The Advocate's Felony

by Teresa Burrell

  “Where did you go, Sabey?” her mother asked.

  “Shopping. I needed a few things,” Sabre said as she walked to her room. Her mother shrugged and followed her.

  “What’s going on?” her mother asked.

  “Mom, I have to leave but I want you to stay here. Don’t worry. You’ll be safe.”

  “What about you? Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to join JP in Idaho where Ron last lived. And before you get all worked up, I’m going to be fine,” Sabre reassured her.

  “But Ron’s not there, right?”

  “No. I don’t know where he is, except that it’s somewhere cold.”

  Her mother sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t go.”

  “I have to, Mom. I can’t stand just doing nothing and Ron asked me not to go back to San Diego, so I won’t. No one will be looking for me in Idaho and I’m sure JP could use my help.”

  “Have you told JP you’re coming?”

  “Not yet, but I will.”

  “I don’t think this is a good idea, Sabre.”

  Sabre hugged her mother. “Both of your kids are going to be fine, Mom.”

  Sabre walked over to the dresser where her black fedora hat with the zipper around the brim sat. She picked it up, unzipped it, and removed eight one-hundred-dollar bills. She zipped it back up and placed it on her mother’s head. “There’s a couple hundred dollars more in there if you need it.”

  Her mother’s smile at Sabre’s cleverness quickly faded. Sabre gave her another hug. “I promise to be very careful.”

  They walked into the living room and Sabre hugged her Aunt Edith and told her goodbye. “Uncle Gary, will you take me to the airport?”

  “Of course.”

  ***

  On the way to the airport after some idle chitchat, Gary said, “Are you going to be alright?”

  “I think so,” Sabre said. She looked out the window at the flat, dry desert. She didn’t expect anyone to come here looking for her or her mother, but she thought it was only fair that her uncle knew about the danger Ron was in and the potential danger for her and her mother. Ron didn’t want her to tell anyone because the more people who knew, the more likely the mob would hear about it. But she had put her aunt and uncle in danger by coming here and he had to know what to do to protect them. “Uncle Gary, I need to tell you something, but I’m only going to tell you the parts you need to know.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Some years ago several mobsters were sent to federal prison. Because of some of the court testimony, they blame our family for their imprisonment. They have since been released and we have reason to believe they are looking for us. I don’t think they’ll come here or I wouldn’t have brought Mom to your house in the first place, but you should be aware of the situation.” She paused and when her uncle didn’t say anything, she added, “Now that I say those words out loud I realize how selfish it was of me to even come here. I just didn’t know where else to take her. I knew you would keep her safe.” Sabre swallowed. “I think I should go back and take Mom with me to a place where no one knows us.”

  Her uncle reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. “You did the right thing. I’m glad you trusted me enough to bring her here. I would’ve been angry if I found out you had gone off somewhere else. I have a couple of questions though.”

  “Yes?”

  “Does your mother know what’s going on?”

  “Yes, she does.”

  “And did this testimony have anything to do with Ron?”

  Sabre’s head turned quickly toward her uncle and she caught his eye. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Honey, I’ve been in law enforcement all my life. We see a different side to everything. And I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’” He patted her shoulder and then removed his hand. “You just take care of yourself. I trust you know what you’re doing?”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  Chapter 12

  The layover at LAX was only thirty-five minutes, but it gave Sabre just enough time to change terminals and hurry to the gate. Due to the last-minute booking, the only seats left on the plane were center seats situated far in the back. Thankful to have one at all, she parked herself in B-24, removed her phone from her pocket, and placed a call.

  “Hello,” JP said.

  “It’s me,” Sabre responded. “I’m coming to see you.”

  “What!” His tone was louder than usual and a little edgy.

  “I’m on the plane waiting for takeoff. I’ll arrive in Spokane at 10:35 p.m. on Delta. Can you pick me up or do you want me to rent a car?”

  “Dang it, kid. I have a squirrel in my backyard that listens better than you.”

  “So, you’ll pick me up then?”

  “I’ll be there,” he muttered.

  ***

  JP went early, parked the Jeep, and walked into the airport to meet Sabre. He glanced around but didn’t see anyone who looked suspicious. He stood back and watched as she descended the escalator, her brown hair bouncing as she moved downward. Her face lit up when she saw him, making his heart beat faster. He was so entranced by her movement that he didn’t approach her. Instead, he waited until she reached him.

  Sabre dropped her carry-on bag on the floor and JP wrapped his arms around her. She hugged back and when she tilted her head back to look at him, he gently kissed her on the lips. When she didn’t pull away, he kissed her again with full, hungry passion.

  “I’ve missed you,” she finally said.

  They retrieved her checked bag and walked to the car arm in arm. At one point, he stopped Sabre from moving forward and he let a man pass who wasn’t carrying any luggage. A few seconds later, the man caught up to a younger man who was pushing an older woman in a wheelchair. They walked to their car together, loaded up, and drove off.

  “Everything okay?” Sabre asked.

  “Yes, it’s just that I saw that man a while ago and was making sure no one is following us.”

  Once in the car, JP filled her in on what he had learned so far about Gina and about Paul Kaplan being murdered in Sarasota.

  “Do you think Kaplan was there to kill Ron?”

  “As far as I can tell, no one connected him to the break-in at Ron’s, but the local authorities wouldn’t have any reason to make the connection. And who knows whether the feds figured it out or not. If they did, they didn’t share it with Ron. The break-in was enough to scare him out of Dodge.”

  “I’ll bet Ron was happy to hear that Gina is okay,” Sabre said.

  “Yeah, he was. She seems like a real nice girl. I’m having lunch with her again tomorrow. I want to make sure she isn’t hiding something.”

  “Good. So what’s next?”

  “I’m meeting with Daryl McLaughlin, the detective on the shooting at The Affordable Inn, but I don’t know if I’ll learn much. I expect he’ll be reluctant to tell me anything.”

  “But he was willing to meet with you, right? That’s a good sign.”

  “I haven’t actually talked to him. His partner said Daryl agreed to the meeting. I also want to talk to Nicholas Mendoza, the marshal on Ron’s case, but again I don’t know how much they’ll want to share with a PI.”

  “I’ll go,” Sabre said.

  “No,” JP said quickly. “That’s not a good idea.”

  “Why not? I’m his attorney. They’re more apt to talk to me than to you. I know what questions to ask. I’ve certainly interrogated enough people, and what harm can it do? If someone is after me, the marshals aren’t going to tip them off.”

  JP thought for a moment. “Maybe you’re right. It may be worth a shot.”

  The drive back to the hotel took about forty-five minutes. Sabre checked into a room as close as she could get to JP’s. JP carried her bags as they took the elevator up to the fourth floor. Once she was inside her room, he leaned in and kissed her.

  “You know you don’t have to stay here. I’d be glad to share my room.”

  Sa
bre smiled. “We haven’t even had a real date yet. Let’s do this right. Make sure it’s going to work.”

  “Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He kissed her once, tenderly. “Goodnight, kid.”

  ***

  JP’s concern for Sabre’s safety, coupled with the excitement of having her nearby, made for a restless night’s sleep. He was awake by 5:00 the next morning and had started through the paperwork that he had received from his friend, Ernie. With Kaplan dead, he still had five suspects: Upton, Dawes, Ruby, Vose, and Gillich. All had long rap sheets except for the last two. Gillich had numerous arrests but no other convictions. Vose had no record of any kind, except for the time he spent in prison due to Ron’s testimony. JP perused the databases available to him and still found nothing on Vose.

  He had just stood up to stretch his legs when he heard a light knock on his door. He opened it to see Sabre standing there with two cups of coffee.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good morning.” He wished he had brushed his teeth. He kissed her lightly on the lips, excused himself, and went into the bathroom.

  Sabre sat down and glanced through JP’s notes on the desk while she waited.

  He returned and took the coffee. “Thanks, I needed this.”

  “The coffee?” She stood up and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Or me?”

  “Both.” He smiled.

  “I see you’ve already been working this morning,” Sabre said as she sat back down. “Have you figured out anything else?”

  “More questions than answers. I’m puzzled by Kaplan’s murder in Sarasota. He must’ve been there because of Ron. So, who killed him?”

  “That’s a good question, but he was a gangster. I’m sure he had a lot of enemies. Just because he was following Ron doesn’t mean someone wasn’t following him.”

  “True. And what about the shooting at the hotel in Hayden? Ron said he heard three shots. That’s the same information I received from the hotel clerk. Ron didn’t fire a gun, but someone fired at him. If Ron didn’t shoot him, that means there had to be a second shooter.”

  “Or a ricochet bullet.”

  “That hit him squarely in the head? Not likely, but certainly possible. It’s more likely there were two people shooting at Ron and one of them got shot.”

  Sabre added, “Either accidentally or intentionally.”

  “And since Ron was driving away, it doesn’t seem probable that it was accidental.”

  “But why would they turn on each other?”

  “Who knows?”

  “Maybe you’ll get some answers when you meet with the detective this morning. But first let’s go get some breakfast. I’m starving,” Sabre said as she stood up. “And then you can drop me off at the Marshal’s Office and go see your detective.”

  Chapter 13

  “Aren’t you a little out of your jurisdiction, counselor?” Nicholas Mendoza, U.S. Marshal, said.

  Sabre smiled at the attractive Latino with dark, curly hair who stood about five feet eight. Mendoza had a relaxed posture, sparkling eyes, and a warm, caring tone—a demeanor that put her at ease. “Yes, but I’m still Ron Brown’s attorney and I thought this would be a good place to start.”

  “Start what?”

  “I’m trying to find out who was shooting at him.” She didn’t see any reason to not be straightforward with him.

  “Perhaps you could start by telling us where your brother is now. We can’t protect him if we don’t know where he is.”

  “It’s my understanding that once a witness leaves the Program and reaches out to his past, WITSEC is terminated and the protection is gone.”

  “That’s true, but I like Ron and I would do what I could for him. Besides, we’d like to get some more answers about the shooting at the hotel.”

  “I honestly don’t know where he went. I was hoping you could tell me. He called me when he left here and told me to pick up our mother and get out of town. He said someone shot at him and it wasn’t safe for him to stay here. He assumed one of the thugs he testified against was after him and may be after us as well.” Sabre watched Mendoza’s expressions to see if he was holding back, but he had a deadpan face. She wondered if he played poker. She probed further. “Why do you suppose he didn’t come to you instead of leaving town on his own?”

  “He called me that night, said he had been shot at, and that he was tired of running. As far as I know, it wasn’t anything more than just that. He has lived in four different places in less than two years. Five, if you count his brief stop in Iowa after he left Wyoming to see you in the hospital. I wasn’t his go-to person until he arrived here, but according to his records, after living in Sarasota for nearly one year he was transplanted because someone broke into his house. His next stop was Gilroy, California, where he lasted only two-and-a-half months before our office received an anonymous tip that someone had discovered him. Then he came here and remained for the last eight months.”

  “So you think it was someone in the mob who shot at him a few nights ago? It wasn’t a random act?”

  “I’m pretty certain of that.” Marshal Mendoza hesitated.

  “What is it you’re not telling me?” Sabre asked.

  “I suppose there isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t know. The victim’s name will be released soon anyway.”

  “So, who was it?”

  “His name was Lance Dawes.”

  Sabre sat up straight in her chair. “He was one of the men Ron sent to prison.”

  “That’s right. I would suggest you advise your client to come in and talk to us. I believe he shot Dawes in self-defense, but….”

  Sabre was going to tell him that Ron didn’t have a gun, but his comment triggered a bigger problem. “Is he a suspect?”

  “No, right now he is a ‘person of interest’ to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department. It’s their investigation, not ours. And they’re not the only ones who will be interested in this case. The feds have a stake in it too. And I can’t protect Ron any longer because he’s no longer with WITSEC. It doesn’t look good that he’s hiding out.”

  Sabre raised her voice. “Someone is trying to kill him and you people don’t seem to be able to protect him. How can you blame him for hiding?”

  “Look, Ms. Brown, I don’t believe Ron would kill anyone unless he had to, but they don’t know him like I do and I expect he will soon be a suspect in their case.”

  “So, the Sheriff’s Department knows the connection between Ron and Dawes?”

  “They do now.”

  Sabre looked at the time. It was 8:51 a.m. “Can you excuse me a moment? I’d like to make a phone call.”

  “Sure, I’m going to get some coffee. Would you like some?”

  “No, thanks.”

  When Mendoza reached the door, she asked, “I’m not being taped in here, am I?”

  He smiled. “No, of course not. Trusting soul, aren’t you?”

  Sabre watched through the glass panels in the conference room and as soon as Mendoza had stepped away she called JP. “Have you met with the detective yet?”

  “No. I just pulled into the parking lot. My appointment is at 9:00.”

  “When you set up the appointment did you say what it was about?”

  “Only that it was about the shooting, but I didn’t say anything about my connection to Ron, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Good. Don’t keep the appointment.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Ron is a ‘person of interest’ in the case. I’ll explain it all later. Just come back and get me.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Mendoza returned shortly. “Was that Ron you just called?”

  “No. I can’t reach Ron and I don’t know where he is. That’s the truth.”

  “Okay, I believe you,” he said. “So, how can we work together on this? I really do want to help him if I can.”

  “I don’t know much, but I do know that Ron did not shoot Dawes.”
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  “And you know that because….”

  “Because he didn’t have a gun.”

  “Are you saying there was someone else there? A third party?”

  “There had to be.”

  “Alright. I’ll see what I can find out. How do I reach you?”

  “I’ll check in.”

  “You’re an awful lot like your brother.”

  “So I’ve been told.” She smiled and left.

  Chapter 14

  Sabre jumped in the Jeep, happy to be in a warm place after standing out in the cold waiting for JP. “Make sure we’re not being followed.”

  “You got it, kid,” JP said and sped off, checking his mirrors as he turned into a residential area with roads that twisted in and around. Eventually, he found his way onto a main road and back to the highway.

  Sabre rubbed her hands together to warm them as she informed JP about what she had learned from Marshal Mendoza.

  “Thanks for stopping me from talking to the detective. There’s no need for them to know that we’re investigating. And if Ron is a ‘person of interest’ today, he could be a suspect tomorrow, if he isn’t already. The next thing we know, they’ll be taking us in for questioning.”

  “That’s why I called you.”

  “Do you think you can trust Mendoza?”

  “I think he really wants to protect Ron and I got the impression that he wasn’t happy with the way the Sheriff’s Department was handling the case, but I don’t think he would risk his position in any way. He didn’t really impress me as a rebel, but I think he’s a straight shooter.”

  “So as long as he believes Ron hasn’t done anything, we can count on him.”

  “I’d say so.” Sabre tucked her hands under her legs to get them warm. She was already tired of the cold and decided their next stop would be somewhere she could purchase some gloves, but she decided they better not take the time. “So, what’s next?”