That La Jolla Lawyer

by Robert Rogers

  Margie made of my notes.” Carter looked at the first sheet and said, “Says I’ve interviewed two people. Half asleep when I did. One of Stone’s office girls, file clerk, now working elsewhere and his ex- wife now re-married. Both said they’ll deny anything I quote them on. They don’t want to get involved,” he said with a shrug. “I printed up some press cards and told ‘em I had to verify Sarah’s interview since she was killed.”

  “Good approach.”

  “It worked. I had a stack of papers by my side to give the impression I had Sarah’s notes.”

  “Smart.”

  “File clerk first. She said Stone and your client had been having a hot affair for about a year before she shot her husband.

  That’s why Stone divorced his wife. The wife confirms that. The file clerk told me she caught them in the library in a tight embrace, face to face with hands in action.”

  “Be damned! She led me to believe it happened during the trial,” Matt said.

  “I never trusted her. I didn’t say anything because I knew you had a lot on your plate,” Carter replied.

  “Yeah. So…” He extended his palms, inviting Carter to

  continue.

  “The clerk bought Stone a throwaway phone.”

  “She did!”

  “As I live and breathe. He sent her out to buy it! And, I hasten to add, a couple of weeks before the killing,” Carter said with some

  satisfaction.

  “Legally that doesn’t mean a hell of a lot, as you probably know. He could have bought it for any number of reasons.”

  “True, but we know why he bought it then, don’t we?”

  “Yep. He made that anonymous call to Schofield,” Matt said.

  His glass was near the bottom so he got up to refill it.

  “Say, Matt, how about a beer instead. This coffee is great, but a beer is what I need. Margie’s driving anyway. So what if I pass out in the car,” Carter said.

  Matt put his glass in the sink and got them both beers.

  Carter took a long swig. “Damn, that’s good. Margie has had a foot on my beer holding hand since I was shot. I can’t even open

  the fridge.”

  “She means for you to get well, old buddy.”

  “Right. Okay. Something else,” Carter said with a grin. “You’ll like this.

  Remember the picture of the bruise on your client’s face? Get this. The file clerk told me the phone she bought had a square bottom. I asked of course. She noticed because her’s, the clerk’s phone, had more of a rounded bottom. Stone told her to buy the cheapest one she could find and the square bottom one was the cheapest she saw.”

  “Damn, we’re getting close to some good shit, Carter.”

  “That’s what you pay me for…when you pay me.”

  “I caught that.”

  Carter laughed. “Not complaining, just thinking how it was when we were working on a case.”

  “Hopefully soon, old buddy. This one first. Okay?”

  “Right. Okay, when the trial started, the DA sent somebody out to interview Stone’s staff and the staff of both Schofields. At first, Stone’s file clerk told them Stone might have been having an affair with Jennifer. But, when they brought her in for questioning prior to being called, she recanted and said she hadn’t understood the implications of the question. Jennifer and Stone were just good

  friends. He was her patient and she was his client. That’s why the DA had to let it go. She admitted to me that Stone gave her a good severance check and a good reference letter.”

  “Money has a winning record over truth these days, Carter. It doesn’t matter a hell of a lot now though does it? She was acquitted. Anything else?”

  “Just a little more, I reckon.” Carter said with a head shake and a smile. “The ex-wife says Stone’s a con artist. He always lied to her. Used her money — her first husband died and left her a bundle

  — to start his practice and always had something going on the side. She’s not the best-looking woman I’ve ever seen.”

  “That adds validity to her statement,” Matt said.

  “My conclusion too. And, I guess you know he now has an office in La Jolla. Doing well. Charming, I’m told. Good-looking.

  The little old ladies, rich little old ladies, love him.”

  Matt smiled. “Yep. I’d bet my old car that Jennifer’s money went into setting up his new office.”

  “You’d win. His ex said as much.”

  “Jennifer loves him. At least that’s what she told me.” Matt wanted to add, Stone’s charm and good looks trumped his plain and honest, but didn’t. He wasn’t sure his lawyer side would support the honest part.

  Matt rubbed his bearded chin in thought for a few seconds. “I expect she lied about having the money to pay me. Problems with Schofield’s kids. Probably bullshit.”

  “It was. I forgot to tell you. I spoke to both of Schofield’s ex- wives. One of them said their lawyers advised them to take the

  small amounts offered after she was found not guilty since they didn’t have a sustainable claim. The children did the same, took what was offered and went away.”

  “Son of a bitch! That pisses me off, old buddy! Shit, she’s been screwing me around. That’s about to end! What else you got

  lined up?” Matt asked with a determined frown. “I’m really pissed!”

  “I reckon you have a right to it. I’ll do some follow up. Right now, I’m ‘bout ready to talk to the gun shop owner where Jennifer bought her automatic. Jes fishin’ but who knows. The shop has closed but the owner is still around. Sarah had his phone number and address.”

  Carter took his empty beer bottle to the sink and said over his shoulder, “Gonna wrap it up, Matt. If you got any mouthwash, it’ll keep me out of the dog house with Margie. She’s got a good nose.”

  Matt told him where to look.

  After a trip to the bathroom, Carter called Margie to pick him up. She honked her horn within minutes.

  “Probably been parked down the street waiting,” Carter said with a sly grin. “I think she likes me.”

  “Better hang onto her then.”

  “I plan to,” Carter said as he left.

  *****

  Matt drove to Denny’s for a quick bite, one of their senior breakfasts. While he waited, he called Denise to see if anything was happening.

  “I volunteered today at the congressman’s headquarters,” she said. “Noting of earthshaking significance was going on.”

  “Anybody say anything about the lawsuit Carpenter threatened to file?”

  “Not a word. Not a single word. It’s like it never happened. I

  did hear them going over the polls. Your Poway heckling knocked Clint down a few percentage points but he’s still ahead of Traynor by half a point. They’re neck and neck when you get right down to

  it. I think Reid’s campaign is afraid of doing anything that’d put the San Francisco scandal before the voters again.”

  “That’s kind of what I figured. They don’t have a case anyway and they know it. If I don’t make a move, they won’t make a move. Unfortunately, I don’t have another move I can make. ”

  “That’s my guess too. Not about your move. That they’re waiting to see what else you might come up with. Warner asked if any of us had had any contact with that ‘nutcase Dawson.’ He

  looked directly at me when he said it.”

  “I’m always glad to give Warner something to agitate about. Watch yourself. Remember, somebody killed Sarah.” “I’m careful.”

  He summarized Carter’s investigation of Stone.

  “That’s beginning to sound like a pretty good story. Keep me informed,” she said.

  He also mentioned that Allister had called and was looking for somebody to do a hack job for him.

  “That could open the door for a pretty sensational story about Reid,” she said.

  *****

  Matt slid on his jogging shorts and went for a run on the beach. As he
jogged along, he became aware that a young man seemed to be following him. He slowed as if to look at the surf rolling in. The young man slowed also.

  That son of a bitch is following me! I bet there’s somebody watching the front of the house as well. Hell, he would have seen Carter!

  For the moment, he let it go, and continued his jog; went about twenty minutes, turned around and went back to his house. The man turned and followed.

  Once back inside his house, he went out front as if getting something from his car. Down the street sat a car he hadn’t seen before. With tinted windows, he couldn’t see inside, but he bet there was somebody watching.

  He went inside and called Carter.

  “Can’t be Triplett,” Carter told him. “My old comrade would have warned me. No reason for it anyway. Must be Reid’s bunch.

  Well, they’ve seen me too. Most likely the guy in the car has my picture so that cover is blown. Not that it matters. I’ve already quit. They’ll know I was working for you.”

  “Nothing we can do about it now. Give Warner a point.”

  “Keep your gun handy in case he wants a touchdown to

  boot,” Carter said with a chuckle.

  “Yeah.”

  Matt stewed for an hour or so, then made a decision. He went for another run on the beach. He jogged out his back door and headed straight toward the beach. A beefy guy with a crew cut sat in a beach chair near a neighbor’s backyard, his fists curled over the ends of the arm rests. A thug? A tough guy intimidator. Fists look like bricks.

  The man came to alert when Matt jogged into sight. Matt watched out of the corner of his eye as the guy stood to follow. Big bastard too. Got a gut though.

  Matt turned as if going left, but after one stride, abruptly stopped and headed back the way he’d come, jogging directly toward the beefy thug following. As he neared, the guy slowed as if undecided about what to do. Matt picked up speed and as he crossed in front of the thug, veered toward him with his elbow extended. The beefy guy picked up the maneuver with a snarl and stepped back.

  Matt’s elbow grazed the man’s ribs and caused him to grunt, but no damage was done.

  In one motion, he brushed his crew cut, adopted a defensive stance and drew back to hit Matt with his right fist. He let go a roundhouse swing, but Matt anticipated and easily ducked under it. As the man’s swing swished over his head, Matt raised up and

  threw a handful of sand into the tough guy’s face. Matt had picked it up from his patio when he came out his back door.

  The big man instinctively brought both hands up to wipe at his stinging eyes.

  That’s when Matt threw the other handful of sand into the man’s face. The thug cursed and bent forward to clear the sand from his eyes.

  Matt jumped up and chopped down on the man’s neck with the palm of his left hand. That sent the man staggering forward. Matt took a stride and kicked the man in the crotch. The man grabbed his crotch with both hands and fell to the sand, groaning.

  Matt leaped on his back, quickly jerked his right arm and twisted it behind his back until he heard popping. He knew he had to hurry before the guy got control of his weight-lifter’s muscles.

  The big guy cried out. “No, man. Agh. Damn it man. Don’t break it! Agh!” Matt bent the arm until it wouldn’t bend any further unless he broke it.

  “Okay, who sent you?”

  “I work for Security Plus. We were told to watch you for a few days. It’s just a job. Damn man, you’re breaking my elbow. I’ve got a wife and kids.”

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you have. What else? Tell me everything or I’ll break it.” He put more pressure on the man’s arm.

  “Okay, okay. Stop! Damn, man. You’re killing me.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Man out front. Taking pictures. Three bugs. One in kitchen

  wall. Agh! Please man.”

  Damn it. I wasn’t expecting that. “Where else?”

  “One in the bedroom wall and one in a bush on your back

  porch.”

  “When’d you put them in?” He tightened the pressure on the man’s arm.

  “Couple of nights ago. You were gone. Easy, man. I’m talking. I’m talking.” Matt lightened up a bit.

  “When’d you show up?”

  “A while ago. We work shifts. We’re supposed to stay for a week unless he says otherwise.”

  “He? Who’s he? Who owns … the place you work.”

  “Security Plus. Jeff owns it. Jeff Warner. He sent us. We

  supply security for Congressman Reid’s campaign. He said you were a troublemaker.”

  “Give me the names of the goons he sent to kill me and my investigator the other night.”

  He jerked the man’s arm. His face turned to a mask of pain. “Damn it, man. You’re hurtin’ me bad.”

  “Names?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know!” He groaned and for a second, his eyes closed. “Nothing to do with me. We saw somebody shoot at you, but it wasn’t our call.”

  “What’s your name?”

  His eyes opened. “What? Dwight … Middelton.”

  Matt stood. The man stirred as if to get up. “Don’t move, shitface!” Matt ordered him.

  The man lay still. “Damn near broke my fuckin’ arm.”

  “Don’t push your luck. I’m leaving. Don’t even think about

  getting up until you can’t hear my footsteps. And, don’t ever follow me again.”

  “If you ever see me again, you’d better start praying,” the man said.

  Matt turned and kicked the man in the ribs.

  “Agh! Fuck, man. You broke my rib.”

  “I meant to.”

  Matt jogged away but glanced over his shoulder a couple of times. The man hadn’t moved.

  He jogged onto the beach access path and headed toward the street. He’d picked up a brick to use it on the car window of the

  man’s buddy. Damnit, the car was pulling out fast as he emerged from the beach path. The tag was covered in mud.

  “Cell phones! Damnit!”

  Matt went back to his house. It was too dark to find the bugs in his outside walls, but would sure as hell pull them out in the morning. He called Carter about what had happened.

  “You did what? You could have gotten yourself killed.”

  “I had a plan, Carter. The thug wasn’t expecting a fight. I had the advantage.”

  “So, for sure Warner knows what we’ve been doing.”

  “I doubt he cares about our investigation of Stone and

  Jennifer, but, he must have heard me talk about CURES and Adderall.”

  Carter said, “But he could let Stone know we’re after him.”

  “Yeah. The guy I had on the ground denies knowing

  anything about the shootings but Warner might have run that as a separate exercise. I’ll find the bugs in the morning and pull them out. However, I’m standing outside for this call so they can’t record it if they’re still around someplace."

  "I’ll be over bright and early to give you a hand. I don’t expect old Jeff will have anybody watching anytime soon.”

  *****

  With Carter’s help, they took the bugs out of the holes

  Warner’s guys had drilled in the sides of the house and the one at the rear. Figuring they might still be active, Matt put them in bags and left them at the front door.

  “If anybody’s listening, they’ll get traffic noise,” Carter said. “I imagine somebody can find a way to trace them back to

  Warner’s security firm if push comes to shove. That thought may just keep Warner in his cage for a while. One thing in our favor,” Matt pointed out. “He can’t use what we said in a legal setting without revealing his illegal bugs.”

  “The illegal part bother me. As in goons in the middle of the night.” Carter said, then asked, “Okay, what’s our plan?”

  “I want to up the ante against Reid,” Matt said and handed him a sheet of p
aper with the information about Warner’s stock and option position in Merlin and about the Larson Foundation’s options.

  “Why?” Carter asked. “You’re just gonna piss the guy off. Do you have a death wish for both of us? I think we should go after Stone. They owe you money. We’re not going to get shit from

  Reid.”

  Matt passed off Carter’s objection with a wave. “Listen, Carter, Warner had good reason to kill Sarah and Padgett. Sarah suspected Reid was hooked on Adderall and Padgett must have known it too if he checked Sarah’s computer notes.”

  “Hell, Matt, we don’t even know if Reid was on Adderall, let alone hooked.”

  “Yeah and maybe Reid took Adderall when he and Sarah were together. Maybe she saw his pill bottle in the bathroom. With all that money on the table, I’m betting Warner didn’t want to take a chance that she’d talk so he killed her.”

  “A thin case, my friend. No evidence.”

  “I’m working on it finding some,” Matt told him. “Add the fact that I’ve been attacked twice since we’ve been investigating,

  almost killed. You’ve been shot. He’s bugged the house. The

  man’s afraid of something. I’m hoping if we increase the pressure

  on him, he’ll make a mistake and we’ll have him.”

  Carter shrugged. “Or, we’ll be dead. Or dead broke at least. I’m keepin’ my money on you, Matt, but I have to tell you I think you’re lettin’ this thang git personal.”

  “Look Carter, somebody killed Sarah and tried to frame me for it. Somebody tried to kill both of us. How much more personal can it get?”

  “I’m gonna’ point out, just in case you forgot, we don’t know it was Warner,” Carter said with an emphatic wave of his hand

  “Who else could it be? He’s the one with the most to lose.”

  “I don’t know. But, I do know Margie’s gonna be pissed if I

  ain’t around anymore.” Carter shrugged in resignation. “Well, what the hell do you want me to do?”

  Matt looked at a copy of the sheet of paper he’d given Carter and gave a summary of the information. “The Larson Foundation has a bunch of stock options in Merlin. Larson, as you know, is Dr.