Reaching around to the back seat, he lifts a box of doughnuts off the leather interior, offering Jack one first.
“Doughnuts?” Jack laughs. “Are you serious? Have you turned into a stereotypical stakeout cop now?”
“No.” Bill laughs with him. “I just had a craving for doughnuts this morning.”
“I have never known you to eat doughnuts, Bill. Usually, it’s only carrot sticks and apples in your car, and you use whiskey as your only vice. Drowning out your emotions in fatty food is something new.”
“You know, maybe I should look for another vice. Maybe it’s not all that healthy drowning my emotions in glasses of whiskey.”
A moment of silence drifts over them…
And then they both burst out laughing.
“Go on, give me one then.” Jack laughs heartily. “I bet these are doughnuts baked in whiskey glaze!”
“I wish.” Bill laughs with him.
They sit chuckling to themselves, biting into a plain glazed doughnut each. They have never felt more like cops on a stakeout than now.
“What else have you got?”
“He’s connected. Really well-connected.” Jack licks his fingers. “You know, we should eat doughnuts more often. That was delicious.”
“It’s not whiskey, but it’s not bad.” Bill does the same. Index finger, middle finger. Right hand. Left hand. “But tell me more about Miles.”
“He must be very well-linked because he seems to be a step ahead of everyone. After he walked out of the warehouse, the cops arrived only a few minutes later. He knew the cops were coming, and he knew when to bail out of there. Only someone who is well-connected would know that.”
“How many cops came to the warehouse?”
“I didn’t stick around to find out, Bill. I heard the sirens coming and then got out of there myself. It wouldn’t have looked too good if I was caught there.”
“Understandable. Any idea who he’s connected to?” Bill asks the question, although he already knows the answer.
“Word on the street is that some detectives in the department want to make a bit of extra money on the side. Send their kids to a good college. You can’t do that on a straight cop’s wage.”
“No names?”
“Not yet.” Jack looks out the window as a girl in a bikini rolls past on rollerblades. “But I’ll tell you something, Bill. People are scared of these guys. These men take people out who get in their way. A lot of people, even my best informants, were reluctant to talk about Lewis or Miles. I didn’t get a lot of information, but what I do know is that these men have killed before and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”
“I’m starting to get that impression.”
“And if you think you’re going to pin the Carlos drug case on Lewis, then you better be prepared to be attacked. If anyone goes sniffing in their dirt, they usually end up missing. I was careful to cover my tracks, but they know you’re defending Carlos. Word is, Miles is on high alert at the moment. A big drug run is coming up from Mexico shortly, and he’s nervous about all the attention Carlos is getting.”
“Was Hardgrave’s name mentioned by anybody?”
“No. All I know is that they’re connected to somebody.”
“I heard that Hardgrave pointed Lewis in the direction of the cops who could be bought by a few dollars. I think that’s where they got their start.”
“So Hardgrave was dirty?”
“No.” Bill eyes off another doughnut. “He was desperate to see his daughter, and what he gave away seemed to be common knowledge anyway. I understand the desperation to see his daughter.”
“Do you know who they’re connected to on the inside?”
“I tailed Miles two days ago, and saw him talking to Pitt.”
“Matthew Pitt?”
“That’s right. They were talking quietly in a bar on Rodeo Drive. It was busy enough not to get seen together, but not quiet enough to raise suspicion. It was the perfect cover for an off-the-books chat.”
“So he’s dirty?”
“I don’t know. I’m digging around to try and find that out.”
“Be very careful where you dig. These men have no issue with violence.”
“That’s never stopped me before, Jack. Justice shouldn’t run away from danger.”
“But this is next level, Bill. I know you love danger, but this is different. This is like going on a theme park ride and not buckling up. You might get more of a rush, but you might also end up flying into the crowd below. Be careful.”
Bill looks out to the view again, studying the distant horizon. If this was to be one of his last days, then he wants this to be one of his final memories – sitting in a car, with his great friend, staring at the vast blue ocean.
A moment of real emotion that he doesn’t want drowned out by whiskey.
“I’m serious, Bill. Maybe you should leave the Hardgrave murder to the cops, and just focus on your case. That case is taking you close enough to these guys. If they get wind that you’re looking into the Hardgrave murder as well, then they’ll come after you. Hard.”
“Hardgrave was a good man, and he deserves justice. I can’t trust the cops to bring justice to the murderer.”
“Just… be careful.” There is a level of fear in Jack’s voice that Bill hasn’t heard before.
And that alarms him.
A lot.
Chapter 15
Kate attacks her keyboard with intense vigor, punching in notes while they’re fresh in her head. Her investigation skills aren’t as polished as her boss’, but she thrives on the challenge. Being involved in the cases, being part of the action, makes her heart pump. It lets her know that she’s alive.
She barely stops punching the keyboard as Bill strides back into his office.
“That must have been a long chat with Lewis?” she says, not taking her eyes off the computer screen in front of her.
“It wasn’t just coffee with Lewis; I stopped for a bite of lunch, and then a few doughnuts before I came back here. We don’t have any meetings this afternoon, do we?”
“Nothing on the schedule, boss,” she says, still not taking her eyes away from her work. “How was lunch?”
“Interesting,” Bill responds, standing in front of her desk. “I had lunch with a detective working the Hardgrave murder.”
“Oh yes.” Kate stops typing and looks up at Bill, fluttering her eyelids. “Anything that you wish to share?”
Average grades at school meant Kate never thought she would work in a job that she loves.
Not that she wasn’t smart, she was just too busy boosting her self-esteem by chasing boys. After graduation, she expected that she would spend her life working in a beige call center, staring at a computer screen, keying personal details into a computer program, allowing the walls of boredom to slowly close in on her. When her first husband swept her off her feet with roses, flash cars, and flash restaurants, she thought she had been saved from a life of monotony.
Unfortunately, it was all a show. The man had a few dollars of inheritance, which he blew very quickly, and had never worked a day in his life. He still hasn’t.
The money caused her to overlook a lot of things, but when the show dried out, she was left with a deadbeat that would spend his days playing the computer, drinking, and smoking. She struggled for years to recapture those fleeting few moments of young love before she kicked him out.
But he did deliver the gift of her beautiful son, and for that, she’s thankful, even if she has to support him by herself now.
When she attempted to reenter the workforce as a fraught single mother, she never imagined that she would land a job that she loves. She never imagined that she would ever have that.
“They don’t have a public lead for the Hardgrave murder and the pressure is mounting.” Bill picks up the postal mail on the edge of Kate’s desk, scanning through the sent addresses to determine their possible content. “And the media are getting desperate. They want a lead. The
y want something in this story. This story is selling papers, and people are hungry for an answer. It’s not a good look for the police department when they have a judge murdered in his own home, and they have no one to give to the public. The people want a suspect, and they haven’t fronted one yet. The pressure is only building, and they’ll continue to get front-page news every day this isn’t solved.”
“So they have nothing? Not a thing?”
“They have everything they need. I’m just not sure they’re doing what they need to do.” He slowly opens a plain, white envelope with no return address. “They’re currently looking at a few drug connections, both of whom are also connected to our client.”
“Lewis and Miles?”
“That’s right. And it’s obvious that they’re tailing Lewis because as soon as I finished my coffee with him, they called me and offered to buy me lunch. That certainly wasn’t a coincidence.”
He opens the envelope and looks inside.
One photo, nothing more.
No letter. No note.
“Could you help them out with any information?”
“No. Lewis didn’t give me a lot to go on. But I would bet that he has lied so many times that he wouldn’t even know what the truth is anymore. He wouldn’t even know how to tell the truth. What we do know is Lewis was dating Hardgrave’s daughter. Lewis has an alibi for the time of Hardgrave’s death, which coincidently is also the time my client’s apartment was being raided.”
“And Carlos is the alibi?”
“That’s right. But I don’t think they were really together at the time. They’re both sticking to the story that they were at a diner having lunch, but it clearly isn’t true.”
“Did you tell the detectives that?”
Slowly, Bill removes the photo from the envelope.
“I would never jeopardize my client’s case. If it comes out in court that they weren’t together, then that’s another thing. Let’s hope that the prosecution doesn’t push that line of questioning too far because it wouldn’t look good for Carlos if he’s caught lying with Lewis. They might as well call him guilty now if that happens.”
“But you think one of them is involved in the Hardgrave murder?”
“I’m not sure…” Bill’s focus has turned to the letter.
He removes the photo and stares at it – a color 6x4 inch photo of their office front door.
Clear. Bright.
Recent.
Slowly, he turns around and looks at the door. “When did this letter arrive?”
“Just this morning,” Kate responds. “The letter came in with all the others. What is it?”
“A photo.”
“Of?”
“Our office front door.”
“And that’s it? No other letter inside?”
He looks back inside the envelope. “Nothing.”
“No return address?” Kate questions.
He stares at the front door. “Kate, you need to be very careful over the coming days. If you’re in the office alone, I want you to lock the front door. Make our clients buzz in. Don’t work late. Don’t be here after dark. If you don’t feel comfortable at any time, call me. Do you understand?”
“What’s going on?”
“Do you understand me, Kate?” Bill is firm.
“I understand.” She nods apprehensively. “Do you think that photo is about this case?”
“Actually, Kate, it’ll be better if you take a few days off. Don’t come into the office at all.”
“No,” she argues. “I want to come in. I want to help with these cases.”
“No.” He shakes his head while the thoughts race through it.
“I promise I’ll be careful, Bill. I won’t leave late. I’ll lock the office door. I promise.”
He looks at her, his eyes thinning as he stares down at the person who knows him the best. “Only if you keep safe. Only work during daylight hours. I’m not risking you for this case.”
Chapter 16
After checking the adjoining parking lot for any sign of activity, Bill returns to his office, flicking through paperwork; ticking boxes, signing his name where appropriate.
The photo is a clear threat.
He has dug too far into the world of the drug dealers, and now they know about Kate. He can’t risk her. His heart won’t take it.
When it was only his neck on the line, he was comfortable. If his time has come, then he could go on happily doing what he loves. But when the threat comes against one of the only few people he really cares about, the case changes.
“Bill?” Kate enters his office softly, a file against her chest. “I’ve been thinking about that photo.”
“Go on.”
“Maybe I dug a little too deep with Michelle—”
“No. Kate, this isn’t about you. This isn’t about what you’ve done. We’re dealing with some very evil people, and they don’t play nicely. It’s nothing to do with you, and everything to do with them. Don’t blame yourself for this.”
“Thanks, Bill.” Kate gently sits down on a chair in the spacious, well-lit office. “We know why Lewis would want Hardgrave dead—”
“Why?” Bill steers his attention away from the paperwork.
“Because he’s dating her daughter, and he’s a big-name drug dealer. That lines up for me. Every judge in this country is concerned about his or her reputation and having a daughter that’s addicted to drugs is one thing… but having a daughter addicted to drugs and dating a drug baron, that’s another thing altogether. I bet that Judge Hardgrave was pushing to have Lewis locked up, and Lewis wouldn’t have liked that at all.”
“Hardly a motive that would convict a man of murder.”
“But it’s a start. And look, I’m the secretary, you’re the lawyer, if I come up with the theories, you can prove them.” Kate smiles cheekily. “That’s how teams work.”
“We’re a good team,” Bill agrees.
“I’ll tell you something about Carlos,” Kate states in a matter-of-fact fashion. “He looks off.”
“Off?”
“Yeah, like something isn’t right in his head. He looks like he could easily kill someone. He just has that look in his eyes, Bill. That creepy, faraway look. I have seen it before, and I know that working in this office, I’ll see it again. He looks off.”
“He might have been in the past, Kate,” Bill says, again in agreement. “He was heavily involved in the drug trade. That was his life, and I’m sure that he has seen death before. But he changed. He went to prison, and he changed. He has been doing good recently, Kate. He has been helping drug addicts reform, and he’s doing it all without a dollar of payment. That’s not the behavior of a killer. That’s a man who has recognized he has sinned and is trying to right the wrongs of his past. He’s after redemption for that pain he caused.”
“Maybe he’s just doing the good deeds because of his guilt over all the bad things he has done.”
“Maybe. Regardless of the reason that he’s doing it, he’s still doing good. He’s still making a change in the world. And I truly think he wants to do good in this world and leave his mark. I think he wants to be remembered for making the world a better place, not for being a part of the drug trade. He’s leaving his legacy.”
“You’ve been wrong before.” Kate smiles, knowing that Bill hates that line.
“Once,” he states firmly. “And you’ve never let me forget it. What have you found out about Michelle?”
Kate flicks open the file in her hands, reviewing the notes. “I did everything quietly, like you said. First, I did lots of online research, and I found her social media accounts, with lots of photos. She has an account with all the big social media sites, and makes a lot of comments on some blog posts.”
“And?”
“Most of her photos on social media are of her alone – a lot of selfies. On her Facebook account, she posts lots of tough quotes, like this one: I don’t need anybody. The strongest look after themselves. Or this
one: Sometimes, it’s better off to be alone. Then nobody can hurt you. There were lots of quotes like this posted on her accounts.”
“Sounds like somebody that has been hurt in the past.”
“So, then I asked around a few dirty bars in East L.A. that she had checked into on social media, and a few people knew her. I was told that she was a thief, a violent person, and a mean woman. She’s not a nice girl, Bill. Nobody had anything nice to say about her. Not a pretty picture at all. If she were a painting, she would be ‘The Scream’ – that’s how bad I think she is.”
“That’s what happens when you spend a decade addicted to drugs. She’s got a long record as well. Lots of pickups for drugs, and petty theft. Lots of minor charges, some stints behind bars, but nothing major. Did you see her in person?”
“Only once. It was just a coincidence, and I didn’t mean to see her, but I was in Walmart, and this skinny woman pushed past everyone in the line, swearing loudly, and yelling that she needs a smoke. Nobody argued with her. I think everyone was scared of her. She even threatened to punch the attendant if she didn’t hurry up.”
“Not a pretty picture at all.”
Kate picks up the L.A. Times on Bill’s desk and opens it to the social section. “I read this on the way in this morning. Her father got a good write-up in this article about social change. Apparently, before he died, he started a movement called ‘Cake with Friend’. It was to combat loneliness in the older generation. They must have thought he was very special because there is even a color photo of him. Here, he’s reading calmly in his living room. I want to look that calm when I’m seventy years old.”
She hands the paper across to Bill, and he rustles through the paper. “That’s a nice photo of Hardgrave. He looks very comfortable in his old age. Calm. Relaxed. Happy.”
“Crazy living room though,” Kate comments on the picture.
“He was always known for being very eccentric. I remember five years ago, he bought a brand-new Aston Martin that was gray in color. Everyone was surprised that he would buy such a plain looking car. One week later, he comes back with the car, and he has had it spray painted bright yellow. The yellowest car I have ever seen. It looked like a long banana.”
Redeeming Justice_A Legal Thriller Page 8
