by Tim Tingle
Leon
P.S. Before I leave the country, I will post a letter to the Justice Department, explaining why I am vacating my seat on the bench, and will recommend Judge Lewis Gibson to replace me.”
* * *
When Belinda found the letter, she was shocked, of course. She had no idea that he was wise to her relationship with the Senator, and she was shocked that he would, as he put it, ‘step out of the picture’ so easily. She had never wanted a divorce, and never wanted to marry the Senator. Their romance had just been a fling, which she knew would burn out in a few months, and then she would be content to grow old with Leon. So his letter blew her away. She immediately called her the lawyer, to get in touch with Leon, to tell him that she did not want a divorce, she wanted him. The lawyer was aware of Leon’s plans, but his instructions were to do nothing until Leon contacted him, to let him know exactly where he was. Until then, there was nothing he could do.
Belinda’s next move was to take the letter to the FBI, to verify that the letter was really left by Leon. Though she recognized his handwriting, she wanted it known that Leon had left the bench of his own choice, and had not been coerced into it by someone who might wish him ill. Over the years he had made a lot of enemies. He had sent a lot of bad people to prison, and it was very likely that any one of those people could seek revenge against him. By taking the letter to the FBI, she allowed them to make the determination that he had indeed left on his own, and was still safe.
After ascertaining that there was no foul play, Belinda hired a PI to go to Rio de Janeiro, and look for Leon, to convey her love to him, and to ask him to please come back home.
She had a well connected friend in the Commerce Department, and used that connection to find out when, and from what airport Leon and his ‘friend’ had left out from. The report came back that there was no record with any airline, that Leon had left the country. That could mean three things. It could mean that he had not left the country yet, or that he had left ‘unofficially’, by simply hiring a charter flight out, or it could mean that he had left under a different name, which would require fake ID, and she didn’t think Leon would do that.
Later she found Leon’s passport in the bedroom, and that started her to thinking that perhaps it was not Leon’s plan to go to Rio at all. But what better way to buy time, and throw her off track, than to suggest it, and have her waste time by sending investigators there looking for him? She recalled her PI from Rio, and instead, sent him to the one place where Leon had always said he would like to live, the Pacific Northwest. Granted, that was a big area that included Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and perhaps even the lower areas of Alaska, but in her mind, it made more sense to look for him there instead of Rio. Leon did not speak Portuguese.
She hoped that Leon would use one of his credit cards, and she could pin-point his location. But if his ‘friend’ was really wealthy, then why would he use his credit cards? She checked at the bank and found that Leon’s last transaction with the bank was the same day she left for Europe. He had withdrawn $5,000 in cash, $100 bills in fact. He had no doubt done this, to assure that he didn’t have to use his credit cards. This told her that Leon had put thought into his every move, which did not surprise her, because she knew him so well. If he did not want to be found, then he would be very hard to find.
The Justice Department never received the letter from Leon, which he said he would send. Nor did Leon contact his lawyer, as he said he would do. This worried his lawyer, because he knew that Leon was good to his word. To not do something that he said he would do, sent up a red flag. He expressed his concern to Belinda, but she was sure that it was part of Leon’s plan, to delay any search for him as long as possible. That would give him more time to cover his tracks. It was even possible that he had not even left Alabama, but was hiding out here, to see what kind of stir he could cause.
The FBI brought up the question of Leon’s mental condition, citing his own words in the letter, that his ‘mental stability’ had slipped, and because of this, he might never get in touch with his lawyer. Perhaps he and his ‘friend’ had found happiness in a commune somewhere, and he decided to sever all ties with his old life? Knowing her husband, Belinda had to admit that this suggestion did not seem all that far-fetched. Leon had always been rock solid, until his rejection from the High Court, and after that, who knows what ideas he might entertain?
A year after Leon had left, Belinda still had found out nothing. Her PI had found no leads in the Northwest, and Leon had still not contacted his lawyer. She was left with nothing else to go on. She filed for a divorce, on the basis of abandonment, and resumed her relationship with the Senator.
* * *
One year after this incident, Miranda had sold her house in Kellerman, and moved to San Francisco to be near her sister. But even in California, she was still looking over her shoulder, waiting for a knock on her door, which would be the police, arresting her for the murder of Judge Leon Rosewood. The rest of her life, she would be waiting for that knock. A knock that would never come.
And for the rest of her life, she would not so much as dip her big toe in a swimming pool. Any swimming pool.
* * *
Begun: January 15, 2005
Finished: April 10, 2011
About the Author
Tim Tingle was born in Tennessee in 1958, and grew up near Montevallo, Alabama. Educated at the University of Montevallo, he is full time coal miner, part-time farmer, wood sculptor, world traveler and writer. He and his wife Nanette live on their fourteen acre farm near the small community of Pea Ridge.
Tim Tingle novels presently in print are:
* Though the Door
* The Chosen One
* The Collector
* Song of the night
* Return to Colombia
* Eye of the Sorcerer
* Lester Graff
* Maple Leaf
Readers who wish to correspond with the author can do so by writing to:
Tim Tingle
3159 Hwy10
Montevallo, AL. 35115
