"Holy shit. Good thing I keep clothes in the car."
"You aren't kidding."
Max was on the phone with the Jackson field office before Maddie had her keys out. I put a hand on Ethan's shoulder and said, "Call me when you can. I'll get a new phone tomorrow and text you the number."
He pulled me in for a kiss and said, "I'll call you even when I can't. Be careful. The Highway Patrol is still rounding up the MC."
"Hey you two, there's a strict no-canoodling rule between agents and informants."
I tossed Max a middle finger salute, "I'm your snitch, not his."
"Oh sure, just like a lawyer to find a technicality. And what he said, be careful and keep in touch."
CHAPTER 40
I locked the doors well before midnight. The place was so dead it was echoing. The massive emergency response had a lot of roads blocked, and officials had issued a travel advisory because of the thick smoke coming from the fire. They said there was no danger except for those with asthma and other illnesses. The county was recommending that people shelter in place, and stay tuned to the local news. Add in that most of the crew had either friends or family working at the plant, it wasn't all that festive. After I logged in the meager receipts, I told everyone to put their regular hours on their timecards and get home before even more roads closed. Maddie stayed behind to help me close down. We had a lot to talk about.
I dragged out the trash, my nose wrinkling at the odd smell in the air. So far, the wind was carrying the worst of it over sparsely populated rural and swampy areas. I wondered what secrets were going up in acrid smoke.
When I got back inside, Maddie had coffee, snacks, and bourbon set up in my office.
"If you don't mind, I'll sleep here tonight. I've been listening to the radio and it sounds like a mess."
"You're welcome to the sofa. Max liked it fine. By the way, what's up with that, girlfriend?"
"What, you think you get to keep all the sexy cops to yourself? It's nothing. That night you did the crime scene theater, it wasn't supposed to be anything more than a ride home. We ended up finding an all-night coffee shop for some breakfast," she paused, "And then some lunch. And then some dinner. Add in a couple of nights here and there. He's yummy, but I know the type. He's married to the job. Getting him to cheat on it was a blast, nothing more. Just a little fun. Nothing like that thing you've got going on."
"That thing is a good way to describe it."
"Take my advice and tend it. I know real when I see it. That man loves you."
"Please, can we change the subject? It's been too long a day to be this serious."
"Uh-huh. So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Actually, not a damn thing. I want to finish this drink and get some sleep. You're welcome to the shower. There's plenty of extra stuff in the bathroom. Help yourself."
I made up the sofa. It was nice having a friend around. I hadn't felt safe alone in the building since the shooting. What'd been blessed solitude had morphed into feeling isolated and vulnerable. Maddie came out of the bathroom with her wet hair in a braid and wearing the long shirt I'd loaned her.
"It's been years since I had a slumber party."
"Me too. I'm sure glad you're here. Is there anything else I can get for you?"
Simon's low growl cut me off. He was pacing in front of the closed door with his scruff up.
"Maddie?"
"What?"
"Can you use a shotgun?"
"Like the one you pointed at me? Fraid not."
"Don't worry. I have one that's more straightforward. Rack. Point. Shoot."
"I can handle that. What's going on?"
"Probably nothing. Please follow me and stay behind the doors until I signal you."
I locked Simon in the bathroom. I didn't need him barking or getting in the way. After I got the Cutter from under my desk, I slipped down the hallway barefoot with Maddie several steps behind. The right side of the double door squeaks, so I eased the left side open and ducked behind the bar. The Mossberg was in its usual place. I hoped we wouldn't need it. I made a quick circuit of the room and checked the doors. The green lights showed everything as armed. The broken window was a solid sheet of plywood, and the blinds across the front were open a crack.
I was on the verge of convincing myself that it was all my imagination when the high-beam headlights flashed on. Even with the blinds, the glare ruined my night vision. I dropped to the floor and crawled under a table waiting for the shots.
They didn't come.
After a few seconds that stretched forever, an engine revved, backed up, and left the parking lot. I stayed stretched out on the floor, my heart pounding.
"Juliana?" Maddie's voice was high-pitched with fear.
It brought me back. "I'm okay. Stay where you are. I'm coming."
I edged out from under the table and crouch-walked, stopping every couple of steps to visually sweep the room. When I got to the bar, I grabbed the Mossberg and backed through the swinging doors. Maddie started to speak. I shushed her until we were behind the locked doors of my office.
She poured me a shot of bourbon. I downed it and held out the glass for a repeat.
"Honey, what happened out there?"
"I don't know. It could have been someone lost because of the road closures, or it could be someone involved in this. I don't know."
"Do you want me to call the boys?"
As much as the idea appealed to me, I said, "No. They're plenty busy and the quicker all the rats are swept into the trap, the better. We're locked in and armed. I don't want to call them for headlights."
Maddie sat next to me and put an arm around my shoulder. "Okay, but I'm keeping my phone under my pillow. I do know one thing. You can't stay here anymore. Tomorrow, we're packing you and Simon up and heading to the firm. We need your help on Billy Ray's case anyway. We'll hire private security if we have to. Do not even try to argue with me."
She put her hands up to stop my protest.
"What did I say about arguing with me? You can turn this place over to Joey or shut it down for a couple of days. Stop thinking you can control everything."
"Can I speak now?"
"Maybe."
"Can I have another drink? And you never did give me Sasha's news."
"A short one. We have a big day tomorrow and she can tell you herself." Her voice held the smug satisfaction of someone who'd won.
CHAPTER 41
I was drinking coffee on the screened veranda overlooking the lake when Jo put an inch-thick document on the table in front of me. I picked up the title page and read it out loud. "In the Matter of William Raymond Simpson. Is this the appeal or the clemency petition?"
She poured herself some coffee. "Technically, it's the appeal. I'll be drawing the clemency docs out of it. I want to file it today, and I'd appreciate you giving it a last look."
"Sure thing. I'm not sure what I'll be able to add. You're a damn machine."
"All I did was process what you'd brought me. I couldn't have done it without your law firm footing the bill for the rapid DNA testing. When all the results came back to Tony Romero, things fell into place."
Two weeks earlier, I'd edged the camper up the narrow road to the garish Victorian mansion and was immediately accepted as family. Even though I talked to Joey almost daily about the small details of him taking over the bar, it was already fading into memory. I planned on stopping by there on my way back to Texas to say goodbye but that was it. It wasn't my place anymore.
"Let me check this out."
"I'll be in my office."
"I can find it now. That's the theory, anyway. "
I paged through the index and table of cases and statement of facts. I knew all that practically by heart. All the lawyers, myself included, had helped with the research and detail work. Even so, the crux of the argument was all Jo Sinclair.
Justice is a three-walled structure made up of the police, the prosecution, and the defense. When one wall crumbles, t
he entire system topples. That's what happened in southern Mississippi.
What followed was the story of a crime as gripping as any novel I'd ever read. Add in the near-constant press coverage of the corruption in the county sheriff's office and the news of the drug manufacture and transport arrests made in Georgia and Mississippi, Billy Ray's case was getting nationwide attention. A petition for clemency garnered 500,000 signatures in less than a week. The press tried to breach the cliff-top property a few times. Hired security and Sasha's upgraded surveillance system discouraged the curious and thwarted the more determined.
I made a few notes in the margins and gleefully circled a typographical error before taking it upstairs to her.
"I'll make these changes and thanks for the proofing. Affect/Effect still gets me after all these years. I'll e-file it as soon as I'm done. I'm also sending Maddie to personally deliver the hard copies. I don't want to trust it to mail or email. You should go with her. Just because I'm a hermit doesn't mean you have to be."
"I'll ask her if she wants company."
"Take an escort. News will get out quickly."
"Yes, Mom."
"Go."
"Jo?"
The look she gave me said that she'd anticipated what I was about to say.
"It's time for me to leave. You've got this. I know that if this ends up in a new trial, I'll have to come back and testify about the chain of custody of the samples. I don't see that happening. I love it here, but I need to head back to Texas."
"The offer to add your name to the door stands. You and Simon are always welcome."
"I'll take it under advisement. I mean it."
"Stay for Friday cocktail hour?"
"I wouldn't miss it."
"Thank you." No shaking hands this time. The hug was awkward but it was real.
CHAPTER 42
"I like the sunglasses. You trying to avoid the paparazzi?" Max slid into the booth opposite of me and signaled for the waitress. The café overlooking the beach was almost empty and perfect for a conversation.
"It's this learning to live in sunlight again. How do you people do it?" I welcomed the coffee refill. Even with almost three weeks of living at the firm, I was still out of place and time. After a year of going to bed at around four in the morning, it was a slow adjustment. I was also rediscovering that clothes came in other colors than black.
"Where's the pooch?"
"He's in the camper. I rigged him a cooling system and comfy hidey-hole. I want to go for one more walk on the beach before heading out. Funny, I already miss it."
"You'll be back. And remember, you're welcome in Florida any time."
Our mutual natural caution silenced our conversation when the waitress came back. I wasn't super hungry, but I wanted to burn a lot of miles today, so I needed to eat. Max ordered enough food for a small army.
When she was gone, I got back to the subject at the top of my mind. "How's Ethan?" We'd talked, but the time was already stretching between calls.
"He's in Georgia. The prosecutor requested that he be the liaison between all the law enforcement agencies tied up in this case. Along with being her prime witness, he's on a short leash and a tight schedule." I caught the unspoken reassurance not to worry in his words.
"I'm good. Is there any sign of how the club got wise to him?"
"I've been waiting for you to ask about that. Dramatic build-up and all. The answer is that I know, and I don't know, and it's the reason I'm not sorry you're leaving."
I stopped stirring my coffee. Like a sick reflex, my hand strayed to the pistol in my waistband. "What do you mean?"
My actions didn't go unnoticed. "Stand down. There're a few things. First, Ethan gutted a good chunk of drug distribution in the south. Addiction abhors a vacuum, and I foresee some serious gang rivalry and violence to take over that market. The BOC is broken, but members are still being rounded up. There may be some stragglers looking to blame their problems on somebody. The girlfriend of a snitch, who happened to be a cop, might be a tempting target. I like the idea of you back in Texas with some serious muscle on speed dial. Just in case."
My memory drifted back to the headlights lancing through the windows that last night at the club. It was hard to suppress the shiver.
"Message received. That doesn't answer the question about Ethan."
"That's part two and the reason I want you protected by another kind of muscle. Legal muscle. A friend of mine in forensics gave me a call. When he dumped the Colonel's cell phone records, he found a series of calls from the 202 area code. He uploaded his reports on a Friday. When he logged back in on Monday, those reports were gone. Luckily, he'd saved his yellow pad notes."
"Why does that prefix sound familiar?"
"It's the mother ship. Washington DC. I ran a few of the numbers. They were disposable cell phones. They aren't as untraceable as they used to be, and I have feelers out. But the most likely answer is crystal clear."
"Justice? Somebody in DOJ narced him out?"
"That's what it looks like. I ran through Ethan's reports, and he'd submitted as many phone numbers as he could collect. The Colonel's was one of them. Someone with codeword access makes the call and Ethan dies during a drug buy gone wrong. Problem solved."
"Will Austin ever be over? Will we ever be free of it?"
"I don't have an answer for that. I know you have itchy feet but please stick close to your family for a while, okay? They haven't forgotten about you. I am sure not one fuck would have been given if you'd gone down with him. Let me do my thing and see what I can dig up."
The chill running down my arms took some of the beauty and nostalgia off the day. He was right. It was time to be someplace else.
"Message received loud and clear. Have you heard anything about the chemical plant?"
Being the bearer of concerning news didn't dampen Max's appetite. Half a waffle disappeared before he answered. "As usual, you were spot on. The fire broke out in the R&D lab. Luckily, that place was built with fires in mind, and they kept it contained. Even so, the damage was considerable. Most of the direct evidence was destroyed, but investigators are turning the screws on everyone involved. Between EPA, OSHA, DEA, FBI, and DoD, someone will crack."
I dug into my breakfast. "Defense?"
"Yup. Hawthorne was cooking up some mission-critical stuff for the boys in khaki. A couple of full bird colonels showed up with their teams and made it clear that the facility needed to be back online ASAP. They were not amused."
"The fucking South. Why am I not surprised?"
He dumped gravy on his plate. "Enough of all this. How about Billy Ray's case? All I know is what I see in the paper."
"There's a lot to unpack there. First off, the court issued a temporary stay of execution. He's still on death row, pending the full-on appeal, but it looks good. Once he's out of physical therapy, retired Sheriff Harry Sheldon has some serious explaining to do. Also, message received. I'm taking your advice. I need to go home and square up stuff with Gerald over all the pro bono work and see my mom. I'll stay close until I know the trial has things under control. After that, I don't know."
"Fair enough. Be careful and don't lose my phone number. All the social media pages are there as well. Don't make me come looking for you. You are my snitch after all."
He delivered the final two sentences with a laugh that didn't quite make it to his eyes. He was sensing what I'd been feeling for the last few days. The urge to withdraw. To run. To cut ties and not look back. That would be the easy thing to do. It was my way.
I reached across the table and took his hand. "I promise I won't lose anything. Keep him safe."
It was time to stop defaulting to what's easy and to concentrate on what's important.
He didn't bother to ask what I meant. "Always. Now, it's time for you to do this thing. As for me, big surprise, I've got more reports to file."
"Thanks for writing my witness statement. I come across as so innocent and heroic."
"It
's what you would have said. You know, if it had happened that way."
Max grabbed the check as soon as the waitress put it on the table.
"Breakfast is on Uncle Sam. I'll write it off as a rapport-building debrief."
That broke the tension. Out in the parking lot, I pushed aside his extended hand and pulled him into a hug. "Florida, huh? Maybe when all this shakes out, I'll grab Maddie, and we'll make a road trip."
He kissed my cheek. "Now you're talking. Drive safe."
* * *
I walked on the beach, throwing off the funk of Max's news, until the club's opening time. There were only a couple of cars in the parking lot. I hoped I'd be able to make it quick and subtle.
A cup of tea and a shot of Irish Cream were on the bar before I could say anything.
"I know you don't need a menu. Can I get you anything?"
"Jeez, the management of this place has really improved. How are you doing, Joey?"
"It's going. I want to thank you for convincing the owner to let me take over. The extra money is good, and I'm discovering that I like it. Especially since the party is on hold, hopefully forever. Of course, the gossip machine is going about a thousand miles an hour. This story will last for years."
"Oh great. As to the club, there was no other choice. You've got this. Before I forget, take this and do whatever you want with it."
I put the pink slip and keys to my car on the bar.
"Thanks. I'm sure somebody here needs it."
We had surprisingly little to say at this point. Leaving was my strong suit, not goodbyes.
"I've got to get going. Give my best to Mason and I'll be pissed if I don't get an invitation to the wedding."
"You sound like my mom. Don't worry but there's no hurry, okay? How about you and the biker cop?"
I shrugged. His shrewd nod told me I hadn't fooled him one bit. To be honest, I never had. He walked me to the parking lot. When we were out of sight of the windows, his hug lifted me off my feet.
Ride the Lightning Page 17