A Time for Justice: A Legal Thriller (Bill Harvey Book 4)

by Peter O'Mahoney

  “Mr. Wu, I would ask you to stay out of these discussions,” Judge Dean asserts, but Bill ignores his request.

  “Door 1649. Centinela Road. That’s the door you found in the hypnotherapy sessions. The one that you couldn’t open because it held too many of your secrets.”

  “That…” Kevin leans backward, crosses his legs, folds his arms, and shakes his head. “That means nothing.”

  After unclipping his briefcase, Bill reaches in and removes a small black book.

  Kevin doesn’t respond; instead, he turns to look at his lawyer.

  “What’s this?” Taylor questions.

  “It’s Kevin’s black book from the year in question. It proves that he bought drugs the morning of his brain scan. He even noted why he purchased a barbiturate named Thiopental: Drugs for brain scan. There’s a date, and a location, of where he bought the drugs.” Bill flicks the book open to the middle page. “It clearly has the date and the time that he bought them.”

  “I’ve never seen that book before in my life.” Kevin turns away.

  “The storage facility has video footage. It shows you entering that storage room numerous times.” In the early hours of the morning, the storage facility attendant was offered a few hundred dollars, and he happily looked away while Bill downloaded the surveillance recordings.

  “It’s not me.” Kevin moves back from the table, looking at the door. “This book is a fake. I’ve never seen it before.”

  “It’s your handwriting, it’s your notes, and it proves everything.” Bill leans forward. “It proves that you set me up. It proves that you deliberately took drugs on the morning of the brain scans to influence the results. You’re done, Kevin.”

  “So what?”

  “That means this case is over. It’s clear that you have tried to set me up right from the start. This is all the evidence that I need to dispute your claims.”

  “You think you’ve won?” Kevin shrugs. “This proves nothing. Nothing. All this proves is that you might not be responsible for my claims, and that means nothing to me. All I do is withdraw the case, pay these people, and then I go about my life.” He defends himself. “Losing this case doesn’t affect me.”

  “There are names in that black book.”

  “So? They’re just names. It doesn’t connect anything to anyone. It proves nothing!” Kevin’s fight or flight response kicks in. “Nothing!”

  “In court, it proves that I’m innocent.”

  “Congratulations. You’ve won this case. I withdraw it. I withdraw the whole case.” Kevin throws his hands in the air. “But guess what? It still means nothing to me. I still walk free.”

  “The names in this book might prove nothing for the courtroom, but on the street…”

  Kevin’s mouth drops open.

  “That’s right, Kevin. I have no intention of handing this book to the police. To them, it’s worthless. Without testimony from you, it’s just a bunch of names. But those names are the people who requested you to traffic young women from Hong Kong. I can’t prove that, but I don’t have to. I’m not taking this book to court – I’m going to hand this book to the people whose names are in it. They know that the only thing keeping them out of prison is your testimony.”

  “You wouldn’t,” he whispers.

  “It’s called karma. And it’s coming for you.”

  Kevin shakes his head, flicking his hand in the direction of the book. “Makes no difference to me. None. The names in that book trust me. They trust that I won’t testify against them, and you said it yourself, without my testimony, those names mean nothing. I will still walk away from this.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Bill snarls as he leans forward. “Because your life is about to be turned upside down. I know who murdered Tiffany Lee.”

  Kevin laughs, leaning back in his chair. “Now you’re losing the plot. I didn’t kill Tiffany Lee.”

  “Come on, Bill,” Taylor interjects. “This isn’t the time or the place for this. This is a Case Management Conference.”

  “And that CMC has concluded,” Judge Dean interrupts. “Mr. Wu has indicated that he’s going to withdraw the case. Go on, Mr. Harvey, I’m interested to see where this goes.”

  Bill pauses for a few moments, allowing the tension to build. “Did you know that there was a tip-off that you were at the entrance of the Ernest E. Debs Regional Park on the night that Tiffany Lee disappeared?”

  Kevin’s voice is soft. “I didn’t kill her.”

  “The tip-off stated that you were at the entrance to the park. They stated that you took Tiffany Lee into the park and murdered the young girl.”

  “That’s enough,” Taylor interrupts again.

  “I have nothing to hide,” Kevin responds. “I wasn’t there.”

  “Of course, you weren’t. But someone wanted you to take the fall for the crime.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Someone wanted you out of their life. They killed Tiffany, and they wanted you to go to prison for it. They tried to set you up for murder.”

  “You’ve lost me. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t say anything more,” Taylor interjects. “Keep your mouth closed.”

  “Last month, the LAPD received an anonymous tip-off from a woman that stated you were at the park with Tiffany Lee.”

  “That’s a lie.”

  “The tip-off said that they watched you take her into the reserve. They could say this because they knew exactly what happened that night.”

  “I wasn’t there. How many times do I have to say it?”

  “The tip-off came from a woman, Kevin.”

  Bill’s eyes drift towards the woman sitting behind her husband.

  Everything falls into place.

  Squinting, Kevin turns around. “Eva?”

  Eva Wu.

  A wife, a stepmother, and a cold-blooded killer.

  “And it wasn’t just Tiffany.” The thoughts rush through Bill’s mind. Back to everything that Terrance had told them. “It wasn’t just Tiffany…”

  “No.” Eva shakes her head. “I have no idea what you’re saying.”

  “The anonymous tip-off – it came from you. It came from you because you wanted your husband gone. You wanted him out of your life. You told the police it was Kevin so that they would arrest him, and drag him out of your life.”

  “Eva?” Kevin questions again. “Is this true?”

  She shakes her head again, struggling to find the answer. “Of course not. How could it be?”

  “Eva?” Kevin questions again.

  “What?”

  “What did you do?”

  “Nothing.” She looks away from her husband.

  “Eva?”

  “I didn’t…”

  “Eva.”

  “He’s turning you against me, Kevin. Can’t you see that? Can’t you see what he’s doing?”

  “Eva.” Kevin glares at her. “Did you set me up?”

  She looks to the door, shaking her head, avoiding the truth.

  “You did, didn’t you?!” He reads his wife’s expression. “Eva! You tried to send me to prison!”

  “You wanted to do it!” she snaps. “But you didn’t have the balls to do it! You weren’t brave enough to kill her! I did what you couldn’t! For our family’s honor!”

  “Eva.” Shock overcomes him.

  “But that’s not the whole story, is it, Eva?” Bill presses for more. “I spoke to Terrance last night. He told me everything.”

  “No.” Her mouth drops open.

  “Everything, Eva.” Bill is firm. “Tiffany died because of what she overheard.”

  “She shouldn’t have been there. Tiffany was too nosy.” She shakes her head. “She shouldn’t have heard what I was talking about.”

  “Terrance told me everything.” Bill grits his teeth. “He told me about your night with Amy.”

  “No.” She’s startled. “That’s not true. I didn’t touch Amy. I didn�
�t…”

  She fights to get the words out, but she struggles to lie under the glare of everyone in the room.

  “Eva?” Kevin stands. “What’s he saying?”

  “I didn’t…” She turns away from her husband. “I…”

  In one small moment, with the eyes of the room burning on her, the weight of her years of guilt breaks her resolve.

  “It wasn’t me.” She turns around. “Terrance killed Amy. I was there that night. He killed her. He told me.”

  “You were there that night?” Kevin’s world stops spinning. “You kidnapped her? You kidnapped my daughter?”

  “I wanted her out of our lives, but I didn’t kill her. It wasn’t me; it was Terrance. It was all Terrance. He killed her. He did it. I didn’t kill Amy. I’ll testify that Terrance did it.”

  “What?” Kevin’s expression softens. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”

  “I didn’t kill her. I wanted her gone, but I didn’t touch her. It was Terrance Marshall. You have to believe me. I’ll testify against Terrance. I’ll let the world know what he did.”

  “No, you won’t,” Bill states. “Because nobody killed Amy. And she can tell everyone what really happened that night.”

  All the heads in the room turn to look at the defense lawyer.

  “What are you talking about?” Taylor questions.

  “Amy Wu is alive.”

  The room goes quiet.

  Dead quiet.

  Chapter 39

  The nerves in her stomach mask all her pain. Her chest still hurts, and her head is still confused, but nothing could take her away from her focus right now.

  Family.

  The moment she has dreamed about for so long, the moment she was not sure that she would see again.

  Her family.

  Her constant dream, her constant hope – to feel what it’s like to be part of something again. The thought of her family was what got her through the really hard times, the lonely nights, the painful and deserted reality.

  But drenched in fear, she questions whether she will even remember them, or worse, will they even remember her? Have they moved on with their lives? Do they even want her back?

  The avalanche of thoughts threatens to freeze her with anxiety. She wants this so bad, but she isn’t sure she can take the possible rejection.

  As she steps into the private room at the hospital, worries fill her every movement. She can barely function, barely step forward. She feels like she’s going to vomit.

  As she walks through the door, she sees her father first.

  The moment that they stare at each other seems to last forever. Is this really happening to her?

  The first embrace is almost a tackle. Her father comes at his daughter in frantic confusion, lost in a sea of emotion.

  Gripping her tight, her father starts to cry uncontrollably, only pulling out of the hug to grip her face; staring at his lost daughter, looking at how much she has grown.

  She lets her guard down. Over the past five years, she has built a solid emotional wall, trying to suppress all her feelings, but now, in the arms of her protective father, she can let it all out.

  The tears come out like a river.

  Wetting the shoulder of her father’s shirt, she never wants to leave this place. Her fingernails dig into his back as her head pushes into his chest.

  Here, she feels safe.

  Even with his sobbing.

  “Amy?”

  The voice from behind her sends shivers through her body, shocking her eyes wide open.

  “Grandmother?” Amy turns, the first words she has spoken since she entered the room.

  “Amy! My Amy!” The embrace from her grandmother, now shorter than her, is almost a tackle worthy of a linebacker. A frantic squeeze. Frenzied kisses. “Amy!”

  The embrace is warm, comforting, and for the first time today, Amy smiles. It’s her grandmother, full of love, full of affection. The one with the deepest hugs. The one with the most love. The one that got her through the hardest times of her life.

  “You’re so big!” her grandmother cries. “You’re so tall! My Amy! You’re really alive! My Amy!”

  This is all Yin Sun wanted. Her Amy, safe and well. Her Amy, alive. For years, she has prayed for her granddaughter’s safe return, but she never truly believed her prayers would be answered, so she prayed that her Amy was safe. It was all she wanted in life.

  Bending down to cradle her grandmother, arms wrapped around her, Amy couldn’t be happier. For the first time in so long, she feels a part of something.

  This is her place in the world.

  Her family.

  Her home.

  Chapter 40

  The day is blanketed in gray, drops sprinkling from the threatening clouds.

  Holding an umbrella, Bill Harvey leads Kate Spencer over the grass, stopping at the back of the small crowd. The solemn feeling drenching the surrounds is matched by the dark clothes of the people huddled around the coffin.

  For Monty Lee and his family, this day has been five years in the making. Five years of hope, five years of uncertainty.

  Monty Lee stands at the front of the crowd, next to his wife and child, his hand resting on the edge of the smooth mahogany wood coffin. There is no tension in his hands, no pain in his face.

  After years of anguish, he can bury his lost daughter.

  Standing near the side of the crowd, still wary of strangers, Amy Wu stares at the coffin of her former friend. Her cheeks look fuller, her skin looks cleaner, and her hair has been brushed and cut.

  Amy had gotten in the way of Eva’s perfect life – after the accidental death of his friend’s daughter, Kevin was trying to withdraw from his business ventures to protect Amy, but Eva wasn’t ready to end her time as a high-flying socialite. She had to get Amy out of the way.

  After Amy disappeared, Kevin went straight back into the drug game, and Eva’s world was perfect.

  But when Terrance and Eva were arguing about Amy’s fate in an almost empty parking lot, poor Tiffany had been standing only yards away. Terrance had lied to Eva and said that, despite refusing to touch the girl at the time, he had changed his mind and killed Amy. He told her that he had no other choice. Tiffany had tried to run once she heard the news, but Eva was quicker, chasing her down and dragging her into the car. The girl never stood a chance.

  When Terrance tried to protest, Eva threatened to tell Kevin what had happened to his daughter. To keep Amy safe, Terrance felt he had no other choice but to do as Eva demanded, and drive them to the entrance of the reserve.

  Eva informed the police of the location where she buried the body of young Tiffany Lee. She was just a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time – overhearing a conversation that she shouldn’t have heard.

  As the first shovel of dirt is tossed onto Tiffany Lee’s coffin, Kevin Wu lowers his head.

  A simple bow between the warring fathers at the start of the funeral has ended half a decade of fighting.

  Kevin never wanted Tiffany to die. He wanted his revenge on Monty for what he thought was the kidnapping of his daughter, but the person that had committed the crime was lying next to him in bed each night. He knew Eva and Amy didn’t always get along, but he never thought Eva would try to remove her from his life altogether.

  Lying low, Kevin has avoided the wrath of those implicated in the black book and has made plans to disappear from L.A. completely, taking Amy and his mother with him.

  “Do you think they’ll be ok?” Kate asks as the crowd starts to disperse after the end of the funeral.

  “Amy and Kevin? Yes. I really do.”

  “How’s she doing now?”

  “Surprisingly, she’s doing quite well.” He holds the umbrella to cover Kate as the rain becomes heavier. “Terrance looked after her. Through the books, she learned a lot, just as much as any twelve-year-old, and her drawings are amazing. She said that she learned from drawing in the dust. She’s doing really well, even after she found out
that her stepmother is being locked up for murder, and her kidnapping.”

  “What do you think the future holds for Amy?”

  “A lot of counseling.” Bill sighs. “She has a lot of emotions to deal with, including the loss of Terrance. It’s going to be a hard road, but she’ll do well.”

  “You really think she’ll be ok?”

  “I do. Her grandmother will do everything for that young lady. She had some money set aside, and she’ll do anything for her.” He looks to the sky. “And it’s surprised everyone how positive Amy’s outlook is. Despite the terrors that she suffered, despite growing up underground, she has a great mind, a great heart, and a positive view of the world. I watched her eat a ham sandwich, and she couldn’t have looked happier. She was almost crying with joy about something as simple as a sandwich.”

  “It makes you wonder what’s the best thing for her. If bringing her into the city really is the best idea, after what she’s been through. You wouldn’t keep her in the basement, that’s horrible, but there’s something to be said for a slower pace of life. Hopefully, the Wu family recognizes that.”

  “Just because you can play a melody faster, doesn’t mean you should.” He flattens out his black tie. “She’ll be ok.”

  “You’re not going to go after Kevin? Get revenge for what he tried to do to you?”

  “No, Kate.” Bill walks tall. “Our justice system worked. I should be proud of that.”

  “And the Lee family?”

  “They’ve buried the hatchet with the Wu family, but they’ve decided to stay in their commune. That’s their world now.” He shrugs. “They want to protect their daughter, and they think that’s the best way to do it.”

  They both brave a moment of solitude; Bill walking with his head down.

  “Life is about family.” Kate moves closer to him. “Despite everything that these people have been through, it’s still all about family. That’s what really matters.”

  “Family is the world’s greatest masterpiece.” Bill’s thoughts drift back to his own family; his brother and sister, and his deceased wife. “It’s what makes it all worth it.”

  “I do feel sad for Terrance Marshall though. He died without ever having a family.”