“That’s it, Louie,” he said. “I’ll be back shortly. I’m going for a ride.”
***
A little over an hour later, JP showed up at Sabre’s office. “Does something feel wrong about the Tran case?" he asked.
“Well, hello to you, too.”
“Sorry, this is just driving me crazy.” JP remained standing in front of her desk.
“Me, too. I’ve been reading through everything. I have lots of unanswered questions.” Sabre tapped the file on the desk.
“I keep wondering what I’m not seeing. I feel about as dumb as a cow lookin’ at a new gate. I just keep lookin’ but the gate don’t open.”
“What I don’t understand is why they took Mae Chu.”
“And why she was at the fire?”
“Let’s talk about what we do know,” Sabre said. “Mae Chu came to the U.S. with her father, Trai Chu, when she was five years old. He bought that property in Julian and he started a dry cleaning business.”
“That eventually became a dry cleaning empire.” JP paced back and forth as they talked.
“Right, but what if he also started bringing in illegal workers from Vietnam? Maybe that’s why he bought the property in Julian. It was out where no one would see them.”
“But why would he bring them here illegally? That was after the immigration laws changed and legal entry was allowed for extended family members.”
“True,” Sabre said, “but I did a little research and it often took years to get them here legally. For some, it was probably easier to come here and then get legal status later. In fact, when legal immigration rose, so did illegal entry.”
“And Chu provided them with jobs that he created through his dry cleaning business.”
“Why don’t you have a seat?” Sabre said. “Your pacing is driving me crazy.”
“Sorry,” JP said and took a seat.
“What I can’t figure out is how David Leland got in the picture.”
“That bothered me, too, so I went to see Lan Vong, Mae Chu’s friend. She told me that Leland was Trai’s protégé. He was like a son to him, but he had ideas of grandeur that Mr. Chu didn’t share. Mr. Chu never wanted his daughter in the business….”
“Because he didn’t want her involved in any illegal activity,” Sabre finished his sentence.
“That’s what I think. And when he died, Mae was left with a nice trust fund, but Leland inherited the dry cleaners.”
“Do you think Mr. Chu brought young girls here for prostitution?”
“I’m guessing that didn’t start until Leland took over. However, I’m still confused as to why Leland killed the judge. I’m not sure Wagner had it all figured out. And why would Mitchell take a bribe back then and not now.”
Sabre reached for a yellow pad on her desk. “I wondered about that too. I was looking at the dates just before you came in.” She flipped through a couple of pages and then stopped. She glanced over the page. “When Mr. Chu was arrested, Mitchell was on the bench because he had been appointed to fill a vacancy. However, his election was only months away. I’m guessing the judge needed funding, and Mr. Chu bought his way out of the mess he was in.”
“Which would explain why Mr. Chu’s case went away and Judge Mitchell was elected,” JP added. “So did Mitchell suddenly grow a conscience? I’m sure he still needed money. They always do.”
“But not like he did back when Mr. Chu bribed him. He needed money for his campaign then. He was a shoe-in now. Maybe it wasn’t worth the risk. Besides, any money he made the last years went to his ex-wives. Maybe he didn’t want to give them any more.”
JP wrinkled his brow. “But that still doesn’t explain why Leland killed Mitchell, tried to kill the doctor, and let Kim-Ly live. Even if he cared for her, he doesn’t strike me as the kind to make a choice based on his heart or to leave loose ends. He’s smart. He’s mean. And he’s calculating. He wormed his way into Mr. Chu’s life and inherited his entire empire. Then he used all those women and young girls for profit. The guy’s a total scumbag.”
“That’s true,” Sabre acknowledged. “He obviously has no regard for other humans, so there’s no way he would have let Kim-Ly live. He would have killed her too.”
JP stood up and took a couple steps away from the desk. He turned back to Sabre. “Think about this. We know that Leland ransacked Dr. Heller’s office and he had her run over in order to get the briefcase with the tapes. There’s a witness to that. There are no witnesses to Judge Mitchell’s murder. And none of Leland’s cars tie him to the killing.
Sabre swooped her hand in the air in an “ah-ha” gesture. “So what if…?”
“Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit.”
Sabre nodded and the look of cognizance matched that of JP’s. Sabre smiled. “Let’s go see Mae Chu.”
“I’ll go. You wait here.”
Sabre stood up and grabbed her keys. “Am I riding with you or driving behind you?”
JP shook his head. “Dad burn it. You could make a preacher cuss.”
“So, I’m riding with you, then?”
***
On the ride over to see Mae Chu, JP and Sabre conferred back and forth, dissecting their theory. By the time, they arrived they were convinced they had it figured out. Only Mae Chu could confirm it, but they didn’t expect that to be an easy task.
JP pulled up in back of the condo behind the attached garage. He parked his car in front of the garage door, thereby blocking it so Mae Chu couldn’t leave. Sabre went around the building to the front door and rang the bell. No one answered the door. She rang again. Still nothing. After several attempts, she walked around back and joined JP. He stood leaning against his car as he waited.
“I think I heard her inside, but she wouldn’t come to the door,” Sabre said.
“She’ll probably leave through the garage. I hope you have time to wait.”
“You bet.”
It was only about fifteen minutes before the garage door opened and Mae Chu appeared carrying a suitcase.
“Going somewhere?” JP asked.
Mae Chu looked startled at first, but then she walked around her car toward JP and Sabre. “You’re the man who’s responsible for catching David Leland and his sex-trafficking ring.”
“Actually, I’m not the one who forced him out into the open, but then you know that, don’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Let me tell you a story. It’s about a little girl who was born in Vietnam and came to this country when she was about five years old with her hard-working parents. Her father bought a large piece of property with some apple orchards on it, way out in the country. Then he proceeded to bring more of his family here from Vietnam. But even though the immigration laws had been liberalized, it often took years to bring in extended family, so he found a way to smuggle them into the country. He started a dry-cleaning business and provided them with jobs. Other people needed help, too, so he started more dry cleaning businesses to help more people.”
Mae Chu just listened, her face expressionless.
“One day the man got into a physical altercation with a neighbor and the man was arrested. The judge dismissed the case, and suddenly he had enough money for his election campaign.”
Again, no response from Mae Chu.
“The young girl’s father continued to bring poor people to this country and give them jobs. He opened more dry cleaning businesses. He provided his daughter with the best schools and a nice home. He invested his money and set up a nice trust fund for her so she would never have to work in his business. He didn’t want her involved in anything risky or illegal. Meanwhile, a young man had come into his life, the son he never had. Let’s call this guy David.”
Mae Chu opened the car’s trunk and placed the suitcase inside it. Then she turned back toward JP and Sabre without saying a word.
JP continued with his story. “David became the man’s protégé. He wanted to take the business
in a different direction. The smuggling ring was in place and hadn’t been detected in several decades. David believed he could make a lot more money if they brought in young girls for, shall we say, illegal and immoral purposes. The possibilities were endless. But the old man didn’t like that idea. He was doing something good for his people. He wasn’t interested in the money he could earn by hurting people. This guy David didn’t fight him on it. Instead he made sure there was a will or a trust in place leaving the dry cleaning businesses to him. And when that was arranged, and David was in line to inherit it all, the old man sort of accidentally met his maker behind the wheel of his own vehicle.”
A look of pain flashed across Mae Chu’s face.
“Only it wasn’t an accident. David killed him so he could take over everything. The old man’s daughter never believed it was an accident, but no one took her seriously. Although she’d never been part of her father’s business, she had heard and seen things over the years. She was like a little mouse in a hole and no one knew she was around. So, she watched some more, and she waited. At some point she discovered the sex-trafficking ring and decided to infiltrate it. But David knew her, so she had to come in another way.
“She was very patient and listened to everything very carefully. When she discovered David had a baby by one of his girls, she developed a plan. She maybe even paid the girlfriend to help her. Then she trained to become a CASA worker. Once she had everything in place, she went to David’s girlfriend’s house and started a fire, knowing full well it would trigger a court case. She wasn’t completely heartless, so she stayed around to make sure the baby was rescued. Then she left. She knew she would be appointed on the case because there were so few CASA workers who spoke Vietnamese or who understood the culture.
“What she didn’t plan on was finding the same judge that sold out to her father assigned to this case. She knew he could be bribed. Now her biggest fear was that David would go free. She couldn’t have that, so she decided to kill the judge and frame David for it. She didn’t just kill David because she wanted him to suffer for a long, long time. She could think of no better place for that than prison. It was a perfect plan of revenge.”
“Very interesting story; I think I heard it before,” Mae Chu said. “But you left out the part about the little girl’s mother not trusting the protégé and that she was murdered and her body dumped near the Mexican border.” Her voice was calm, but bitter. She took a deep breath and smiled. “It sounds like that girl evened the score. Good for her.” She walked to the side of her car and opened up her door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a plane to catch. I’ve joined the Peace Corps and they’re sending me to Vietnam.”
Chapter 64
Bob opened Sabre’s refrigerator and took out a bottle of Shiner Bock.
“Really?” Sabre said.
“Hey, this is good stuff. No reason to waste it. You know me, I’m a vodka man. There’s not that many beers I even like, so when I find one I like, I’m going to drink it. What can I say? Tyson Doyle Cooper, slime bag extraordinaire, has good taste in beer.”
“That’s about his only redeeming quality.”
“By the way, where is he?” Bob opened the bottle of beer and took a swig.
“He’s still in the hospital. The bullet put quite a hole in him. Got him right in the abdomen, just below the rib cage. I guess the trauma from the pressure of the gunshot did some damage as well.”
“Is he going to live?”
“Looks that way. But then he’ll be standing trial for assault and battery, attempted murder, and several other criminal counts here in California. After that he still has charges in Texas to face. He won’t be out on the streets for a while.”
“It won’t be long enough. Too bad the bullet didn’t take him out.”
“Bob,” Sabre scolded.
“Hey, he tried to hurt my snookums. And he beat Robin. That’s just not right. That girl’s hot.”
“And that’s the reason it’s not right,” Sabre said sarcastically.
“No, it’s not right on any level. Cooper is a coward, but you have to admit, the woman is hot.”
“You’re so bad. I don’t know how Marilee puts up with you, except we both know you’re all talk. But you are correct, Robin is very attractive.”
“Are you jealous?”
Sabre wrinkled her brow and tipped her head. “Why would I be jealous?”
“Oh, come on. JP just spent the last couple of weeks with his gorgeous ex-wife and now she’s pregnant.”
A wave of confusion mixed with anger swept through Sabre’s entire body. She felt weak. “She’s what?”
“It’s not JP’s baby, you ninny. I had you worried for a second, though, didn’t I?”
“No.”
“I did too. You were upset because you like him,” Bob said in a mocking tone. “It can’t be his because he never slept with her.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I asked him.” Sabre took a deep breath. “Look, Sabre, you and JP are both dancing the two-step, or whatever dance it is that cowboys do, but you’re both dancing alone. You need to go talk to him. Ask him to dance.”
“You’re weird.”
“I know, but you two are starting to annoy me. You’re both lovesick and neither of you will make the first move. You have your stupid trust issues and he thinks he’s not good enough for you.”
“What are you talking about? He’s a way better person than I am.”
“Yeah, but he’s a cowboy, and you’re a top-notch attorney and he has his pride.” Bob took another swallow of his beer. Sabre said nothing. “Go talk to him, Sobs. He’s at Cahoots.”
“The country western bar?”
“Yes, in Mission Valley.”
“Is that the reason for your corny dance analogy?”
“Just go. Talk to him.” Bob finished his beer, walked into the kitchen, and tossed the bottle in Sabre’s recycle basket. He walked toward the front door, opened it, and said, “I’m leaving. Go, or you’ll never know. And when you get there, ask him to dance.”
***
Once inside Cahoots, Sabre waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. It was almost eight o’clock and some of the dance lesson crowd was leaving; the rest of the people were starting to mingle. Nearly all the tables were full, but plenty of standing room remained. In another hour or so, the place would be packed. Alan Jackson’s Remember When blared out over the speakers. She walked toward the dance floor and looked around at the tables that surrounded it. She didn’t see JP. She wondered if he was on the second level. She looked up, but didn’t see him there. If he was on the balcony he wasn’t standing or sitting near the edge. He could have been at a table in the back of the room. She decided to make one trip around downstairs and then up, and if she didn’t find him, she would leave. She had started to think this wasn’t the best idea Bob ever had.
She walked toward the back of the bar behind the dance floor. JP was generally easy to spot in a crowd because his hat always stood out. But this was a room full of cowboy hats. She was nearly three-quarters of the way around when she saw him sitting at a tall table. She took another step forward and realized he wasn’t alone. A voluptuous, fluffy-haired blonde with a bright pink flower pinning one side of her hair back from her face sat on a stool next to him. Sabre quickly turned around, hoping she hadn’t been spotted.
“Sabre,” JP called.
She thought about running, but decided against it. She had already been seen. She took a deep breath and turned back. JP stood up and started toward her. He walked her back to the table.
“Sabre, this is…I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
The woman stood up, looked Sabre over from head to toe, turned back to JP and said, “Honey, if this is what you like, I guess I’m not your type. Come find me when you want a real woman.”
JP blushed and Sabre laughed as the woman walked off. “I don’t mean to interrupt anything here,” Sabre said half-jokingly.
“Thanks. She just wouldn’t give up.” They sat down and JP hailed a waitress as she walked by. “Would you like a margarita? Midori, or something, is what you drink, right?”
Sabre was surprised. He paid more attention to her than she had thought. “No, I think I’ll have a decaf coffee with Bailey’s and a little milk. Non-fat if you have it. Oh, and whipped cream, please.”
JP smiled.
“What?” Sabre said.
“I’m always fascinated by the way you order food or drinks.”
Sabre shifted in her seat. “Bob said you were here. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Hmm…he told me you were going to be here. That’s why I came.” Sabre shook her head. JP’s brow furrowed. “Sometimes our friend, Bob, can be slicker than a greased hog. Anyway, I’m glad you’re here,” he said.
“Me, too.” Sabre didn’t know what to say next. For a few seconds, they sat in uncomfortable silence. Then Sabre spoke. “Bob said Robin is pregnant. How’s she handling it?”
“She’s struggling with it. She always wanted a child but not by that dirt-bag. She won’t abort because she doesn’t believe in it. I questioned her about adoption, but I don’t think she’ll do that either. Cooper would fight it anyway. Once he finds out she’s having his baby she’s afraid he’ll become even more controlling, if that’s possible. And he has plenty of money to hassle her no matter where he is. If it weren’t for her mother, I think she would just disappear. Who knows? Maybe she’ll do that anyway.”
“I feel for her. She seems like a very special lady. She doesn’t deserve any of this.”
“She’s a good woman,” JP said.
The waitress brought Sabre’s drink. JP paid for it, along with a generous tip. Sabre didn’t even try to fight him on it.
The Advocate's Ex Parte (The Advocate Series Book 5) Page 29