The Eighteenth Green
Page 20
“Maybe it would be better if I quit getting involved in cases where the opposition’s solution is to threaten my girlfriend or kill me,” I laughed.
“You got that,” Clovis finished.
52
WE LANDED SMOOTHLY, taxied to Hodges Air, and drove straight to the Jennings’ home. I’d practiced my words for the last two weeks. Most people think lawyers are like surgeons: surgeons like to cut, lawyers like to sue. A good lawyer knows that a lawsuit should be a last resort, never brought before the lawyer has carefully laid out the downsides. Truth to tell, by itself, my proposed strategy had little chance of changing hearts or minds about either Rachel’s actions or supposed suicide. What it did provide was a vehicle for investigation and time. Problem was, I might end up proving she was indeed a spy.
Micki met us at Ben’s house, and, after accepting iced tea and cookies, we all sat at the dining room table. I was about to start my rehearsed speech when Ben interrupted.
“Before you begin, Jack, I’ve got something to say. The restaurant will be open for business next Monday just like I promised. I’ve only made one change—I’ve increased the price of every item by exactly one quarter. Those quarters are for you and your legal team. It could take many a year, but I’ll pay off every penny I owe you and Micki. It may not seem like much, but believe it or not, I sell a lot of sandwiches,” he smiled.
I had never planned on charging Ben a fee. I started to protest, but he wasn’t finished.
“No arguments. You’ll receive a check once a month, but in exchange, I’m going to hold you to your promise. We want you to find out whether and why our daughter did what she was accused of doing. Will you keep your end of the bargain?”
I thought for a minute and looked at Linda.
“I did make that promise, and I’m prepared to keep it, but I have to warn you, the answers may not be what you want to hear. I may spend a lot of time and effort only to discover that the allegations are true and are for the reasons the government alleges. Are you prepared for that result?”
Linda answered quickly, “Jack, I can live with any answer, but Ben and I need to know the truth, whatever it might be. I know you and Micki came here today to explain why we should let it go, but save your breath. Nothing you can say will change our minds. Please tell me you’ll do it.”
“Jack, you know we have complete trust in you,” Ben added.
A lawyer seldom hears the words “we trust you completely,” but I knew they meant it. Still, so much trust was also a huge responsibility. Had it been anyone else, I probably would have turned them down. But I couldn’t deny my gut feeling that Rachel had been made the scapegoat for somebody else’s misdeeds.
“Oh, Linda, Micki and I have no intention of giving up now. Why else would we be here? I didn’t know your daughter well, but the government’s story about her just doesn’t ring true. I sure would feel better, though, if you’d let Micki explain what we need you to sign and why.”
Micki spent the next few minutes explaining the process. She’d clearly spent a good deal of time working with Janis Harold preparing the probate papers for Rachel’s estate and drafting our response to the asset forfeiture. They listened politely and signed without a single question.
We were scheduled to leave for DC in a couple of hours, so Micki and Clovis left to pick up their respective sweethearts. Maggie and I wanted to spend a little more time with Ben and Linda. The four of us gravitated to the porch so Ben could enjoy a cigar.
Linda offered us all more tea and said, “We have a little bit of good news. Ben Jr. has decided to resign from the U.S. Marshals Service and move back home to help Ben with the restaurant.”
“That is good news,” I said. “I’m sure you can use the help.”
“Ben’s not so sure. He’s worried that Ben Jr. will start telling him how to run the business, and they’ll fight and argue,” Linda said, looking nervously at Ben, who remained silent.
“They will, and it will be good for them both. What have you heard from Lee and his wife?” I asked.
“Not a word. Our relationship with Tina has never been easy. Now she won’t even speak to us, and apparently pitches a hissy fit whenever Lee calls.” Her tone left no doubt about her opinion of Tina.
“Give them time—they’ll come around,” I predicted.
Ben took a long pull on his cigar and exhaled. “Well, maybe and maybe not—I’m not going to spend good time worrying about it. And neither should you.” He turned to look directly at Linda.
“Jack, what I haven’t mentioned yet is how grateful I am. Only a fool wouldn’t realize that both you and your team will raise some hackles once you start digging around. Whoever killed her may decide to come after you.”
“You’re right, they might do exactly that,” I said, reminded of the attack on Clovis. “But sometimes the truth is worth a little trouble. We’ve discussed the potential dangers as a group and have decided we’re willing to take the risk.”
Linda began to tear up, and Maggie absently handed her a tissue. “You could always count on Maggie to remember the tissues,” I thought, and continued.
“You know, a month ago I might not have felt this way. But I had the opportunity to speak with and listen to your daughter. Her strength and confidence were immediately obvious to everyone in the room. She certainly didn’t act or sound like a depressed traitor. She was in good spirits, ready to explain what she had done and why, and excited about her prospects and future.
“If she was murdered, the facts are worth discovering. Think about it—someone was able to sneak onto a military base, murder your daughter, and make it look like suicide. That person or persons must have had particular skills and must have had a very good reason to take such a risk. The implications are very troubling.”
I paused to let my conclusions sink in. “There’s one more thing, and it won’t be easy. You have two sons and a daughter-in-law, as well as various friends and support groups here in Little Rock. You can’t discuss what we’ve said or agreed to today or what I may report to you in the future with any of them. Not a single word.”
“You mean I can’t tell Ben Jr. or Lee anything?” Linda’s voice rose sharply.
“No, Linda, you can’t. You’ll probably see news or articles in the paper or on the Internet about the investigation. Your family and friends will, too. We’ll try our best to let you know what’s true and what isn’t, but you can’t say a word to anyone.”
“Not even that we met?” Linda was incredulous.
“Of course people know we’re good friends, and it’s fine for you to tell them I’m your lawyer, but that’s it. Not a word about what you signed, and certainly not what Micki or I have said. No matter how bad the press may get, absolutely nothing.” My tone left no room for doubt.
Ben frowned. “Are you worried the government will use our children to spy on us? Just because they work for the government doesn’t mean they’re disloyal.”
That possibility was exactly why we were having this conversation, but I knew I needed to tread lightly.
“Do I think either of your boys or your friends for that matter would breach a confidence on purpose? No, I don’t. But let me give you a hypothetical: Lee calls you about something he’s read in the paper and you explain how it’s part of my strategy. He feels better and agrees to keep what you tell him in confidence. Then Tina asks him what he’s been talking to you about and he relates the confidence to her—after all, she is his wife. The next day she’s asked about the newspaper article at work, and she repeats our strategy to her coworker at the FBI. She hasn’t meant to, but a leak can destroy our strategy.”
They both nodded, seeming to understand. What I wanted to say was, “Damn yes!” At the very least the government would try to enlist Tina. This was the same government that pitted mother against son in minor drug cases.
“Listen, if anybody starts bugging you, especially your children, have them call me. If I can answer their questions, I will.”
“I promise to move as fast as we can. In fact, my biggest fear is that this will play out faster that we can handle.”
53
JORDAN PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY, and Maggie and I hugged Ben and Linda, promising to keep them up to date when we could. On the flight home, I learned that Maggie had indeed handled all the logistics. Our entire operation had been moved out to the property in Eastern Maryland. Maggie had said the house was large, but I had no idea how large. The original owner had built it to be a small inn, thinking to offset the mortgage with paying guests. The house had nine bedrooms, three on the first floor and six laid out dormitory style on the second. With an apartment above the garage, it was large enough to accommodate all of us during the course of the investigation.
Martin and Clovis wanted to house us under one roof for security reasons. It reminded me of the times we had used Micki’s ranch house during the Stewart and Cole cases. Stella was happy to have only one location to protect from cyber threats. Maggie had arranged for a caterer to bring out food once a day, and both the pantry and the bar were more than adequately stocked.
When the plane landed I was surprised to see my daughter Beth leaning against the waiting car. I turned to Maggie. “What the…?”
“Hush, Jack,” Maggie chided. “Let her explain.” Beth ran out to greet us.
“Hey, Dad—while y’all are working on Rochelle’s case, I’m going to make sure Susan Sandler finds you a new home and get the old place ready for the market. If you wait until you have time, it will never happen. I can also run errands and help with research or whatever you need.”
“What about school and Jeff?” I asked.
“Classes are over, and I’ve finished my exams. I’ve got a couple of papers to write, but I can easily do them here. As for Jeff, he’s either at the hospital or asleep. He was feeling guilty about me sitting all alone at our apartment every night.”
“Well, of course I’m glad to have you. Has anyone told Clovis? Will you be …”
“I cleared it with him as soon as Beth told me she wanted to come,” Maggie interrupted. “Jack, we’re going to need all the help we can get. I’m glad Beth is willing to help.” Beth beamed, and I gave in. I loved the thought of having her here.
It was about an hour’s drive to Maggie and Walter’s new property on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake. The driveway meandered first through some woods, then through open pastures to the house on the banks of the West River. Walter had made a shrewd investment: the property was stunning. The house itself had been built in the mid-sixties, so it was a bit of a relic. Frankly, as long as the toilets flushed and the stove worked, I didn’t much care. After we had unpacked and settled in, the whole team gathered in the big family room. We chatted easily about this and that for a few minutes before I cleared my throat.
“Well, we all know why we’re here—it’s time to get going. For the last week you’ve all been searching for puzzle pieces. Now we need to bring the pieces together, see if they make sense. Let’s begin with you, Stella. Are these conversations private? Are our phones and computers secure?”
“We have a digital safety net covering this facility with a perimeter of approximately one mile. If you’re outside the perimeter anything goes. The phones and computers are secure, and to tell you the truth there have been no attempts to access any of our electronics in at least a week,” she reported.
“That will change in the next few hours,” I said.
No one said a word.
Stella continued, “I can monitor everything from here. We should talk about how you want me to handle any intrusion. You also asked me if I could discover who Rachel might have recently called or emailed before she was picked up. It would help if we could get her computer or her cellphone, but I’m also looking at other resources.”
Micki grumbled, “Fat chance of getting her phone or computer.”
She was right, but I responded, “Patience, Micki, you’re next. What have you been up to?”
Micki laughed, “You know damn well what I’ve been up to, but, okay, I’ll report. Janis Harold has probated Rachel’s will. It leaves everything to the Jennings, thus giving Ben, who is the executor, the obligation and right to assemble all of Rachel’s assets. Ben has employed Jack and me to do just that, including all the assets that the government has seized.
“On Monday morning we’ll enter an appearance in federal court objecting to the government’s seizure of assets, including her bank accounts, her pension plan, her government life insurance, and anything else they may have seized.”
“Including her computer and cell phone,” I added, which made Stella smile.
“Yup, her cell phone and computer. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Big Mike spoke up, “We might be able to help. When we inventoried her apartment we found a large stack of mail by the front door. I’ll bet we find her phone bill somewhere between the insurance ads and the Wal-Mart circulars.”
“What else did you find?” I asked.
“I’ve got a complete inventory, except for the rotten vegetables in the fridge.” Mike passed copies around the room. “I have to admit the apartment was pretty bare. No telling what the FBI took,” he commented.
Micki said, “At some point we should be able to get a complete inventory of what they seized, one way or the other.”
I agreed. “Mike, I’d like to see the apartment myself. Do you think we could go tomorrow?”
Mike looked to Martin who nodded his okay.
We spent the next hour or so letting everyone report on the tasks I had given them. Most of them were dead ends, but even dead ends gave us information. Maggie looked pointedly at her watch and then at me.
“Good job, everyone. Time for a drink of something before dinner, don’t you think? Go ahead—I have a couple of phone calls to make, and I want you all to know to whom and why. The first is to Carol Madison and the second to Red Shaw.”
“Why? I mean, why do you need to tell us? Isn’t that private?” Beth asked, seemingly perplexed.
“Not anymore. I’m telling you because once I’ve made these two calls the cat will be out of the bag. I’m going to tell Carol that Micki and I now represent Rachel’s estate, which I believe will end my relationship with her forever. I’m going to call Red because he’s my friend and client, and I owe him. I don’t want either him or the Lobos to be blindsided Monday morning. Both Carol and Red probably think Rachel’s death means the case was closed but they’re wrong.”
Beth replied with a bit of a frown, “Okay, Dad, that’s your business, certainly Carol is. But why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
“Because once the cat is out of the bag, there’ll be no going back. We’ll have to be ready for the consequences, come what may.”
54
NO ONE HAD MUCH TO SAY TO THAT. Micki gave me a thumbs-up as she and Larry left the room. I knew they were both itching to explore the property. Maggie left to check on dinner. Beth caught me as I sat fiddling with my phone.
“Dad, I don’t understand. You know I’m not a big fan of Carol, although she is a step up from the other women you’ve dated. Maggie told me that Carol didn’t want you to represent Rachel, but how could telling her be dangerous?”
“Let’s deal with this in private,” I suggested.
She followed me to my room, and I sank into an overstuffed chair while she perched on the edge of the desk.
“My relationship with Carol has always been complicated because we both deal with confidential information. We came to an agreement when we first got together. She would never ask me about my clients, but if I ever volunteered information she would be free to use that information however she wanted. The moment I tell her I represent Rachel’s estate, she is free to tell her clients, and I believe one or more one of them won’t be pleased.�
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Beth asked a logical question, “Then why call her? You two seem to be on the outs anyway.”
“Well, again, it gets complicated. She tried very hard to convince me to drop Rachel like a hot potato. She made no bones about it—my career would be kaput if I didn’t let it go. In the moment, it seemed better to let her think she’d won the argument.” I tried not to squirm, and Beth pretended not to notice.
“As a result, she may have reported to a client what I’d led her to believe—that based on her encouragement I’d decided not to represent Rachel. When it became clear that I was still pursuing the case, she must have been angry and embarrassed. She’s tried to reach me several times since Rachel’s death, I suspect at the behest of a client.
“I like to think Carol’s an innocent pawn, but I feel sure her client used her to try to get me to back off and will use her again if he can. I can’t continue to dodge her calls and texts, and I won’t deceive her again,” I said with a touch of remorse.
“Dad, I think you really care about Carol. The two of you had a special relationship. It may have run its course, but maybe not. Can’t you just steer clear of the subject?”
“Thanks, Beth, but it’s too late for that,” I said.
“Why? You’re an expert at dodging questions.”
I smiled at her backhanded compliment. “Because I can’t think of any other way to flush out the quarry. Carol may not realize her client is using her, but I know damn well I’m using her to send a message. That’s not the way to treat someone you love. I feel guilty and sad and relieved all at the same time.”
I hadn’t even told Maggie how I felt. In fact, I still wasn’t quite sure how I felt, and I wondered if Beth would be able to understand. She watched me in silence for a few moments, and then gave a little sigh.
“Dad, I didn’t mean to pry, and maybe I shouldn’t have, but I’m glad you told me what you did. You used to tell me that things aren’t always black or white, and you were right, and Maggie was right, too.”