“Hey, Stevie. How they hanging this fine morning?”
It was Richard Soraces. Wolf’s lethargy immediately vanished.
The Devil’s advocate, he thought.
“Hey,” Soraces continued. “I hope I didn’t wake you up. You have a late night, or something?”
“What do you want, Soraces?”
After a quick bark of laughter, the other man said, “Sorry, I had you pegged for an early riser. You know, one of those guys who’s up every day at the crack of dawn putting in his roadwork.”
Wolf was suddenly bothered by the mention of his routine. Did Soraces have him under surveillance or was it just a lucky guess? Regardless, perhaps it was time to take Mac up on his offer to loan him a gun to take along on those morning treks to the mountain.
“Stevie boy? You still there, man?”
“Yeah. What do you want?”
“Aw, come on. Isn’t that obvious? I want to discuss a deal on behalf of my client.”
“A deal? Like last time?”
“For what we discussed before in my office,” Soraces said. “Oh, by the way, I don’t work there anymore.”
“So I’ve heard. And seeing as how our last venture turned out, I can’t figure out why I’m still talking to you, asshole.”
“Asshole?” Another laugh. “I’m wounded. I thought we had a good, solid, professional relationship. Especially after all that good faith money I had wired to you.”
“Fuck you, Soraces. Have you forgotten you tried to kill me?”
“No, no, no. That wasn’t me. If you remember correctly, you were the one shooting at me.”
“If I’d been shooting at you, you wouldn’t be here now. And I only returned fire after being fired upon.”
“Oooh, that sounds like military terminology. But that’s right, you were a Ranger at one time, weren’t you?”
Wolf said nothing, debating whether to just hang up.
If I do that, he thought, I’ll lose the chance to figure out what his game is. He decided to wait the other man out. After a few more seconds of silence, it worked.
“So,” Soraces said. “Like I told you, it’s time for us to deal. That is, if we can be sure you actually have it.”
“Oh, I’ve got it, all right.”
“Well, you have to understand that after the … disappointment that last time, there is a bit of doubt.”
Wolf considered what to say. He didn’t want to blurt out the name of the artifact.
It’s better to be a bit vague, he thought. Just in case he’s recording this.
“You know that old riddle,” Wolf said. “What’s rock hard and about the size of half a cantaloupe?”
Silence, then, “Okay, we’re on the same sheet of music, so to speak. You’ve got something we want, and we’ve got something for you. Something that’ll clear your name.”
“This sounds like the same song and dance as before,” Wolf said. “Which you reneged on.”
“Now that’s not accurate.”
“The hell it’s not. You talked a good game and delivered nothing.”
Soraces cleared his throat. “Now look, if you think back over what actually happened, I’m sure you’ll see that it was at worst, a misunderstanding. We had a deal in the works, and I was ready to abide by it on behalf of my client. Is it my fault that Cummings fellow interfered?”
The image of what had occurred in the dusty street of that deserted town danced into Wolf’s memory: Soraces and the other man, the bald-headed black guy, standing over the dying Cummings with the duplicate bandito in Soraces’s hands.
“Interfered?” Wolf said.
“Yeah, right. He contacted my client, unbeknownst to me and our arrangement, and claimed to be in possession of the bandito.” He paused and Wolf could almost picture Soraces’s cocky smile, the nonchalant shrug of shoulders. “I was then instructed to go meet him at that grimy location and negotiate for the item. It was hardly my fault things turned out that way, was it?”
“Negotiate,” Wolf said. “It looked like you were negotiating, all right. A payoff with a bullet.”
“Now, that wasn’t me. It was the man I hired as security. Cummings tried to shoot him, and he was left with no other option than to defend himself.”
“Oh, is that why he took a shot at me?”
“Sorry about that. But you’ll have to admit, it was a rather dynamic situation. I don’t know his motivation for doing that, and I’m not berating you for returning fire, either. I, on the other hand, committed no hostile acts toward you, did I?” Soraces paused for a second, then jumped back in with, “So I can hardly be blamed for getting the hell out of there, can I?”
“With the bandito.”
“With the ersatz bandito. Not very sporting of you, making a duplicate, old chum.”
Wolf realized his fatigue was getting the better of him. He needed to end this quickly.
“Give me a number where I can get ahold of you and I’ll call you back,” he said.
“Huh-un. No can do at the moment. I’m merely trying to reestablish communication so we can complete our original agreement.”
The thought of finally getting that flashdrive was a tempting one, but this guy was about as trustworthy as a cornered jackal.
“Okay,” Wolf said. “I’m interested, but if we deal, it’ll have to be my way, and on my terms.”
“Which are?”
“I’ll let you know when I work them out. Now are you going to give me way to get in touch with you, or not?”
A solid five seconds passed and then Soraces said, “Not at this time, but I’ll be back in touch,” and terminated the call.
Wolf stared at the lost connection on the screen and then threw the phone onto the bed. It was getting light out now as the sun was already peeping way over the mountains. He felt tired but too adrenalized to sleep. He figured he’d gotten a little over two hours in. Not nearly enough, but to try again would be fruitless. Besides, he and McNamara had agreed to get up by nine and eat breakfast together before driving downtown to meet that new lawyer.
Wolf sighed and figured he might as well do his roadwork.
Despite the invigorating run Wolf found the fatigue creeping up on him after eating the substantial breakfast that Kasey prepared for him, her father, and Chad. Once again, she was dressed in her crisp-looking business attire and Wolf wondered if she had another appointment at the university. Whatever it was, she didn’t share her plans with either of them. Instead, she set the frying pan and hers and Chad’s dirty plates into the dishwasher and told him to go brush his teeth. She started to usher him out of the room, but the boy stopped next to Wolf’s chair.
“Hey, Uncle Steve,” he said. “Can I take the belt to school for show and tell?”
Wolf had discovered it had been returned to his room the day before. He was about to answer in the affirmative when Kasey cut in.
“No, you cannot,” she said. “Uncle Steve doesn’t think that’s a good idea right now.”
Chad’s lips curled inward, accompanying a hurt expression. He looked from his mother to Wolf.
“Aw, why not, Uncle Steve?”
Wolf was at a loss for words. Why did she make him the bad guy?
“I think it would be all right,” he said. “If it’s okay with your mom.”
Kasey shot him a dagger’s look as Chad turned to her and began an imploring series of “Can I, mom? Can I?”
“No. It’s too expensive and valuable for you to take to school,” Kasey said. “Besides, it’s not yours. We’re running late today. Go on and brush your teeth. We have to leave.”
Chad’s face looked pinched with disappointment as he ran out.
“Steve,” Kasey said. “Please don’t do that again.”
“I didn’t mean to—”
“I realize that,” Kasey said. “But it’s hard enough trying to raise my son without outside interference.”
“Sorry.” Wolf felt on edge, not knowing what else to say.
Her expression softened a little and she added, “I know you mean well and he’s thrilled that you let him hold onto the belt, but I don’t want him to get too attached to something that’s not really his.”
“Understood,” Wolf said, and shoveled some scrambled eggs into his mouth to avoid having to say anything else.
“Hell,” McNamara said. “I’d be glad to stop by his school with the belt after I drop Steve off. Maybe I’ll take my shadow box along and talk to all of them kids.”
“Dad, don’t start. Let’s just leave it alone for now, okay? We’ll work something out later.”
McNamara shrugged and started smearing some strawberry jelly onto his toast.
“Roger that,” he said. “But he sure has taken a shine to that belt, and after all, it is something to be proud of.”
“For Steve it is,” Kasey said. “Not for Chad.”
Kasey walked out and Wolf noticed she was wearing heels.
“Takes after her mother,” McNamara said. “Anyway, it’s just as well. I want to do a little shopping once I drop you off. Get some stuff for our upcoming class.”
“Such as?”
“Well, since Buck’s got all them nice ranges, I think I’ll take some of my weapons with us so we can do some shooting. I’ll want to get extra ammo. Plus, I gotta get you a web belt and a canteen, some extra mag pouches and web gear and—”
“Hey,” Wolf said. “We’re just taking a class, not shipping out.”
McNamara held the toast in front of his mouth and grinned.
“You never know,” he said, and bit off a piece of the toast.
Forty minutes later they were pulling up in front of the office building where the late Rodney Shemp had his office. Wolf had been there a few times before, most recently to break in and remove what he and Mac had felt were incriminating files regarding their disastrous trip to Mexico that they didn’t want the authorities to peruse. The judge had appointed the Mark Edwards Law Firm as a curio amicus, a friend of the court, to review Shemp’s files before turning the redacted versions over to the police department for their investigation of Shemp’s murder. Everything had slowed to a snail’s pace, however, mostly due to the fact that the homicide was all but cleared. A video had surfaced showing one of the South African mercenaries, who’d tried to kill Wolf, had been at the hospital masquerading as a nurse. It had definitely placed the Afrikaans in the vicinity of Shemp’s untimely fall down a hospital stairwell, and the autopsy had revealed that the lawyer was, in fact, dead before he took his tumble down the stairs. The mercenary was also subsequently killed and now closing the case was all but a formality. Nobody was in a rush at this point.
“Just give me a call when you’re ready to be picked up,” McNamara said. “But I do expect to be introduced to this new lawyer of yours.”
“I haven’t hired her yet,” Wolf said.
“No, but if she’s half as hot as she sounds, you’re gonna. If not, I might hire her myself.”
He pulled up in front of the building and whistled.
“Say,” McNamara said. “I wonder if that’s her there?”
Wolf was already assessing the pretty Hispanic woman standing in front of the building holding a thin leather briefcase. She looked to be fairly young, maybe her mid-thirties, and her raven hair fell around her shoulders with a textured elegance complementing her light blue blouse. Her skirt was a shade darker. The triangular muscle of her exposed calves bulged with just the right amount of tension to perfectly accentuate a pair of flawless legs.
Raising a dark eyebrow, she scrutinized the Escalade, and then came strolling toward them, the obviously expensive high-heeled shoes making clicking sounds on the sidewalk.
McNamara slammed the gear shift into PARK and flipped off his seatbelt.
“Hot damn,” he said. “I’m gonna get out and let you introduce me.”
“I’ll have to introduce myself first.” Wolf was struggling to undo his own seat belt. He slipped out of the Cadillac before McNamara and stepped onto the sidewalk thinking to himself, Wouldn’t it be funny as all hell if it’s not her?
He smiled and so did she, exposing perfect, white dentition.
“Mr. Wolf?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She extended her right hand. “I’m Delores Delgato.”
Before Wolf could say he was glad to make her acquaintance, McNamara sidled up next to him with a wide grin extending his hand also.
“I’m Jim McNamara, Steve’s partner.” He tipped the cowboy hat he’d taken to wearing again.
Dolores Delgato smiled and shook his hand also.
“I must admit that I’m a trifle bit embarrassed,” she said, turning back to face Wolf. “I was going to use Mr. Shemp’s old office, but in my haste to leave my office this morning, I neglected to pick up the key from Mr. Edwards. And he’s tied up in court.”
“Want us to break in?” McNamara asked, the grin still plastered on his face. “We’re pretty good at it.”
She smiled. “I’m sure you are, but I was thinking that since it’s such a nice day we could get some iced tea and sit outside at that restaurant.” Ms. Delgato shrugged her shoulders and Wolf watched as the thin translucence of her blouse made a wispy sound to accompany the gesture. “I realize that sounds a bit informal, but …”
“It sounds fine,” Wolf said. He turned to McNamara. “I’ll give you a text when we’re done.”
McNamara nodded and told Ms. Delgato it had been a pleasure to meet her. He got back into the Escalade and waved as he pulled off.
“What type of work do you do, Mr. Wolf?” she asked as they walked toward the restaurant.
“Right now I’m in bail enforcement.”
Her perfectly accented eyebrow rose once again.
“Bounty hunters?” she asked.
He nodded. “Not much else available career-wise for an ex-con with a DD.”
“Yes,” she said. “Well, let’s talk about that.”
After paying for two iced teas, which Ms. Delgato insisted on doing, they sat at a wire table under the restaurant awning. Ms. Delgato set the briefcase on the top between them and took out a yellow legal pad and a ballpoint pen.
“As I mentioned,” she said. “I did take the liberty of going over the file that Mr. Shemp had. It included a transcript of your court-martial.” She paused and touched the top end of the pen against her perfect white teeth. “I think your military lawyer did a pretty bad job for you. About the only thing he did right was having you plead under an Alford plea. That is, allowing you to plead guilty and accept the deal without admitting guilt. It left a back door open in case we do try to appeal.”
We? Wolf thought. She’s already figuring on me hiring her.
Ms. Delgato must have read his mind because she quickly placed two fingers, with well-manicured, artificially-elongated, red nails, on his forearm and said, “I don’t mean to be presumptuous. After all, you haven’t actually hired me as of yet.”
She quickly withdrew her hand, but the feel of her touch on his bare skin had felt electric. He smiled but said nothing.
“If you do,” she said, pausing to take a sip from her straw. “I think I could mount a good case for inadequate defense.”
Shemp had mentioned something of the sort being a possibility, but he’d also said that it would probably be a long shot … A very long shot.
Of course, neither Shemp nor Ms. Delgato were aware of the new development and Wolf wondered how much he should tell her. Should he mention Soraces and the flashdrive? He didn’t actually have it, but the phone conversation this morning was a reminder that getting it was still a possibility. And what about the stolen artifact, the Lion Attacking the Nubian? Would it be wise to divulge that to her as well? That would be tantamount to admitting that he was knowingly in possession of stolen property. Even if the communication between a lawyer and her client was privileged, she might not want to get involved in something illegal.
It was almost too much to think about.
<
br /> Keep it vague, he thought. It’s not the right time to show all my cards to anybody.
His head was beginning to ache from lack of sleep, and he felt like a drunk trying to negotiate a circular staircase.
“Are you all right, Mr. Wolf?” she asked.
He blinked a few times trying to clear his head.
“Yes,” he said. “Sorry. I had a late one last night working and didn’t get much sleep.”
She smiled and drank some more iced tea.
“If you’d rather postpone this to another time, when you feel better …”
“No,” he said, deciding he needed to have an attorney on retainer just to be safe, regardless of whether or not he got the flashdrive. “I’d like to hire you.”
“All right,” she said. “Why don’t we do this … You give me a retain today of say, one hundred dollars, and I’ll get to work ordering a transcript of your trial. Then, once I’ve gone over everything again, we’ll plan our strategy.”
“Rod, err, Mr. Shemp, said it looked pretty hopeless.”
Ms. Delgato’s prim nostrils flared as she took a breath.
“Well, to be perfectly frank, it would be a bit of an uphill battle. But I’m not Mr. Shemp.”
That was obvious. He smiled.
“Additionally,” she said. “I spent four years in JAG, so I’m totally familiar with the UCMJ.”
“Oh really. Army?”
She nodded. “Seven years. I enlisted and applied to OCS after MP school. They sent me through law school.”
This somehow made Wolf feel he could trust her. They shared a common bond of both having served.
“What if there was something new to add?” he asked.
“New?”
He nodded, again wondering how much to divulge. “Yeah. You are aware that I wasn’t able to provide a full accounting of what happened in Iraq, right?”
“Those missing eight minutes from your memory? Yes, I did read your initial CID interview and statement. It was in the discovery file. You should have requested an attorney to sit in on that, by the way. They did read you your rights before they talked to you. There’s a signed right’s waiver form in the file, but did you understand what you were signing?”
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