CHAPTER 27
THE PHONE CALL
When I got to the office, Jodie told me that Paula had gone to check out a suspect at Lake Lavon. She told me who it was and why Paula thought it was important to go out there right away. I thanked her and started going through my telephone messages. As I was about to pick up the phone to start returning calls, Jodie’s voice came on the intercom. “Logan and Cox are here to see you.”
“Logan and Cox? What do they want?”
“I don’t know. They just walked in. Should I ask them?”
“No, I’ll be right out.”
I got up and walked into the reception area. Logan was smiling. Cox looked grim.
“Hi. What’s up?” I said.
Logan pulled out a pair of handcuffs and said, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, Turner. You’re a traitor and a disgrace to your profession. You’ll do anything for money. I’ve been praying you’d screw up. Wiring that money to General Moya was really stupid. The game is over. You're under arrest.”
“Ah!” Jodie gasped.
“It’s true I wired some money for a client, but how do you figure it went to General Moya?”
Logan shook his head with a look of disbelief. “It wasn’t difficult. We just notified your bank to report any wire transfers to known Moya accounts. If they didn’t comply, they could have been heavily fined.”
“I know you’re feeling pretty good right now, Logan, but you’ve got this all wrong,” I said.
“Oh yeah. Tell it to the judge,” he said as he threw me up against the wall and put the cuffs on me.
A pain shot through my wrists as he clamped the cuffs closed. I bit my tongue to keep from showing my discomfort. I had feared this moment but somehow had convinced myself it wouldn’t happen. I could see the morning headlines in my mind's eye: “Stan Turner Arrested for Drug Trafficking—Money Laundering—Treason?” I wondered what the charge actually would be. Then I thought of Rebekah and the kids. The thought of them having to see the headlines and endure the ridicule that would surely follow made me sick.
“Let’s talk a minute. I can explain everything,” I said in desperation.
“Sorry, it’s too late. Besides being wanted by the government of Ecuador, there is a warrant for Moya’s arrest out of the federal district court in Miami for drug related offences. You obviously are connected to him somehow and we’re going find out exactly how that is.”
Logan turned me around and looked me in the eye. He gave me my Miranda warning and escorted me out to a waiting car. Logan sat in the front seat and Cox sat next to me.
“Sorry about the cuffs, “ Cox said, “but it’s procedure.”
I nodded and looked away. My mind was racing as I tried to figure out what had gone wrong. General Moya apparently wasn’t very good at covering his tracks. What was I going to do now? My heart sank as I contemplated hours of grueling questioning. How could I possibly explain what had happened without compromising Tex or getting him killed? Just as we started to pull away, I heard Jodie’s voice screaming. I looked over and she was racing toward our car.
“Stop! Wait!” she screamed.
Logan rolled down his window. “What’s wrong?”
“Stan’s got an important telephone call. You have to let him take it.”
“What? No way. Get away from the car,” Logan commanded as his window started back up.
Jodie started pounding on the window. “He has to take this call! You’ve got—”
“Come on, Logan,” Cox said. “Let him take the call if it’s that important. Two minutes isn’t going to make a difference.”
Logan glared at Cox and then threw up his hands. “Okay, okay.”
We got out of the car and Logan escorted me back inside. As he passed Jodie he said, “This better be damn important.”
Jodie nodded. “It is, trust me.”
I picked up the receiver that was laying on Jodie’s desk.
“Hello, “ I said.
“Stan, this is Tex.”
“Oh, Jesus. Am I glad to hear your voice. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Miami airport. I’ll be in Dallas about 6:00 p.m. tonight. Can you pick me up at the airport?”
“Oh, yeah. You bet. I’ll be there. Are you all right?”
“More or less. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“Yeah, I guess so. . . . Ah . . . I’m afraid I’m going to have to bring some friends with me.”
“Who?”
“A couple of FBI agents. I guess it’s about time we leveled with them.”
“Oh, Jesus. Do we have to?”
“Yeah, I’m afraid so.”
“Okay, whatever. I’ll see you soon.”
I hung up the phone and looked at Logan and Cox, who were waiting for an explanation for the call. I told them that Tex had been kidnapped while in Ecuador and that I had wired the money as part of his ransom. They seemed skeptical but agreed to take me to the airport to pick up Tex. I was still hoping to avoid the issue of Tex’s reason for being in Ecuador but didn’t know if it would be possible. Despite being in handcuffs, I felt great. Knowing Tex was alive was such a relief. I knew it was just a matter of time now before I’d be cleared of any wrongdoing and could get back to practicing law in peace.
When Tex arrived, Logan and Cox took us to the Federal Marshall’s office for questioning. After several hours of grueling interrogation they let us go. Jodie and Toni were sitting in the waiting room when we were released. Toni and Tex embraced.
“Oh, honey. I was so worried about you,” Toni said.
“Ah, you didn’t need to worry. You know I always find my way home.”
I laughed. “Yeah, well this time it was a little too close for comfort.”
Tex smiled. “You’re probably right. I suppose I’ll have to cool my heels for a while.”
Toni nodded. “You better believe it. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
We drove Tex and Toni home but before I let him go I made him promise he’d come to my office the next day so we could sort things out. There was the matter of sending the rest of the money to General Moya, and I wanted his account of how he got the 1.8 million dollars in the first place. Although Tex was back, there were still a lot of land mines lurking ahead that we needed to avoid. I just prayed we’d be able to figure out a way to do it.
Deadly Distractions, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 6 Page 27