “Sit down. I heard the news and saw the papers this morning. This is a very unfortunate situation. Please accept my condolences.”

  “Thank you, Leo,” Lara said, sighing. “It’s been tough.”

  She remained standing, but Evergreen sank into his large leather chair and spun around to his mahogany desk. As always, it was perfectly clean, no clutter or papers whatsoever. She tried to imagine him in here at night after everyone had gone home, with his little can of Pledge and his feather duster. After a few moments of staring at him, she took a seat.

  “I had no idea you even had a sister. You never mentioned her.” Evergreen started tapping a pen on his desk and then dropped it. His eyes drifted down to the surface of his desk, and then he fixed his gaze on a picture in a mahogany wood frame. The frame was a perfect match to all the other wood in the room.

  “How bad is it?” she said. “You know, the talk and all…about the newspaper article.”

  “Oh,” he said, sort of jumping up a little in his seat as if she had startled him. “People are calling. They’re concerned.”

  “I’m going to have the services Monday…just for the family…something small.” She inhaled until her lungs almost exploded. She’d have to bury Sam. She hated him, but having him cremated was too extreme. And there was Josh—it just wouldn’t look right. She exhaled and sank even farther in the chair. Til be back Tuesday to open the Adams trial.”

  “I see,” he said. “Why don’t you take some time off? Go away for a week or so instead of jumping back into all this work. Once you open this trial, Lara, it will be almost impossible for you to bail out.”

  Lara stood. She wanted to ask him about Packard Cummings, what agency had called him regarding this man, but Rickerson had insisted. She thought it was stupid. Why all the secrecy? “I need to work, keep my mind occupied. Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

  “I’m not sure you are emotionally ready to return to the bench.”

  “I…Leo…” Lara grabbed the back of the chair and leaned forward. She needed to work, put her life back into some semblance of normalcy. She didn’t need to run off somewhere by herself. They were shorthanded anyway. “I have my nephew, Leo. I can’t leave town.”

  “Isn’t there another relative who could take him? Your parents or someone?”

  “No,” Lara said emphatically. “They’re both dead. The kid’s mine.”

  “I see,” he said slowly, licking his lips. “Social Services called this morning inquiring about you.”

  “God,” she said. “Already, huh? They already called?”

  “Yes, they did,” he said, his brows knitting, “and they were concerned about some information they learned from the San Clemente Police Department.”

  “What information?” Lara said, searching Evergreen’s dim eyes. Certainly, she thought, they hadn’t already discovered that she didn’t have a room for the kid. No one at the courthouse even knew where she was living.

  “As they informed me, you evidently used your position to curtail investigations into your brother-in-law’s criminal activities. I had to do some follow-up on this, and it’s come to light that you are co-owner of that business—that pawnshop. Social Services expressed concern that you might be involved in this whole sordid affair. I, of course, assured them that you have an excellent record both as a prosecutor and as a member of this bench, but these are serious allegations, Lara.”

  “What?” she said, blanching. “What the hell…? She was shocked really, quite simply shocked. “All I ever did was tell them to lay off him a little. I never thought he was actually involved in criminal activity, Leo. I swear. I thought he was just sloppy, forgetting to report all the property he took in. He wasn’t that bright.” Lara had feared that this would someday come back to haunt her, but her statements to Evergreen were more or less the truth. Sam had never run a business before, and in the beginning she had attributed these incidents to sloppy bookkeeping. Probably by the last phone call the truth was beginning to sink in and she had simply denied it. All pawnshops took in a certain percentage of stolen goods. Everyone knew that. Even those that were scrupulously honest sometimes found themselves in that position.

  Evergreen lifted his head and his chin jutted out. “Well, we’ve all made mistakes now and then, but it doesn’t look good, particularly in light of what has occurred and all the attention this case is garnering in the press. This is an embarrassment to the bench.” He cleared his throat and started speaking again in a firm, flat voice, one he usually reserved for the courtroom. “If you recall the Canons of Judicial Ethics,” he said, pausing, picking up his reading glasses and a large leather-bound book from his desk and reading from it: “‘A judge’s official conduct should be free from impropriety and the appearance of impropriety; he should avoid infractions of law; and his personal behavior, not only upon the bench and in the performance of judicial duties, but also in everyday life, should be beyond reproach.’” He snapped the book shut and peered at her over his glasses.

  Lara was speechless. Her hands on the chair were trembling, and she removed them and placed them at her sides, her back rigid. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He was blatantly accusing her of impropriety and unethical behavior.

  “Yes, unfortunately I am. I consider it serious enough to warrant a full investigation. And of course, I’ll have to relay this information to the Judicial Counsel in San Francisco.”

  Lara stared at him, but he didn’t flinch. She thought at first he might have been attempting to scare her, teach her a lesson like a father, but the look in his eyes was not fatherly at all. How could he have the balls to do this to her, and now of all times? Her heart raced and she placed a hand over her chest. She was seconds away from letting it all go, asking him point blank about this Cummings man.

  “I’m sorry, Lara, but you have to understand my position. Once something like this is brought to my attention, I would be remiss if I didn’t follow through,” he said softly, punching a button on his phone that was blinking. “If you will excuse me, I have to take this phone call. You look quite distressed. You should go home and rest.”

  Their eyes locked and lingered. A coldness was reflected there—as if she were gazing into two sheets of ice. Before this had all occurred, Lara had thought she was beginning to get to know this man, win his respect and admiration. Now she could see it all dissolving right before her eyes. Sure, she looked distressed. How else would she look when someone accused her of impropriety? Reaching her office, she walked right past Phillip and grabbed her purse off her desk and headed out the door.

  “Judge Sanderstone,” Phillip said, standing. “Don’t you want your messages?”

  “I’ll call you later,” she said, and then remembered Sam. “Buy another coffin, the cheapest one they have, and advise the mortuary to have my brother-in-law inside it by Monday.” She didn’t look back. She just kept on walking. She might be burying more than her sister and Sam come Monday. She might be burying her entire career.

  Chapter 14

  Racing back to the condo, Lara felt certain Josh would be home, but he wasn’t. Taped to the front door was a note from Social Services insisting that she call them at once. Rickerson must have told them where she was staying. She certainly cou
ldn’t call them now. She didn’t even know where the kid was. Evergreen was accusing her of impropriety, and she’d somehow managed to misplace her dead sister’s child. She went into the small kitchen and looked for a glass to get a drink of water. She was shaking and her throat was dry. There was nothing. All the cabinets were empty. She suddenly spun around in the small space, slamming all the cabinets as hard as she could, kicking the walls until she thought her ankle had broken, screaming, “Why? Why has this happened?”

  Placing her head under the faucet, she let the water run into her mouth. Then she just stuck her head under and let it soak her hair, her face. She was in a tight little box—a box she couldn’t escape from no matter what she did. It wasn’t the condo. It was the whole thing. She had invested everything in her career, and now it was all going up in smoke. Never once had she been called on the carpet. Her record was impeccable.

  Before long, it was going to be dark. She didn’t know what to do about Josh. She’d seen Emmet’s van in the parking lot and crossed the courtyard to his door. “Emmet,” she yelled through the door. “It’s Lara. Can I come in?”

  She waited until he hit a button and the door unlocked. She found him in his office. Her hair was soaking wet, her eyes wild.

  “Lara,” he said, his voice as always weak, his head dropping to one side. “I called. Your nephew answered…and…hung up on me.”

  Sometimes it was hard to understand Emmet. His speech was slurred due to his illness, and people just didn’t give him time to say what he wanted to say. “I’m sorry, Emmet. Have you seen him? He went out on his bicycle and hasn’t come back.”

  “No,” he said. “I’ve…been…working out.”

  Lara felt her panic subsiding. Just being here with Emmet made her feel stronger. If he could deal with the harsh reality of his illness, then she would have to find the strength to deal with her own predicament, her own sorrow. She suddenly noticed that his hair was soaking wet like her own. “Did you say working out, Emmet? Are you all right? Your hair’s all wet.”