Insider Justice: A Financial Thriller (Marc Kadella Legal Mysteries Book 8)

by Dennis Carstens

  “Dear old dad, Cal Simpson. And I’m pretty sure he told Samantha. I have no idea who else they might have told. I know Cal had a lot of stock in the company. At least he did at one time.”

  “You realize, of course, keeping that memo from going to the plaintiffs could be a motive for murder,” Marc said.

  “I know,” Zach whispered back to him. “Keeping that thing quiet would be in everyone’s best interest.”

  Marc sat back in the cheap, plastic, molded chair and stared at the blank wall for a moment.

  “Did you make any copies before you sent it to me?”

  “No,” Zach said shaking his head. “I figured the fewer that were out there, the better. Didn’t you get it? It shouldn’t take more than a couple of days.”

  “No,” Marc said. He took his phone out, dialed the office and put it to his ear.

  “Carolyn, its Marc. Did the mail come today?”

  “Yeah,” he heard Carolyn reply. “A few things for you.”

  “Have you opened them? Anything from Zach Evans?”

  “Yes and no,” Carolyn replied. “Yes, Sandy opened it and no, nothing from Zach.”

  “Thanks, see you later,” Marc said. He looked at Zach and said, “Nothing today, either. Are you sure it…”

  “That bitch,” Zach said realizing who must have stopped it.

  “Who?”

  “My secretary, Marjorie. I’ll bet she intercepted it. I don’t know who would have it, but…”

  “We’ll find out,” Marc said. He looked at his watch and announced it was time to go. Marc summoned the deputy who told them to leave Zach’s jail clothes in the room.

  “I’ll meet you over there,” Marc said.

  The crowd was moving slowly out of the courtroom as the deputies put handcuffs on Zach. A woman was reaching across the railing and tugging on Marc’s sleeve. Her name was Gabriella Shriqui. She was the host of an afternoon news show on a local TV station in the Cities. Gabriella had silky black hair six inches below her shoulders, light caramel skin that looked like a perpetual tan and dark, almost black, slightly almond shaped eyes. She was also Marc’s investigator’s best friend and a good friend of Marc.

  “Gabriella! Stop it!” Marc said feigning annoyance with her. “Go out in the hall and I’ll be out in a few minutes. You’ll get you your interview.”

  Gabriella turned her mouth down, stuck out her lower lip and cast her eyes down into a fake pout. Marc laughed then said, “Yeah, that’ll work.”

  Gabriella flashed a big smile at him and said, “Hurry up. I haven’t got all day.”

  “You know her?” Zach whispered after she left. “Could you introduce me?”

  “Aren’t you in enough trouble?” Marc replied.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I sometimes forget myself.”

  “Besides, Samantha is in the hall waiting for me. We’ll get the million dollars sent in and get you out of here. Keep your mouth shut.”

  The hearing itself had been short and sweet. Judge Anderson came out at 1:00 on the button and started right away. He knew exactly what he wanted and how to conduct a court appearance.

  The first thing he did was take a moment to look over the crowd. Half of Foster was trying to get in to see the show. The clerk’s office had received almost a dozen requests for reserved seats from the media. All of them were accommodated but without allowing recording devices. And no one would be allowed to stand.

  The judge took a minute to address the crowd and sternly warned them about court decorum. Any nonsense and the person or persons involved would find out what the inside of a jail cell looked like.

  He then got down to business. Marc waived reading of the charges. Zach entered a not guilty plea, and the argument over bail began.

  Demarcus Tice was arguing for the state. The county attorney himself handling a first appearance was unusual in the extreme. Of course, he argued that given the defendant’s resources, he was certainly a flight risk. Also, the severity of the crime demanded that the defendant be held without bail.

  Apparently, Judge Anderson did not believe that an officer of the court with a sterling reputation would skip out. He set bail at a million dollars, ordered Zach to surrender his passport, and the whole thing was over by 1:20.

  “Were you surprised that the judge allowed bail?” Gabriella asked Marc while Kyle Bronson, her cameraman, filmed.

  “A little, yeah, to be honest. It’s a small town, the judge and prosecutor are elected officials, and the easy thing to do would be to remand him into custody. I think Judge Anderson was correct when he said that keeping him in jail with his lawyer two hours away would be detrimental to his defense. That’s why he set bail.”

  Gabriella tossed him a few more questions about the case digging for facts and evidence she could use. Marc knew better than to bite on it and the interview ended.

  “What are you doing here anyway?” Marc asked as Kyle put away their equipment.

  “I’m on vacation,” she replied. “I went home for a few days, back in Michigan. I love my parents but staying in that house with them about drove me nuts.”

  “Mom still reminding you about the ticking biological clock?” Marc asked with a smile.

  “Never ends,” Gabriella said. She tilted her head backward, looked Marc over then said, “You know, maybe I should have you help me with that.”

  Marc looked at his watch then said, “Wow! Look at the time. I better get going.”

  “Feet don’t fail me now?” Gabriella asked. “Don’t worry,” she laughed. “I don’t want to risk the kid getting lawyer genes.

  “Seriously, how long before he gets out?” she asked.

  “His wife is working on it now. Shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours,” Marc replied.

  “I’m gonna stick around and get some film of him leaving the jail,” she said.

  Marc leaned down and whispered in her ear, “He’s being held in a holding cell downstairs here in the courthouse. I’ll walk him out the front door for you. Be nice and give us a little space.”

  “Okay. Do you want to get coffee? There’s a place up the street,” Gabriella asked.

  Marc could see Samantha walking toward him, probably with news about bail.

  “Um, yeah, sure. Give me a minute. I need to talk to someone.”

  Marc walked off and met Samantha. She gave him the paperwork for the bail and told him her dad would wire it in shortly. She then said she was leaving, which Marc knew. He had already agreed to wait for Zach and drive him home.

  Marc went first to check on Zach and tell him what was going on. He then left his cell phone number with the court clerk’s office and asked to be notified when the wire was received.

  At 3:45, Marc and Zach walked out the front door of the courthouse. Marc had warned him about Gabriella and her cameraman. The two of them walked down the sidewalk, past the monument of a dead Jacob Foster still holding the flag at Gettysburg, then turned left to go to the corner of Walnut and Main. All the while, Gabriella was filming them.

  They waited at the corner for the light to change so they could cross Main to where Marc’s car was parked. The light changed and they started out. When they were almost half-way across, a nondescript, plain-looking, older brown van began racing down the street. Hearing the engine, Kyle turned toward it and began filming it as it raced toward the corner. Barely a second before it happened, both Marc and Zach turned toward the vehicle. Zach froze a step behind Marc who started to move just as the van hit them both.

  Gabriella looked on in wide-eyed horror while Kyle remained calm and professional and filmed it all. At the moment of impact, Gabriella’s view of her friend and his client was blocked by the van. Still filming, the two of them saw the van race through the intersection, through a red light almost hitting another car. The entire hit and run occurred directly in front of the sheriff’s office and the Foster PD department.

  SIXTEEN

  The bell for the elevator dinged then the doors started to move.
Before they finished opening, all five passengers were out and quickly, almost trotting, walked down the third-floor hallway. They were in the Foster County Medical Center.

  Maddy Rivers was in front leading the way with her arm around the shoulders of Jessica Kadella. With them were Tony Carvelli, Connie Mickelson, and Eric Kadella.

  While the paramedics worked on Marc while he was lying in the street, Gabriella had stepped away to make a phone call. Maddy had answered on the third ring and within five minutes was on her way to pick up Eric and Jessica. While she drove, she called Carvelli who then called Connie Mickelson. Maddy called Judge Tennant, Marc’s ex-girlfriend. She told the judge what happened who in return told Maddy she could not leave yet but to keep her informed.

  Maddy picked up the kids, then met Carvelli and Connie at the law office. They drove up in two cars and walked into the Medical Center before 7:00 P.M.

  In the hallway, in front of the room Marc was in, were Maddy’s best friend, Gabriella, and her cameraman, Kyle Bronson. Also standing around were two uniformed Foster cops along with Chris Newkirk and Abby Bliss.

  “How is he?” Maddy asked Gabriella.

  Gabriella, who was well acquainted with both of Marc’s kids, was hugging a wet-eyed Jessica who was fighting back the tears.

  “No word lately. Nothing new that I didn’t tell you on the phone,” a red-eyed Gabriella said.

  While the others continued to huddle around Gabriella, Tony Carvelli walked over to Chris Newkirk. He had been leaning against the wall opposite Marc’s room watching the new arrivals.

  “Tony Carvelli,” he said to Newkirk with an extended right hand. “I’m retired off the job from Minneapolis,” he continued as the two of them shook hands. “I’m a private investigator now and a good friend of Kadella’s. What can you tell me?”

  Newkirk introduced Tony to Abby then said, “Looks like a hit and run. The other guy, Zach Evans, got the worst of it. He was DOA at the scene. Sorry to tell you but your guy took a pretty hard hit too. He was thrown a good twenty feet. I don’t know. His condition is critical.”

  Tony squeezed his eyes shut in a moment of pain for his friend. He then asked, “What about the accident? Any witnesses?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Newkirk said with a touch of sarcasm. “Your media pals there,” he continued, nodding at Kyle Bronson seated along the opposite wall, “They got the whole thing on film but won’t let us see it. We’re working on getting a court order,” Newkirk said with a shrug.

  Tony turned and glared at Kyle Bronson. Kyle knew Tony and why he was looking at him the way he was. He mouthed the word sorry at Tony, held his hands out, palms up and shrugged.

  “Let me see what I can do,” Tony told Newkirk.

  He started to walk back toward his friends when a doctor came out of Marc’s room. Everyone waiting in the hallway, except Kyle Bronson and the uniformed cops, gathered around her. Gabriella introduced Eric and Jessica and the doctor spoke to them.

  “I’m not going to soft-pedal this. Your dad’s in bad shape. He’s critical but stable,” the doctor said.

  “That sounds not terrible,” Eric said looking for a little good news.

  “Yes, it’s not terrible,” she agreed. “He’s still unconscious, but he needs surgery. There is probably internal bleeding and he needs a surgical trauma center that we are not equipped for.

  “I’ve been in touch with Regions in St. Paul. In about an hour, if he is still as stable as he is now, we’re going to helicopter him there. You two will be able to fly up with your dad. Is your mom here?”

  “They’re not married, but I need to call her and let her know what’s going on. She knows about the accident,” Eric told her.

  “The rest of you,” she continued looking at the worried faces, “look, he’s doing okay for what he’s been through. Regions is terrific and they will have a surgical team standing by. Although if he is stable enough, they may wait until morning.”

  “Can I see him?” Jessica asked.

  “That’s probably not a good idea, sweetheart.”

  “I don’t care. I want to see my dad,” she insisted.

  “Okay, I’ll let you two go in for a minute. He’s not able to talk and be advised, he looks bad.”

  “We need to talk,” Tony said to Gabriella while the doctor went in with the two kids.

  “No, we don’t,” Gabriella replied. She had seen him talking to Newkirk and knew what he wanted. “I can’t do it, Tony. Not without a court order.”

  “Bullshit,” Carvelli said. “This is Marc we’re talking about.”

  “I understand, and it breaks my heart, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Sorry.”

  “What?” a confused Maddy said.

  “She filmed the accident and won’t let the cops see it,” Carvelli told her. “Every minute counts!”

  “Gabriella,” Maddy pleaded, “show them the tape. Call Hunter and tell him,” she continued referring to Gabriella’s boss.

  “I did. He told me I’m fired if I give it to them,” Gabriella said. “They’re arguing to the judge now. The station’s lawyer is appearing by Skype. We’ll get a decision soon.”

  By this time, Newkirk and Abby had joined them. Newkirk interrupted the argument by saying, “It’s okay. There will be a court order here in ten minutes. I just got a call.”

  “Good,” a greatly relieved Gabriella said. “Kyle,” she continued, “can you make a copy for them in the truck?”

  “On the way,” he replied as he started to hurry off.

  Carvelli almost ran after Kyle and grabbed him by the arm. As they walked down the hallway toward the elevators, Carvelli whispered, “I need a copy of it too.”

  “Tony, I don’t think I can do…” Kyle started to say.

  “Five hundred,” Tony said.

  “You got it,” Kyle nodded then hurried off.

  Maddy, Carvelli, and Connie Mickelson stood in the parking lot and silently watched the helicopter turn south. They waited until its lights could no longer be seen then Carvelli looked at the two women. Both had tears trickling down their cheeks.

  “Hey, c ’mere,” he softly said to both of them. He put his arms around them, and they maintained a group hug for a minute. “He’s going to be okay,” Carvelli said. “You’ll see.”

  Maddy pulled away, brushed the tears off with her hand and said, “We need to see that tape. I’m not waiting for the local cops on this.”

  Carvelli reached in the right-hand pocket of his sport coat and held up a plastic case with a disk in it.

  “Got it,” he said with a smile. “Kyle burned a copy for me. Keep that to yourself. He could get fired for it.”

  “Why, you sneaky sonofabitch,” Connie said playfully punching him in the shoulder.

  “Let’s go. I want to watch this right away. Something stinks. These things don’t happen by coincidence,” Carvelli said.

  As they walked toward their cars, Carvelli’s phone went off. He answered it and listened for a minute.

  “Where was it?” he finally asked.

  He listened some more then said, “Yeah, okay. I understand. Thanks, Chris.”

  “What?” Maddy asked as Carvelli replaced the phone in his pocket.

  “That was one of the investigators, Chris Newkirk. They found the van. It was torched, and the license plates were gone,” Carvelli said. They got the VIN, and they’ll run that but don’t hold your breath that it will lead anywhere other than it was stolen.”

  “This was no accident,” Connie said.

  “Can we see the van?” Maddy asked.

  “No, he told me it’s a crime scene, and he wouldn’t tell me specifically where it was. He just said it was about ten miles from here on a side road in the woods. He also told me we are not to interfere in his investigation,” Carvelli said.

  “Tough shit!” Maddy said. “Let’s go. I want to see that disk.”

  It was past midnight, and the three of them were sitting in Carvelli’s living room. They were in the middle
of the third viewing of the DVD and Carvelli had frozen the image on the screen. It was a clear shot of the van’s driver.

  “What?” Maddy asked looking at Carvelli.

  “Look at him,” Carvelli said. “Look at his face. Assume that he’s not a drunk driving down the street.”

  “He’s not,” Maddy said. “That’s pretty obvious.”

  “Right,” Carvelli agreed. “He’s driving down the street right at his target or targets. There is a guy with a camera pointed right at him. He had to see Kyle standing there filming. He couldn’t miss him. Now, look at his face.”

  “He doesn’t bother to cover it at all. He’s wearing a disguise and doesn’t care if somebody takes his picture,” Maddy said.

  “Exactly,” Carvelli replied. “He’s about as average looking as anyone could be. Medium length brown hair, mustache, and goatee. No visible markings of any kind. The guy could be a ghost.”

  “A professional,” Maddy said.

  “I would bet on it,” Carvelli said.

  He shut off the TV and said, “That’s enough for tonight. I’ll take this to my computer guy tomorrow…” Carvelli paused and looked at his watch. “Maybe yet tonight. I’ll call and see if he’s up. These guys don’t keep normal hours like the rest of us. Why don’t you two go home and get…”

  “I’m going to the hospital,” Maddy said.

  “Want some company?” Connie asked.

  “Sure. You need a ride anyway,” Maddy said.

  “I can always Uber a ride,” Connie replied. “What else can I do to help?”

  Taking turns, they had all called Marc’s son, Eric, at Regions to keep informed. They were putting off surgery until morning. Marc was still listed as critical but stable. The kids were going to spend the night.

  “There’s nothing you can do there,” Carvelli said. “Get some sleep.”

  “I’ll call when we get there,” Maddy said ignoring his very sound advice.

  Before they got to the door to leave, Connie turned to Carvelli and again asked, “What else can I do to help?”