Reclaim

by Beth Yarnall

  “What was her cellmate in for?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Can you find out and let me know?”

  “I can try. You think this might have something to do with the DA?”

  “I’m wondering if she got a deal or is in some way connected to Billits.”

  Mr. Nash lets out a low whistle. “That’s some accusation you’re making, son.”

  “The timing of it’s suspicious, don’t you think?”

  “It’s awfully convenient for him, yes.” After a pause he says, “I got you a meeting with the Special Agent in Charge at the San Diego FBI office at eight sharp. Bring everything you have on the case.”

  “Wow. I was expecting to meet with an agent not the man in charge.”

  “Let’s just say he owes us after what went down with Beau and Vera and we have a strong track record with him. Plus this is a very delicate situation you two stumbled on. It needs to be handled cautiously. There’s a lot more at stake here than what’s going on with Carla Ruiz. Every case Billits’s office prosecuted will get looked at. The FBI has some skin in the game. Billits’s office handled some pretty high profile federal cases. The Feds are going to want those convictions to stick.”

  “We’ll meet you there with everything we’ve got on the case.”

  “See you at eight.” Mr. Nash says and ends the call.

  Lila immediately throws one question after the other at me. I fill her in on everything Mr. Nash said. When I’m done she wraps her arms around me.

  “I don’t believe she did this,” Lila says. “There’s no way. She wouldn’t give up so easily. Carla’s a fighter. She knew what we’d find. Why would she go through everything she did to get her case considered by the Freedom Project and then give up before we’ve even started the legal process to free her? We didn’t tell her what we’ve found out about Billits or our suspicions about Diego. No. She didn’t do this. Something’s very wrong here.”

  “I agree.”

  “What if Billits goes for her again at the hospital?”

  “She’s under guard.”

  “A fake nurse or doctor could get into her room. The guards aren’t going to check out medical personnel. Their job is to make sure she doesn’t escape. They’re not there to protect her.”

  “I’m sure Mr. Nash has thought of that. Just to be sure I’ll call him back. Why don’t you get dressed? We have to be at the FBI office in a little over an hour.”

  She gives me a quick squeeze, then gathers her stuff and goes into the shower. I throw on some boxers and sit at the table going over everything we have on Carla’s case, adding new notes about what happened last night and the phone call this morning on the tablet I keep in my bag in my car. I already had Fred’s wifi password keyed in from when I stayed here before so I add the notes to the copy of the case file I keep in my cloud server. We should have everything we need to convince the FBI to look at Billits’s business dealings along with what happened in Carla’s case.

  Lila comes out of the tiny bathroom with a towel wrapped around her that barely meets. I get a glimpse of bare thigh and hip before she heads back to the bedroom to put her clothes on. I wish we didn’t have such a tight schedule. I’d rip that towel off and tumble her back down onto the bed. Instead I take my turn in the shower. By the time I get out Lila is dressed and waiting for me in the dinette area munching on a granola bar. She hands one to me and we gather up what we need to take with us. It’s not much. All of our physical files are at my place, but we have enough stored in my cloud server to present our case to the FBI.

  I just hope they see it the way we do.

  Lila’s quiet on the drive to meet Mr. Nash as the FBI building, but as soon as we got in the car she grabbed my hand and hasn’t let go. That’s a bold move for her. She’s not the most demonstrative person. I try not to think about what it might mean for us, if it means anything at all. She could just be scared and looking for comfort and I happen to be handy and willing.

  The FBI building looks like a normal multi-story office building. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe something less ordinary and ugly. Something fortress like and impenetrable. Instead it looks like a bunch of accountants and lawyers lease the place. If Lila has an opinion on the building and what we’re about to do she’s not giving it. She’s stayed fairly quiet and to herself since we got the phone call about Carla. She took the news hard, like she blamed herself. I’d tell her it’s not her fault, but I know her well enough to know it would be a wasted effort.

  I catch her hand as we walk side by side. She gives me a quick surprised glance, but doesn’t pull her hand away. I could be in some trouble with Mr. Nash over it. I’ll find a way around it if I am.

  Mr. Nash is already in the reception area when we walk in. He takes in our clasped hands. His face reveals nothing. I don’t know him well enough to know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. His son and Cora met during a case as did Beau and Vera so there’s some precedence here. Plus she’s not a client. That will hopefully work in our favor.

  “You must be Lila Garcia,” Mr. Nash says, extending his hand and forcing me to drop Lila’s so she can take his. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Brent McMahon.”

  I don’t know if Mr. Nash is making a point about mentioning Lila’s boss at the Freedom Project or if he’s just making conversation.

  “He’s had a lot of great things to say about you and your agency as well,” Lila tells him. “From my experience on this case it’s all true and more. Nolan’s been a tremendous help. I don’t know where we’d be without him.”

  “I only hire the best.” He turns his attention to me. “Bet you never thought taking this case would lead to being questioned by the FBI. Great work, Nolan. Really great work.” He shakes my hand and claps me on the back. “I’m proud of you, son.”

  “Thanks. We got more than we bargained on for sure. I just hope Carla is okay.” I glance at Lila, then back to Mr. Nash. “We’d really like to see her get her freedom.”

  A woman opens the door that leads to the offices. “Mr. Nash? The Special Agent in Charge will see you now. Please follow me.”

  We trailed behind her to a set of elevators. Lila put her hand in mine as we rode up to the fifth floor and didn’t let go until we were escorted into a conference room. We took our seats and waited. A few minutes later an older Asian gentleman joined us. Mr. Nash stood up and shook his hand, then introduced us to SAC Charles Fung.

  “Thank you for seeing us Agent Fung,” Mr. Nash began. “I told you a little bit about what Nolan and Miss Garcia found. I’m going to hand it off to them to tell you the rest. Nolan?”

  I began and then Lila joined in. We took everyone through the steps we went through and how we connected the dots from the information Carla gave us to Martin’s disappearance and possible death to Lila’s friend who intervened at the DA’s office and everything we discovered on our own. SAC Fung and Mr. Nash asked questions along the way. I didn’t hold back about how we obtained some of the information even if it might get me in trouble. When we finished SAC Fung sat back in his seat, rubbing his chin. Lila and I exchanged worried glances. He must be killer at poker because his face betrayed nothing. Mr. Nash however was beaming like a proud papa.

  “You skirted the law pretty cleverly,” Fung finally says to me. “We won’t be able to use some of what you found in our investigation because of how it was obtained.” He glances at Mr. Nash who shrugs as though he doesn’t care that my tactics weren’t entirely on the up and up. “But we’ll eventually get it and more by other means. We’ve got someone on the inside of his organization and have managed to connect it to Billits. But we don’t have enough for an arrest. None of the people we’ve picked up will talk. I don’t know what Billits did or is doing to engender that kind of loyalty, but we’ve been unable to break it.

  “We’ve got Carla Ruiz under restricted guard. Only pre-approved medical personnel are allowed into her room with law enf
orcement present. Her statement would give us the link we need to get Billits. Even if statutory rape is the only charge we can get him on it’s a start. Once we have that we can get a warrant to exhume Miss Ruiz’s son’s body for a DNA sample to prove paternity. We’re hoping she’ll be the break we need to tie Billits to the prostitution ring and will give us enough to make some arrests.

  “Miss Ruiz is the first person to break ranks with Billits. There’s no doubt in my mind that he tried have her killed. Her cellmate was transferred into Miss Ruiz’s cell the day before she allegedly tried to hang herself,” Fung continues. “We’re looking into how that happened and who made it happen. We’re hoping to catch a break there.”

  Fung glances between Lila and me. “Do the two of you have a safe place to stay until this is all over?”

  “Yes,” I say. “It’s not fancy, but we’ll be okay.”

  “I’ve got a car I want you to drive,” Mr. Nash says. “They’re going to be looking for yours. We need to make it as difficult as possible for them to find you. You should also change your appearances and try not to go out in public as much as possible.” He directs his next comment to Fung. “I’d hoped the FBI would approve some protection for you, but apparently that isn’t going to happen.”

  Fung gives a what can I do gesture. “It’s out of my hands. Neither one of them are material witnesses. I won’t be able to use the majority of the information they provided when this case goes to trial. I don’t have the budget to assign an agent to them or put them up in a safe house.” He turns to Lila and me. “I’m sorry, but you’re on your own.”

  24

  Lila

  Fung’s words run on a loop in my head. You’re on your own.

  I’ve been on my own for a long time, but it never felt like this. There’ve been times when my fears felt like they were devouring me from the inside out or like I was drowning in them. I’ve felt helpless and inconsequential. I’ve been overwhelmed, overburdened, and overpowered. During all of those times I was utterly and completely alone. I think it was that loneliness, of being isolated in my experiences that did the most damage.

  Glancing at Nolan as he concentrates on the road driving the car Mr. Nash loaned us, I realize I’m not alone anymore. For whatever reason I now have him. What I did to deserve him I don’t know. I’m surprised at how he somehow managed to slip past all of my defenses and offensives. We’re something more than we were before, more than I thought I deserved. I’m ashamed of that. I habitually held people away—lovers, friends, and family. I thought distance was protection. I see now that it didn’t make me stronger. It made me weaker.

  I think of Carla and how very, very similar we are in that way. She had no one then. She has us now. I want to go to her and tell her she’s no longer alone. We’ve worked hard on her behalf, harder than I’ve ever worked on anything, including myself. I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t pull through. She deserves the life she should’ve had. I really hope she gets it.

  After checking the car for trackers, Nolan drove a circuitous route back to Fred’s house. He said he was watching for anyone tailing us. We finally pull up the driveway of Fred’s house pretty sure we’re in the clear. Nolan gets out to open, then shut the gate after us. He turns the engine off, but we don’t get out right away. The tick of the engine is the only sound as we sit there waiting for what I don’t know. We’ve come to a point where there’s nothing more for us to do for Carla. We can’t go home and we can’t go to work. We’re in a sort of holding pattern with no end in sight.

  Oh, and we’re on our own.

  “What’s going to happen if Carla doesn’t pull through?” The question pops out before I can think to ask it.

  “I don’t know, but I imagine they’ll get Billits…eventually.”

  “That’s not very reassuring.”

  “No. It’s not.”

  “So in the mean time we’re on our own for an unknown amount of time.”

  “Pretty much.” There’s something about his tone that says he’s not going to just sit by and wait it out.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking that although I really like the idea of having nothing to do but make love to you day and night, we need to be proactive here. We’re missing something…”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know, but it feels like there’s a thread dangling that isn’t going to get snipped unless we do it.”

  “I have the same feeling. It’s incomplete, unfinished.” I turn to him. “What do you usually do when you hit a wall in a case?”

  “Go back to the beginning. Start from scratch and go through it all over again, trying to look at it from different angles. See if I missed anything or if something didn’t fit in with the rest of the case. Sometimes there’s a clue that seems inconsequential at the time that can break a case open and take it in a new direction.”

  “That’s what we’ll do then. Go back over everything. Do we have everything we need to do that?”

  He looks out the windshield, his wrist hanging over the steering wheel. “Most of it.” He taps the dashboard with the blunt end of his fingers, then reaches under his seat with both hands and pulls out a small box. He turns to me. “Do you know how to shoot a gun?”

  “What?”

  “Like you said, we’re on our own, which means we’re left to defend ourselves.”

  I stare at the box as though is holds a cobra prepared to strike. I’ve never seen a gun in person let alone touched one. I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I tell him this.

  He opens the box. Inside are two small guns. He takes one out and holds it in his palm. “It’s easy. Point and shoot.” He tucks it into his sock, then hands me the other one.

  “Where do I put it?”

  “Wherever you can easily access it.”

  I open the neck of my shirt and tuck it in my bra between my arm and my breast. “This isn’t going to accidentally go off and shoot my boob off, is it?”

  He laughs. “No, but be careful that’s my favorite of your boobs. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

  We climb out of the car. I wait while Nolan unlocks the RV. He pulls the door open, steps up, then stops.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Come on in,” a male voice I don’t recognize says. “And bring the lovely Miss Garcia with you.”

  Nolan turns to me and mouths run.

  “You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to your lover, would you Miss Garcia?”

  Nolan silently pleads with me to do what he said. He glances toward the gate and his gaze freezes. I turn to see what he’s looking at. One of the men from the Lucky Inn motel—Billits’s man—leans against Nolan’s car, his arms crossed over his chest, a gun in one hand. My attention snaps back to Nolan. His lips are pressed into a grim line. He takes my hand and leads me up into the RV.

  Billits sits at the dining table. His other man leans against the door to the bathroom, blocking the way to the bedroom, in the same pose as the man outside complete with a nasty looking gun.

  Billits extends his hand to the empty bench across from him in invitation. “Have a seat.”

  Nolan slides into the bench across from Billits. I sit next to Nolan, unable to keep my eyes off Billits. How did he find us? What does he want?

  “You’re good,” Billits says to Nolan. “You covered your tracks very well.”

  “Not well enough apparently.”

  Billits inclines his head, then turns his attention to me. “Miss Garcia. How nice to finally meet you. You’re even prettier in person.”

  “What do you want?” Nolan interjects.

  Billits ignores him, keeping his focus on me. “So noble too, helping those who can’t help themselves. But you’re wasting your time.”

  “What’s this about?” Nolan interrupts again. “What do you want?”

  Billits lazily flicks his hand toward Nolan like he’s an annoying insect buzzing around him. The big man behind us moves so fast I don’t
see him coming until his fist connects with Nolan’s face. Nolan’s head snaps back, then he slumps in his seat out cold. I scream. I’m suddenly cut off by the big man slapping a meaty hand on the tabletop in front of me. The threat is clear. I’m next if I don’t shut up. I turn to Nolan. Blood seeps out of his nose. It doesn’t look right. It’s swollen and off center. I shake him, but he doesn’t respond.

  “Forget him,” Billits commands, his voice agitated and annoyed.

  “He’s hurt.”

  “He’ll live. I said forget him.”

  I clasp Nolan’s limp hand under the table and turn my attention to Billits. “What do you want?” My voice comes out a lot stronger than I feel. I grip Nolan’s hand tighter.

  “Drop the case. It’s not going anywhere anyway.”

  “Thanks to you. How did you get to Carla?”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You got someone to do your dirty work for you. Martin, corrupt cops, these goons here, and Carla’s new cellmate. How could you? What did she ever do to you?”

  “She got what she had coming.”

  “She’s the mother of your child.”

  The minute widening of his eyes betrays him. “She was a meth whore who opened her legs to anyone for a hit.”

  “What do you mean was?”

  “Whores don’t last long. Whores who use have the life span of a fruit fly.”

  Everything in me goes cold. “What did you do to her?”

  “You shouldn’t have gone to the FBI.” He shakes his head sadly. “I’m very disappointed in you.” He reaches out to touch my face, but I move out of reach. “It’ll be a shame to see you go.”

  His meaning sinks in and the bottom drops out of my world. He’s going to kill us. Our bodies will never be found. Our families will never know what happened to us. I grip Nolan’s hand tighter. His twitches in response, then squeezes mine right back just as hard. He breaks my hold and taps something out on my palm that I don’t understand. I resist the urge to look at him, keeping my focus on Billits, and wait for Nolan to give me more. He folds down all of my fingers except my index finger and thumb. I finally get what he’s telling me. Gun.