I put Mandy down and stood up just in time for Jordan and Brock to swarm me. They crushed me with hugs and it was excruciating, but I loved every minute of it. When they finally let go, Sara walked up, looked at the blood streaming down my face, and said, “My god, Simon. Why does it seem like every time I see you you’re in worse shape than the last?”
“I have a lot of admirers,” I quipped, and put my arm around her for support. She helped me to the bathroom, cleaned up the blood on my face, and patched me up. When she was done, I took her hand and said, “Sara, I’m so sorry. For everything I’ve put you and the boys through. But especially you. Those pictures—”
“Simon, stop.”
“No, listen to me. It would be easy for me to say I was being manipulated and pulled in six different directions. But the truth is, I was weak. I was tempted and I nearly gave in to those impulses. But I didn’t. Nothing happened other than what you saw in those pictures. I swear.
Sara said nothing.
I put a finger under her chin and lifted it until she was looking at me. “I swear,” I said again.
She nodded. “I just need some time.”
“Okay.” That was good enough for now. I knew, in time, we would get past this. “So, hey, why was the door unlocked?” I asked, changing the subject. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“I had the locks changed. And added some new ones. With everything that’s been going on, I just thought we needed a little more security. You wouldn’t have been able to get in if they were all locked,” she replied.
“I could have knocked,” I said snarkily.
“Shut up,” she said, and kissed me. “I’m so glad you’re home. Is it over?”
I let out a sigh. “Not even close.”
“Why? I saw on the news that the Escalante brothers are dead. Isn’t that who started this whole mess?”
“Yeah, but Christina intends to finish it. You heard her yourself. She won’t just walk away and leave us alive.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Where are the guys that were watching the house?” I asked, changing the subject.
“They’re not out there?”
“No.”
“I have no idea. They were out there earlier today.”
“Hmm. About that other thing you overheard. Are you sure you heard them right?”
“Positive.”
“You know what that means, right?”
“That she’s been playing with you from the start? Yeah.”
I exhaled and nodded. Christina was smarter than everyone had given her credit for, including me. Now I just needed to figure out how to stop her before she came for us.
“Let’s go the kitchen,” I suggested. “I’m starving.”
“Did you eat anything today?”
“Not much. Prison food sucks. I don’t recommend it.”
“Prison? What?”
I forgot she didn’t know I’d been arrested again. Shit.
“Long story,” I said. “Not right now.”
She sighed. “Oh, Simon…”
She led me to the kitchen, and the four of us sat around the table and ate. I was overjoyed to be with them again. In the back of my mind, though, I worried about how I would protect them from whatever came next.
We talked about everything that had been going on with them, and whenever they asked about where I’d been and what I’d been doing, I changed the subject back to them. I needed a break from the nightmare that had been my life for the past year. Mandy sat on my lap, excited I was home and making sure I wasn’t going anywhere.
It got late, so Sara and I said goodnight to the boys. They had school tomorrow, and I had a few errands of my own to run. After they were in bed, we headed to the bedroom. I was exhausted and in desperate need of a shower. I threw my blood-stained shirt in the garbage and was about to take my pants off when my phone buzzed. I fished it out of my pocket and saw a new text message.
Front porch. Right now.
I didn’t recognize the number. What now? I thought. I peeked through the blinds of my bedroom window but didn’t see anyone outside. I was reluctant to go outside. Everything about it felt like a trap. But what if it wasn’t?
I grabbed a baseball bat from my closet and made my way to the front door. My ribs were still killing me and my head was still pounding. I looked through the peephole, but saw nothing except my front yard and the street beyond. I started working the different locking mechanisms Sara had installed on the front door until I finally had it unlocked. I opened it an inch or two and peeked outside. There was no one there. When I looked down, there was a small white envelope on the front mat. I opened the door a little more and looked around again. I still didn’t see anyone. I reached down, snatched the envelope, and quickly closed and re-locked the door.
I walked into the kitchen, feeling the envelope in my hand. Something was in there, and it wasn’t paper. A small, bulky object that I couldn’t quite place. I took a seat at the kitchen table and tore open the envelope. Inside was a one-terabyte thumb drive. Taped to it was a small sticky note with handwriting I did not recognize.
“The answer to all your problems.”
I had no idea what that meant, who it was from, or what was with the cloak-and-dagger games, but I could use all the help I could get. I stood and headed over to my desk and fired up the computer. When it was ready, I plugged in the thumb drive. After a few seconds, a flurry of activity appeared on the screen as the drive revealed all of its secrets.
“Holy shit.”
Chapter 96
Tuesday morning came fast and, despite what I had to do today, I had a spring in my step. For the first time in a long time, there was light at the end of what had been a very long tunnel. My ribs ached, my face hurt, and my head throbbed, but I didn’t care. Today was a big day. Sara got the boys off to school and I got everything ready for what I had to do.
Like clockwork, Barry showed up at eight forty-five and I was waiting for him in the driveway. I climbed into his truck and my ribs screamed. “Good decision, Doc,” he said. After giving him directions, we drove in silence to the bank. As I reached for the door handle, Barry grabbed my arm and said, “Don’t disappoint me, Doc,” with a menacing look. I hopped out and ran inside just as they were unlocking the doors.
Fifteen minutes later, I was back outside the bank carrying a manila envelope containing five stacks of ten thousand dollars each. As I exited the bank, I bumped into someone on their way in. We both apologized at the same time, then realized we knew each other.
“Hey, Dr. Spero! How are you?”
Sebastian Franklin had been a patient of mine for a number of years. I remembered his name only because he liked to be called Seabass.
“Hey, Seabass, I’m okay. How about you?”
“Oh, you know how it is. Livin’ the dream,” he chuckled. “So you’ve had a helluva time. You think your office will be open anytime soon? I need new glasses.”
“Yeah, I don’t know. Still have some things to work out, but I’ll keep you posted. What about you? You still the manager over at the movie theater?”
“Yep.”
“So is everything back to normal over there?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, since the shooting?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“There was never any shooting. Someone invented that story, but somehow it went viral. People actually thought someone came in and shot up the place, but it never happened.”
His words hit me like a ton of bricks. “What are you talking about? James Henderson fired an AR-15 into the crowd and killed twenty-two people.”
“Nope. Never happened.”
“Sebastian, I met the guy!”
“Maybe so, but he never shot anyone. At least n
ot in my theater.”
A loud horn honked, startling me, and I turned back to see Barry angrily waving me over. He was losing his patience.
“Anyway, have a good one, Doc. Hope to see you soon.” He turned and went into the bank. I stood there, shell shocked by what he’d just told me. My brain felt like it was being squeezed, and I simply couldn’t comprehend the meaning of it. Who would make up something like that? And why? I trudged back to Barry’s truck and climbed in.
“What the hell was that all about?” he barked.
“Nothing,” I said. “Just an old patient of mine.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t have all day. Give it here.”
I handed him the envelope without even looking at him. I stared blankly out the window while he ripped it open and counted the money.
“Good,” he said. “Very good, Doc.” He pulled a set of papers from his jacket and handed them to me. It was the agreement I’d signed putting my house up as collateral for the loan. I tore it up immediately. “Now get out,” he said. “I have to get to the courthouse. More criminals need bail money.”
“Actually, I need to get to the courthouse too. Would you mind giving me a ride?”
“No skin off my back,” he said. He put the truck in gear and we sped out of the parking lot. Twenty minutes later we were there. It turned out Barry didn’t believe in speed limits, so we made exceptional time, but I was still late. According to the courthouse website, my trial was set to resume at nine a.m. It was almost ten.
I thanked Barry for the ride, ran up the steps as fast as my aching ribs would allow and went inside. Sara was waiting for me outside the courtroom where I was scheduled to appear. I had convinced her to take the day off and meet me here because I had a big surprise I thought she would enjoy. I took her hand, yanked open the double doors, and we stepped inside.
The judge was scribbling something and talking to William, who stood next to an empty chair at a table on the right side of the courtroom. From the sound of their conversation, the judge was about to issue a warrant for my arrest.
“Sorry I’m late, Your Honor!” I shouted and strode to the front of the courtroom. Everyone turned and looked, including William and the judge. Sara took a seat behind me as I joined William at the table.
“Dr. Spero,” Judge Keever began. “How nice of you to join us.”
“My apologies again, Your Honor. I was unavoidably detained,” I replied.
“Well, according to your attorney, you’re dead. So I’d say detained is a step in the right direction.”
“Yes, Your Honor,” I said, and gave William the stink eye.
“Well now, since all parties seem to be present and accounted for, are we ready to proceed?”
Both William and the prosecuting attorney gave their assent. The judge was about to start the proceedings when I interrupted.
“Actually Your Honor, if I may…”
“What is it Dr. Spero?” Judge Keever asked.
“If it please the court, from this point on, I will be representing myself in this matter.”
William’s head whipped around and he glared at me. He had a look of both surprise and contempt on his face. It wasn’t every day he was so publicly fired.
“Uh, I would advise against that, Dr. Spero,” Judge Keever warned. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the old adage, ‘He who represents himself has a fool for a client’?”
“I am, Your Honor. But in this case, I think a fool is better than a corrupt, backstabbing traitor.” William scowled at me, but said nothing. I was impressed with his restraint. I, on the other hand, let him have it. “You’re fired!” I shouted, loud enough for the entire courtroom to hear. He flinched as I shouted in his face, then turned back to face the judge, a little sag in his posture.
“Well, you heard him, Counselor,” Judge Keever said. “You may excuse yourself, Mr. Alter.”
William tossed his notepad and files into his briefcase, snapped it shut, and turned to leave. All eyes followed him as he trudged out of the courtroom. I looked across the aisle and saw the prosecuting attorneys laughing and smiling. They were loving every minute of this. When he was gone, the judge rapped his gavel to quiet everyone down and get things back on track.
“You sure you know what you’re doing, Dr. Spero?” he asked.
“Absolutely, Your Honor.”
“And are you ready to proceed?”
“Actually, there’s one more thing I’d like to bring to the court’s attention.”
He sighed. “And what is that?”
“May I approach the bench?”
“I guess,” he said, the frustration obvious in his voice, and waved me forward. I walked around the table and when I arrived at his bench, I reached into my pocket, pulled out two pieces of paper that had been stapled together and neatly folded, and handed them to him.
“Here you go, Your Honor,” I said. I took a few steps back and folded my hands in front of me as he pulled on his reading glasses. He unfolded the papers and began reading. His eyes got wide as he read and when he reached the end of the second page, he folded up the papers and pocketed them. He looked briefly at me, then his eyes darted around the courtroom. Finally his eyes settled on the prosecution.
“In the matter of the State versus Dr. Simon Spero, this case is dismissed!” He banged his gavel violently on the block and stood.
“Your Honor!” protested the lead prosecutor. “I object! May I see the new evidence introduced by the defendant that has so swiftly brought an end to this case?”
“You may not, Counselor. The case is dismissed. If you don’t like it, take it up with the Attorney General. Bailiff, clear the courtroom.” And with that, Judge Keever whisked away and disappeared into his chambers behind the bench.
The prosecution stood there, jaws agape. I turned around and, as soon as I walked through the little swinging door, Sara mobbed me. She hugged me painfully and I squeezed her back.
“Oh my god, Simon! That was amazing! What was on the paper you gave the judge?”
I put my face close to her ear and whispered, “Just a list of every bribe and kickback he’s taken in exchange for favorable rulings, every payment he received from local detention centers, every case where he sent an innocent person to jail, and every corrupt politician he let walk free.”
“Where did you get all that?”
“It’s a secret,” I said with a wink.
Chapter 97
Right around the time Judge Keever was banging his gavel, a fax arrived at the office of Peter Blunt, Attorney General for the State of Florida, listing in great detail the many transgressions during his tenure in office. Bribes, kickbacks, blackmail, extortion... Every time he brought pressure to bear on a judge, influenced the outcome of a case, overturned a lawsuit against a billion dollar company, or let a guilty defendant walk. The list was quite comprehensive and spanned eight pages. The last page of the fax was a photo of Peter attending the funeral of the infamous Cuban crime boss, Christina Escalante. With Enrique and Gustavo now dead, it was unlikely the Attorney General would undo what Keever had just done but a little insurance never hurt.
Not long after, an email landed in William Alter’s inbox with a list of his own improprieties, including detailed proof of his involvement with the Escalante crime family, judges he’d bribed, and shady back-room deals he’d made. There was also evidence demonstrating he traded legal services in exchange for sexual favors. Also included were copies of communications detailing his intentions to “defend” me in a manner certain to land in me in jail. The same jail that was once home to James. The same list was also forwarded to the state bar association, as well as every local newspaper and TV station.
I still failed to understand why it was so important to get to James. What had he done that they would go to such great lengths to put me in a position to get to him? I wasn’t sure I’
d ever know the truth. I hadn’t heard from him since that night we’d escaped the shooting in my hotel room. If he was smart, he’d found Lisa and the baby and left the country for good.
I thought about that night. I remembered James going back for something in the room. What was he so desperate to get that he would crawl back into a room being torn apart by bullets? Then it hit me. The thumb drive. Of course. He’d shown me a glimpse of what he’d found in the limited amount of time he’d been digging, but clearly he found a lot more than he’d shown me. Why was he helping me? What did he have to gain? Why didn’t he just run?
“So that’s it?” Sara asked, interrupting my train of thought, as we drove home from the courthouse. “It’s over?”
“Not quite,” I replied. The prospect of jail may have been behind me, but the prospect of being dead still loomed large. “My legal troubles may be over, but Christina is still out there. And she’ll come for us. Soon.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We are not going to do anything,” I said. “You are gonna take the boys and get the hell away from here.”
“What? No!” she snapped. “Are you kidding? I just got you back. You think I’m leaving you now, with her coming after you? Are you crazy?”
I pulled the car into the garage, shut down the engine, and closed the door behind us. I turned to her and said, “First of all, I have Ingo. We have a plan, and it doesn’t include you. You and the boys are my first and only concern. I need you to take them away from here, someplace safe so I won’t have to worry about you guys. Can you do that for me? Please?”
She wanted to argue, but she saw the look on my face and her expression softened. She let out a sigh. “Fine,” she agreed, but it was clear she wasn’t happy about it.
“Thank you,” I said, and kissed her hand. “Besides, what were you planning to do? Nag her to death?” I teased.
“Hey!” she said, and hit me in the arm. I laughed.
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