Deadly Defiance, page 13
“When was the last time you saw or heard from Jodie?”
“Stan?”
“Yes, where is Jodie?”
“She left a couple of hours ago.”
“Where was she going? Did she say?”
“To the library to meet a witness.”
“Call the library and see if she is there, or, if not, when she left.”
Stan knew she wouldn’t be at the library but he wanted to know when the abduction took place. He hung up the phone and then started to call Agent Lot. Before he finished dialing he remembered the note said no police or FBI. He wondered what he should do. Finally he decided he’d have to call the FBI because there was no way he could ever find Jodie on his own and even if he got his clients to drop the lawsuit, Jodie may still be killed. He had to find Jodie before they killed her and he needed all the help he could get. He picked up the phone and dialed.
“Lot here.”
“Agent Lot. Somebody has taken Jodie. They left a note in my mailbox with a picture of her tied up and gagged. They want me to drop the suit and get you and the police to back off.”
“Oh, Jesus. I’m sorry, Stan. I’ll get a team put together and get right over there.”
“No. They said no police or FBI, so let’s not make it obvious I’ve violated their demand.”
“Well, that’s not our usual protocol.”
“I know, but what difference does it make? I’ll courier the note over to you and we can talk by telephone. Nobody else knows anything. I just talked to Maria. Jodie left the office about two hours ago to meet a client at the Dallas Library. You can send someone over there and follow the trail from there. If you need to talk to Maria, call her. Don’t go over there. There may someone watching.”
“All right. We’ll do it your way for a while, but we may have to come out in the open if we’re not making any progress doing it your way.”
“That’s fine. You know I could dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice. That means we could re-file it later—once Jodie was safe.”
“We can’t stop you and your client from doing that, but we don’t usually recommend dealing with kidnapers. If you let them get away with something like this it just encourages them to use the same tactic in the future.”
“What if my clients dropped the suit and refused to aid in your investigations? Would you still go forward?”
“We would try to develop a case without your help, but it would be difficult without witnesses.”
“So, you might end up dropping the case.”
“Yes, that’s a distinct possibility.”
Stan sighed. “Oh, shit. I don’t know what to do. I never dreamed they’d come after Jodie. One of Melendez’s sons must have figured out who she was.”
“You’re probably right. Once the suit was filed they probably checked out your law firm and realized Jodie worked there.”
“I never should have let Jodie go undercover.”
“As I recall, she didn’t ask your permission,” Agent Lot reminded him.
Stan sighed heavily. “True. Okay. I’ll let you go so you can get a team put together and start working the case. Call me if you need anything. I’m at home now but I’ll be going back to the office and should be there in twenty minutes. I’ll have a courier bring over the letter ASAP.”
“Put it in a plastic bag in case there’s a fingerprint on it or some trace evidence.”
“All right,” Stan said and hung up.
Stan turned to Rebekah, who was looking a bit shaken. He went over to her and held her for a moment.
“See. I warned you,” she moaned.
Stan let her go. “I know. You were right. I should have got our security in place sooner. Damn it! I can’t believe they came at us so fast.”
Stan kissed Rebekah, put the letter in a big ziplock bag, and left for the office. Worry consumed him as he questioned every decision he’d made since the Alvarez case had been thrown in his lap. He’d been reckless in his eagerness to find justice and now someone he loved dearly might die.
Rain continued to pour from the dark sky and by the time he’d gotten out of his neighborhood the gutters along Independence Parkway were overflowing. Stan moved into the center lane to avoid the water rising along the curbs. The traffic around him slowed as driving became more and more treacherous, but Stan scarcely noticed as his mind was frantically searching for a plan, some strategy to extricate Jodie from this most perilous predicament.
Chapter 14
Getting Paid
Paula sat in the bank lobby, anxiously awaiting Maureen and Elena to show up. They were coming from the City of Dallas Building Inspection Offices with the final inspection approvals on the last four homes built by Thompson Construction. The bank had promised to pay the retainage due just as soon as the final inspections were in hand. Paula was there to make sure she got her promised share of the money, particularly after being forced to violate her marriage vows to get the final inspections expedited. Seeing Maureen and her sister walk through the door greatly relieved her. She got up and walked over to meet them.
“Everything go okay?”
“Yes, the paperwork was all ready for us just like you said it would be,” Elena reported.
“Good. Let’s get this over with,” Paula said.
They walked over to the reception area and saw a sign that directed them to sign a visitor’s log that was on a podium. Maureen signed the log indicating they wanted to see Riley Stewart, their loan officer. Then they took a seat and waited. Ten minutes later a secretary went to the log book and inspected it. She looked up and smiled at the three women.
“I’ll see if Mr. Stewart is available. Did you have an appointment?”
“No,” Elena said. “I called and told him we’d have our final inspections today and he said come by anytime.”
The secretary nodded. “Okay, I’ll tell him you’re here.”
She left and Paula let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know how anyone can run a business the way banks do. If I left a client in the waiting room for fifteen minutes without asking them what they wanted, I’d be out of business in a week. These bankers are so arrogant. They have no respect for other people’s time.”
“That’s true,” Elena agreed. “It was a nightmare getting these loans. You wouldn’t believe the documentation they required to approve them and the financial reporting we had to provide every week.”
As they were talking the secretary returned and told them Mr. Stewart would see them. They got up and followed the secretary into a small conference room. They sat down and a few minutes later Mr. Stewart walked in. They exchanged greetings and then Elena handed him the final inspection reports.
“So, that was fast. I thought the jobs were just completed the day before yesterday.”
“Yes,” Paula said. “We asked for an expedited inspection.”
“I’ve never heard of that,” Mr. Stewart confessed.
“Well, you know with Mr. Thompson’s passing we’re anxious to wrap up his business affairs. Can you cut the company a check for the retainage now?”
Stewart cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll have to check with the loan committee and perhaps the board. It will take a few days.”
“No, no, no,” Paula said, exasperated. “That won’t do. My client has complied with the loan agreement, so they’d like the retainage now.”
“I realize you’ve complied with contract, but due to Mr. Thompson’s death the bank is reluctant to release any funds.”
“His death is irrelevant,” Paula said evenly. “The contract is between Thompson Construction and the bank. We’ve provided you with a certificate of incumbency showing the current officers of the corporation. There is no reason to delay final funding of the loans.”
“Yes, well I’ll need to consult with the loan committee.”
“Then do it now. We’ll wait.”
“Well, they don’t meet but on Mondays and Thursdays.”
“That’s your problem. If you have to consult with them, then round them up and do it now. Otherwise cut us the final checks and we’ll be out of your hair.”
Stewart sighed and stood up. “Give me a minute.” He left and walked across the hall to the president’s office. He went in and the two men conferred for a few moments. Paula watched them, wishing she could hear what they were saying. Finally, Mr. Stewart turned and returned to the conference room.
“I talked to Mr. Blake and he said he’d have to confer with the bank’s legal counsel before authorizing the final checks.”
“How long will that take?” Paula asked.
“His secretary is trying to get our attorney on the line right now. If he’s in it won’t take long, but if he’s not available it won’t be until tomorrow.”
Paula drew in a deep breath. She couldn’t believe the crap she was having to go through just to get paid. She glared at Stewart. “You better pray he’s in, because if we leave here without a check you’re going to wish you never heard the name Paula Waters!”
“Right,” Stewart said. “Ah. Let me go check and see if they’ve found him. I’ll be right back.”
He had been gone another ten minutes when Paula’s patience wore out. She stood up and walked across the hall into the president’s office. He looked up at her in astonishment.
“Yes, Ms. Waters. I’m terribly sorry for the delay, but the bank has policies and procedures we have to follow.”
Paula shook her head. “Yes, and one of them is to hang on to every dime in your possession as long as possible. If at all possible, use other people’s money. I’m very familiar with bank policies.”
“No, that’s not—”
“Listen, if you don’t write a check right now I’ll have to assume you intend to breach the contract and I’ll be forced to go back to the office and prepare a petition to file tomorrow morning in the district court. Once I do that I’ll call a news conference and explain to the press how your bank doesn’t honor its contracts.”
The president laughed. “We have a dozen lawsuits going at any given time. The press isn’t going to be interested in your lawsuit.”
“You want to make a bet? I’m a high-profile criminal attorney. I have the media following me everywhere I go. There’s probably a reporter or two right outside waiting to stick a microphone in my face the moment I step outside.”
The president glanced worriedly out the window.
“You know Becky Collins, the Channel 8 investigative reporter? She’s a personal friend of mine and she loves to dig into sleazy business dealings. One phone call and I’ll have her contacting all of your construction clients to see if you’re treating everyone like this.”
“All right, all right,” the president said. “We’ll write you the checks, but I want your word neither you nor your client will say one negative thing about this bank to the media or anyone for that matter.”
Paula smiled, feeling much relieved. “That’s fine. We’ll put it in writing. We never had a problem with the bank until today. Just give us the checks and we’ll be on our way.”
Thirty minutes later Paula, Maureen, and Elena left the bank each with their agreed portion of the loan proceeds in cash. The bank had wanted to issue cashier’s checks but Paula didn’t trust them as she knew that even cashier’s checks could be dishonored if the bank chose to do so. Since it wasn’t wise to be driving around with a lot of cash, Paula went straight to Gateway Bank, where the firm had an account, and deposited the money.
From the bank she went back to the office, anxious to tell Stan that she’d finally been successful at collecting her fee, but when she stepped into the office she knew something was terribly wrong. Maria was crying.
“What’s wrong?” Paula asked urgently.
“It’s Jodie. She’s been kidnaped. Stan just called. There was a note delivered to his house.”
Paula was stunned by the news. She just stared at Maria a moment in disbelief. “What?”
“She’s been kidnaped. It just happened a little while ago.”
“Who kidnaped her?”
“The note didn’t say, but it was obviously Melendez, Stan says.”
“Oh, shit! I can’t believe this. I thought the police were going to protect us.”
“Stan had security arranged, but it doesn’t start until tomorrow. We didn’t think they’d react so quickly.”
“What are we going to do?”
“The note said not to notify the FBI or police, but Stan has talked to them. They’re going to work the case but keep their distance.”
Paula just sat there in shock for a moment, wondering what to do. She wasn’t as close to Jodie as Stan, but she liked Jodie a lot and was outraged that someone had kidnaped her. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to find her.
“I wonder if Ricardo had anything to do with the kidnaping.”
“He liked Jodie,” Maria replied. “He wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”
“Unless he was pissed off that she’d been spying on his family.”
“Even so, from what Jodie said he wasn’t the type of person that could hurt someone, let alone kidnap them.”
Paula considered that. “Okay, if you’re right then he’s our best bet at finding Jodie.”
Maria nodded. “You may be right.”
As they were talking the door opened and Stan rushed in, looking rather disheveled.
“Did you hear the news?” Stan asked Paula.
“Yes, Maria was just telling me about it. I can’t believe Melendez would do this with police and the FBI watching him so closely. How does he think he can get away with it?”
“Actually, it may have been his only move. We had him so boxed in his only choice was to force us to retreat and to do that he had to have a bargaining chip. I should have realized that and hired bodyguards for all of us.”
“It’s not your fault, Stan,” Paula said. “You brought in the police and the FBI for godsakes. Who would have known Melendez would be so bold?”
“What are we going to do?” Stan moaned.
“I was just telling Maria, I think our best bet is to find Ricardo and get him to help us.”
“You think he would?” Stan asked skeptically.
“Yes, from what Jodie said about him. Apparently he is an honorable man and has never approved of his father’s business.”
“I know, but it’s hard to go up against your family.”
“Well, it won’t hurt to try. All he can do is tell us to go to hell if he doesn’t want to help.”
“Do we have contact information on him?” Stan asked.
“I’m sure Jodie will have something in the file. I’ll go take a look.”
While Paula was gone Stan called for a courier. While he was waiting for it to come, he made a copy of the note from the kidnaper and then slipped the original into an envelope. When he was done he gave the package to Maria and told her to have the courier take it to Agent Lot at FBI headquarters.
Paula returned with a file in her hand. “I’ve got his address and telephone number. How do you think we should handle this?”
Stan considered it a moment. “You should call him. He’ll probably respond better to a woman. Feel him out. See if he’s in on the kidnaping or not. Just tell him you’re Jodie’s friend and you’re afraid his father has kidnaped her.”
“Okay,” Paula said nervously. “You better listen in and write down any ideas you get while we’re talking.”
“Right. Conference me in and then call Ricardo.”
Paula nodded and they went into the conference room where there were two phones. Paula connected Stan’s extension and then called Ricardo. Stan grabbed a yellow pad and began making a list of questions they needed answered. The phone rang three times before Ricardo answered.
“Hello.”
“Ah. Ricardo Melendez?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah. This is Paula Waters. You don’t know me.”
“The lawyer. I’ve seen you on TV. You’re defending the Ice Pick Widow?”
“Right. I’m also a friend of Jodie Marshall. I believe you and she are friends.”
“We were until I found out she was just using me to get information on my father. I should have known she wasn’t for real. The beautiful ones never are.”
“Well, believe it or not, she liked you a lot and felt very bad about what she was doing. In fact, she hadn’t planned to see you again after that first meeting because she didn’t want to take advantage of you, but you kept calling her.”
“I know. I couldn’t get her out of my head.”
“Yes, she has that effect on men. . . . So, do you know why I’m calling?”
“No. I don’t. Let me guess. You want me to testify against my family.”
“No. That’s not it. You don’t know what’s happened?”
“I know you brought the police and the FBI down on my father’s business and filed a lawsuit.”
“True. We did. What else do you know?”
“I know my father is pissed off beyond belief. He called me up and told me his lawyer had checked some law firm directory, Martindale something or other, and found out Jodie worked for Turner & Waters.”
“Right.”
“I was devastated,” Ricardo said. “I still can’t believe she could do that to me.”
“So, you don’t know what’s happened to her?” Paula repeated.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s been kidnaped.”
“Oh, shit! When did that happen?”
“An hour or so ago. She was coming back to the office from the Dallas Library and never made it. Do you think your father would do something like that?”
“No, but the cartel would.”
Paula looked at Stan worriedly. Stan just shook his head.
“The cartel? What cartel?” Paula asked.
“I’ve said too much already. I’ve got to go and find out what’s going on. All I can tell you is you better find her soon because, if you don’t, she’ll be dead by morning.”
