“Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you there,” Navarro says as he heads down the back hallway toward the kitchen. “I walked Helen home, although she clearly didn’t want me to. I get a very strong feeling she doesn’t like me very much.”
Julia pulls out another bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale from her refrigerator and hands it to Navarro.
“You changed,” he says, his eyes doing a quick and discreet sweep of Julia’s body.
“Helen turns this place into the Sahara Desert at night. I needed to put on something cooler. And yes, she’s overprotective and might be worried you have bad intentions. Don’t take it personally. She’s just playing mamma bear with the boys and me right now.”
Navarro takes a long pull of his beer, and Julia motions him into the living room.
“How are you doing with all this?” Navarro asks.
Julia moves to the large window that overlooks the backyard and flicks on the porch light, taking in all the things that were once so wonderfully familiar.
Navarro comes up from behind and puts his hand on Julia’s shoulder. His touch feels warm and strong, and Julia flashes back to the recording of David having rough sex with the blonde. She realizes how good it would feel to do the same right now. She pictures herself and Navarro starring in the video instead and, for a second, savors how good it would feel to be desired by someone who wouldn’t hurt her or continue to lie and betray her trust.
She picks up her beer instead and finishes half the bottle easily in a matter of seconds.
“I forgot you could drink a beer faster than most guys I know.”
“Why do you think David did it?”
“You want my dime store psychology? If David wasn’t being blackmailed, then it was all about sex and money. Those are potent drugs. I assume you guys were pretty well off financially?”
“Not on my salary, but David made a good income in the D.A.’s office.”
“So unless David has some gambling or drug problem, which I don’t think he had, the money is all about power, and so is the sex.”
“You’re good. Maybe you should switch professions.”
“No, thanks. I wouldn’t want to sit around and listen to people’s problems all day,” Navarro answers. “Do you want some company tonight? I can come back here after I meet Russell at Infinity Holdings to pick up the briefcase. Mr. Spanier is about to get a late-night call he wasn’t expecting. And I can sleep on your couch. I don’t want to leave you alone if you need someone to talk to.”
“No, it’s been a long day. You look tired. Go home and get some sleep when you’re done with Spanier.”
“If you’re sure then, okay. I can swing by and pick you up in the morning if you like. I’m going to the hospital to see if Judge Palmer has come around yet. It’s worth a shot. I’d like to talk to him about what David was doing in his chambers at the time the bomb went off.”
“Yes, definitely count me in,” Julia answers. “I’m going to take the boys to Eastern Market in the morning. I know I can’t make everything better overnight, but at least I can get them out of the house for a while. There are too many memories here for them.”
Navarro picks up his coat and heads to the front door.
“Hey, you,” Julia calls after him.
Navarro turns around and flashes Julia his perfect smile.
“Thanks for everything you’ve done for me,” Julia says. “I owe you after this is over.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll see you in the morning. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ve survived things as hard as this.”
“And come out stronger. I’m here for you.”
“That’s one of the few things I’m sure of.”
CHAPTER 26
Henry Ford Hospital is the one place, besides Rossi’s compound, Julia never wanted to return to, and she feels out of her body as she, Navarro, and Russell make their way down the fifth-floor corridor to see Judge Palmer. Russell, the one who always lightens the mood with his off-color comments, is unusually quiet, and Julia understands that the hospital is the last place on earth he would rather be.
“It was pretty ballsy of you to go right back to work after you got hurt in the bombing,” Julia says to Russell, speaking his language.
“Balls of steel,” he answers, a slight smile forming at his lips as he gets his mojo back.
“Are your injuries all healed?” Julia asks.
“Pretty much everything except for the groin. I pee more than I used to, but that could be age,” Russell answers. “You know I just turned forty.”
“Add on another ten years, my friend,” Navarro says.
Russell grabs his chest, pretending to be hurt.
“Hey, forty is just three years away for you, and don’t think I won’t keep reminding you about it. Viagra and Rogaine, baby,” Russell jabs at Navarro.
“I’ve got to talk to Judge Palmer’s doctor first,” Navarro says, bringing the conversation back in line. “The judge has been in and out of surgeries, so I just have to get the green light that he’s stable enough for me to interview him. I’ve gotten nothing but no’s so far.”
“Maybe today will be your lucky day,” Russell says.
Russell and Navarro sidle up to the nurses’ station, and Navarro easily wins the attention of a pretty young brunette RN who drops what she’s doing to help him. Julia pulls out her reporter’s notebook and succumbs to her usual habit when she tries to figure out a missing piece of a story. She writes down the one thread she hasn’t been able to solve:
If David took a payoff, why did he recruit the Butcher to testify against Rossi?
Julia searches the space for Navarro but instead spots David’s physician, Dr. Whitcomb, walking through a door that reads ADMINISTRATION ONLY. Julia tries to turn around, not wanting to see David’s doctor again and relive the last few days, but her move is too late. Dr. Whitcomb notices Julia and beats a path toward her.
“Julia, I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I’m at the hospital on business related to the bombing,” she answers.
“I was just on my way to call you. You ordered an autopsy of your husband’s body, and I just got the preliminary results a few minutes ago.”
“Right. I wanted to know his exact cause of death.”
“Was your husband a drug user?”
“No,” Julia quickly answers. “At least I don’t think so.”
“The toxicology report shows David had cocaine in his system.”
“Cocaine? That’s not possible. One thing I’m sure of, David never took drugs, and there’s no way he would ever touch cocaine. He was a high-functioning attorney, and I would have known if he’d fallen into something like that. Even if he was using before he got to the hospital, the drug would have been out of his system by the time you did the toxicology report, I would think.”
“The level of cocaine in his system was extremely high,” Dr. Whitcomb answers.
“Something happened then. You and I both know there is no way David could have been doing lines in the hospital. He wasn’t strong or steady enough to even pick up a cup to take a drink of water.”
“Well, it got into his system somehow.”
“Did the cocaine cause the heart attack?”
“We won’t have the full results of the autopsy for several weeks, but that amount of cocaine could certainly cause major cardiac distress and overdose, if not death.”
“Somebody tried to kill him,” Julia answers.
“It’s certainly a suspicious finding, and enough to alert the authorities. I’ve asked the nursing supervisor who was on shift the day your husband died to check if her staff can remember any visitors David had that afternoon. I’ll have my secretary make you a copy of the preliminary report that will also be sent to the police.”
Dr. Whitcomb leaves Julia with the bombshell revelation, now her second unanswered question. Julia closes her eyes and envisions David right before he died, looking up at her with a mix of fe
ar and grave regret. David’s last words to Julia, his apology and confession of his colossal mistake, ring in her head like a desperate mourner’s wail. David’s death from natural causes, despite his betrayal, is something Julia isn’t sure she will ever get over. But the possibility that David was murdered is a game changer.
Navarro and Russell emerge from the hallway leading to Judge Palmer’s room, and Navarro waves his fingers for Julia to follow. As Julia approaches, she makes a silent promise that she will find out the truth, no matter the potential cost.
“Judge Palmer is still pretty beat up, but his doctor says he wants to talk,” Navarro says. “He suffered some major internal injuries and he’s still weak, so most likely we won’t have a lot of time with him.”
“I just saw David’s doctor. I don’t think David died because of his injuries from the bombing. I think someone tried to kill him because of what he knew about Rossi. David had high levels of cocaine in his system when he died.”
“Sounds like someone came into the hospital to finish him off. And we know who could supply a lethal supply of blow in a hurry,” Russell answers.
“I would have known if David was a junkie. You can hide an affair, but not drug use. My mother was an alcoholic, and I could never forget the signs of an addict,” Julia says. “I don’t know exactly what David was doing in the end, but I think he got himself into something he couldn’t handle anymore.”
“I’ll look into the cocaine angle. Let’s see if Judge Palmer has any other answers,” Navarro says.
The three enter the hospital room, and the once personally imposing Judge Palmer looks like a child in the bed. His left leg is swallowed by a thick white cast and juts out from the hospital bedsheet.
“Water,” he asks, and jerks his thin face toward the pink plastic pitcher on the bed stand.
Julia pours the judge a glass of water and tips the straw to his lips for him to take a drink. The judge gives Julia an attempt at a smile and indicates for her to sit.
Julia pulls up a chair next to the bed, and the judge reaches out his hand to take hers.
“I heard about David. I’m sorry,” he says, his once-rich baritone now reduced to a light treble.
“Judge Palmer, thank you for agreeing to meet with us. David Tanner was in your chambers at the time of the explosion. What were you two talking about?” Navarro asks.
The judge moves his head back and forth slowly as if shaking away cobwebs from his memory. “I got a call from my clerk, telling me David wanted to see me and it was urgent. So I finished up my lunch early and met him in my chambers.”
“How come Defense Attorney Tarburton wasn’t in your chambers too?” Navarro asks.
“David didn’t want him there. He told my clerk he had to meet with me alone. When I got back to the courtroom, David was sitting by himself at the prosecution table and he was upset, really agitated. We went into my chambers, and David told me he had just received a tip that there was going to be an assassination attempt on his new witness. I pressed him on his source, but he refused to tell me. Then he got a call on his cell phone from the police officers who were waiting to escort Sammy Biggs into the courthouse, and I could tell from the conversation that they were asking where David was. David insisted that the officers had to wait in the car and not come inside the building. Then David started telling me Rossi hired a sniper to take out his witness on the courthouse stairs at exactly twelve-thirty. I remember looking up at the clock, and it was twelve twenty-nine. David was really worked up at this point and said the sniper was across the street positioned in an abandoned office building. He told me he did something very wrong and needed to come clean. The next thing I can remember, there was a massive explosion and the ceiling above us caved in, and something that felt like an elephant fell on top of me. Before I lost consciousness, David asked if I was okay. He said he was trapped and couldn’t help me.”
“That’s really helpful information. Was there anything else David said to you?” Navarro asks.
“David told me if something happened to him and he couldn’t get out, to tell you, Julia, he was sorry for everything he did. Then I must have lost consciousness, because that’s all I can remember.”
“Did David say anything about taking a bribe to throw the case?” Navarro asks.
“No, nothing like that. He was genuine and tried very hard to persuade me to add Biggs as a last-minute witness the morning of the trial. I’ve worked in the legal profession for more than thirty years, so I’m pretty good at reading people,” Judge Palmer says, and musters a weak smile.
“If you can think of anything else, here’s my card,” Navarro says. “And get better.”
“When I get out of here, I’m going to play a game of golf, drink an ungodly expensive single-malt scotch, and eat a thick steak with enough cholesterol to stop my heart.”
“Call me up and I’ll join you,” Russell says.
The three leave the hospital and walk silently until they reach Navarro’s car.
“Sounds like David had a last-minute change of heart,” Julia says.
“David told Judge Palmer about the sniper, but nothing about the bomb,” Navarro comments.
“Which means he probably didn’t know about it,” Russell says.
“Right. If David was being paid off by Rossi to throw the case, even if he gets a conscience at the eleventh hour, he’d know about the bomb, which means Rossi wasn’t the person behind the courthouse attack,” Navarro says. “But David told Julia that Rossi planted the bomb. Which leaves us with what?”
“My source told me he believed the bomber was someone close to Rossi who was trying to protect him,” Julia says.
“My bet goes to Enzo Costas or Salvatore Gallo,” Navarro answers.
CHAPTER 27
Isabella Rossi tries to take care of her other unfinished piece of business following the Infinity Holdings fiasco and banks on the fact her husband hasn’t called his uncle, the one exhausted moral compass in his life. She keeps her pace far enough back from the older man as he finally gives up on his daily afternoon regimented exercise, a brisk stroll along Detroit’s RiverWalk, that he took up and stuck to after his heart attacks.
Salvatore Gallo drops down on a bench that faces the Detroit River. Isabella watches the older man try to catch his breath as she moves in for the kill.
As she approaches Gallo, Isabella realizes that her husband is the luckiest man in the world. If none of the cops, prosecutors, or reporters could get any charges to stick against her husband that would put him away for good, Isabella knows she has to be the one to ensure that Nick Rossi’s luck finally runs out.
“Sal!” Isabella calls.
Gallo rises with his right hand stuffed inside his silver tracksuit and scowls as he turns his head in the direction of the stranger’s voice.
“Oh, it’s you,” Gallo says, and sits back down on the bench. “Hold on. I’ve got to check my heart rate.”
Gallo reaches two fingers up to his neck and holds them there for a minute.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
“I need to talk to you. But it has to stay between us. You tell Nick, he’ll kill me.”
“If this is about my nephew, that’s between the two of you.”
“Nick ordered the bomb at the courthouse. He told me.”
“Nicky told you this?”
“You need to go to the police and tell them Nick was the bomber. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Nick said he was going to testify that you managed most of the illegal ends of his business if his case had gone forward.”
Gallo stays poker-faced, but Isabella thinks she can detect a slight tic in the corner of Salvatore’s right eye.
“Why should I believe you?” he asks.
“You’ve been covering Nick for years. But the courthouse situation is different. Innocent people were killed, including children. You know you couldn’t live with that if you try to protect your nephew this time.”
“I need
to talk to Nicky to verify that what you’re telling me is the truth.”
“You talk to him about this, he’ll kill me. What happened at the courthouse was wrong. How long are you going to keep covering for him?”
Gallo gazes out at the shards of broken ice that skim the top of the Detroit River as he answers the question.
“You tell lies every day, they aren’t lies anymore. They become part of the narrative and get mixed into the fabric of your day-to-day life until you convince yourself that’s what really happened. But there’s always something nagging just out of sight, because deep down, you know.”
“You’ve been carrying around all this guilt for years because you’re a good man and you knew lying for Nick was wrong. When was the last time you were happy?”
“Happy? Do you know anybody who’s really happy? Any magic starts to die the moment you’re born. When something bad happens like the murder of Nicky’s mother, any joy, any hope that’s left, it just sputters out like a balloon losing air as it flies out of your fingers.”
“Nick witnessed what happened to his mother. It turned him into a psychopath. He’s got problems,” Isabella goads.
“That’s family business. End of story.”
“Nick went too far this time,” Isabella says, and reaches for Gallo’s hand but he jerks it away.
“You know what he’s done to me?” Isabella asks.
“Like I said, that’s between you and Nicky.”
“He got our daughter killed.”
“I’m sorry for that. I truly am. No harm should ever come to a child. But that’s your grudge to bear.”
Gallo gets up from the bench and begins to walk back toward Rivard Plaza and the idle Cullen Family Carousel, closed for the season.
“Salvatore!” Isabella cries before he reaches the merry-go-round.
Gallo keeps on walking and answers without looking back.
“I’ll think about it,” he says.
CHAPTER 28
Isabella Rossi leaves Gallo at the Riverfront and waits impatiently one block away from the hospital in her leased dark blue Lexus, having switched cars the day prior in case her other luxury vehicle had been spotted when she killed the lawyer.
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