Runaway Justice (David Adams)

by Chad Zunker

  “I must’ve spooked him,” Jess said to David.

  “Who? Dyson?”

  “Who else? This happened right after I spoke with him.”

  “Spooked him enough to where he would immediately send someone after you to try to take you out?”

  “I’m telling you, David. I saw the driver of that yellow Camaro. He was the same guy from the bar. He must’ve followed me.”

  “You didn’t notice the car behind you on the drive downtown?”

  She shook her head. “But I was so focused on getting here as quickly as possible that I wasn’t paying close attention.”

  David sighed, ran a hand through his hair. Everything with this case seemed to be spiraling into chaos. “Take me back through your whole conversation with Dyson again.”

  David had already heard it once but wanted to hear it a second time. Jess had still been rattled when first telling him about the encounter. She was calmer now. Maybe he missed something. She told him the story again.

  His brow furrowed. “You didn’t mention anything about leaving a fake phone number with him the first time around.”

  “You’re right,” she said, eyes widening. “Maybe Dyson called the number right after I walked out of there. And when he realized I’d lied about it, he decided to take action.”

  David cursed. “I’m calling Zegers. Try to work something out. If we’re dealing with someone who was willing to run you down after one ambiguous conversation, there’s no telling what they might do next.”

  “I agree. Parker needs to be brought in ASAP.”

  David headed for the hallway, then turned around when he realized Jess was not coming with him. “You’re staying?”

  “I’m not leaving here until I know Bobby is going to be okay.”

  He nodded. “Keep me posted.”

  “You do the same.”

  THIRTY-TWO

  David met Zegers at the foot of Buford Tower, which sat four blocks from his office along the running trails of Lady Bird Lake. The old bell tower was a city landmark built in the 1930s. David often ran past it on his early-morning jogs. Night had fallen on the city, and the streets were beginning to clear of traffic. He thought about Parker sitting around the campfire with Rebel right now. He hoped the kid was doing okay. He knew Rebel had an endearing way of connecting with people and making them feel comfortable—even if some of his stories were right out of The Twilight Zone. Plus, having the dog around had sure seemed to brighten Parker’s spirits. The kid ached for some childhood normalcy in the worst way possible. David hoped to be able to give him something like that very soon.

  He watched as Zegers walked up to him wearing a gray sweatshirt and jeans, not his usual sport coat and slacks. The agent’s eyes were red, and his hair was disheveled.

  “You look like hell, Harry,” David said.

  “Well, it’s been a helluva a day in more ways than one. What do you want, David? I’m really busy right now. Not only do I have this case, but my son decided today would be a good day to take off with the wrong kids after school and not tell his mom. And because my ex is an emotional mess, I’m the one who’s been on the phone all evening with other parents, trying to find him. So unless you’re going to tell me where I can find Parker Barnes, I’d have preferred to have had this conversation with you over the phone instead of driving way the hell down here like you insisted.”

  “I have Parker.”

  Zegers jerked slightly back, eyes flashing. “You do?”

  “Yes, he reached out to me this afternoon. I picked him up. He’s in a safe place right now.”

  “So that’s why you pulled the stunt with my guys earlier?”

  David shrugged. “Hope there are no hard feelings.”

  “Well, I can’t say they didn’t get a good ass chewing from me for letting some lawyer outwit them. So where is Parker?”

  “Not so fast. I want a deal.”

  Zegers’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of deal?”

  “I want a witness protection package for him. I want him to have a brand-new life somewhere with special privileges. The kind of privileges that have been ripped away from him over the past few years.”

  “Well, hold on a second, David. I need to know what the kid knows first. I can’t just go requesting—”

  “Parker was there in the park that night, Harry. He saw the whole thing. Which nearly got him killed.”

  “He can ID the shooter?”

  “Yes. Parker knows him by face. But I can give you his name.”

  “What? How?”

  “We launched our own investigation to try to help Parker.”

  “Sounds like you should come work for me.”

  “Actually, I think I’m doing much better on my own, thank you.”

  Both of them remained quiet for a moment as two pedestrians passed by them. Zegers waited until they were clear to speak again.

  “So you’re telling me you can give me the name of the shooter, and Parker is willing to point him out of a lineup?”

  “I still have to clear this with Parker. But, yes, and that’s not all. I think we have a good lead on whom the shooter might be working for, too.”

  “Who is we?”

  “Jess Raven is helping me.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Figures.”

  “Look, she’s not my girlfriend, Harry, so relax. She was just messing with you this morning. She’s doing pro bono work for my firm.”

  “So she told you what happened between us?”

  “We all strike out sometimes, brother. Let it go.”

  Zegers sighed, crossed his arms. “Stop playing games here, David. If you’re so smart, tell me who’s behind this thing right now.”

  “I want the package first. Then we’ll talk.”

  “How about I just throw your ass in jail?”

  David shook his head. “Who’s playing games now?”

  Zegers huffed. “You’re really annoying, you know that?”

  “Thanks, I feel the same about you. How long do you think it will take you?”

  “To get a witness protection package approved? Hell, it could take days.”

  “How about you call me in an hour with the good news?”

  Zegers’s eyes narrowed. “Listen, if I go to bat for this and use what little capital I have to push this kind of thing through, you’d better be telling the damn truth. Or, believe me, I will throw your ass in jail.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  Jess paced the hallways of the hospital for an excruciatingly long time until the doctor finally came out to talk to her. She damn near held her breath while waiting for the first words to come out of his mouth. If he began with we did everything we could, she was going to break down in tears again. The thought of Bobby Lee having sacrificed his life to save hers after she’d been so awful to him—and her never having a chance to say how sorry she felt about the whole thing—might be too much for her to bear.

  “He’s going to make it,” the doctor said.

  Jess felt a flood of relief pour through her whole body.

  “He’s got a long road of recovery, mind you,” the doctor continued. “But I think we’ve managed to put everything back together in a way that should help stabilize him. I gotta say, that’s one tough old man.”

  “Can I see him?” Jess asked.

  “He’s out cold right now. Mr. Lee is pumped with so many meds, he’ll probably sleep until tomorrow morning.”

  “I still want to see him. The guy saved my life.”

  He tilted his head. “I didn’t realize that. Sure, come on.”

  Jess followed the doctor down a hallway through a couple of doors and into the ICU. Bobby Lee was in the first bed on her right. A nurse was working around him, plugging different cords into various machines. The doctor told Jess to take as much time as she needed.

  Jess stepped up to the bed and stared down at the old man. There were bandages on his face, but he otherwise looked peaceful. She still couldn’t believe the man had put his o
wn life at risk to save her out there on the street. She hadn’t even noticed him on the sidewalk. But he must’ve noticed her. And in spite of her treatment of him, he made a move that she would never forget.

  Leaning down, she gently kissed him on the forehead.

  “I’m sorry, Bobby Lee. Thank you.”

  Ten minutes later, Jess was speeding north up the MoPac Expressway. She felt more determined than ever to find out if Dilly Dyson was behind the guy who’d tried to run her down. If they thought they could somehow scare her off, they were mistaken. They’d just messed with the wrong damn gal.

  Pulling into the parking lot in front of the Burping Goat, she quickly scanned the cars to see if she could spot the yellow Camaro anywhere. It would be easy to find because the windshield had shattered when Bobby Lee had flipped up onto the hood. She didn’t see it anywhere. Instead of parking in front of the bar, she pulled around to the back. There were several other vehicles parked there. Two BMWs, a Lincoln Navigator, an Audi SUV, a Mercedes sedan, and a shiny red Corvette. She wondered which might belong to Dyson. But first, she had to make sure Dyson was still inside the bar.

  She pulled out her phone to text Cody, the bartender.

  Hey, you still tending the bar?

  She got a reply a few seconds later.

  Cody: Yes ma’am. You coming back to me?

  Jess: I’m here. Can you take a break and meet me out back?

  Cody: Be there in two minutes!

  Jess “hearted” his last message. Then she got out of her car and walked over to the back door of the bar. It was time to be aggressive in getting information. Cody stepped out within sixty seconds, looking pretty fired up at the prospect of seeing her again in private. Jess shut the door behind him and then kissed him full on the mouth until he staggered back against the dingy brick of the building. He tried to get handsy, but she pushed his arms down and stepped back for a moment.

  “Wait, I need a favor first,” she said.

  “A favor? Sure, anything. What?”

  “Is your boss still here?”

  “Dilly? Yeah, he’s here.”

  She turned to look over at the cars. “Which one of these belongs to him?”

  Cody examined the lot. “The Mercedes. Why?”

  “Just curious.” She gave him another quick kiss, turned to walk back to her Explorer. “Thanks, Cody. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Wait!” Cody called out. “You’re leaving?”

  “Can’t stay. Gotta run.”

  “Aw, come on, Jess. Really?”

  Jess smiled, got in her car, and pulled away.

  She waited in the parking lot of a gas station only a block away from the bar for nearly an hour before she noticed the shiny black Mercedes sedan pull into the street in front of her. As the vehicle passed, Jess spotted Dyson sitting behind the steering wheel. She shifted into drive and then followed him.

  Dyson drove at a casual pace for about fifteen minutes as he navigated the city until he pulled into a neighborhood of luxury homes. Jess wondered if this was where the man lived. Three blocks into the neighborhood, Dyson eased his Mercedes to the curb in front of a nice two-story white Colonial with a black Escalade parked under a porte cochere in a side driveway. Jess settled on the curb a half block back so she wouldn’t be noticed.

  Climbing from his Mercedes, Dyson didn’t walk straight up to the front door. Instead, he moved up the driveway to a side door. Jess eased her car forward slightly with the headlights off to get a better look. Dyson knocked. A few seconds later, an attractive blonde in probably her late thirties answered the door. She immediately looked familiar, but Jess couldn’t place her. Dyson and the blonde began speaking about something while standing in the open doorway.

  Pulling out her phone, Jess typed in the address for the house. When the results popped up, she cursed. According to public appraisal records, the Colonial belonged to Max and Christina Legley. Max Legley was the dead federal witness. Christina was the man’s wife—or widow. The woman looked familiar to Jess because she’d seen several photos of her standing with her husband while doing research on the federal tax fraud case. But what the hell was Dyson doing at her house?

  Jess suddenly got nervous. Could Dyson possibly be there to harm the woman? Was Christina Legley’s life in danger right now? For a second, Jess considered pulling out her handgun and making a move toward the house. But then she paused. The conversation did not look hostile in any way. Nor did it look awkward. These two were not strangers. Christina Legley clearly knew this man, even though Jess had been unable to find any connection between Dyson and her husband.

  Using her phone’s camera, Jess zoomed in as close as she could and began snapping pictures of the two of them talking. Suddenly, the conversation took a turn in a direction Jess didn’t anticipate. The two of them embraced and began passionately kissing. What the hell? Jess continued to take pictures on her phone. Within seconds, Christina had pulled Dyson all the way inside the house with her and shut the door behind them. Jess put her phone down, stunned.

  Christina Legley’s husband had been dead for only a week. The body was still warm. Which led Jess to believe the woman was having an affair with Dilly Dyson long before her husband ever saw a bullet in that park.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  David sat with Parker and Rebel around the campfire. Rebel continued to tell story after story about his life out on the streets, all the famous movie stars he’d met throughout the years, his various hijinks and escapades with the police in different cities, and so on and so forth. David knew half of the stories were pure fiction—Rebel had a unique way of drifting in and out of reality—but it didn’t really matter because the man kept making Parker laugh. And it was great to see the carefree side of the boy. Parker seemed the most relaxed he’d been since David had first met him.

  Rebel grabbed a bag of marshmallows out of his tent and began poking them on the ends of sticks so Parker could roast them over the campfire.

  Even though it was great to see Parker in good spirits, David was a nervous wreck. He kept checking his phone every few seconds, waiting to get word back from Zegers. An hour had already come and gone with nothing to show for it. If the FBI agent was unable to pull off the witness protection package, David wasn’t sure what to do next. He’d already played his hand by telling Zegers how much they knew. The FBI would still want that information. David would have to play legal hardball and be willing to go the court route in order to try to protect the boy. It would turn into a big mess. He was counting on Zegers. But maybe that was a mistake.

  Rebel was doing some kind of campfire dance with his marshmallow stick, cracking Parker up, when David finally got a text from Zegers. He stared at his phone and then let out a sigh of relief.

  Package approved. Let’s get this show on the road!

  David texted back: Am I going to like it?

  Trust me. The kid is going to be living much better than you and me.

  Although relieved, David was guarded. He had not yet shared anything about this possibility with Parker. He didn’t want to mislead the boy if Zegers couldn’t pull it off. But it was now time to have that discussion.

  “Hey, Parker, we need to talk about something.”

  Parker turned to him while shoving a blackened, gooey marshmallow in his mouth. As if sensing something was up, Rebel said he was going to look for more firewood and called Sandy over to him.

  “What is it?” Parker asked.

  David measured his words. “What would you say if I could get you a new life somewhere else? Something so much better than what you’ve had the past couple of years? New clothes, new opportunities, a clean slate, where I could guarantee you’d be well taken care of.”

  Parker’s eyes grew to slits. “A person doesn’t get something like that for nothing, Mr. Adams.”

  “You’re right. You’d have to tell the truth about everything.”

  “To the FBI?”

  “Yes. And eventually in a courtroom.”

>   “Would I still be in danger?”

  “No, you would be protected by US Marshals in something called the Witness Protection Program.”

  “I’ve seen that in the movies a few times. It doesn’t always go well.”

  “That’s the movies, Parker. It’s not like that.”

  “Where would I go?”

  David shrugged. “You might get to choose.”

  “Anywhere I want?”

  “Within certain parameters, but yes. We’ve been offered a package by the FBI to put you into the program. I would fully review it to sign off on it and make sure everything was right for you.”

  Parker picked at his sticky fingers. “All I’d have to do is tell the truth?”

  “Yes, just tell the truth.”

  Parker turned more fully to him. “Would I still get to see you? If I was in this witness program?”

  David had already been thinking about that. The thought of not personally being the one to help Parker move forward from here really stung. But he could think of no other way. Parker had to be protected. “No, you wouldn’t. In order for you to be fully protected, you’d probably have to walk away from everything—including me.”

  More picking at his fingers. “You’d be okay with that, Mr. Adams?”

  Hell no, David wanted to say. But he didn’t.

  “I just want you safe. I want you to get another chance at this life. You deserve that opportunity.”

  “I don’t know. You really think we can trust the FBI?”

  “Yes. And you can trust me.”

  “Okay. I trust you.” A small smile crossed the boy’s lips. “I’ve always wanted to go to Arizona and see the Grand Canyon. You think that’s somewhere I could live in this program?”

  David grinned. “I can for sure make that request.”

  David pulled his phone back out and texted Zegers.

  Where?

  Zegers texted right back. How about outside your office building?

  David: Email me the proposal to review. If I like it, we’ll be there in half an hour.