JP stood up. “He said someone hit him on the head. I was just trying to get him to lie still.” JP rushed out and back to the stage where he saw the paramedics rolling Sabre away on a stretcher. Ron, Bob, and Marilee stood to the side of the stage. More police and security had gathered. Most of the audience remained in their seats as they had been asked to do.
“Is she conscious?” JP asked.
“No,” Ron said.
“Where are they taking her?”
“I told them she has Kaiser, but the paramedic said they were taking her to Scripps Mercy on Fifth because it was closer. Mom went with them.”
“Where are you going?” a policeman asked as they started out the back door not far behind Sabre.
“We’re the victim’s family and we’re going to the hospital.” JP pulled his card out of his pocket and handed it to the officer.
Bob handed him one as well, and said, “You’ll find us there if you need us.”
~~~
Marilee had gone home. Bob and Ron waited with JP at the hospital. JP couldn’t sit still, so he paced in front of them. “Did the paramedics say anything?”
“Not much,” Ron said. “Sabre gets a little claustrophobic, so at first I thought she just passed out, but then she didn’t come to.”
“What the hell happened?” JP said.
“Did you see the other magician?” Bob said.
“What other magician?” Ron asked.
Bob explained what Silent Thunder had told him and JP.
“Yes, I saw him. He’d been hit over the head and was lying on the floor. He blamed Silent Thunder—the other Silent Thunder.”
“So they’re pointing the finger at each other?”
“Looks that way,” JP said.
A balding man about 5’8” with a mustache and short beard and a woman about 5’5” with curly brown hair and hazel eyes walked toward them. Each produced a badge. The man said, “I’m Detective Eugene Fontenot, San Diego PD. This is my partner, Detective Addie Lewis.”
“You were all at the magic show?” Eugene asked in what sounded like a Louisiana accent.
“Yes,” Bob answered.
“We’ll need your full names.”
Bob gave them the information they requested, and Eugene wrote it down. “What is your relationship to Sabre Brown?”
“I’m her friend and colleague.” He nodded his head toward Ron, who was sitting next to him. “Ron is her brother, and JP is her friend and private investigator.”
“Can you tell us what happened?”
“We were watching the show and the magician’s assistant came down off the stage to get a volunteer,” Bob said.
“Did Ms. Brown volunteer?” Addie asked.
“Not exactly. The assistant tried to get JP up there first, but he refused.”
“Why’s that?” Addie said directly to JP.
“I don’t like that sort of thing.”
“Then what?” She turned back to Bob.
“The assistant moved on to Sabre.”
“Did you encourage her to go up there?” Addie asked JP.
“No, I did not. If you’re suggesting that I had anything to do with this, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“Just trying to get the facts.”
“We don’t even know what’s wrong with her,” JP said. “I’m assuming by your questions that someone did something to her?”
The detectives exchanged glances, then Addie spoke. “Someone gave her a shot of midazolam.”
“What’s that?” JP asked.
“It’s a sedative they use for surgery,” Bob said. “It can also be used to induce loss of memory, and I think it’s used for epilepsy patients.”
“Oh, my God!” Ron said. “Can it be fatal?”
“If the dosage is too high or if it’s mixed with alcohol or certain other drugs.”
JP’s face turned red with anger. He didn’t speak.
“How is she?” Bob asked.
“She’s not conscious, but she’s alive.”
“Do you know anyone who might want to hurt her?” Eugene asked.
“Yeah,” Bob said. “She’s a juvenile court defense attorney. She primarily represents abused children. She has angered a lot of parents over the years.”
Ron nodded in affirmation.
“How about recently?”
Bob and Ron both looked at JP.
“I can give you the names of the cases we’ve been working on.”
Addie said, “Let’s sit over here and you can give them to me.” She and JP walked over a few rows where there was extra seating and a little more privacy.
JP gave her the information starting with Todd Lynch. Even though that case had closed, JP thought he was the most likely suspect, especially in light of his behavior in her office the other night. Next, he told them about the Fowler case. “The father just lost a motion in court and new petitions have been filed against him. I expect both Seth Fowler and Lester Gibbs are not too happy with Sabre right now.”
“Angry enough to try to kill her?”
“I don’t know, but Fowler sure had his knickers in a knot when he lost in court yesterday. He had himself pretty well convinced he would win.”
When they were finished, JP said, “Sabre’s mother is in the ER with her, but we haven’t heard anything. Can you check to see what’s going on?”
“We’re going back in there when we’re done here. We need to talk to her when she wakes up. I’ll let you know if there’s any change.”
Chapter 49
Sabre had stabilized but had not regained consciousness. Ron, Bob, and JP decided to go to her office and try to figure out who had drugged her. Sitting in the waiting room was not getting them any closer. Sabre’s office was close to the hospital and it also gave them access to her files if they needed them.
“We need to figure out who is angry enough at Sabre to go this far,” JP said as they gathered in front of a whiteboard.
“Lynch is the first one I thought of,” Ron said.
“Who’s Lynch?” Bob asked.
“The guy who got in Sabre’s face last week at court. He came to her office and did it again.”
“He’s a very angry man,” Bob said.
“There’s not a lot we can do about him, but the cops are checking him out,” JP said. He walked over to the whiteboard and wrote Sabre. Underneath her name, he wrote, “Lynch, Fowler, Gibbs, Drake, Jim Jones.”
“You think our ghost lover might be involved?” Bob asked.
“Can’t rule him out. If he knows we’re on to him, he could be scared.”
“Who’s Drake?” Ron asked.
“Russell Drake. He’s the father on one of our cases. He’s seeking custody of his daughter, Sarah Parker.”
“Is he angry at Sabre?”
“I don’t know, but we’ve been investigating him, and he may not like that. Also, he recently bought his daughter a magic kit. I’m not discounting anything magic.”
To the right of Sabre’s name, he started another column with the heading, Silent Thunder. “Whoever did this had to know Sabre would be at the magic show. It was calculated. Do either of you know where Sabre got the tickets?”
“She said she got them in the mail from Silent Thunder, Inc.,” Bob said. “The note said it was a ‘thank you’ for representing his nephew a while back. She didn’t think anything of it. She receives thank you notes all the time from relatives or from parents who clean up their act and appreciate what she did for them.”
“When she’s not getting threats,” JP muttered. “Did it say who the nephew was?”
“I don’t think so.”
“I’ll get that note to the detectives tomorrow. Maybe they can get something from it. There has to be a connection between those tickets and this attack.”
“They weren’t just any tickets,” Ron said. ‘They were front row seats. Whoever got them had to have good connections. Most performers save those seats for special guests or for big promoti
onal giveaways.”
“Like perhaps Silent Thunder himself—the one with the nephew Sabre represented,” Bob said.
“That’s too easy,” JP said. “Why would he send tickets to his show, along with a note identifying himself, and then try to kill her at the same show?”
“And which one did it?” Ron asked. “Remember there are two of them.”
JP’s eyes widened. “Or maybe there are more than two. Maybe someone dressed the part. With the costume and the face make-up, they only had to be about the same size and familiar with the act to get away with it. He never gets close enough for most people to see his face, and he doesn’t talk, so there’s no voice recognition. That’s how he gets away with having a double.”
“And anyone who knows that could do the same,” Bob said.
“So, again, there has to be a connection to Silent Thunder. Someone who knows there are two of them, and has access to the tickets.”
“And meets the same general description, height, weight—although if he was thinner he could pad his suit, and if he was shorter, he could wear lifts in his shoes.”
“So he can’t be taller or heavier.” Ron pointed to the board. “Who in that list could it be?”
They all stared at the whiteboard.
“Dang,” JP said. “The only one it rules out is Lester Gibbs. He’s too big.”
“Even the Jim Jones ghost fits,” Ron said.
Ron grabbed for his cell phone when it rang. JP and Bob stopped talking as Ron said, “Mom?” He listened while she spoke. “Okay, we’ll be right there.”
JP was already half way out the door when Ron hung up and said, “She’s awake.”
~~~
Beverly met Bob, Ron, and JP outside the emergency room. The two detectives stood about ten feet away.
“The doctor is examining her again and the detectives are waiting to talk to her,” Beverly said.
“Did you get to talk to her at all?” Ron asked.
“Yes, and she’s going to be fine. She’s groggy, but coherent.”
“Did she say anything about what happened?” JP asked.
“No, and I didn’t ask,” her mother said.
JP walked over to the detectives and told them how Sabre obtained the tickets to the magic show. “I don’t have the envelope or the note, but the procedure in Sabre’s office is for Elaine, her receptionist, to open the mail and do the filing. I can call her in the morning if you’d like.”
“How about you just give me her phone number and I’ll follow up,” Addie said.
“That’ll work too.” JP gave her the number, although he had every intention of contacting Elaine first thing in the morning himself.
An orderly came out and told Beverly she could go in. Everyone followed her. Just before they reached her room, Eugene said, “We need to talk to her.”
“Give us a minute and we’ll clear out,” Bob said. Addie and Eugene stood just outside her cubicle. The curtain was open and Sabre could see them all. Ron stepped forward to her bedside and took her hand.
“Is this the welcoming committee?” Sabre asked.
Ron squeezed her hand. “You were supposed to disappear or something, not get drugged.”
“That would have been too easy,” she muttered.
“What did the doctor say?”
“He said I’m going to be fine. They want to keep me here until everything is out of my system, but I’m okay.”
“There’re two detectives here who want to talk to you, so I’m going to take Mom home and we’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?”
She gave a slight nod. Ron kissed her on the forehead. “Love you, Sis.” Their mother and Bob did the same.
She smiled at JP when he came forward. He reached down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “You had us pretty scared.”
The two detectives came in. “These are Detectives Addie and Eugene, San Diego PD. They want to talk to you.”
Eugene glanced at JP.
“He’s staying,” Sabre said.
Eugene shrugged and said, “Fine. Can you tell us what happened?”
Sabre explained how she was picked to go up on the stage. She was still groggy, so her accounting of the events took a little longer to tell, but she got through it.
“I was a little concerned about getting in the box because I tend to get a little claustrophobic, but I figured it would be quick, so I got inside. I panicked a little when the door closed because it was dark inside. I kept telling myself to breathe. I heard a noise and I realized it was the rope dropping to the floor.” She paused. “I thought the magician was going to untie me. I even turned so he could get to my hands, but instead he grabbed me and covered my mouth so I couldn’t scream.” She stopped and took another breath. “I remember kicking him and trying to pull away. I got one good kick against the wall, and then I felt something jab me in the arm and I must have passed out.”
“Can you remember anything else? Maybe about his hands when he put them over your mouth. Were they rough or soft?”
“Soft, I think. I didn’t feel any calluses or anything.”
“So his gloves were already off when he covered your mouth?”
“Yes.”
“Did you feel a ring, maybe? Or a certain smell? Maybe tobacco or whatever?”
“I didn’t feel a ring, but he could have had one. And he smelled like…” Sabre closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath. “…like mango.”
“Mango?” Addie asked.
“Yeah, mango.”
“Does that mean anything to you?” Addie asked.
“No.”
They asked about the show tickets and Sabre told them the same thing JP had. “Do we have your permission to get the note from your secretary?”
“Of course. It’s been handled a lot, so I doubt if you’ll get any fingerprints or anything though.”
“Probably not, but we’d like to see it just the same.”
“You think whoever sent the tickets is the one who tried to kill me.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Maybe, but it could be that whoever did this wasn’t after you,” Eugene said. “It may not have mattered who was in the box. He could have had a completely different motive. We don’t know, but for now, you are what we have to go on.”
“Okay.”
“I know your work can create a lot of enemies, but is there anyone who has threatened you recently?”
Sabre told him about Lynch, but she wasn’t able to provide any more details than JP had already given them.
“Has anyone threatened you outside of work?”
“No, but other than the time I spend with JP, which has been very little lately, there isn’t much else other than my work.”
The detectives asked a few more questions, but Sabre didn’t have anything of importance to add. They wished her well and left.
JP pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat there looking at Sabre.
“I’m okay, you know,” she said. “Or at least I will be really soon.”
“I know, and you’re right, we haven’t had nearly enough time together.”
“I’ve been trying to remedy that,” Sabre said. “I guess this is one way to do it.”
“It’s not exactly what I had in mind, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Chapter 50
“How is she doing?” Ron asked.
“I talked to her doctor about an hour ago. She’s going to be fine,” JP said. “They’ll be releasing her this afternoon.”
Ron looked around. “When did they move her to this room?”
“About four o’clock this morning. She slept pretty well, except when the nurses were pokin’ and proddin’ her. They kept checking her blood pressure, which has been steady all night.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Ron asked.
“I’d like to go take a shower. Can you stay? I don’t want to leave her alone.”
“That’s why I’m here. Did you get any sleep at all?”
/> “No, he didn’t,” Sabre said.
“Good morning, Sis. And how would you know that if you were sleeping?”
“Because every time I woke up, he was staring at me.” She turned to JP. “Go home and get some rest.”
“That’s probably good advice,” Ron said. “I’ll call you when they release her, or better yet, I’ll bring her to you.”
“What do you mean?” Sabre asked.
“You’re staying at JP’s this weekend. We’ve already decided.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Yes, you do,” JP said. “Someone tried to kill you. Until we know who, you’re not staying alone. If you’re not coming to my house, then I’m going to yours.”
“I guess you’re right. Besides, I can’t fight both of you.”
~~~
On his drive home, JP called Elaine, Sabre’s receptionist, and told her what happened.
“Did you keep the envelope and the note?” he asked.
“Yes, I filed them.”
“So you know where they are?”
“Yes, Sabre has a whole folder of correspondence she’s received after cases have closed. Anything before then would be put in their open file, but if it comes in later, it all goes into the miscellaneous folder.”
“I expect the detectives will be contacting you soon about the tickets and the note.”
“Should I give them everything?”
“Yes, it might help them. Sabre already gave them permission, but do me a favor.”
“Sure.”
“Before they take them, please take a photo and text it to me. Just don’t handle them any more than you need to.”
When JP got home, he fed Louie and crashed on his bed, where he remained until Ron called him about three hours later.
“They’re releasing her,” Ron said, “but as you know that process can take a while. We should be there in an hour or two. She wants to stop at her condo and pick up a few things.”
“Text me when you leave the hospital. I’ll meet you at her condo. I want to check her place out before she goes in.”
“Do you think someone might set a trap for her?”
The Advocate's Illusion Page 22