“But to answer your question—Dr. Lighten was guilty. He got away with his crimes by signing a non-disclosure agreement, even if Heather Munroe was encouraged by Joe Fielding.”
A fresh gust of wind blew down the street, and Esther patted her hair back down into place. “Did you hear anything more from Natalie?”
“Nothing. No response, and no answer. It’s a dead end. I’ve tried to call her, but she’s blocked me. Short of kidnapping her and dragging her back over the border, there’s nothing else left to do.”
“Does this mean it’s over? The crusade is done?” There was hope in Esther’s voice.
“It appears that way.” Hunter put his hands in his pockets and leaned against Esther’s car, parked in front of Hunter’s on the street. “There’s no other avenue left. It looks like an innocent man will die in prison.”
Esther let the pause sit between them for a moment, before she took her car keys from her purse. “Then the answer is yes.”
“Yes?” Hunter squinted. “To what question?”
“Dinner.” Esther said. “I’ll say yes to dinner.”
“With me?”
“Yes. With you.”
“Wow. Um…” Hunter stood up straight and ran his hand through his hair. “I guess… well… um… sorry, you’ve caught me off guard.”
“I’ll give you a hint about how this works—you should ask me which night I’m free, and then you ask me what sort of food I like.”
Hunter smiled. He already knew the answers to those questions. As he went to respond, his phone rang. He removed it from his pocket.
“It’s a Mexican phone number. Excuse me a moment,” he offered Esther another smile, and stepped away from her car, further down the street. “Hello?”
“Tex. This is your sister. Natalie.” The voice on the other end of the line was soft. “I need to talk to you.”
Hunter inhaled. He looked back to Esther. She looked so happy and peaceful and calm and stunning. The breeze was blowing, and her hair was dancing alongside her face. She smiled as she leaned against her car, taking in a moment of sunshine.
“Tex?” Natalie questioned. “Are you there?”
He drew a breath. His stomach filled with nerves. He took one last look at the smile on Esther’s face, and stepped further away.
“I’m here.”
“I have a friend here in Mexico. She’s been so good to me. Her son has been locked up in a prison in a small town in Illinois. He got in some trouble, but he didn’t do it. He’s just a kid and he won’t survive behind bars. He’s not much older than my eldest boy.” Natalie paused, but Hunter didn’t respond. “I told her that I have some family in Illinois, and then I said that my brother was a lawyer. You’re a criminal lawyer, aren’t you?”
Again, Hunter didn’t respond.
“Her son didn’t have any defense.” Natalie continued. “The poor kid had to go up against a racist cop and a racist judge in a racist town. He didn’t stand a chance. He was arrested because he was Mexican. And well…”
Hunter’s heart pounded in his chest as Natalie paused. He turned and looked back at Esther.
“And well,” Natalie continued. “Maybe you can get him out. I looked you up. My baby brother did alright for himself, didn’t he? Big time city lawyer. Name in the paper. Face on television.”
“I can’t help you, Natalie.”
“If you do…” Natalie paused again, and then drew a deep breath. “If you get him out of prison, I’ll tell you everything. I’ll tell you exactly what happened and why our father shouldn’t die in prison. If you can get my friend’s son out of lock-up, then I’ll come back to the US. I’ll come back and tell you and Patrick everything I know.”
Hunter didn’t respond. He looked back to Esther, gazing at a life that was so close, so near, but so emotionally far away.
“Tex?” Natalie pressed.
Hunter looked at the ground. Ran his hand through his hair.
He looked up and caught Esther’s gaze. She was looking at him with confusion. Hunter hesitated. Esther shook her head. She could sense what the call was about. She opened the door to her car.
Hunter turned around. “It’s a deal, Natalie.”
Natalie gave him the details of the case, and the run-down of what she knew.
When Hunter turned back to look at Esther, she’d already driven away.
THE END
Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading Saving Justice. I hope you enjoyed the twists and turns of this plot. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Sometimes the twists in the plot made my head spin.
I love the city of Chicago. It’s such a beautiful city filled with interesting characters. I started this book sitting in a café in the Downtown area, which I often do, watching a mother embrace her young child after a day away. There was so much emotion in the mother’s hug. I sat in the café for hours after that, pen and paper in hand, scribbling notes and fueling myself on five cups of coffee, two muffins, and a sandwich, watching people come and go. Those people formed the characters in this novel.
From the moment I put pen to paper for the first Tex Hunter story, I’ve been looking forward to writing the next two books—Natural Justice and Freedom and Justice. These two books resolve the saga of Alfred Hunter’s life. If you’ve read any of the other Tex Hunter books, you know that I love a great twist or two, or sometimes even three, and there’s a number of big twists to come in this family tale. Those twists have been hinted at right from the first book in the series. Each story has included little hints about what happened in Alfred’s past, a lot of which will make sense when all is revealed in the next two novels.
I love hearing from readers, and a question I’m asked a lot is what will happen to Alfred—is he guilty or innocent, or somehow involved, whether Alfred Hunter will leave prison, whether he’ll pass away in his cell, or whether something else will happen to him. I avoided answering those questions, because if there’s one thing I love, it’s a plot twist. So expect another few twists in his story…
I’ve loved writing this series, and telling the world about the Hunter family, and hopefully, you’ve loved coming along on this journey as well.
Stay safe and well.
Much love,
Peter O’Mahoney
Also by Peter O’Mahoney
*****
In the Tex Hunter Series:
Power and Justice
Faith and Justice
Corrupt Justice
Deadly Justice
Coming soon:
Natural Justice: Tex Hunter 6
*****
In the Jack Valentine Series:
Gates of Power
Stolen Power
*****
In the Bill Harvey Legal Thriller Series:
Redeeming Justice
Fire and Justice
Will of Justice
A Time for Justice
Truth and Justice
*****
Saving Justice: A Legal Thriller (Tex Hunter Book 5) Page 22