Lone Witness

by Rachel Dylan

  Sophie pulled a stack of files from a folder that she had previously reviewed. It was all the transactions Shelton had executed over the past three years. She’d analyzed and categorized them as best she could to isolate all of the excess overcharges. She’d also received a document dump from SIB that included a lot of other transactions. Her first order of business was to go through the new documents.

  She’d told Keith that she wasn’t after SIB, and she wasn’t. But she still had to do her due diligence to see what else was in the files. SIB had been cooperative about turning over a ton of documents, which made her think that they knew they were clean, or they wouldn’t have done that. Regardless, she was going to take a look. She needed to confirm for herself that the illegal activity stopped with Shelton.

  It was a good thing she’d made coffee, because this type of document review was very dry. Page after page of financial records needed to be reviewed, and it was up to her to connect the dots. In a law firm, an entire team of associates would review documents like this, but in her world, it was just her and a rookie prosecutor. This task was so important, though, that she wasn’t going to delegate it all to Monica. She needed to put her own eyes on these documents, because Monica wasn’t seasoned enough to understand all the intricacies.

  As she was going through each page in painstaking detail for fear of missing something, she stopped short for a moment. She reread the top of the first page, which indicated whose account this was. It was definitely Glen Shelton’s account. His personal account, one of a few he had with SIB. But she’d never seen these particular transactions before.

  The statements listed multiple cash deposits that were all just shy of ten thousand dollars. That set off a big red flag because banks were required to report transactions that amounted to ten thousand or more. But these deposits appeared to be spaced out to ensure that the rule wouldn’t trigger. So whoever was making these deposits understood financial regulations, and they were purposely trying to avoid the reporting requirements.

  This was strange. What was she missing? How did these deposits interact with what Shelton was doing otherwise?

  “Why the frown?” Cooper walked into the room and took a seat across from her.

  “I’m reviewing the documents I received from SIB.”

  “Not finding what you’re looking for?”

  “More like finding things I didn’t expect. Are the guys still here?”

  “No. They just left, but we’re all good. We’ve got state-of-the-art security here, and we’ve kept the circle really tight about who knows where we are. And by really tight, I mean only me and the guys. No one else.”

  “Not even my father?”

  “No. And he was fully on board with that strategy.”

  Suddenly, an awful thought struck her. “Do you think my father is in danger?”

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “Maybe they’d use him to get to me.”

  Now he was the one frowning. “I’ll be honest, we haven’t considered that yet. I don’t think that’s really Juan’s MO. They’re more the brute-force type, as evidenced by the drive-by.”

  “But it’s possible. They could threaten him and blackmail me to try to get me not to testify.”

  “Good point. I’ll call the guys and we’ll figure out a plan.” He pulled out his phone and left the room.

  Sophie turned her attention back to the papers and started highlighting individual entries. Shelton’s illegal activities looked like they ran much deeper than she’d expected.

  Cooper returned to the room a few minutes later and sat back down. “Landon’s on it. He’s going to have a chat with your father right now.”

  “Good. I’ll feel better knowing that we’ve covered every angle.”

  He smiled. “You could have a future in security consulting.”

  She laughed. “I think I’ll stick to the courtroom.” She paused. “I know this may seem odd, but I’d like to hire your company as a consultant for my Shelton case.”

  “What for?”

  “I’m seeing some things in the documents that I need your help with. And I think it could have potential implications for me too. Would you be interested in that?”

  “Sure. You’ve piqued my interest.”

  She took a few minutes to update the confidentiality agreement he had previously signed, and they worked out some logistics. Once that was taken care of, she was ready to explain why she needed his help.

  He turned toward her. “Tell me about what you’re finding in the documents.”

  “Shelton has made a series of sizeable deposits to multiple accounts over the past two years. They’re all under ten grand, so they wouldn’t have been reported. But I’m trying to figure out how those deposits fit into his scheme.”

  “And his scheme was siphoning off money from his clients by charging them excessive fees, which he would pocket, right?”

  “Exactly. But these deposits don’t fit within that model, because I’ve already traced those funds. These are completely separate. Which makes me wonder what else he was involved in, and with who. Someone had to be making these cash payments to him. The question is what was he doing to get paid these chunks of money, and whether this is some type of money-laundering scheme.” Her adrenaline started pumping. “Maybe I’m just looking at the tip of the iceberg. I’ve got to see if he’s moving these chunks of money out at different intervals. And that’s where I could use your help. K&R Security has more technical ability to analyze data like this than I do.”

  “Yes, I can have Noah start to work on it. If anyone can find out what’s happening to that money, it’s him. I have to say, though, that if you’re looking at a bigger situation than you thought, that could lend credence to the idea that SIB might have someone keeping an eye on you.”

  “You’re talking about that random guy at my house?”

  “Yeah. SIB would probably have a strong motivation to keep a lid on this. If their employee stole from customers, that one’s thing, but if you start talking about Shelton running a money-laundering operation, that’s a different ball game.”

  “You’re right. I’d like to think that Whitney is on the up-and-up and that I don’t have anything to fear from her or the company. But I also know that when you’re talking about this kind of money, it can make people do crazy things.”

  “Yes, unfortunately, I think that’s the reality of the situation.”

  “Well, that’s another reason I’m thankful to have you around. But how is this going to work on a day-to-day basis?”

  “Someone will be here at all times. If it’s not me, it will be either Landon or Noah. We can’t risk you being alone right now, and with each day we get closer to trial, the risk amplifies.”

  “Thanks for the reminder,” she muttered.

  “There’s no need for you to stress. I promise you that Juan has no idea where you are.”

  “For now,” she said softly.

  Chapter

  Twelve

  True to his word, Patrick filed an emergency motion with the court, and Ashley was forced to appear and face what was likely going to be a very unhappy bench. Judge Turner wore a deep frown as he walked into the courtroom to take his seat. Ashley didn’t like that Patrick was being so aggressive. She needed to shift the balance of power back to her side.

  Patrick’s motion was highly inflammatory and based largely on conjecture rather than evidence. But she’d be fighting a difficult battle, given that Judge Turner was going to be protective of Sophie since she was a prosecutor. Ashley had no idea what the judge was going to do about Patrick’s claims. His motion left her a bit confused, because he hadn’t asked the judge to enter any specific order or even do anything, really. It was more just Patrick airing his grievances in a formalized way. She figured he had something else up his sleeve.

  “Mr. Hunt, I have your emergency motion for a hearing, and your allegations are deeply disturbing. But before we get into the substance, I fail to see what type
of relief you are seeking from this Court.”

  Bingo. At least she and Judge Turner were on the same wavelength. She’d wondered herself what Patrick was going to ask the judge to do.

  Patrick glanced over at her and then made direct eye contact with the judge. “Your Honor, I’ll be the first to admit that this situation is highly unusual, but I also believe that there has to be some action by the Court, given the circumstances at hand.”

  “What I’m hearing you say is that you’re not even sure what type of relief is appropriate here, Mr. Hunt?”

  “You’re right, Your Honor. I think that is up for discussion.”

  “I’ll cross that bridge in a minute, then,” Judge Turner said. “You make some very serious claims. What evidence do you have supporting your allegations in the motion?”

  Patrick cleared his throat. “Everyone knows that Ms. Dawson is the lone witness the state has in its case against Ricky Wade. We’re not talking about one isolated or random incident here. There have been two attacks on Ms. Dawson, with the second being an attempt on her life in a drive-by shooting. That type of MO is textbook Juan Wade.”

  Ashley had to jump in. “That’s a ludicrous assertion, Your Honor. All Mr. Hunt has is some fantasy theory that he’s constructing to obscure the real issue here—that my client, Ricky Wade, is innocent until proven guilty, and he deserves a fair trial in this Court. This is nothing more than a sideshow to distract from the core issue. Further, my client is still in jail. There’s no way that the prosecution can link him to these attacks. He’s been in lockdown.”

  The judge shifted in his seat. “Mr. Hunt, a response?”

  “Ms. Murphy is correct about her client, in this case, being in jail—for double homicide. But the defendant’s brother, Juan Wade, who is also Ms. Murphy’s client, has the motive and the means to come after my witness. Ms. Dawson could’ve been killed in cold blood if not for intervening circumstances. I don’t have to tell the Court what implications that would have for my case against the defendant.”

  Judge Turner crossed his arms. “Mr. Hunt, I’m sympathetic to your general premise here, but it almost sounds like you’re starting an opening statement in a case against Mr. Juan Wade. Wouldn’t your arguments be better suited for a case brought against him, assuming he was ever brought up on charges for what happened to Ms. Dawson? And let me make clear, that hasn’t happened yet, as I understand the facts.”

  “And I would make these arguments in a case against Juan Wade, but my priority right now is getting this issue in front of you so that you can determine if anything can be done about it in relation to the case against Ricky Wade.”

  Judge Turner thought for a moment. “There are two issues here, as I see it. One is the underlying factual issue about who is behind these attacks and if there’s anything I can do about it now. Second is the actual physical security of your witness. Let me tackle the second point first. Are you asking for court-ordered protection for your witness?”

  Patrick shook his head. “No, Your Honor. That is already being taken care of.”

  “Then I’m afraid my hands are tied. The matter before me is the case of the state against Ricky Wade. I can’t take any action against someone who isn’t even a named party. But I will say this. Ms. Murphy, I suggest you have a frank discussion with your clients—both of them—about these events. And if either of them had anything to do with the attacks on Ms. Dawson, either directly or indirectly, I’m sure that’s a fact the state will try to argue at your client’s upcoming trial. That’s all for now. The state’s motion is denied.”

  The judge stood up and exited the courtroom, and Ashley’s mind swirled with thoughts. The judge went way easier on her than she had expected, but Patrick didn’t seem fazed by any of it.

  She walked over to his table as he shoved papers into his large black briefcase. “What was your play here, Patrick?”

  He turned to face her. “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t seem that upset or even surprised that the judge didn’t give you anything today. Was this just a move on your part to annoy me and suck up my time?”

  He gave her a dazzling smile, showing his bright white teeth, and she clenched her fists tightly at her side, fighting back her anger.

  “Patrick, I fail to see why you’re smiling.”

  “I got everything today that I needed.” He glanced over his shoulder at the courtroom gallery.

  Then it hit her. How could she have been so stupid? She’d been thinking about it completely the wrong way. “You were trying to get this story out into the media to hurt Ricky’s case.”

  He shrugged. “Those are your words, not mine. I was just making sure the judge was fully apprised of the situation.”

  “You’re a weasel, do you know that? You like to play it like you’re all about truth and justice and all of that, but really, you’re no different than me. You just want to win. So you can take the self-righteous routine and use it on someone else.”

  His dark eyes narrowed. “Really, Ashley, is it worth you getting so worked up? What’s gotten into you?”

  He really knew how to push her buttons. She took a few breaths and tried to get back under control. The last thing she wanted was for him to realize how much he had gotten under her skin. “I’m not worked up. I’m just a bit surprised that you would stoop to such tactics by using the media this way. You think Sophie is going to charm the jury, but once I’m done with her, you’ll be wondering why you even put her on the stand.”

  “You can tell yourself that all day, Ash, but you and I both know it’s not true. She’s solid as a rock.”

  “Don’t call me Ash.”

  He put his hand on her shoulder. “Lighten up. There’s no judge or jury here now. It’s just us.”

  She’d had enough. “I’m going back to work. Thanks for a complete waste of time.” She turned away from him and walked out of the courtroom.

  Today had taught her one very important thing. She’d vastly underestimated Patrick Hunt. That was a mistake she’d never make again. It was time to turn up the heat.

  Just when Tad thought things couldn’t get any more interesting, Sophie Dawson appeared to have gone off the grid. He sat at his favorite downtown diner, eating biscuits and gravy. At almost fifty, he knew he should start watching what he ate, but he couldn’t give up southern comfort food. Born and raised in Georgia, there was no other eating, in his mind. As he took a swig of his sweet tea, another guilty pleasure, he started to put the pieces together.

  At first he couldn’t figure out why Sophie was AWOL, but he had attended a court hearing today in the Wade case that made things make a lot more sense. He hadn’t had eyes on Sophie since Saturday afternoon. The last place he’d seen her was her house, and now it was clear to him that she was no longer there.

  The hearing had been highly informative. In his opinion, the gang had tried to take her out. A drive-by shooting fit the gang MO perfectly. Although he had to admit, a tiny piece of him wondered whether Whitney had gone behind his back and ordered a hit on Sophie. The gang angle would be perfect cover for her, and she’d said as much to him. But he didn’t know how extensive Whitney’s contacts ran for her to be able to pull off something like that.

  At the end of the day, he thought Wade was behind this attack. Tad had gotten the message from Whitney loud and clear, though, that she wanted him to be aggressive in his handling of this case. If Whitney only understood just how complicated this all could be—and dangerous. One thing he knew for certain: ominous threatening phone calls weren’t going to stop Sophie Dawson—and it appeared a drive-by wouldn’t either. Which meant he was going to have be more aggressive.

  This job was important to him, and he wanted to keep Whitney happy. He also wanted to keep his referral source happy too, because that ultimately meant more business. Whether Whitney was going to come clean and tell him exactly what she and the bank had been up to remained to be seen. But he planned to push her until she told him everything. It was
critical that he got all the information he could to be able to take the next steps and play his hand correctly. He wasn’t naïve. He knew what corporate America was like, especially a bank like SIB struggling to compete with the megabanks. Just how far would Whitney Bowman go?

  Sophie walked into the family room of the safe house and found Cooper sitting on the couch, writing in a notebook.

  “Hi,” she said.

  He looked up and smiled. “I didn’t want to bother you because you seemed hard at work in the other room.”

  “I was, but now I’m ready for a break. How’re you doing? Are you going stir-crazy?”

  He shook his head and gave her a half smile. “It’s my job. I’ve had to spend time with much worse people before. Trust me.”

  “I guess that’s a positive?” She took a seat on the sofa beside him.

  “Definitely.”

  “I did need to ask you something.”

  “Sure.”

  “I got an email from Patrick. He needs to do some witness preparation with me. Where is that going to happen?”

  Cooper ran his hand through his hair. “Good question. Let me think about it, and I’ll coordinate with Patrick. Also, tomorrow Landon is going to be here for a bit while I handle a few things.”

  “All right.” She looked into his bright blue eyes, and her stomach tightened. It hit her that she didn’t want him to go. It wasn’t that she had anything against Landon, but she was starting to form a bond with Cooper. He’d proven that he was able to protect her.