Tattered Justice

by John Foxjohn

  After stalling for several minutes, she shook her head. She had to know why he followed her and this silly prom girl stuff wouldn’t help her get the information.

  When she strode back in, Darren had relaxed, and she handed him the glass of Coke, hoping her hand didn’t shake.

  They sipped their drinks. With the lateness and another lag in conversation, she asked, “Why have you followed me? And while we are at it, why are you hanging around my house at night?” Tension deflated from her when she asked.

  He turned his head to gaze at her for a long moment. “How did you know?”

  She crossed her arms, aware that he hadn’t answered her question. “That’s not important. I’d like an answer, though.”

  “Actually, a man other than Estes hired me for another job. He wanted someone who he thought could stay close to you. He paid me fifty thousand dollars and fifty thousand more if I did the job well.”

  Her pulse hammered in her temples as he talked. She needed to hear the rest, but didn’t want to. Her voice trembled, but her eyes flashed as she half-turned on the sofa to face him. “What did he pay you to do?”

  “He wanted someone to protect you.”

  She blinked, unable to comprehend his words for a moment. She’d expected something else—didn’t know what, but not that. No one she knew of would pay anyone to protect her, and certainly not that much money. She could count on one hand the number of people she knew of who had that kind of money to give away, and none of them would give it away to protect her.

  Every instinct told her he hadn’t lied, but she found it hard to believe. “Who paid you this money?”

  He shrugged. “Actually, I don’t know. He wouldn’t give me his name, and I didn’t see his face well. I’m sure he planned that, too.”

  Something about what she knew of Darren Duval and human nature bothered her with the scenario he told her. “You were a cop in Chicago and now a private detective. You haven’t tried to find out?’

  “Yes, I have, and I’ll continue to try, but all I have come up with is blanks. This man knows how to cover his tracks well.”

  She respected honesty in a person and had to admit, Darren had that quality as far as she could tell. He could have given her a song and dance and she wouldn’t’ve known the difference. May have suspected, but like now, she didn’t know how much of what he said was the truth.

  Her instincts told her he told the truth, but she didn’t altogether trust her instincts. They had failed her in the past.

  When she yawned, he rose. “Uh-huh, I need to go and let you get some sleep.”

  She remained sitting. “No need for you to stay outside. You can sleep in here with me.”

  Heat exploded up her neck and swallowed her face. She dropped her head to hide her embarrassment. That had come out all wrong. “Ah—I—ah, meant that another way. I have a spare bedroom.”

  He bent and caught her hands, pulling her up. Standing close, body heat merging, she closed her eyes as her heart hammered. He planned to kiss her and she couldn’t let him.

  Her head lifted, their lips met, and fire seared her body. She groaned and leaned into him.

  Their lips touched for a moment, then crushed each other’s. Kayla’s lips parted, and her tongue explored his.

  Darren’s hands traced down her back, cupped her buttocks, and jerked her tight against his body. She tried to get closer.

  When his mouth left hers, she groaned and he stepped back.

  The ringing phone invaded her consciousness. That’s why he’d pulled back. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard it.

  She shook her head. Maybe that was what they meant by saved by the bell. She needed something—she couldn’t save herself. When he stepped forward, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

  He let his head fall back. “Damn phone.”

  She didn’t know who had called and would listen to the message later, but it was a good thing it had. She’d allowed herself to get too caught up in the moment.

  She could not and would not allow it in the future.

  After showing him the spare room, she trooped upstairs to her bedroom. She changed and tossed in bed—couldn’t get comfortable, the pillow right, or the covers. Sleep that she needed didn’t happen.

  * * * *

  Dog tired, Darren attempted to stay awake and he should’ve never lain down because he didn’t wake up until Kayla slipped out the next morning to go to work.

  He had a full day, and it didn’t start well when Estes summonsed him to his office. He received these summons, if not every day, every other day. The man who brought him to Houston always began the conversations lambasting Kayla, her abilities as an attorney, and her lack of experience. Nothing he hadn’t heard before, like the day before.

  That always followed with what they were doing in the investigation.

  An hour later, he left, made some phone calls and met a few people who might have information for him. After lunch, he took a nap in his hotel room until his phone woke him. He blinked the sleep away, glanced at his watch, and realized he’d napped for two hours.

  He also noticed that Kevin called him and flipped open the phone. “Hey Bub. How’re you doing?”

  “Dad, I did something maybe wrong. Promise not to be mad.”

  The way his son said that made him pause for a long moment before responding. “Uh-huh, it’s hard to make promises without knowing what they are. I do promise that I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

  Kevin didn’t respond, and furrows creased Darren’s eyebrows as background noise filtered through the silence. “Kevin, where are you?”

  The boy’s voice trembled. “I’m at the airport.”

  Now, the background noises made sense and scared him at the same time. If his son had gone to the airport with his mother, he wouldn’t’ve needed to call his father. O’Hare was a dangerous airport. “Mmm, is your mother with you? Who is with you?”

  “I—I’m by myself.”

  Hair pricked on the back of Darren’s neck and his stomach knotted. “Son, you need to call your mother and tell her where you are.” No way would she let Kevin go to the airport by himself. That also left the question of how Kevin had gotten there to start with, and why.

  “Dad, I can’t.” The boy’s sobs echoed in the phone almost sending him into a panic. What had happened in Chicago?

  His son’s next statement made him glad he remained sitting. “I’m at the Houston airport.”

  Fear ripped through him like a dagger. He leaped up. “You’re what?”

  His outburst had scared Kevin and his sobs increased. Darren took a deep breath and tried to calm the boy down so he could tell him what had happened. “I’m sorry I yelled. You surprised me. Did you say you were at the Houston airport?”

  “Yes—Houston. Could you please come get me? I’m scared.”

  Coldness settled in Darren’s chest. Kevin wasn’t the only one scared. If his son somehow got on a plane and flew to Houston without his mother’s knowledge, and she’d never approve it, Darren was the one in a world of trouble.

  If Paulette had decided to let him come to Houston, she’d have called. “Of course I’ll come and get you as fast as I can. Where are you?”

  When Kevin told him, he told the boy to stay there—not to move, talk to anyone, and definitely not to go anywhere with anyone.

  He slammed the phone closed, rushed out, and gunned his car toward George Bush Intercontinental Airport. He had to do something but didn’t know what. As soon as Paulette found out what Kevin did, she’d never believe that the boy did it on his own. She’d blame Darren and go to the police.

  He needed help now, and in the worst way, but knew no one who could help him. That wasn’t true. He couldn’t call on her, but he had to. He jerked his phone out and called Kayla, reaching Sarah Jane.

  “Sarah, this is Darren Duval. I know Kayla has a million things going on, but I need to talk to her bad.”

  “Hold on Darren, I�
��ll get her on the line.”

  With his heart pounding, moments that seemed like days drifted past, until Kayla spoke.

  “Darren, did something happen?” Her voice showed her worry.

  When he explained Kevin’s call and his trip to the airport to pick him up, Kayla didn’t bother to ask dumb questions. She realized the situation, asked a couple of questions about that, and told him to bring Kevin to her office immediately.

  Twenty minutes later, Darren zipped into the airport, not bothering to park, stopped at the airlines loading and unloading area, and rushed inside. His legs almost sagged from relief when he found Kevin where he told him to stay, but huddled in a ball.

  As his father sped toward him, Kevin jumped into Darren’s trembling arms. He wanted to beat him right then and there, in front of everyone, but his relief consumed his desire for punishment.

  “Where are we going?” Kevin asked his father when they headed away from the airport.

  “Actually, first thing, we’re stopping by an attorney’s office. I have a friend I want you to meet. You’ll like her. She’s nice.”

  “Do we have to? I don’t want to meet some old attorney.”

  He reached over and tussled the boy’s hair. He thought back to Kayla in his arms, her sumptuous body again his. He smiled. “Uh-huh, we have to, and she isn’t old.”

  When they entered the law firm and took the elevator to the third floor, they met Marvin in the hallway. When Darren tried to introduce Kevin, the boy hid behind him and wouldn’t speak or shake Marvin’s hand. The same thing happened with Sarah Jane, who tried to be nice to Kevin, but he wouldn’t come out from behind Darren or let go of his grip on his father’s leg.

  This problem didn’t surprise Darren. The boy would not open up to strangers—or people for that matter. Kevin still hid behind him when they entered Kayla’s office.

  She rose and eased around her desk and Darren introduced Kevin to Kayla. She squatted in front of the boy. “Hi Kevin, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Kayla Nugent, a friend of your dad’s.”

  Kevin didn’t say anything, but he didn’t retreat as he did with the others. Kayla looked up at Darren. “Do you know how he got here?”

  He’d thought about that question and wanted to ask, but by the time his fear left him, he’d parked at the law firm. “Actually, no, not yet.”

  Still squatting, she asked, “Would you mind if I talk to Kevin alone for a few minutes in the conference room?”

  “Actually, I don’t mind but Kevin’s a little—shy.”

  She stood and bent at the waist. “Do you like cokes?”

  “Yes, ma’am, but my mother won’t let me have many.”

  Darren’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open when Kevin spoke to Kayla. He glanced down at his son, who had stepped from behind him.

  Kayla walked back to her desk and buzzed Sarah Jane. “Could you get a coke for Kevin and me, please? Kevin and I are going to the conference room for a moment.”

  She turned to Darren. “While we are gone, you might want to make a phone call to someone who’ll want to know where a certain person is,” she said. “You can use my office.”

  Kayla reached a hand out and flabbergasted, Darren could only stare as his son took her hand and followed her out of the office.

  Sitting in Kayla’s chair, he made the call that he didn’t want to because a volcano would erupt when he told Paulette the news.

  She didn’t disappoint him. Kevin had told her he wanted to spend the afternoon with a friend who lived a few houses from them.

  Threats of the police and lawyers soon followed. He hadn’t lived with the woman for eight years without knowing that she didn’t threaten. She meant every word. He tried to explain that he didn’t know anything about it until Kevin arrived and called him, but she yelled louder and called him a liar.

  He’d known she’d do and say those exact words, the reason he’d called Kayla to begin with. His ex hadn’t been the most reasonable person when they were married. Whatever she did possess left with the divorce. He had no doubt, by tomorrow they would have a warrant issued for his arrest and anything else they could think of.

  SIXTEEN

  Kayla, still holding Kevin’s hand, stopped at Sarah Jane’s desk. “Kevin and I are going to number two. Would you turn on the juice in a couple of minutes?”

  She didn’t know if the code worked or not, but she needed this interview recorded, and she didn’t want Kevin to know what she planned. It might make him too nervous.

  They sat across from each other while they sipped their Cokes. “Kevin, I’m an attorney and I need to ask you some questions.”

  With a startled expression, he asked, “Am I in bad trouble?”

  She smiled, leaned across and patted his hand. “You’re in no trouble at all.” She didn’t tell him that his parents might kill him when they got over their shock. “I just need to ask you a few questions, that’s all. Would you do me a favor?”

  He seemed to relax. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Her eyes widened at the child’s well-mannered behavior and response. “Kevin, we haven’t talked about how or why you came to Houston before now, have we?”

  “No ma’am. My mommy will be mad at me.”

  “Okay, here is the favor I need from you. Just tell me the truth about what you did and how you did it. Will you do that?”

  He didn’t respond but nodded, his big blue eyes never leaving hers.

  “Kevin, why did you decide to come to Houston?”

  “I wanted to see my daddy. I haven’t seen him in a while. My mommy won’t let me.”

  “Did she tell you that you couldn’t see your father?”

  “No, ma’am. She told my dad on the phone and to my stepfather. She made up excuses so he couldn’t see me at his times.”

  “Kevin, when is the last time you spoke to your father before you arrived in Houston?”

  “I called him last night. We talked a while.”

  The boy took up his coke and took several swallows. Kayla sipped hers. She needed these answers and needed them on tape, but she had to be careful not to rush him. Even thought he didn’t know about the recording, he was scared.

  When he set his can down, she asked, “Kevin, did your father know that you planned to come to Houston?”

  “No, ma’am. I wanted to tell him. He’d say no. I hoped he wouldn’t send me back.”

  “Please tell me in your own words how you got to Houston. I’m going to sit back and let you talk, okay?”

  “I used the computer at home for the plane ride. I put down that I was twelve and would be flying alone. I used my stepfather’s credit card because he leaves it by the front door when he comes home.”

  “How did you get to the airport from where you were?” Kayla asked.

  “I called a taxi cab. Asked them how much it cost. They told me then picked me up.”

  “The taxi driver never said anything to you about your age?”

  “No, ma’am. He looked at me funny and made me show him the money. He took me when I gave him money.”

  “Kevin, where did you get the idea of how to do all this?”

  He dropped his head for a moment. “I saw a kid do it on a movie. I didn’t think it worked, but it did.”

  She asked him several more questions and ended by asking if his father had known, told him, or encouraged him in any way to do this. When he told her no, she stood. “Let’s go see your dad.”

  The boy’s face lit up like Christmas. He wanted so badly to spend time with his father.

  She caught his little hand and led him out. All the way back, the boy talked about his dad. When they arrived at Sarah Jane’s desk, Darren waited for them. Kevin ran to his father, telling him that Kayla had given him a coke and they talked.

  “Kevin, would you stay out here and talk to Sarah Jane for a minute while I talk to your dad in my office?”

  When the boy said, “Yes, ma’am,” Darren glanced from his son to Kayla and followed her into the
office.

  “You’re absolutely amazing,” he said when the door closed.

  “Did you talk to your ex-wife?”

  He related their conversation as she twirled her pen. When he finished, she asked, “Who is her attorney?”

  “Abraham Kellerman in Chicago. I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

  She thought for several minutes before answering. “You might be. Sara Jane has a form you need to sign empowering me to represent you in this matter, and I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, why don’t you spend some time with Kevin until I can find out something?”

  When Darren left, she spun around in her chair and stared out the window. She knew next to nothing about family law, or Texas family law. She knew even less about Illinois.

  She spun around to her computer, searched for flights to Chicago and booked a redeye the next morning online. When she had the flight, she called Sarah Jane and asked her to cancel her appointments the next day. She told her what she planned and asked her not to say anything to anyone.

  Next, she called Marvin, but again asked him not to tell anyone where she’d gone.

  In her attorney’s directory, she found Abraham Kellerman’s name and office number and dialed it. She told the secretary her name and that she wanted to speak to the attorney about Kevin and Darren Duval.

  Moments later, a man with a rich baritone voice said, “This is Abraham Kellerman.”

  “Mr. Kellerman, I’m Kayla Nugent, Darren Duval’s attorney.”

  “I’ve heard about you. He is going to need a good criminal attorney. We are filing a writ of habeas corpus in the morning.”

  “Before you file, it just so happens that I’ll be in Chicago in the morning. I’d like to talk to you and your client.”

  “Why would we want to do that? You couldn’t possibly say anything to change our minds.”

  Kayla didn’t know anything about family law, but she knew when she heard something that didn’t ring true. “Before you make up your mind, I’d suggest you speak with your client. While there, I plan to serve a few papers myself. You and your client need to hear what I have to say.”