by Carsen Taite
Around eleven, a low rumble from her stomach told her the coffee she’d had for breakfast was no longer doing its trick. She remembered the lunchroom that Mason had rushed her past earlier. Not likely any of these not-so-friendly types was going to ask her to lunch and she wasn’t in the mood to stick around here anyway. She reached for her phone and dialed a familiar number. When the voice on the other end answered, she said, “Tell me you have time to meet me for lunch.”
“Flores! Is that you? Are you here in town for real?”
Sarah warmed to the welcome in Danny’s voice. “Got here last week. Tried to reach you, but your office said you were out of town.”
“Rare vacation, but I’m back now. I can make lunch work if we can do it around here. Vacation means I’m kind of behind on work.”
“Great. I’ll come get you.”
Sarah grabbed the keys to her car and checked out with the receptionist. She didn’t bother saying anything to any of the other agents, figuring they probably wouldn’t notice she was leaving and she didn’t want to make them feel like they should’ve included her in their plans. Maybe it was time for her to expand her horizons and make friends outside of the job.
Danny Soto was a Dallas County prosecutor she’d met while working a serial killer case in the area last year and they’d become friends during the course of the investigation. Okay, so her friendship with Danny wasn’t exactly expanding her horizons, but at least they didn’t work in the same office. And Danny’s wife, Ellen Davenport, was the executive director for a national sorority office—not the least bit involved in crime, so that was something. As she sped to the courthouse, she vowed she would find something to do this very weekend that didn’t involve work of any kind.
*
Ellery looked in the rearview mirror before carefully backing her truck into the tiny space in the parking garage of the Dallas County Courthouse. Once the truck was parked, she took a second look in the mirror, unaccustomed to the reflection staring back at her. For the past six months, she’d spent most mornings roaming abandoned buildings, junkyards, and flea markets or working in her studio. Except for a few dates, none of her activities required combed hair or a business suit. Today, instead of her usual Levi’s and T-shirts, she sported a light-weight black wool suit and a crisp pale blue shirt, both of which she’d had custom made while traveling in London a couple of years ago. Once upon a time she’d reveled in the feel of the expensive fabric and the well-tailored fit, but now the clothes were suffocating. Or maybe it was this place that was suffocating. Determined to get this errand over as quickly as possible, she grabbed her handmade leather briefcase and walked to the side entrance of the courthouse.
The line at security was surprisingly long considering her stop at Meg’s office meant she’d shown up after the morning docket was usually well underway. She used the time in line to review the file. Amir Khan’s son, Naveed, along with one of his cousins and two of their friends had been charged with burglary of a building. A security guard had spotted the young men leaving an office building in North Dallas in the early morning hours one weekend night, and called the police. Realizing they’d been spotted, the boys ran toward their car, but Naveed, who’d been waiting behind the wheel, took off before they got close. None of the boys had ratted Naveed out, but the witness gave the police his license plate information and he’d been picked up not far from the building and charged as a party to the crime. A window in the building had been broken, but it didn’t appear anything had been taken and, according to Naveed, the whole thing had been a lark. Lark or not, the case had lagged on in the system, but charges had finally been filed last month and this was his first court appearance.
Amir had first come to her with this case right before she left the practice. He’d wanted to hire her to represent all of the boys, but she’d explained that it could be a conflict of interest. Unlike the other boys, Naveed had been accepted to an Ivy League school, and he had the most to lose with a criminal conviction on his record. She told Amir it would be better if Naveed had his own attorney and the chance to offer his cooperation to the district attorney in order to cut a deal that might result in the charges being dropped. The way she’d seen it, the boys’ actions amounted to nothing more than misdemeanor criminal trespass, and Naveed’s role was a minor one at that. She and Meg had been on the same page about the defense and she planned to reinforce the original plan to Naveed and his father this morning and then reset the case to give Meg more time to review the evidence and talk to the prosecutor about a resolution that would keep Naveed’s record clear.
After what seemed like forever, Ellery finally reached the front of the line. She set her briefcase on the conveyor belt and walked through the metal detector. The security guard nodded as she waited for her bag to come out the other side and she nodded back. Briefcase in hand, she headed for the stairwell, knowing that no matter how long she’d been gone, two things were probably still true—neither the elevators nor the escalators were all functioning. The six flights were an easy climb and she emerged from the stairwell just a few feet from the court where Naveed’s case was assigned.
He and his father were waiting on a bench outside the courtroom and they both stood as they saw her approach. A petite girl with ivory white skin and golden blond hair stood with them. Ellery shook Amir’s hand and gestured for them to follow her down the hall. She stopped in an alcove near the elevators where the floor to ceiling windows offered the city’s best view of downtown Dallas.
“Amir, Naveed, nice to see you both.” Ellery waited a few beats, but neither of them offered up anything about the blonde who’d joined them, so she finally asked, “Who’s this?”
Amir started to speak, but the girl beat him to it. “I’m Kayla, Akbar’s girlfriend.”
Ellery went on alert. Akbar was Naveed’s cousin and, based on Meg’s notes, the ringleader of their romp that night. She spoke directly to Amir. “I respect your desire to have family involved, but I must speak to Naveed in private. You understand, yes?” She punctuated her question with a nod to let him know she wasn’t really asking, she was saying that was how it had to be. He nodded in return.
“Kayla, come with me. Miss Durant will speak to Naveed alone for a moment.”
As they walked away, she heard Kayla whisper, “I don’t understand why she doesn’t trust you to hear what she has to say. Akbar’s lawyer doesn’t have secrets.” Ellery felt a slow boil of anger and shook her head. No skinny little girl was going to tell her how to handle her cases.
“Miss Durant?”
She turned to look at Naveed who was gazing at her with a curious expression. Naveed, who was no longer her client. For a second, she’d forgotten this was a life she’d left behind. “I’m sorry.” She looked back over at Kayla who was standing next to Amir, still bending his ear. “Just curious, why is she here?”
Naveed shrugged. “Akbar was here earlier with his attorney and she came with him. He left, but she stuck around. She’s always around.”
His comment prompted her to ask, “What about that night? Where was she then?”
“Akbar said no girls allowed that night. He said they had to prove themselves before they could tag along. No one brought their girlfriends.”
She smiled. “Probably a good idea or your father would have to be hiring even more lawyers.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m only here for today. Meg’s your lawyer.”
“She doesn’t like me.”
“I doubt that.”
“You talk to me. She only talks to my father. I have to spy to figure out what’s going on. Akbar and the others are going to trial. She says that’s what I should do.”
“Really?” Ellery didn’t try to hide her surprise. “When did she say that?”
“Last week. At least that’s what she told father. Maybe I should. What do you think?”
Ellery paused before answering. Her knee-jerk reaction was to say that wasn’t what they’d
decided before, but for all she knew something had changed since she’d last worked on this case. It was possible Meg had gotten discovery from the prosecutor that led her to believe the state would have a problem proving their case. “I’d have to ask Meg. She’s been working on the case, not me.”
He repeated his earlier statement. “I don’t understand why you can’t represent me. She will only talk to my father, not to me.”
Ellery had noticed Meg deferring to Amir the first time she’d introduced him and Naveed to her, but she figured Meg was just sucking up to one of the firm’s more important clients. While she had focused on criminal law, Meg had more diverse interests, and she had expressed on more than one occasion her desire to get all of Amir’s business. Apparently, in her quest to win the father, she’d lost the confidence of the son. “I’ll talk to her. You’re an adult. Just because your father is paying doesn’t mean you aren’t the one calling the shots. What do you want to do?”
“My father wants me to go to college.”
“I didn’t ask you what your father wanted.”
“Sorry. I want to go to college. Eventually. First, I’d like to travel.” He offered a rueful smile. “Far away from here.”
“I hear you. I’ll go talk to the prosecutor and reset your case to give you time to sit down with Meg and tell her what you just told me, review the evidence, and make your own decision. Okay?”
“I guess I don’t have a choice.”
“You could hire your own lawyer.” Ellery knew Naveed’s monthly allowance was probably more than most kids his age made in an entire summer of work.
Naveed shot a look at his father and Kayla. “That’s okay. I’ll work things out with the one I have.”
Ellery followed his eyes and saw Kayla staring at him like a hawk observing its prey. She had no idea what the dynamic was between this young woman and Naveed, but she couldn’t help a growing sense of unease at Kayla’s presence.
She shrugged it off. Whatever Kayla’s role was in their lives, it wasn’t her problem. Time to do the favor she’d promised and get the hell out of here. She pushed through the double doors of the courtroom and then opened the door to her left to enter the DA workroom. She nodded to the prosecutor seated at the desk just inside the door and pointed at the door on the far side of the room which was pulled to. “Hi, James, is Danny in?”
“She’s back there. Suffering from reentry. Enter at your own risk.”
Ellery rapped on the door and a voice called out, “Come in.”
She pushed through the door. Danny Soto, the chief prosecutor in this particular court, was seated behind a desk piled high with files. “Let me guess. You’ve been on vacation?”
“Yep and I’m beginning to wonder why I bothered,” she said. “It’s always worse when I get back. Thank God, this isn’t a jury week. Whatcha got for me?”
“Hopefully, something easy. Naveed Khan. I’m here on his announcement setting.”
“Ah, the Bank of America bandits.”
“Bank of America?” Ellery looked at her notes. “I’m pretty sure it was just an office building.”
“That Bank of America owns. Don’t worry. They don’t have a branch there anymore. If they did, I would have referred this out to the feds. So, we’ll just call them the building bandits if it makes you feel better.”
“The word bandit implies they actually took something. When my guy was picked up, he had no stolen property in his possession.”
Danny waved her hand in the air. “I say bandit, you say getaway driver. Whatever. Do you need a rec?”
“I understand the other defendants are going to trial.”
“I don’t know about that. Maybe they set a date while I was out of town, but I don’t think I even made an offer yet. Let me check the file.” Danny yanked open a file cabinet drawer and thumbed through a row of folders until she found the one she was looking for. She pulled it out and flipped through the pages. “I’ve got Meg Patrick’s name listed here as the attorney of record. Are you working this with her?”
“Not really. I’m officially no longer in practice, but I know this family, and Meg’s in trial in Denton this morning so I told her I’d pass the case. I figured while I was here, I’d see what you’re offering.”
“No longer in practice, huh? Guess that’s why I haven’t seen you around for a while. What are you up to?”
“I make furniture.” She felt herself bristle in response to Danny’s raised eyebrows and she kept talking. “Out of stuff I find. Reclaimed materials. I have a shop online and I sell at various local shows.”
Danny’s expression held a mixture of surprise and awe. “That sounds cool. Bet you don’t miss this grind.”
She started to answer in the affirmative, but pulled up short. She hadn’t missed it. Not until this morning anyway. Naveed’s plea for help and his frustration about not getting the guidance he needed had tugged at her emotions and she sincerely wanted to help. This wasn’t her case, but she was already invested in getting him the best possible result. “Not usually, no, but like I said, I’ve known this family for a while so it was no big deal to fill in.” Time to turn this conversation away from her personal life and back to the reason she was here. “Do you have a rec?”
Danny glanced through the file one more time before setting it down. “Looks like your guy has no priors. If he’ll testify against the others, I’ll offer three years deferred.”
Deferred meant Naveed would be on probation for three years and when the time was up, if he completed all the conditions of probation successfully, the case would be dismissed. Then he’d have to wait a few years to get his record sealed. While it might seem like a generous offer, it meant that the felony would linger on Naveed’s record well into his college years and the time he’d start applying for jobs. Ignoring the voice in her head that whispered this was Meg’s case and she shouldn’t interfere, she said, “That’s not going to fly. Worst-case scenario, this was a misdemeanor criminal trespass. Best case, you won’t be able to prove my client had any knowledge of what those other kids were doing. Give him a conditional dismissal. He’ll do whatever you ask—pick up trash on the side of the highway, pay a fine, anything. He’s got a bright future ahead. No one was hurt and nothing was damaged. Don’t let this one incident ruin a young kid’s life.”
Danny started to reply, but at that moment the door swung open and Ellery turned in her chair to see a tall, beautiful woman in a suit burst into the room. She expected Danny to tell the intruder she was busy, but within a second, the woman rushed Danny and pulled her into a hug.
“Who’s your favorite federal agent?” she said.
“Get off me, crazy lady.” Danny pointed at Ellery. “Can’t you see I’m in a meeting?”
“Didn’t sound like a meeting. It sounded like she was trying to shake you down. Have you gone soft?”
“Not hardly.” They shared a laugh, and then, as if she’d just remembered Ellery was in the room, Danny introduced the stranger. “Sarah Flores, meet Ellery Durant.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ellery held out her hand and looked between the two. Like Danny, the stranger was Latina and they both wore suits, but the similarities stopped there. In contrast to Danny’s boyish good looks, Sarah was decidedly feminine, from her perfect makeup to her stylish shoes, to the way the cut of her suit accentuated every luscious curve.
“Sorry for interrupting.”
Sarah’s eyes were locked on Ellery as she spoke. The scrutiny made her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. It was almost like Sarah could see her thoughts. She waited for Danny to ask Sarah to leave while they finished their business, but instead Danny said, “Hang for a minute. We’re just finishing up.” She switched her focus back to Ellery. “Okay, you were saying you want me to reduce the burglary to a criminal trespass and give your client a pass. Is that about it?”
“More or less.” Ellery shifted in her chair. The dynamic had changed now that Sarah had entered the room, and
she’d lost the momentum of her plea. “I can bring you his college acceptance letter if that helps you justify the reduction.”
“Ted Bundy went to college,” Sarah said. “Graduated with honors.”
“Excuse me?” Ellery looked over at Sarah who raised her shoulders in a slight shrug.
“I’m just saying a college degree is not a good predictor of whether or not someone is going to obey the law.”
She’d encountered these types of federal agents before. They drank the Kool-Aid and spent their careers believing anyone charged with a crime was a bad seed without any regard to extenuating circumstances. She had no patience for their black-and-white assessments of the world. “Take a poll of the population of any prison in the country. I’ll bet you all the money in my wallet that at least eighty percent of the inmates never went to college.”
“Well, besides the fact that I’m not about to wager money here at the courthouse when it’s clearly illegal, I’ll just say that’s because the ones who went to college were too smart to get caught.”
Ellery stood up, mentally adding cops like Sarah Flores to the list of things she didn’t miss about practicing law. She looked at Danny. “Well, like I said, this is Meg’s case. If you’ll just sign the pass slip, I’ll let her know to get in touch with you.”
Danny scrawled her name on the paper to notify the court coordinator that they were still working out the case and handed it to Ellery with an apologetic look in her eyes. Ellery thanked her and pushed open the door as she stalked from the room without another word to Agent Flores. She paused before she walked back out in the hall to face Naveed and his father, disturbed at how angry she felt. It wasn’t like her to let a cop get her so rattled, but Sarah’s uninformed and unsolicited comments had gotten under her skin. And it certainly hadn’t helped that Sarah was as attractive as she was annoying.
