The Last Chance Lawyer

by William Bernhardt

  “When did you decide you wanted to adopt her?”

  “Soon after her parents’ death. An immigration agent suggested it to prevent her deportation after her temporary protected status was revoked. I did not know how to go about it and I could not afford lawyers. I turned to Emilio. He was the only person I knew who might be able to make it happen.”

  “And was he helpful?”

  “No. Always excuses. Always too busy. He said the government was out to get us. In time, I realized I would have to go somewhere else. I went to Family Legal Aid. They said they couldn’t help.”

  Mr. K must’ve heard about it and somehow contacted Gabriella. What about this case triggered K’s interest? he wondered, not for the first time. Could K have possibly imagined where it would lead?

  Gabriella continued. “You came into our lives, offered to handle the adoption without charge. For the first time, I had hope. Esperanza and I had hope. We could see a better tomorrow.” Her eyes lowered. “And then all this happened.”

  “Gabriella, let’s make one thing clear up front. Did you have anything to do with arranging the showdown between Emilio and Sanchez?”

  “No. I wouldn’t know how. Emilio contacted me. He asked me to bring him a weapon. That’s the only reason I was there.”

  “You brought him your own gun.”

  “It was the only weapon I could find so quickly.”

  “Why did you have a gun?”

  “In my neighborhood, you need one, for your own protection.”

  “Were you surprised when Emilio asked for a weapon?”

  “Not after I heard who he was meeting. Only a fool would go to a meeting like that unarmed.”

  “Did you know how to use the gun?”

  “Yes. I trained.”

  “Were you good?”

  “I could hold my own. I always told Esperanza—if you’re going to do something, do it well.”

  “Gabriella, one of the previous witnesses testified that she saw you holding the gun. That in fact, she saw you extend the gun as if aiming to fire.”

  Gabriella nodded. She was keeping cool, thank goodness. And she wasn’t denying anything unnecessarily. She didn’t seem defensive. “I did hold it and aim it—but only after the shooting started. In a matter of seconds, I was surrounded by gunfire.”

  “Did you kill Sanchez?”

  “No. I fired twice into the air. He was down before I drew my gun.”

  “He was already dead?”

  “I don’t know if he was dead. But he had fallen to the ground. Emilio ran for cover. I had to defend myself. I pulled out my gun, fired, and retreated. I tripped over—” She clenched her eyes shut. “The girl. The one who was so badly wounded. I fell on her. That’s why I was covered with blood.” She swallowed, took a minute, then continued. “I panicked and ran. It’s a miracle I made it out alive.”

  He nodded, giving the jury a moment to absorb what she said. “After you fled, where did you go?”

  “Home. I worried about Esperanza. Fortunately, she was fine. She had the sense to hide till I got there.”

  “And your friend, Ramon Alvarez, was also there?”

  “Yes. I didn’t want him there. But he was. He had offered himself to me as a husband, but I turned him down. I did not think him...suitable, and I did not think marrying him would help me keep Esperanza in this country.”

  He paused. Something was nagging at him, but he couldn’t quite place it. “Did you call the police?”

  “No. They already knew about the shootout. Calling would only make me a suspect.”

  He couldn’t argue with that. “Did you call anyone?”

  “Yes. I called Jack Crenshaw, the immigration agent.”

  “Why?”

  “He was the only law enforcement person who had ever reached out to me. The only one I trusted. He had spoken to me about Esperanza. He was in charge of her deportation. I wanted to see if he could do anything to prevent this from destroying us both.”

  “And did he?”

  “He didn’t answer the phone. It was late at night. I left a message. We talked the next day.”

  “What did he say then?”

  “He suggested that I find a lawyer.”

  “Ramon Alvarez has testified that you changed out of blood-stained clothes. Is that true?”

  “Yes. I could see that my blouse was disturbing Esperanza. I took it off. I later burned it.”

  “What did you do with the gun?”

  “I put it in a box and hid it beneath a floorboard under the bed in my room. A safe place, or so I thought. A place Esperanza could never get to it.”

  “You didn’t put it in your backyard?”

  “No. Someone else must’ve done that.”

  “One last thing. Alvarez said that you told Esperanza not to worry, because you had taken care of everything. What did you mean?”

  “I was talking about the adoption. Ramon heard what he wanted to hear, not what I said. Crenshaw told me the main obstacle that might prevent me from adopting Esperanza was my connection to gangs. So that night, when I arrived, I told Emilio I would not work for him anymore. That’s all I meant. I was just trying to take care of that precious girl.” Her chin trembled, and tears welled up behind her eyes.

  He let that hang in the air for a few moments. “Thank you, Gabriella.” He turned toward the prosecution table. “Your witness.”

  JAZLYN DIDN’T HESITATE. “Ms. Valdez, we’re all moved, I’m sure, by your story. But let’s focus on the facts for a minute.” She led Gabriella through her prior arrest record, minor theft charges, all more than five years distant. She didn’t spend much time there. She seemed to be in a hurry to move on. “Even after that, you worked for Emilio, right?”

  “A little. For a time.”

  “That time was actually more than four years, wasn’t it?”

  “That sounds right. I needed the money. And I needed it more once I was caring for Esperanza.”

  “Come on now. You could’ve found a real job. An honest job.”

  “I had an honest job. Two of them. But they did not pay enough. We live in an expensive world. All anyone seems to care about is money. Money money money.”

  “You worked at a nail salon, correct?”

  “Three days a week.”

  “And you also worked at a waffle house.”

  “Also three days a week. I tried to get more work. There are only so many hours in a week. And I needed to be home at night for Esperanza.”

  “There must’ve been other jobs.”

  “For a person in my neighborhood?”

  “Your English is good.”

  “But I have no education, no degree. Getting work is difficult for the people in my neighborhood.”

  “But some have done it.”

  “I’ve done it. But it never pays enough. Perhaps life was different for you, with your white skin and your law degree. But I grew up in a different world and I still have to live in it.”

  He winced. Guilting the Caucasian community was probably not a brilliant move, since most of the jurors were white. But it had already happened. He hoped they would see her frustration and not make too much of it.

  Jazlyn continued. “Ms. Valdez, your lawyer talked with the previous witnesses about motives they may have had against Sanchez, so I think it’s fair to do the same with you. Because of all the people involved in this story, you had the strongest reason to want Sanchez dead. Didn’t you?”

  Gabriella lowered her head. “I barely knew the man.”

  “He’s your relative, isn’t he?”

  “I knew of him, but I did not know him.”

  “You knew what he did. And you knew what he wanted, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “You knew he was involved in sex trafficking. Often with very young girls.”

  Her eyes seemed stony. “Yes.”

  “And you knew that if Esperanza were deported, she would be delivered to El Salvador and probably ultimately sent to Sanc
hez.”

  “Agent Crenshaw told me that. He said he had no choice, that regulations required him to do this.”

  “And you had to be worried about what would happen to a pretty young girl in Sanchez’ hands.”

  “He would’ve forced her to become a whore. She would’ve had no choice about it. He would’ve sold her virginity to the highest bidder. She would have been destroyed, just as he destroyed my sister.”

  His jaw clenched. Stay cool, Gabriella. Stay cool.

  Jazlyn continued. “You didn’t want to see that happen, did you?”

  “Of course not. No one who cared about her would want that to happen.”

  “And you would do anything to prevent it, wouldn’t you? And it looked like you couldn’t prevent it unless Sanchez was dead, right?”

  “I did not kill Sanchez.”

  “There are many people with dubious contrived remote theoretical motives, but the person who had the strongest motive to kill Sanchez was you. You might even say, once Sanchez was dead—you’d taken care of everything.”

  “Sanchez was just a man. The cartel goes on. Agent Crenshaw says his younger brother will now be in charge.”

  “Maybe the brother will be the next one to meet a violent death.”

  He sprang to his feet. “Objection!”

  Judge Le nodded. “Sustained. Anything more, counsel?”

  Jazlyn nodded. “One last question. Ms. Valdez, were you saddened by Sanchez’ death?”

  He bounced back up. “Again I object. Her feelings are not relevant.”

  The judge tilted her head. “I can’t agree with you this time. Overruled. The witness will answer.”

  Jazlyn repeated the question. The silence in the courtroom was palpable.

  “No,” Gabriella said. Her eyes were like hardened coals. “I was glad he was dead. I was very glad.”

  Jazlyn nodded. “No more questions.”

  Chapter 49

  Dan closed his eyes, attempting to concentrate. He had no desire to re-direct Gabriella, but his brain was trying to tell him something, had been for some time. What was it?

  Judge Le looked toward the defense table. “Is that all, Mr. Pike?”

  Maria tugged at his arm. “We’re done, aren’t we?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “I know that didn’t go as well as you wanted,” she whispered, “but I think we’re done, right?”

  He shook his head. “If we quit now, Gabriella is finished.”

  “We don’t have any more witnesses.”

  He barely heard her. He was deep-diving into his brain, trying to pull something elusive to the surface. But what was it?

  He scanned the gallery, trying to recall everything he knew, everything he had seen. Trying to connect the dots. Put it all together.

  Tattoo. Earring. Scar behind the neck. Small shoes.

  No. That wasn’t it. He kept scanning.

  Hat. Ink stain on left finger. Hymns.

  No.

  Boots on the desk. Strong arms. Bolo tie...

  Getting warmer.

  Luciana’s head wound. The gun in the hedge. The torn photograph. The mutilated corpse. I don’t know how Sanchez got in. Some months I can barely pay the mortgage.

  His eyes flew open. He rose to his feet.

  Judge Le leaned forward. “Mr. Pike? Are you all right?”

  “Yes, your honor. I’m sorry. I was...thinking.”

  “Are you ready to rest your case?”

  “No.” He scribbled a note on his legal pad, then tossed it to Jimmy. A second later, Jimmy bolted out of the courtroom. “I have one more witness.”

  The judge’s head turned. “You do? I thought we were finished.”

  “I did too. I was wrong.” He turned to the gallery and pointed. “The defense calls Agent Jack Crenshaw to the witness stand.”

  In the third row of the gallery, Crenshaw looked stunned. “What?” he said softly. “I’m just monitoring the case. No one told me anything about this.”

  Jazlyn asked for a bench conference. The judge waved the lawyers forward and covered the microphone. Jazlyn protested the surprise witness. He reminded her that she had pulled much the same thing earlier with Ramon Alvarez.

  “But that was based upon newly discovered evidence.”

  “Well, so is this. Sort of.”

  The judge squinted. “I’m sorry?”

  “This is based upon...a newly realized revelation.”

  “I have no idea what that means.”

  “It means I’ve been a damned idiot. But I figured it out. I know what happened. Look, I’m not required to submit a witness list, so you can’t say the prosecution has suffered any disadvantage. Let me put this witness on the stand. Please.”

  “There’s also an issue of fairness,” Jazlyn said. “The witness had no knowledge he would be called.”

  He gave the judge a firm look. “And that might be for the better.”

  Judge Le frowned. He could see she was deliberating.

  “Crenshaw is in the courtroom, after all,” he continued. “It’s not like he’s being inconvenienced. Why should he object to telling the truth about what he knows?”

  “All right,” Judge Le said. “I always love me a good surprise. You may disappoint some jurors who are ready to get home. But let’s do this.” She looked up and uncovered the microphone. “Agent Crenshaw, please take the stand.”

  Crenshaw didn’t move. “No one said anything to me about testifying. I haven’t prepared. I doubt I can offer anything useful.”

  Judge Le shook her head. “Sure about this, Mr. Pike?”

  “Yes, your honor. It’s absolutely essential.”

  Crenshaw continued. “Someone wants to call a witness from my office, there’s mounds of paperwork. Official channels. He can’t just haul me up there against my will.”

  The judge disagreed. “You came into this courtroom of your own free will. You’re subject to the jurisdiction of the court.”

  “It’s a waste of time,” Crenshaw insisted. “I don’t know anything.”

  “Then this shouldn’t take long.” The judge pointed. “In the interest of justice, and for no other reason, I will allow this. But I want to see the relevance, and I want to see it fast, Mr. Pike. Do you understand me?”

  “I do.”

  “No messing around.”

  “Heaven forfend.” He suspected Crenshaw now wished he had not hung around the courtroom.

  Of course, he’d been hanging around for a reason.

  After a few more moments, Crenshaw marched his cowboy boots up to the witness stand and was sworn in. He quickly established the witness’ credentials as an immigration officer, then had him explain his involvement with Gabriella and Esperanza.

  “Could you give the jury some idea how many cases you’re currently monitoring?”

  Crenshaw shrugged. “A whole bunch.”

  “Would it be fair to say you oversee hundreds of cases?”

  “Thousands, to some degree. Since the current administration revoked protected status to six different nations, my work has skyrocketed.”

  “That must be incredibly burdensome.”

  “I’m not the only cowpoke on the posse.” He smiled a little. “But yes, it does keep me busy.”

  “And yet,” he continued, “what has struck me from the start was how much detail you had at your fingertips about Gabriella and Esperanza.”

  “I try to stay hands-on with my work. Especially when a minor is involved.”

  “And how many of your cases involve minors?”

  He tilted his head. “Lots.”

  “Hundreds?”

  “Probably.”

  “But you always knew all about Gabriella. Is there, perhaps, some reason her case attracted your attention?”

  Crenshaw’s head tucked in a bit. “I am... not sure what you mean. It’s a distinctive case. Smart little girl. Orphan. Ties to the sex trade.”

  He took a few steps closer to the witness stand. “Ano
ther mystery that’s been plaguing me is how that whole shootout, the confrontation between Emilio and Sanchez, warring gang leaders from different nations, came about. Everyone seems to have been there, but nobody knows how it was arranged.” He looked at the witness intently. “Do you know how it was arranged?”

  Crenshaw frowned. “How would I know that?”

  He smiled. Answering a question with a question was the first move of the evasive witness. “So you don’t?”

  “I have no idea why those two murderers met up that night. It had nothing to do with me.”

  “Are you sure?” He pulled out his phone and checked it. Nothing. Damn. It was always hard to stall for time, but worse when the judge had given you specific instructions to move things along quickly. “Let me phrase that differently. Do you know why Sanchez was in the country?”

  “I assume that he had business reasons. Trying to expand his empire. Like I told you before.”

  “But you don’t actually know?”

  “I have no firsthand knowledge.”

  “Do you know how he got into this country?”

  Crenshaw slowed a step. “Now...what?”

  “You do work for Immigration, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “A customs official would have to issue a visa before Sanchez could get into this country, right?”

  “Unless he snuck across the border.”

  “Did he?”

  Crenshaw hesitated. “No. He had a visa.”

  “Are you in the habit of issuing visas to suspected sex traffickers?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then how did he get one?” He checked his phone again. Still nothing. “Can you explain that?”

  Crenshaw turned toward the judge. “This highlights the problem with ambushing somebody who doesn’t expect to be put on the stand. Had I any notice, I might’ve been able to do a little research. Check the records.”

  The judge nodded sympathetically. “Mr. Pike, I asked you to get to the point quickly. So far, you’ve made no point whatsoever.”