“Someone could’ve taken the gun a long time ago, which means it could be anyone who has been in that house in the last year.”
“That opens it up to any of Roxy’s friends, and that’s a whole lot of suspects.”
“Trying to narrow that down will be harder than tryin’ to stack BBs with boxing gloves on.”
Gene looked at JP with raised eyebrows.
JP realized his comment regarding Gene’s wife was not appropriate. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”
Gene laughed. “She is what she is. I was over that a long time ago. I was just thinking how much you sound like Grampa Pippin.”
JP tried to get the conversation back on track. “There’s also the possibility that Conner found the gun, shot Bullet, and stuck it back in his closet,” JP said.
“I suppose. But there’s got to be a way to stick this on one of those other clowns.”
“Gene, we’re not going to stick this on anyone. We have to find out what really happened. Sabre believes Conner, and she has good instincts. We just need to track down more evidence.” When Gene didn’t respond, JP asked, “Are you going to help me or what?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get me to the people who might know what happened. Get me closer to Roxy’s contacts and to Bullet’s circle of friends and enemies.”
“You’re a cop. They’ll smell you coming.”
JP felt his face heat up. He took a deep breath and said, “Then I guess your prison stench will have to cover it.”
After a pause, Gene said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“You know this will be risky for you too. There’s a greater chance you’ll get caught violating your parole.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going back one way or the other. I just need to stay out long enough to help Conner.”
Chapter 29
Sunday morning, Sabre made pancakes with Morgan’s help, then they sat down at the table to eat breakfast with JP. Morgan put a pancake on her plate, buttered it, and waited for JP to finish with the syrup.
“Are you going to save some for the rest of us?” the girl asked, grinning at JP.
“What can I say? I like my pancakes wet.” He finished pouring, handed the half-full bottle to Morgan, then mussed her hair. “There you go, Munchkin. Still plenty left, but you don’t need any. You’re already sweeter than stolen honey.”
Morgan smiled, her eyes lighting up. “You sure say some funny stuff, Uncle Johnny.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Morgan chattered as they ate, smiling all through the meal.
“You got a smile bigger than Texas. What’s that all about?” JP asked.
“I can’t wait to see Conner today. I want to tell him all about living here.” Morgan got really quiet for a few seconds. “Maybe I shouldn’t. Do you think he’ll feel bad because he can’t be here? I don’t want him to feel bad.”
Sabre patted her arm. “I think your brother will be glad to hear that you’re happy. He’ll want to know what’s going on in your life. He loves you very much.”
Morgan’s head bobbed up and down. “You’re right, and I love him. I love my parents too, but it’s not the same.”
“How is it different?” Sabre asked.
“My dad is great and spends a lot of time with us and teaches us things—when he’s around. But I know he isn’t always going to be there, so I don’t count on it. That’s just the way it is.”
JP shifted in his seat, but didn’t say anything.
“What about your mom?” Sabre asked, knowing the subject could be painful.
“My mom is different than other moms. It’s important to her to do her own thing. She hardly ever comes to any school things or takes us anywhere. She says we have to be more independent and that she needs to set an example. She says she does that by doing what she wants.” Morgan shrugged. “I don’t mind, because my brother is always there for me. And most of the time, my grandma is too.”
Sabre was frustrated by the plight of this young girl and the lack of parenting she received. It made her even more determined to prove Conner’s innocence. Morgan needed him.
“We’d better get moving, or we’ll miss visiting hours,” Sabre said after a while.
Morgan jumped up, picked up her plate, and put it in the sink.
~~~
Morgan and Conner seemed to be thrilled to see one another. She asked him questions about the Hall, and he answered the best he could, sugar-coating them for her. Whenever there was a lull in the conversation, Conner seemed to know just what to ask to keep it going. Sabre admired the love between them and compared it to her own sibling situation. Conner was like her brother, Ron, always protecting, loving, and teasing her. When Morgan told him about the fight at school, he scolded her a little, but not harshly, and told her never to do that again.
About ten minutes before their time was up, Sabre said she needed to talk to Conner alone, so JP agreed to take Morgan out.
“Bye, Morgonster. Stay out of trouble and no more fights.” Conner winked at her.
“You know you’re not supposed to call me Morgonster.” Tears started to form in Morgan’s eyes. “No more fights for you either, and you be good too.”
After they left, Sabre noticed Conner’s eyes were wet as well. “Are you doing okay in here?” she asked. “Is there anything I should know?”
“Everything is okay. I keep to myself as much as I can.”
“Good. We have your 707 hearing this week. I wanted to make sure you understood what’s going on. Do you know what a 707, or fitness hearing, is?”
He shrugged. “Just what you told me before. The judge needs to decide if I get my trial in juvenile or adult court, right?”
“Yes. Do you have any questions?”
“Will my mom and dad be there?”
“I expect your mom and grandmother, but I’m pretty sure your father won’t be in court.”
“That’s okay. I’m used to him not being there for things.”
Sabre watched his expression as he spoke. He didn’t appear to have any malice, frustration, or sadness—much the way Morgan had talked about her father. It just was what it was.
Chapter 30
It was 9:35 p.m. JP sat on the sofa watching an old M*A*S*H rerun, and Sabre was in the office working when the phone rang. There was no ID displayed. “JP Torn,” he said, answering the call.
“Hello, Jacky,” Gene said. “Come pick me up.”
“And take you where?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here. Just get your ass over here so we can help Conner.”
“Are you still at Ginny’s?”
“Yes,” Gene said. “And bring some cash—three or four hundred. At least three.”
“What the hell?”
“Just do it.” Gene hung up.
Sabre walked into the room. “Who was that?”
“Gene. He wants me to pick him up and take him somewhere. He said it would help Conner.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Most of Gene’s ideas are bad, but I asked for his help. He has better access to information than I do right now. I’ve reached a dead end.”
“Just be careful.”
JP stood up, clipped his holster back onto his jeans, and checked to see how much cash he had—only a hundred and twenty bucks. “Do you have any cash on you?”
“How much do you need?”
“A couple hundred, if you have it.”
Sabre never carried a purse so she didn’t have to go far to get the money. She reached in her jeans and pulled it out. She counted two-hundred and thirty dollars, and handed it to him without asking what it was for.
JP kissed Sabre goodbye. “I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I expect it’ll late.”
~~~
Gene directed JP as they drove to a neighborhood in El Cajon.
“When do you plan to tell me where we’re going? I’d just as soon not go in blind.”
&nb
sp; “We’re headed to a poker game.”
“So, that’s why I needed to bring cash. What’s the buy-in?”
“A hundred and fifty.”
“And I needed three hundred so I can pay for yours as well.”
“Yeah, I don’t have any money.”
“That’s all I have with me, so you’d better not lose it too quick.”
“I won’t, little brother. I’m not so sure about you.”
JP hadn’t played much poker during the last years, but he’d been pretty decent in his youth. Never anywhere as good as Gene though, who could bluff with the best of them and never seemed to have a tell. JP’s strength was in reading people. They both had learned the game from their father when they were very young.
“Who are the players?”
“Some of Bullet’s cronies.”
“Will Soper and Rankin be there?”
Gene hesitated. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be, but life is full of surprises.”
JP hoped he wasn’t getting himself into a mess. He didn’t trust Gene, and for all he knew, Gene was the one who’d killed Bullet. The only thing JP could hold onto was that his brother seemed genuinely concerned about helping Conner. On the other hand, Gene might have set JP up just so he could play a game of poker.
“How are we going to learn anything at a poker game?” JP asked as he took the onramp to Interstate 8.
“I’ll bring up Bullet. There’s been all kinds of rumors flying around. I’ll see if anyone tries to dispel them. You watch their faces. You’re good at that. Give me a signal if something is suspicious.”
“What kind of signal?”
“I don’t know. You’re the smart one. Come up with something. And take the next offramp.”
“And if you get a signal, what will you do?”
“I don’t know, because I don’t know what we’re gonna hear.” Gene continued to instruct him where to turn.
“So, what’s the point of a signal?”
“Don’t be an ass, Jack. Just blink at me or something, and I’ll know what to do with it.”
JP was frustrated with himself for goading Gene, but he just couldn’t seem to stop. He and his brother had had this kind of relationship for so long, he didn’t know how else to act around him. JP took a deep breath and regrouped. He had to work with Gene on this. He wasn’t sure what kind of people he’d be dealing with at this game, and he needed Gene to have his back.
After driving past the address twice, they finally discovered the house was located behind a small apartment building.
When JP parked, Gene said, “Give me my buy-in money. I don’t want you paying for me when we get inside. It won’t look good.”
JP reluctantly gave him a hundred-dollar bill and three twenties. “I want the change, and if you win, I get my money back, plus anything I might have lost as well. You can keep the profit.”
“You’ll get your money.”
Gene knocked on the door, and a dark-haired man with a mustache answered. “Who are you?” The guy spoke in a deep gruff voice.
“I’m Gene. This is Johnny.”
JP scowled at Gene, but his brother ignored him. At least he didn’t call him Jacky.
“Who sent you?”
“Derek.”
“Come in.” The guy stepped inside, and JP and Gene followed. “I’m Lucky Len,” the man said.
“Do they call you Lucky because of your poker skills?” JP asked.
“Naw. I win some. I lose some. They call me Lucky Len because I’m still alive.”
“And you shouldn’t be?” JP asked.
“Been shot twice, stabbed once, fell off a second-story building, survived a motorcycle crash, and had three wives who didn’t seem to like my girlfriends much.”
“Dang, that is lucky. I think I’d better watch my cards.”
The living room had a poker table with six seats, a bar, a small sofa, and an armchair. No wall hangings of any kind or lighting other than the can fixtures in the ceiling. It was plenty bright for card playing though. A thin man with wild hair and wire-rimmed glasses sat in the armchair with a box of poker chips and a cash bag in his lap.
“It’s a cash buy-in. You can get your chips from the Professor.” Lucky Len nodded toward the man in the armchair. “It’s one-fifty. No more, no less. If you lose that and want to buy in again, you can do it one more time. The game is straight Texas hold ‘em, nothing wild, nothing wussy. Small blind is two bucks, big blind four bucks. The Professor will start the deal and the button will move to the left.”
JP bought his chips, and Gene did the same.
“I’d wish you luck,” the Professor said, “but since I’m in the game and we’re playing against Lucky Len and Dean, I’m keeping all the luck I can for myself.”
“Who’s Dean?” JP asked.
“One of the best players around.”
“Why was he invited if he’s so good?” JP needed all the information he could get.
“Because, if someone cleans the table, the house gets its buy-in back. And Dean has done that on more than one occasion.”
“Good to know,” JP said. “Do we have a sixth?”
“Donna.”
Gene glanced over. “Pinnick?”
“Do you know her?” JP asked.
“We’re acquainted.”
“She’s quite the gal,” the Professor said, but Gene was already walking away. JP followed him to the poker table. They passed a tall man in his early fifties who had just come in and was walking toward the bar.
Gene nodded at him, then stopped. “You must be Dean.”
“I am.”
Gene reached out his hand, and Dean shook it. “I’m Gene. This is Johnny.”
JP shook his hand too. “I hear you’re a good player.”
“I win some now and again.” Dean kept walking.
When he was out of earshot, JP asked, “What’s Donna’s story?”
“She’s a good poker player and can bluff better than most pros. Everyone says she doesn’t have a tell. Watch her closely and see if you spot one.”
“Will do.”
“I’ll try to sit next to her,” Gene said. “If you can, sit across from us.”
“Okay.”
“Donna and Bullet go way back. They even lived together for a while, until she caught him cheating.”
“Did she actually find him in bed with someone?”
Gene chuckled. “No, cheating at cards. She probably wouldn’t have cared less if he went out on her, but she doesn’t take kindly to people who cheat at cards. Donna is probably the only person in the world Bullet was afraid of.”
“What did she do to him?”
“There’s rumors about what happened, but I’m not sure what’s true. All I know is that Bullet was never allowed to play in any decent poker games unless Donna was there to keep him straight.”
“That’s odd. Were they still friends?”
“They had a strange relationship, but Derek said they pretty much hated each other.”
“Maybe we can find out tonight what she did to him,” JP said. “Maybe she killed him for cheating. How long ago did she catch him?”
“That was ten or fifteen years ago.”
“I guess it’s not likely then.”
Gene cocked his head to one side. “Unless he was stupid enough to do it twice.”
Lucky Len walked up to the oval-shaped game table. “You boys ready?”
“Are we all here?” Gene asked.
“Donna will be along any minute. She’s never been late to a game, but she don’t come early either.”
“Does it matter where we sit?” JP asked.
Lucky Len pointed to the chair nearest him. “The Professor sits here, and Donna sits next to him.” He nodded toward the chair on his left. “The rest are open. Just take a seat.”
The Professor walked up and placed a pile of chips on the table in front of Donna’s chair. Then he took hi
s seat and put his chips in front of him.
Gene sat next to Donna’s open chair, and JP took the seat across from Gene. Dean returned from the bar with a bottle of beer and took the seat next to JP. Lucky Len sat down between Gene and Dean. JP looked at his watch: 9:59 p.m. The door opened, and a woman walked in. JP was expecting a big, tough gal, but Donna was barely five feet and weighed about ninety pounds. Boney knees showed beneath the hem of her short denim Daisy Duke skirt. A short-sleeved plaid blouse, pink western boots, and a matching pink cowboy hat finished the ensemble on the sixty-something woman.
Donna walked over to her seat at the table, handed the Professor some cash, then sat down. She placed two dollars in chips for the small blind near her stack and said, “Okay, boys, let’s put the cards in the air.”
Chapter 31
After about twenty minutes, JP had a good read of the players. The Professor pushed his glasses up when he had a good hand, Dean had not revealed a tell, and Lucky Len either didn’t know when to fold, or it was part of his game plan to make the others think he didn’t. JP wasn’t sure, but he was starting to think Len was just a bad player.
JP was down about twenty-five dollars. He hadn’t yet been dealt anything worth staying in the game for. Dean, Donna, and Gene had each won a small pot. The betting was still conservative, but JP figured that wouldn’t last long. He was right. The raises in the next hand became more aggressive. Dean dealt the cards, JP put in the two-dollar small blind, and the Professor put in the big blind. Each player called. Dean laid the first three cards face up.
JP was far more interested in the dynamics of the players and what he might find out about Bullet than he was in the game itself. The Professor seemed nonchalant and apparently used to losing. Lucky Len was more intense and talked a lot when he was bluffing. Dean and Donna were the most interesting and were also complete opposites. Dean was very focused, said very little even between hands, and seldom changed his demeanor. Donna, on the other hand, talked a lot, but no more or no less when she had a winning hand. JP admired her ability to talk incessantly without interfering with her card game.
JP told a story about a game he participated in when a player was caught cheating. “When he palmed a card,” JP said, “Big Joe stood up, grabbed the guy with one hand on his belt and the other on his bicep, carried him outside, and threw him into the swimming pool.”
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