Power Lawyer 3

by Dave Daren

  “That’s just speculation,” Sellers complained.

  “Just about everything I’ve heard so far has been speculation,” the judge snapped. “Does anyone have any positive evidence that Matthew Burke is alive and well today?”

  “No, Your Honor,” both Sellers and I replied at the same time.

  Judge Maynard shook her head and glanced at the summary again.

  “Tell me, Mr. Sellers,” the judge continued, “What is the FBI’s interest in this?”

  “Mr. Burke was under investigation at the time of his disappearance,” Sellers replied.

  “I did figure that much out,” Maynard rasped.

  “That investigation has been ongoing,” Sellers quickly added. “The FBI believes that this declaration of death would make it more difficult to locate him.”

  “After six years?” the judge asked skeptically. “A simple court ruling is what’s going to make it impossible for the FBI to find him?”

  “The FBI will lose some of the connections that they’ve traced,” Sellers replied.

  Judge Maynard shook her head and scribbled something on the summary page.

  “Let me ask this,” she declared, “when was the last confirmed sighting of Mr. Burke?”

  Sellers and I looked at each other for a moment, and then Sellers gave me a small nod.

  “The day after the storm,” I replied. “He was last seen getting into the car of his associate.”

  “You agree with that?” she asked Sellers.

  “I do,” he said.

  “So it’s still more than five years ago,” she pointed out. “And during that time, the FBI has been actively searching for him without finding him.”

  “That’s true, Your Honor,” Sellers admitted.

  “Some of his other associates have been searching for him during that time as well,” I quickly added. “They’ve had no more success than the FBI.”

  “By other associates, you mean who, exactly?” the judge asked.

  “Certain local gangs that Mr. Burke might have had business dealings with,” I hedged.

  Judge Maynard rolled her eyes.

  “You mean racketeers he was laundering for,” Judge Maynard declared. “And they just happened to tell you, Mr. Creed, that they haven’t had any luck finding Mr. Burke.”

  “They have, Your Honor,” I confirmed.

  Judge Maynard’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and she studied me more closely.

  “Mrs. Burke,” the judge finally said as she turned her gaze on Gloria. “You’re the one who wants this. May I ask why?”

  “I’ve met a wonderful man,” Gloria replied. “I want to marry him and start a new life with him. I can’t do that as long as Matthew is still considered alive.”

  Judge Maynard nodded and stared thoughtfully at the three of us.

  “All right,” Judge Maynard finally tsked. “I’m not pleased with you, Mr. Creed. You should have told me about the sighting on your own. Nonetheless, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of Mr. Burke after that date. And yes, Mr. Sellers, the payments to the daughter might qualify, but until someone can show me that Matthew Burke walked into that bank every month for six years, that’s not proof. I’ll review the petition and whatever evidence you have. You’ll be notified when I have a decision.”

  Judge Maynard banged her gavel and we quickly vacated the tables so the next case could be heard. Gloria stood up slowly and I had to guide her from the room. I found a bench for her in the hallway and she sat down.

  “Was that good or bad?” she finally asked.

  “I think she’s inclined to grant it,” I replied. “The fact that the FBI hasn’t been able to find a trace of him in six years weighs heavily in our favor.”

  “Was that true?” she added. “About the payments to Perrin?”

  “It was,” I admitted. “Perrin kept it a secret, but that’s why she was so sure that Matthew was still alive.”

  “Why didn’t she tell me?” Gloria demanded as a tear formed in the corner of her eye. She opened her purse and dug around inside until she found a packet of tissues. She pulled one out and dabbed at her eye.

  “I think she was afraid that you would stop the payments,” I explained. “If you did that, she’d lose her connection to her father.”

  “But you said it may not have been Matthew,” she pointed out. “You said the person who was using the account didn’t look like Matthew.”

  “The police have received a lot of conflicting information about who was using the account,” I told her. “And there’s no security footage because the payments from that account stopped about a year ago.”

  “So, even if it was Matthew, he’s disappeared again,” she sighed.

  “Yes, but we don’t want it to be Matthew,” I said. “That would mean he was alive a year ago, and then the judge won’t be able to declare him dead.”

  “I know,” she replied. “Is the detective still looking for him?”

  “He is,” I assured her. “So far, there haven’t been any other sightings.”

  “That’s good,” she murmured as she dabbed at her eyes again. “Well, I need to talk to Perrin.”

  “Don’t be angry with her,” I said quickly. “She was just a kid who wanted her dad.”

  “You know, she did tell me about it,” Gloria remarked. “I’d forgotten about that, but about a month after Matthew disappeared, she told me someone had added money to her debit card. I told her I would take care of it, and she told me not to bother, that she would handle it. She didn’t want me to worry about anything else besides finding daddy. I never gave that payment another thought.”

  “It was her lifeline,” I replied.

  “I don’t see why she didn’t tell me about this when I filed the first time,” Gloria added with a bit more anger in her voice.

  “By that time, I think she felt she was stuck,” I offered. “She would have to admit that she had been receiving the payments for years, which could very well ruin your chances to move on with your life. She just wanted you to be happy.”

  Gloria had twisted the tissue into a small ball and she stared at it for a moment before carefully unfolding it again. She was still angry, but I could see that she was starting to rein it in.

  “Maybe I should call her later today,” Gloria sniffed. “When I’ve had a chance to calm down and consider things.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” I agreed.

  Gloria finally looked at me and I forced myself to stand still under her scrutiny.

  “Is there anything else I should know about?” she demanded. “Was there a girlfriend somewhere getting secret payments as well? Maybe a skank in Mexico providing regular services?”

  “Nothing,” I promised her. “The payments to Perrin were the only ones. I swear, the last time anyone saw him was when he stepped into that car.”

  “I don’t know which is worse,” she mused. “Being swept overboard and drowning, or being killed by a criminal. Would they have shot him?”

  “Probably,” I replied.

  Gloria nodded and then stood up. She was steady again and she lifted her chin as she set her shoulders.

  “I’ll await the judge’s decision,” she declared.

  We walked back to the elevators, where a much smaller crowd was waiting. We slipped inside the first car without exchanging another word. I walked her to the lot where she had parked and saw her off with a wave of my hand. When she was out of sight, I returned to the Fusion. I checked for messages once I was inside and was surprised to see that Sofia hadn’t sent anything yet. I texted that we were done for the day and I would fill her in at the office, then pulled into traffic for the drive back to Van Nuys.

  It was easier heading back, and I pulled into the parking lot while the burrito place was still prepping for lunch. I was surprised that Sofia’s car wasn’t in the lot, but perhaps Theo had dropped her off again. I was humming as I made my way up the stairs, and I even had a cute remark prepared as soon as I opened the doo
r.

  Except the door was still locked. I dug out my keys, as I glanced at the parking lot. Maybe Sofia had gone out for some reason, though I couldn’t imagine what would have drawn her from the office before I returned. The lock clicked and I opened the door slowly. The lights were still off and nothing had changed from last night. Sofia hadn’t even made it in yet, which was not a good sign. Maybe something had happened to her abuela during the night.

  I tried calling Sofia’s phone, then sent text messages, but there was no response. If something had happened to the grandmother, I didn’t want to interrupt the family. On the other hand, I needed to know what was going on. After the tenth unsuccessful phone call to Sofia’s number, I tried Theo instead. Theo picked up quickly, though his voice was still thick with sleep.

  “Theo, it’s Vince,” I said. “I’m trying to reach Sofia.”

  “She left already,” Theo mumbled. “At her usual time.”

  “So nothing happened to your abuela or anything?” I pressed.

  “No, man,” Theo assured me. “Everyone’s fine.”

  “She isn’t at the office,” I said. “And it doesn’t look like she’s been in at all.”

  “Damn,” Theo grumbled and I could tell he was suddenly on the alert.

  “Maybe the car broke down somewhere,” I suggested.

  “Maybe,” Theo said doubtfully. “Car was in good shape, though.”

  I stared around at the empty office again, and Aranda’s warning ran through my brain.

  “I’ll call my buddies,” Theo said. “See if anyone had to tow her car this morning.”

  “I’ll call the hospitals,” I replied. “Maybe she was in a car accident or something.”

  We hung up at the same time. I sat down at Sofia’s desk and started calling the hospitals that were closest to the drive she made between her parent’s house and the office. When that didn’t turn up any trace of her, I expanded my search. I was checking with USC medical when Theo called back.

  “Tow truck driver I know just got a call about half an hour ago,” Theo said. His voice trembled and I heard his voice catch. “LAPD needs him to come tow an abandoned car. It’s Sofia’s.”

  “What happened?” I asked. My own voice sounded unnaturally high, and all I could see was Aranda’s evil grin.

  “Don’t know,” Theo replied shakily. “I’m going to pick up the car now.”

  “Do you have the name of the patrol officer that called it in?” I asked as I tried to think of something to do. I could feel a sense of panic starting to settle into the pit of my stomach and I wanted to kick myself for letting down my guard.

  “Hang on,” Theo said. “Here. Officer Jacobs. He’s driving unit two-three-two charlie today.”

  “I’ll call him and see what he has to say, then I’ll call you back,” I told Theo.

  I called the dispatcher for LAPD and asked to be connected with Officer Jacobs in unit two-three-two charlie. I had to drop a few names and practically declare a national emergency, but eventually, I was connected with Officer Jacobs.

  “I’m calling about the car you ordered towed,” I said without preamble when I finally spoke to the young officer. At least I’d finally managed to find my professional voice again.

  “Is it yours?” Jacobs asked suspiciously.

  “My paralegal’s,” I explained. “But we’ve been working a case that has a lot of attention from some of the local gangs. Threats have been made against us, and now she’s not answering her cell phone. What can you tell me about the car?”

  “Not much,” Jacobs said. “It was parked with the emergency flashers on and the hood up. There wasn’t anyone waiting with the car, and there wasn’t any obvious damage. I tested the engine and it wouldn’t turn over.”

  “Did anyone see the driver?” I asked.

  “We checked the local businesses along there,” Jacobs replied. “You know, in case the owner had decided to wait inside somewhere. A couple of people told us they saw the driver get out and look under the hood. Then somebody else came along and she got in the car with them.”

  “You didn’t try to get in touch with the owner?” I demanded.

  “Why would we?” Jacobs replied.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

  “Why’d you call for the tow truck?” I asked.

  “Normally, we would have left it for the owner to collect, but it was blocking part of the road,” Jacobs explained. “We had to have it moved.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  I called Theo back and told him what Officer Jacobs had said.

  “I’m almost there,” he replied. “I’ll take it to the shop and have them check out the engine, see if they can figure out what happened. But Vince, Sofia wouldn’t get in someone’s car.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “That’s what worries me. She would have put up a fight.”

  “Unless they had a gun,” Theo murmured.

  We both went silent at the thought of someone pointing a gun at Sofia. That bad feeling in my gut started to bubble up again and Theo uttered a few f bombs.

  “I need to call a few people,” I finally replied. “Let me know as soon as you can about the car.”

  My first call went to a detective in the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Bosko is a good guy, and he helped me on two of my biggest cases, including the one that brought Anna Benardi into my life.

  “Creed, who’d you lose this time?” Bosko joked when he picked up.

  “My paralegal, Sofia Calderon,” I replied. “She didn’t make it into work this morning, and LAPD found her car by the side of the road.”

  “Damn,” Bosko replied and I could picture him sitting up straighter in his chair. “Who’d you piss off this time?”

  “Too many to count,” I said. “Can you see if there’s been any talk among the locals?”

  “Will do,” Bosko agreed. “Call Sanders again. He’ll spread the word among the cops on patrol.”

  “That was my next call,” I replied.

  I’d barely hung up with Bosko when I had Sergeant Sanders on the line. Sanders chided me for bringing yet more trouble down on those around me, but agreed to post the report on Sofia ASAP.

  Finally, I called Ari. Not because I expected Ari to have any ready solutions, but because I needed someone to talk to. I still had no idea if Sofia had really run into any trouble or not, or if she would turn up on the doorstep, angry as hell that someone had towed her car without consulting her first. I brought Ari up to speed on all the latest developments, and he whistled when I finally reached the end of my tale.

  “To be honest, bro,” Ari said, “it doesn’t sound good. I think your gut is right and somebody took her.”

  “But which one?” I asked.

  “There are a lot of possibilities,” Ari mused. “Apart from the gangs and possibly one or more cartels, you’ve got the wife, the wife’s new boyfriend, the Englishman, the daughter, and Burke himself.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I protested. “Why would one of the Burkes or Pickering snatch Sofia?”

  “To keep everybody focused on the gangs,” Ari suggested.

  “I think you’re making this too complicated,” I complained. “Aranda already warned me that Perez and Jabba would resort to something like this.”

  “But not Aranda?” Ari asked skeptically. “Sounds suspicious to me.”

  “Yeah, it does,” I admitted. “Still, of the three, I think he’s the most trustworthy.”

  “That’s not saying much,” Ari pointed out.

  The phone clicked and I checked to see who the other caller was.

  “Let me call you back,” I said. “Theo’s on the other line.”

  I hung up on Ari and answered the call from Theo. I could hear tools clanging, and someone yelling something in Spanish.

  “What’s the report on the car?” I asked.

  “Not good,” Theo growled. “My man couldn’t find anything wrong with the engine, so he tested the gas tank. Some
one added antifreeze.”

  “And that’s why the car broke down?” I asked.

  “It’s an old trick,” Theo replied. “The car will be able to drive a short distance, so you don’t realize anything’s wrong with it. Then it suddenly breaks down and leaves you stranded.”

  “So someone probably added it last night,” I said.

  “Probably,” Theo agreed.

  “I’ve got LAPD looking for her,” I sighed, “and one of the detectives is checking for leads among his contacts.”

  “We already know it was one of those three lunatics you’ve been dealing with,” Theo snapped.

  “I’ll try to set up another meeting with Aranda,” I replied. I chose to ignore the anger he had directed at me. I couldn’t really blame him either. “If he took her, I’ll find out what he wants. If it was one of the others, maybe I can get him to tell me which one.”

  “I’ve got ears on the streets,” Theo declared. “Maybe I’ll do my own investigating.”

  “Be careful, Theo,” I urged. “If the FBI is right, something big is about to happen, and I don’t want you or Sofia caught in the middle.”

  “It’s a little late for that,” Theo snapped. “Besides, I know how to handle these pendejos. I’ll call when I hear something.”

  He was gone and I was left staring at the phone. I was trying to decide if I should really reach out to Aranda when the phone rang in my hand. It wasn’t a number I recognized and I let it go to voicemail. The number called back again immediately and I answered it warily.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Mr. Creed,” a wet, slobbering voice replied. “We wanted you to know that we have your lady friend.”

  There was a muffled sound in the background, and then I heard Sofia’s angry voice telling someone to ‘fuck off’.

  “She’s quite lovely to look at, but somewhat lacking in the charm department,” the voice said when it came back on the line.

  “What do you want?” I asked angrily.

  “Matthew Burke,” the voice replied.

  “I don’t have Matthew Burke,” I growled.

  “Then you’d better find him,” the voice insisted.

  The line caller hung up and I cursed at the dead air. I had to find Aranda and I had to find him now.