“Hold on,” Maggie whispered. “Help is on its way.”
It wasn’t long before Richardson blacked out.
Within fifteen minutes, the area was covered in red and blue lights, swirling through the darkness. Richardson had been taken away by the paramedics, clinging to life. Maggie chose to ride in the back of the ambulance with him.
The scene became crowded as the rain became heavier. Javier had been cuffed by Yale and placed in the back of his police car. He was still a fugitive. Yale checked with his deputies and was about to drive Javier back to the prison when he passed Hunter standing by the hut.
“News has come through that the second prisoner has been injured in a shootout,” Yale said. “He’s alive, but he’ll have a long stretch in hospital.”
“And Javier?”
Yale looked back to the police car. “I have to take him back to prison. He’s still a fugitive.”
“But you heard what Richardson said,” Hunter stated. “He admitted he killed Chad. He admitted he was here.”
“And he’ll deny it, at first.” Yale tapped his chest. “But my body camera was turned on. Everything Richardson admitted to is on camera. With his daughter’s testimony, we can use that to charge him with murder.”
“This is over then?” Hunter asked as he looked at Javier sitting in the backseat of the car, head down. “This is all done?”
“Not yet.” Yale looked up at Hunter. “I need a favor from you first.”
Chapter 47
Mayor West walked into the office of Tex Hunter in Longford, Illinois. The afternoon sun was blaring in through the windows, threatening another heatwave. Hunter hadn’t had more than a few hours sleep in the past two days, and coffee was the only thing fueling him.
“How can I help you, Mayor West?” Hunter waited behind his desk, sipping on a coffee. “I’ll tell you straight, so there’s no confusion—I’m not taking any more business in the city of Longford, including yours.”
“It’s sad what happened to Richardson last night,” West said. “I wanted you to know I’m glad you came out just fine.”
“How can I help you?” Hunter was blunt.
“I was impressed with what you did in Javier’s trial. You’re quite the force in the courtroom,” West said. “What a talented guy. I think we were all afraid of you when you came into the city. We hadn’t seen the likes of you before.”
“Thank you.” Hunter leaned back in the chair. “But it doesn’t answer my question.”
West walked forward and sat down at the desk. He wiped his brow.
“It was a bad thing that happened last night.”
“Not for Javier.”
“No, not for Javier.” West agreed. “But bad for Chief Richardson. The word is that he admitted to killing Chad on Yale’s body camera.”
“Word travels fast in small cities.”
“They said you were there as well. I’m glad Richardson wasn’t too badly hurt.” West looked over his shoulder. “It’s just that, well, you see, I’m in quite the predicament.”
“How so?”
“I received a call from Jack Yale this morning. Apparently, Richardson was scared by his brush with death and he’s willing to turn on his old partners to get a reduced sentence for Chad’s murder.” He looked over his shoulder again, and then lowered his voice. “And that means trouble for me.”
“As you’re not my client, and I have no intention of taking you on, I must warn you that this conversation isn’t covered by client-attorney privilege. Anything you say here can be repeated in court.” Hunter was firm. “In this conversation, I’m not acting as your lawyer. Are we clear on that?”
“Ok. Sure. Talk to me as a friend.”
“I need you to say it.”
“Still all high and mighty, eh? That’s what they said about you—even when nobody is watching, you still play things by the book.” West waggled his finger in the air. “And they were right.”
Hunter didn’t respond.
“Sure.” West wiped his brow again. “I understand we aren’t covered by privilege.”
“Good,” Hunter said. “What have you been charged with?”
“Nothing yet, but if Richardson talks, then I’m screwed. Totally screwed. He knows everything about me. All the business approvals come through my office, and well, let’s just say that some people have their approvals fast-tracked and others have their applications declined based on how much money I see.” He sighed. “And Richardson has forced me to set up some people over the years.”
“Anna Michele Laurie’s son?”
West looked up at Hunter, surprised he knew the name. “That was a bad one, but Richardson made me do it. He wanted to get back at her for rejecting him.” West sighed. “Richardson’s worse than me. He’s taken bribes from everyone. The criminals, the good guys, it doesn’t matter. If he needs to make some extra cash, he makes up accusations, arrests people, and then gets a nice little payoff to drop the false charges.”
“And there’s evidence of this?”
“There’s a book he keeps. It has all the dates and history of his payoffs. He keeps it in his office, under lock and key. That book has my name in it, and I’m worried about what it says. You’ve got to lodge a motion with the court to keep my name out of this, or whatever it is you do,” West said. “I need your skills to make sure I’m not implicated, and I’m willing to pay your rates.”
“I told you the second you walked in here I wasn’t going to defend you, and I told you that I wasn’t acting in my role as an attorney. I have no interest in ever defending you. Nothing that was said here was covered by the attorney-client privilege.” Hunter stood. “But what I didn’t tell you was this conversation is being recorded.”
“What?” The Mayor squinted. “Why?”
Hunter looked at the front door as it opened and Jack Yale walked in.
“I set you up, Mr. West.” Yale approached West with two uniform officers following him. “Right from the first phone call this morning. It was a gamble, but I thought once you heard that Richardson was rolling over on his associates, you’d come running straight here to Mr. Hunter.”
West looked back to Hunter, eyebrows raised.
“Richardson was never going to roll over,” Hunter said. “Yale called you in the hope that you would panic and call me. And now it’s over for you. The corruption racket you’ve run for decades has finally crumbled.”
“And thanks for the information about the book. We didn’t know that,” Yale said. “It’s over. Your run of causing pain all over this city has ended. All your connections, all the people you used, won’t help you on this one. You’re done. It’s over.”
“You can’t do that. You can’t do this to me. Everything that was said here was privileged information,” West continued. “You can’t use any of this. I’ll fight it in court.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Yale said. “But I’m sure the book will help. And your confession here is enough to start an investigation.”
“But it was privileged! You can’t use it! I know my rights.”
“We’ll let a judge decide on that one,” Yale said. “But I dare say that Judge Johnson isn’t going to help you out after you lied in court last time.”
“No.” West was breathless, confusion washed over his face. “It wasn’t me. It was all Richardson.”
“There’s plenty of time for talking.” Yale nodded to the two uniformed police officers. “Bob West, you’re under arrest for fraud on a governmental entity.”
Chapter 48
Javier Mitchell walked across the bridge in Norwich Park, stopping for a moment at the temporary shrine to Chad Townsend. He drew a deep breath, looking at the smiling photo of Chad that sat at the back of the flowers. Some of the flowers were weeks old, others had been laid there that morning. It was hard for the city to forget. Chief Richardson’s arrest and confession had been the talk of the town for the past two weeks, leading local conversations and most local radio discussions. His cri
me left a feeling of confusion throughout the streets, especially for the people who’d spent a lifetime praising Richardson’s hardline stance on crime and justice. There were people that still defended Richardson, and claimed he had to be innocent, but the facts were drowning out their voices. Jack Yale had stepped into the temporary role of Police Chief while Richardson’s charges were processed, and his first statement to the public promised to end the decades of corruption that occurred behind closed doors.
At first, Richardson had seemed determined to fight the murder charges, but when offered a deal to serve his time in a comfortable privately-run prison in a neighboring county for an early guilty plea, Richardson conceded the truth. He would have to spend at least five years behind bars before his first parole hearing, but his time was going to be filled by card games, tennis, and reading in the library. Hardly fair and just, Javier thought when he heard the news, but at least the ordeal was over. After Richardson signed the guilty plea, it took another week to process Javier’s release from the Marline County Prison. It was the longest week of his life. He was on edge the entire time, checking over his shoulder constantly, cautious of every movement, and scared to be left alone with the other prisoners.
“Are you ready to go?” Maggie Richardson called, standing next to the hut nearby. She waited by the door, blonde hair hanging over her shoulders, a smile across her face. She walked closer to him and pointed back to the city. “Are you sure you’re ready to say goodbye to Longford?”
“Strangely enough, I think I’ll miss it.” Javier leaned on the bridge railing and took in the view of the lake. The ducks were happily swimming, moving freely in the calm waters. “I think I’ll miss this city.”
“Are you serious?” Maggie laughed. “Don’t change your mind on me now. Everything is ready to go.”
Javier stepped off the bridge, and they embraced, sharing a gentle kiss. They walked hand in hand back to the Elliston Avenue address where Maggie now lived alone.
“What happens to the house?” Javier looked up to the large two-story home. “Now your Dad is in prison, who’s going to take care of it?”
“I don’t care. I have no interest in it. My father is going to be in prison for at least five years, and by the time he comes out, I hope it’s been taken over by rodents.” Maggie stopped at the front fence. “I went and saw him yesterday.”
“How was he?”
“Grumpy, and not even one little bit remorseful.” She folded her arms across her chest. “He didn’t care that he killed Chad. It didn’t even phase him in the slightest. He said Chad deserved it after what he said about me, but I don’t feel responsible for it. No person should die because they said something nasty about someone else. Sticks and stones, right?”
Javier put his arm around her, pulling her into his chest.
“He beat me for years and he thinks Chad was the bad one? I remember one night, when I was fifteen, he came home drunk and demanded I make him a coffee at 1am. I did it, but he said there was too much cream in it. He beat me so bad after that.”
“He’s locked up,” Javier reassured her, holding her tight. “He can’t hurt you now.”
“I’m so, so sorry that I didn’t step forward earlier. I should’ve stood up to him. I should’ve—”
“No, he was violent and you were terrified of him. You don’t need to apologize. I chose to keep your name out of it, remember?”
“I have some good memories of him,” she whispered. “Before Mom died, I remember him as a good man. He played with me on weekends, and he came to all my school plays, but I guess he never recovered from her death.” She paused for a few long moments and then looked up to her bedroom window. “I was so scared the night Chad died. I was so scared of my father. After seeing my father murder Chad, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t call the cops. I couldn’t tell you what I saw. I couldn’t tell anyone. I was afraid if I told the truth, he’d do the same to me. I hid in my room, and when I heard you were arrested, I went to tell Jack Yale the truth, but my father stopped me before I could tell him. He said he wiped everything I’d said. That’s when I knew I had no chance against him.” A tear dropped down her cheek. “You were lucky the lawyer fought for you. I can’t imagine how many times my father has done this to people he wanted out of Longford.”
“The lawyer was a good man. I was lucky he came down from Chicago.” Javier nodded. “He was willing to fight to the end.”
“Did he get what he needed from your mother’s friend?”
“I don’t know.” Javier shrugged. “I hope he finds the truth he’s looking for. He deserves it.”
After Richardson’s arrest, Hunter worked hard on Javier’s release. He was there, waiting in the dirt parking lot, when Javier stepped out of prison. Hunter offered his hand to shake, but Javier ignored it and embraced Hunter in a hug, before he wept gently. The hard exterior that Javier had built in prison had broken.
The connections he’d made with the other Mexicans in prison only had reach within Marline County, and Javier wasn’t going to stay anywhere near there. He was driving as far from Marline County as he could. Carlos and Al were both looking at long stretches and would’ve long forgotten Javier’s name by the time they were released, if they made it that far.
“Did you say bye to your Uncle and cousin?” Maggie asked. “Is everything ready to go?”
“I said goodbye to them this morning, and everything is packed and ready for us to pick up,” Javier said. “My uncle gave me some money because he feels guilty about what happened. I told him I didn’t need it, but he insisted I take it. He said I deserved a vacation after the stint in prison. That gives us a small financial buffer to travel for a little while.” Javier pointed to Maggie’s van, parked at the side of the house. “So, are you sure this beast will get us all the way to California?”
“It sure will.” She smiled and dangled the keys in the air. “It’s time to leave this city behind and drive west.”
Chapter 49
Tex Hunter sat in his Chicago office, leaning back on his chair, staring out the window. On the other side of the large Oak desk, Esther Wright sat opposite him, waiting in silence. Hunter tapped his finger on the edge of the desk, nervously impatient. The call was late. He was starting to doubt whether the call would come in at all. He’d risked it all to defend Javier, he’d risked it all for the chance to expose the truth.
He sipped on a glass of Koval single barrel bourbon whiskey. Distilled in Chicago, the clean drop had become one of his favorites over the past five years. It was light, driven by oak flavors, complete with a sweet aftertaste. Hunter liked his straight. Esther had two cubes of ice in hers. They sat in silence, staring at their drinks, wondering when the phone would ring. Esther clinked her ice cubes side to side in the glass, the only noise in the room.
The silence seemed to last forever.
At fifteen minutes past 5pm, five days after he successfully walked Javier Mitchell out of prison, Hunter’s cell phone rang. He placed it on the table.
Esther looked at him and then nodded. Hunter drew a breath. He answered the call and turned it on speaker.
“Hello, Tex.” It was Natalie, calling from Mexico, holding up her end of the deal. “Thank you for helping Javier. You’ll never know how much it meant to his mother. She was sure he was innocent, and it was breaking her heart she couldn’t help him.”
“His parents didn’t know that you’re my sister.” Hunter leaned forward, closer to the phone. “They thought we were old friends, and I owed you a favor from many years ago.”
Natalie didn’t respond immediately. She waited and then drew a long breath. “The only person who knows the truth about my family is my husband. I told him after we’d been married for five years, and he was shocked. Not even my kids know, and I’ve never told anyone else. How could I? People don’t respond well to the fact that you’re the child of a convicted serial killer.”
“I know.” Hunter’s response was blunt.
“Of cour
se, you do,” she replied. “I can’t imagine how hard it was for you growing up. I thought about you a lot over the years. I hoped you were doing well, and you were. You were doing great for yourself, a very successful lawyer. Patrick as well. I just couldn’t ever contact you. That part of my life had to stay buried.”
“Because you murdered your friends?” Hunter’s tone was flat.
“Is that what you think happened?”
“You were violent in your early years in Mexico. Patrick and I found your police records. Five arrests for violent assault and five stints in prison. We found out all about your past.”
Natalie was silent for a long time. After twenty-five long seconds of silence, Hunter doubted whether she was still on the line.
“Our father is innocent,” she finally responded. “He’s done all this time in prison to protect me, but it’s not what you think.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
“The truth is…” She paused. “The truth is I need to talk to our father first.”
“We had a deal, Natalie. I save your friend’s son, and you tell me the truth.”
“I know.” Her voice was soft. “I’m going to drive to Chicago.”
“I can pay for your flight.”
“No. I’m not going to fly into Chicago. It’s too dangerous. I’ll cross the border and drive up. It’ll be safer that way.”
“When?”
“Next week. I’ve taken some time off work in the café, and I’ll start driving on Monday. I’ll call you when I’m in Chicago.” She drew a breath. “Let Patrick know. I’ll see you in a week and a half.”
She ended the call. Hunter stared at the phone.
“Are you ok?” Esther’s voice was gentle. “Do you think she’ll come here?”
“I don’t know.” Hunter continued staring at the phone. “If she doesn’t, then this is over. Without her, I’m at a dead end.”
“We’re at a dead end.”
Natural Justice: A Legal Thriller (Tex Hunter Legal Thriller Series Book 6) Page 22
