Phoenix

by Roy A. Teel, Jr.

  Karen was trying to hold back a smile and was smirking as Sara continued, “Anyway … one thing led to another, and Amber and I had a weekend off shift and school, so the three of us…” Sara started blushing. Karen started to say something when one of the other doctors moved a chair on the cement floor, and it squeaked. There was a moment of silence as the others left the room. Once they were gone, Sara sat back and said in a normal voice, “We had a girl’s weekend fling. Not even John knows about it.”

  She had just finished speaking when Violet’s voice broke the conversation, “Oh, John knows about it, Sara. He knows all about that weekend and a few others that we had.”

  Karen looked at the two women staring each other down and asked, “Would you like a cup of coffee, Ms. Harper?” Violet nodded and sat down with her robe open. Her large white breasts glistened in the light of the lounge. Her hair was wet and dripping on the floor, and Sara told her to get on the carpet. The women moved over into the lounge, and Violet took a towel from Sara and dried her long black hair.

  Sara sat down on one of the couches across from her and asked, “How long has it been since we’ve seen each other, Vi?” Violet threw her head back, swinging her hair around, then stood up and took off the robe. “Jesus Christ, Vi! This is a public lounge. Anyone can come in here.” Violet sat down on top of the robe, her nude skin glistening in the light from the shower.

  Karen looked at her and said, “You are very beautiful, Ms. Harper. How old are you?”

  Sara laughed, and Violet looked at Karen and asked, “Who old are you? You’re too old to be John or Sara’s kid.”

  Karen looked at her indignantly and said, “I’m a doctor, Ms. Harper. A psychiatrist and an ER doctor and have been for several years.”

  Violet looked at Sara and asked, “Your prodigy?”

  Sara shrugged and said, “John’s to tell the truth.”

  Violet was taking a sip of her coffee when Sara said it, and she spit the coffee onto the floor and said, “This is John’s kid?”

  Sara laughed as did Karen, who said, “In a manner of speaking. John is not my biological father, but he is the closest person I have to a father figure in my life.”

  Violet looked at Sara and asked, “You want to catch me up?” They talked for about ten minutes until they were all less guarded, then Violet let out a sigh and a tear ran down her face.

  Karen and Sara just sat still, and Karen said, “John told us what you witnessed. I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t even know what I witnessed. It’s like I’m in a nightmare and can’t wake up.” Karen stood up and put her hand on Violet’s shoulder. As she did, the doors to the lounge opened, and three young male interns walked in. Sara threw a towel over to Violet, who covered her breasts, and Sara and Karen helped her up and put the robe around her, and the three walked out of the lounge and back to the exam room.

  Violet sat on the gurney and asked, “So, what now?”

  “That’s John’s call. You’re here to be evaluated and then, after that, it’s up to him.”

  Violet looked at her and said, “I’m sorry for just disappearing so many years ago. I was trying to find myself, and you and Amber were a part of that. I just woke up one morning and realized I needed to take my work more seriously and needed to stop screwing up my life.”

  Sara smiled and said, “Hey, we were young, okay? You were fifteen years older than me and Amber, but it was a good experience for us. We were trying to find ourselves, too.” She paused and asked, “Does John really know about the three of us?” Violet nodded slowly. “How did he react?”

  Violet pulled her robe closed and said, “He didn’t have a lot of time to react. He was home for all of two days in February of ninety-nine. He got called up and disappeared. I told him when he told me that he was starting to see you. I was pissed and thought it would push him from you, but he was distracted. As I recall, he shrugged his shoulders and said something to the effect of, ‘Girls will be girls.’”

  Sara contorted her face and said, “That’s it? He didn’t freak out or get angry?”

  “No … the next day he packed a few things and left to see you, and I never saw him again. He told me he had to give you something before he left on his mission. What was it?”

  Sara got tears in her eyes and started to choke up. “Um … a wooden box that he had made. He handed it to me and said, ‘I want you to keep this safe for me.’”

  Violet looked strangely at them and asked, “What kind of box?”

  “A medium sized, wooden box with an eagle in flight that he had burned into the wood. I have it to this day. I’ve kept every military memento and communication I ever received from him, including a letter from the Department of Defense telling me that he’d been killed in combat.”

  Karen’s eyes got huge, and she said, “Why haven’t I ever heard about this?”

  Sara smiled and said, “Because it was a crushing time in all of our lives. Because John came home, and I wasn’t there for him. He fell in love with Amber, and we all lost contact for years.”

  She was drying her eyes with her sleeve, and Karen got her a tissue. Violet looked at Karen and said, “There were a lot of sleepless nights in those days, kid. I couldn’t handle it, and I know Sara couldn’t, but Amber … if you could have known Amber Swenson. Jesus, she was a powerful woman. So beautiful, smart, strong, and sensual. She was a woman that even I wanted to emulate. She stood by John through thick and thin. When I heard about her murder, I didn’t have the courage to call him. I did go to the funeral but stood off in the back and watched in disbelief that such a wonderful woman was gone.” Sara nodded with tears running down her face. Karen was crying, too.

  Violet got up and grabbed her clothing and said, “I’m sure John wants me to stay put, but I have some business that I need to attend to.”

  Sara said, “Violet, I have no idea what your situation is, but if John wants you here you have to stay.”

  She was putting on the blood-covered clothing and said, “No can do, Sara. I have pressing business.” She dressed and grabbed her purse and said, “I’ll get a taxi. Tell John thank you, and that I love him.”

  Karen looked at Violet and threw her a set of car keys and said, “It’s the blue BMW 5 series in the doctor’s lot right outside the ER. Just press the key fob, and it will let you know where it is parked.”

  Violet thanked her, and Sara said, “I know you, Vi, and I know you know more about all of this lawyer death shit than you’re telling.”

  She laughed and said, “Hey … the chick killed in the parking structure wasn’t a lawyer. I have some business downtown, and then I’m going home.”

  Sara shook her head and said, “You’re playing with fire, Vi. I just know that you’re playing with fire.”

  “Perhaps. But I have John Swenson to protect me now, don’t I?” Karen and Sara didn’t move as Violet walked away.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Oh, but it is true, Saul.

  It is fuckin’ true.”

  The sun had set, and Philly was sitting in Saul Winston’s living room as he paced the floor in front of him. Saul looked at him and asked, “So, you have no other information on Janet for today?”

  Philly shook his head and said, “Nope. Not a drop. The last time I saw Janet she was walking into a club off Sunset near PCH. I tried to tail her into the club, but I couldn’t get past the bouncer. I waited in my car, but I never saw her leave.”

  Saul was still pacing when there was a call from the front foyer from one of three young women who were dressed as house servants, not attractive, but professional. One of the women walked into the formal living room and said, “Mr. Winston, there is an FBI agent at the gate asking to speak to you.”

  Saul got jittery and said with a quiver in his voice, “Please let him in, Margo.” She walked away, and Saul sat down near Philly and said, “You work for me, r
ight?” Philly nodded his head casually. “So, here’s what I need from you. You and I were together last night.”

  Philly looked at him and said, “That’s not gonna fly, Saul. Believe me, that story will never fly.”

  Saul got pissed off and stood up and said, “I’m your fuckin’ employer. It will fly. We were together. We were out clubbing downtown. You got it?”

  Philly shrugged and said, “Hey, it’s your money, but I’d think of a better story than that if I were you. If you’re going to use it, I want my money.” The doorbell rang, and Saul walked over to a small chest of drawers and pulled out two envelopes. He threw them to Philly and said, “The first one covers what I owe you up to now. The other is an extra ten grand to stick with the story.”

  “Whatever you say, Saul.”

  There were a few tense moments until Saul could hear the footsteps of not one but two people coming through the foyer. John appeared first followed by Jim. Philly was watching Saul’s face the whole time, and he saw the fear and panic when Jim came into the room.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Jim? I thought it was the FBI?”

  John flashed his ID and said, “My name is Special Agent John Swenson, Mr. Winston. I see there is no need for introductions to Sheriff O’Brian.”

  Saul nodded slowly as Margo entered the living room. She stood in the entry door and said, “We are leaving, Mr. Winston. The night shift will be on in a half hour. Is there anything that you or your guests need before the three of us leave for the night?”

  He was staring at John and Jim who were standing side by side. “Ah … no, Margo. Thank you. I don’t think my guests will be here long.” She walked out of the room, and Saul asked, “So … Jim … it’s been a long time. What brings you here along with the FBI?”

  He sat down, and Jim pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and put it in his mouth then pulled out his Zippo and asked, “May I smoke?” Saul nodded as he lit the cigarette. Jim took a hit off it and then looked at John and asked, “Well, shit, John. Do you want to break the news to Mr. Winston, or do you want me to do it?” John was staring at and through Saul, and Jim could see that the stare was not that of John Swenson. It was that of the Iron Eagle. John waved his arm in a gesture of permission, and Jim said, “Saul, I have some goddamn devastating news for you. Your beautiful ex-porn queen wife was set on fire then had her skull run over by a deranged killer.” Saul sat silent for a few seconds. John was staring as Jim waited for the reaction. Saul was visibly working to convey shock and whip up tears.

  Jim asked, “Did you hear what I said?”

  “That’s not possible … just not possible. I just spoke to her a few days ago. She can’t be dead!” Saul started to cry, tears were running down his face.

  Jim said, “Oh, but it is true, Saul. It’s fuckin’ true. Damn. What does that save you in alimony and other assets in your divorce?”

  Saul started yelling at Jim, “Who the hell do you think you are? What the fuck game are you playing, O’Brian? You’re a sadistic son of a bitch. Janet and I had our issues, but, damn Jim, I would never wish her dead.”

  John finally broke his silence and said, “You might not have wished it, Mr. Winston, but, nonetheless, your wife was brutally murdered today in a parking structure at the Bonaventure Hotel in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Now... can you think of anyone who would want to see such harm come to her?”

  Philly had been sitting on a sofa the entire time with his back to everyone. When he turned, he saw a virtual standoff between the men. Jim looked at him and asked, “So, what do you think, Phil? Did Mr. Winston have anything to do with his wife’s death?” The color left Saul’s face as he turned to see Philly slowly nodding his head.

  “You know the Sheriff?”

  Philly nodded and said, “Yeah, Saul. I know both of these gentlemen. Very well, in fact.” Philly looked at John and said, “I was tailing the missus last night but lost her at a club on Sunset when she went in.”

  John never took his eyes off Saul and asked Philly, “What time did you finally give up and leave the stakeout?”

  “It was early. Probably four a.m. I didn’t see Mrs. Winston leave the club, and I can tell you that Mr. Winston here is not sorry that some harm has come to his soon-to-be ex-wife.”

  John pulled out a pair of handcuffs and threw them to Philly. “Phil, cuff Mr. Winston up and take him out the back to your car.”

  Philly grabbed Saul by the arm and started to force the cuffs on him when Saul screamed, “I know my goddamn rights. I want my lawyer.”

  When Phil finished cuffing Saul, Jim said, “Well, your fuckin’ rights are simple. You can tell us everything you know about your wife’s murder. As for your lawyer, unless you have been under a rock all day, your lawyer slit his own throat and is tits up on an autopsy table. So, there will be no lawyer coming to save your ass.” Philly walked Saul to a rear exit off the living room, and Jim asked, “Are there any cameras that will see you take old Saul here?”

  Philly laughed and said, “Nope … I did the security for this place a few years ago.” He took out a small remote and pressed a couple of buttons and said, “All of the film on Mr. Winston’s security system just failed and has been wiped out for the past three hours.”

  He started walking Saul out when Saul asked, “What the fuck kind of arrest is this? My PI is taking me in?”

  Jim said, “Well, yeah, Saul, but he’s not taking you to my office or Agent Swenson’s.”

  “Then where the fuck is he taking me?”

  John looked at him and said, “To meet with a man who is an expert at extracting information.”

  Saul looked at Philly and asked, “Who the hell is he talking about?”

  Philly started pushing Saul out the side door and said, “Someone who has become synonymous with justice in Los Angeles … you’re going to meet the Iron Eagle.”

  Saul’s legs went out from under him, and he started screaming as he hit the floor. John pulled out a tranquilizer gun and shot him in the chest. Philly looked at John as Saul was passing out and said, “He’s a loud fucker, isn’t he?”

  John nodded as Jim responded, saying, “You think he’s loud now… just wait until the Eagle gets him.”

  “Really? Really? You had to order Janet Winston’s murder?”

  “I didn’t order her murder. I was simply the conduit who had the contacts.”

  Alice Walker was sitting in her chambers with her cell phone to her ear. The voice on the other end of the line had answered Alice’s question but not in a manner that satisfied her. Alice said, “Of all of the shit to have happen right now, murdering the soon-to-be ex-wife of Howard Cohen’s best client was far from smart.”

  The voice on the other end of the line was cool and calculated in its response. “With all due respect, Your Honor, killing Janet Winston is really the best thing that could happen to us right now.”

  Alice stared at the ceiling of her office and asked, “How the hell do you figure that?”

  “We are both women of power and discretion. The FBI has been literally on the ass of the van that my source uses for the killings. This will get attention away from all of the damn lawyers who are dead and throw the cops and the feds in another direction while the plan moves on.”

  Alice stood up and walked to her chamber door and looked out. She had ordered her bailiffs to stand outside of the chamber’s outer hallway. It was half past eight, and she was the only judge left in the building. She walked back inside and said, “We are on the hit list … you and me … we are on the hit list that this damn killer sent over to Howard.”

  There was a moment of hesitation, and the female voice on the end of the line spoke softly, “Yes, Alice. Yes, we are. That’s why I have offered my assistance to the killers and also gave them another target that will assist them in carrying out their executions while sparing our lives. Don’t you see
what this means for us?”

  Alice had walked over to one of the windows in her office and asked, “No. I don’t see what it means for us. Explain it to me. Are we off the list?”

  “I’ve been promised that our cooperation will remove us from the list. We’re safe. I have fed information to the killers, and they are going to move in the direction that I have instructed. We will be the most powerful women in Los Angeles when this is over, and you will be one of the senior appellate judges for the ninth circuit court of appeals. We will have both the state and federal systems under our control. You can rest easy knowing that while Janet Winston’s death was tragic, it was also necessary, and we will be able to hold our grip on the upper levels of the judicial system when the smoke clears.”

  Alice was shaking her head as she walked over to her desk and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her purse. Her hands were shaking as she put one in her mouth and lit it. After taking a few deep drags, she said, “How can you be so sure you can trust the people you are dealing with? Do you even know who the electronic voice belongs to on the other end of the phone line? Have you met the killers face to face? Have you gone over the list of lawyers that they plan to kill? Jesus! Howard fuckin’ killed himself, and he did it to keep himself from ending up as a human torch.”

  “You don’t need to worry about it. I have it under control. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? I will try to stop by your place later.” The line went dead as Alice finished off the cigarette and stood stubbing it out in an ashtray on her desk.

  Alice Walker’s courtroom was dark with the exception of a few lights. Her bailiff was sitting across from the clerk’s empty desk writing out notes when the courtroom doors opened, and a cleaning cart was pushed in. The bailiff looked up but didn’t pay much attention. He never heard the shot that sent his brain matter spraying across the courtroom.