Deadly Defiance, page 26
“All right. I’ll be there in ten. Don’t let him leave before we get there.”
“Yeah, right. How am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know. At least get his license number.”
Jodie agreed and then hung up the phone as her cab drove up. She got in and told the driver she was waiting for someone so he should park across the street until he came.
“I can’t just sit around, lady,” he complained.
“Keep the meter running. It will only be five or ten minutes and I’ll pay you for your time and give you a nice tip.”
The driver shrugged and pulled into a parking space across the street. It was a perfect spot for Jodie to watch the front door. For the first few minutes it was quiet then the door swung open and Lee Long and his entourage stepped out.
“Shit!” Jodie said under her breath.
The men were laughing and kidding around as they headed for a big limousine parked up the street. Jodie looked down the road anxiously, hoping to see Brenda’s FBI vehicle approaching but the road was quiet. Looking back she saw the light flash on and the doors slam. Quickly she fumbled in her purse for the tracking device. It had a strong magnet so all she needed to do was stick it on a metal surface in an inconspicuous spot on the vehicle. As the limo started toward her she stumbled out of her car.
Just as the limo reached the cab she ran out in front of it. The driver slammed on the brakes but not before Jodie was knocked to the ground. As she struggled to her feet she stuck the tracking device under the front bumper. Then she walked away from the car, grasping at her hip and moaning in pain. Lee Long jumped out of the limo, ran up to her, and grabbed her arm.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “I’m so sorry. The driver didn’t you see us?”
Jodie looked up at him. “Huh? No. Where did you come from?”
“Should I call an ambulance?”
“No. No. I think I’m okay,” Jodie said, struggling to her feet. “Nothing is broken. I guess it was my fault for not looking both ways. I’m glad my mother wasn’t here to scold me.”
Lee laughed. “You sure you’re okay? I’ve got insurance. You want my insurance information?”
“No. No. That’s not necessary. I’m so embarrassed.”
“It’s okay. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt. I’d hang around awhile but I’ve got to meet someone. You’ve got my card. If you need to see a doctor, go ahead. My insurance will cover it. Be sure and call me for that drink, okay?”
“I will. Thanks,” Jodie said as Lee and his friends got into the limo and drove off.
Five minutes later Brenda and Agent Lot showed up with two other agents. She explained that Lee Long had left.
“Damn it. You couldn’t stall him?”
“No, but I did manage to attach the tracking device to his bumper.”
Brenda laughed. “You’re something else, girl.”
“Yeah. Good work,” Agent Lot agreed.
“I aim to please,” Jodie said, handing her purse to Brenda.
“What’s this?” Brenda asked.
“If you have your lab crew check out the contents of my purse they’ll find the fingerprints of the two thugs that were with Mr. Long.”
Brenda took the purse and looked inside. “Seriously?”
“Yes, I ‘accidentally’ dumped everything out on the floor and they were quite the gentlemen to help me pick everything up.”
Brenda laughed. “Why don’t you go back to the motel and get some sleep? We’ll pick you up at seven for breakfast. Then we’ll see where Mr. Long leads us.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jodie said, yawning. “I could use some sleep, actually.”
When Jodie got back to the hotel she called Stan to fill him in on what was happening and find out how Rebekah was doing. When she mentioned Lee Long, Stan became alarmed.
“You sure it was Lee Long?”
“Yes.”
“That was one of Paula’s old boyfriends. In fact, she mentioned that he helped her get the building inspections expedited for Thompson Construction. She’s not going to be happy if it turns out Lee is connected to a Mexican cartel.”
“Well, I may be wrong about him. We’ll know for sure in the morning. I’m sure the FBI will have identified his two bodyguards by then.”
“I hope he’s not involved. If he is, it could cause us some serious problems,” Stan said.
“I can’t believe the cartel could buy off an assistant DA,” Jodie said. “It doesn’t seem possible.”
“Money can buy just about anything. Long probably had a lot to do with the DA’s decision to drop the Alvarez murder investigation.”
“You’re probably right. Having someone on the inside would definitely have its advantages.”
After Jodie hung up she removed her contacts and all her makeup, washed the color out of her hair, and then took a shower. She felt much better when she finally crawled into bed at 11:27 p.m. It had been an exciting day, a little scary at times, but she’d loved every minute of it. She wondered if she ought to consider applying for a job with the FBI. Then she remembered, government employees didn’t get paid all that much, so what she had with Turner & Waters was a better deal in the long run.
Chapter 28
Specialists
When Stan returned from South Texas he took the day off and spent it with Rebekah. He was concerned that her strength hadn’t returned and she was having trouble walking by herself. He went to the pharmacy and bought her a cane, but it pained him that she had to use it. He finally put his foot down.
“We better start visiting those specialists Dr. Sanders referred us to.”
Rebekah frowned. “That’s a waste of time.”
“Maybe, but I’m not going to sit idly by and let you wither away.”
“I’m feeling better. Don’t worry.”
Stan went into his office and found the notepad with the list of doctors they were supposed to see. There was a neurologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, and possibly an oncologist. The task of getting Rebekah to go to that many doctors was daunting. Stan wondered which one he should take her to first. He called Terry to get her advice.
“I don’t know. I doubt she’s got heart issues. She has no history of that. It could be neurological. Perhaps you should start there. The endocrinologist would be next. I don’t think she has cancer.”
“All right,” Stan said. “I’ll call the neurologist although I don’t think they found anything on her CAT scan.”
“Well, she had symptoms characteristic of a seizure. That’s why I think you should see a neurologist first.”
“Okay. This just seems like such an inefficient way to figure out what’s wrong with her. There should be someplace we can go where all the specialists work together.”
“There are places like that, but Rebekah would have to check in and stay there for a few days.”
“Right. Good luck with that.”
Terry laughed.
“What does the endocrinologist do?” Stan asked.
“Oh, he deals with hormones, glands, and body chemistry—that kind of thing. They treat people with diabetes, thyroid disorders, pituitary gland issues, and so on.”
“I’ll call that doctor, too, I guess. We’ll see who we can get an appointment with first.”
Stan hung up and called the neurologist. The earliest appointment he could get was in ten days. That seemed like such a long time to wait when Rebekah’s condition was so precarious. Next he called the endocrinologist and got more bad news: the next available appointment there was in three weeks. Stan chewed on a nail as he pondered the situation. He felt so helpless.
That night Stan got a telephone call from Jodie. She had gone barhopping hoping to run into Rico. She hadn’t found him but had seen someone she recognized—Assistant DA Lee Long. Stan knew Lee Long was one of Paula’s old flames and he’d helped her get some building inspections expedited recently. This wasn’t a good situation if it turned out Lee Long had a connection to the cartel. If the connection between Paula and Lee Long came out, it could be embarrassing and taint the firm’s image. Stan called Paula to alert her to this new development.
“He’s in El Paso?” Paula asked.
“Yes, Jodie thinks he’s going to the big cartel meeting tomorrow.”
“I can’t believe he’d be involved with a drug cartel. Jodie must be mistaken.”
“Why would he have two Mexican bodyguards?”
“I don’t know. There must be some explanation.”
“So, worst-case scenario, do we have a problem?”
“Hell, yes. If he finds out I led the FBI to him, he’ll be pissed off and out for my blood.”
“So, what he did for you isn’t a big deal, is it?” Stan questioned.
“The press would make it into a big deal—getting special treatment. I could have a problem with the bar association if they found out sleeping with him was part of the deal. It was the only way he’d agree to help. What I didn’t count on was his insistence I sleep with him a second time.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now, so we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that it doesn’t come up.”
“Now I’m not going to be able to sleep,” Paula moaned. “God dammit! Wouldn’t it be my luck if Lee Long turns out to be a spy for the cartel. I can’t believe this.”
“It’s too bad you can’t get Bart’s help on this. He could talk to Lee and make sure he doesn’t mention any of this.”
“Yeah, right. I’m going to tell Bart I slept with Lee so he’d help me expedite a building inspection.”
“I know you can’t. It was just a thought.”
Stan hated dumping this problem on Paula when she was up to her elbows in a murder case, but he had to do it so she wouldn’t be blindsided by the press or the police down the road. He figured given some time, she’d come up with a strategy to deal with the situation. At least he hoped so.
Chapter 29
Opening Statement
An incredible depression came over Paula. Besch had just called and told her he hadn’t been able to find any records kept by Rich Ralston nor did they find a safety deposit box at the bank or any of the company’s pawnshops. Stan had promised to keep looking for proof of the insurance, but Stan had his hands full with Rebekah and Jodie. She doubted he’d have the time to pull a miracle out of his hat. She was at the point where she’d have to face the reality that she had all the evidence she was going to get on Doc Mellon. Now the big question was, would that be enough to create reasonable doubt?
It was Friday and the trial was scheduled on the following Monday. Paula worked hard all weekend finalizing her trial outline, witness questions, and going through the evidence. She felt she was ready but not confident of victory. She felt sick. She hated to lose, but it was looking more and more like that might happen and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
On Monday she avoided the press by entering through a back door of the district clerk’s office that led into the building’s stairwell. That meant she had to climb nine flights of stairs, but that was preferable to being mobbed by reporters. When she reached the ninth floor she took the back hallway behind the courtrooms and stuck her head into the clerk’s office.
“Hi, Cecilia,” she said to Judge Sands’ clerk.
“Oh hi, Paula.”
“So, everything on schedule?”
“As far as I know. You’re still number one.”
“Good. It’s time to get this over with.”
“Boy, ain’t that the truth. I’ve must have had twenty calls already this morning from reporters.”
“Tell me about it. It’s a media circus.”
Paula peeked in the back door and saw Maureen Thompson seated at the counsel table. She walked over to the table and sat down.
“Well, now it all begins,” Paula said to Maureen.
Maureen took a nervous breath. “How do you think it looks?”
“Well, we’ve got a great alternate theory as we’ve talked about, but we can’t absolutely prove it. We don’t have to prove it, necessarily, to create reasonable doubt, but I’d feel better if we could prove there were insurance policies on Rod’s and Randy’s lives.”
“I wish I could help you, but I don’t have any idea.”
“I know. You didn’t get involved in the business side of things. Don’t worry, Stan is still out beating the bushes for some kind of proof of it.”
“I asked Charlie Hatch about it, but he didn’t know anything about financing. He was just responsible for day-to-day operations.”
“Right,” Paula said dejectedly.
The judge walked in the back door and said something to the bailiff. The bailiff nodded and then said, “All rise for the Honorable Judge Leon Sands.”
The judge took the bench and sat down. After looking at his docket he opened a file and said, “The State of Texas vs. Maureen Ann Thompson. Can I have appearances?”
“Stuart Rawlins for the State,” Rawlins replied.
“Paula Waters for the defendant,” Paula said.
The judge nodded. “All right. Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Rawlins advised.
“The defendant is ready, Your Honor,” Paula agreed.
The judge looked at the clerk. “Would the clerk give counsels their jury packets?”
The clerk stood up and brought an envelope to Paula and Rawlins. Each of them opened them and started looking over the material.
“I’ll give you about thirty minutes to look the information over and then we’ll begin picking the jury. You’ll each have six strikes. Any questions?”
“No, Your Honor,” they both said.
The judge left the bench and went back to his office. Rawlins and his assistant began going through the jury list. Paula and Maureen got up and went into a conference room so they’d have privacy. Twenty minutes later everyone was back in the courtroom and jury selection began. It took the rest of the day to select the jury of five men and seven women who would decide Maureen’s fate. Three alternates were also selected in case anyone got sick, died, or became disqualified during the trial. When the selection was completed and the jury was seated, the judge recessed the trial for the afternoon. He told Rawlins to be ready to give his opening statement first thing.
Bart was there when they broke for the day. He wanted to help Paula deal with the press and take her to dinner to get her mind off the trial. They were mobbed by reporters as they left the courtroom. Elena and Maureen went out the back door and down the stairs to avoid the reporters entirely. This had been agreed upon ahead of time because Maureen had been so viciously attacked by the press and had received death threats.
“Ms. Waters. Are you satisfied with the jury?” a reporter asked.
“Yes,” Paula replied as Bart pushed a path through the crowd. “They seem to be a fine cross section of the community. We have no complaints.”
“Ms. Waters. How are you going to overcome the overwhelming evidence against your client?”
Paula looked at the reporter. “We have a good explanation for every piece of evidence the prosecution will introduce. They have nothing but circumstantial evidence.”
The elevator door opened and Bart pulled Paula inside. He then spread his arms, barring anyone else from entering the elevator.
“Sorry, this elevator is full.”
Paula pushed the close button and the door slid shut. The three people already on the elevator when Bart and Paula got on gave them a puzzled look.
Bart smiled. “The press. They just won’t leave us alone.”
One of the passengers nodded and rolled his eyes. When they got to the first floor, they got out and faced yet another mob of media. Bart groaned before pushing another path through the frantic reporters.
“Ms. Waters? Is it true that you assisted the police in making a case against Doc ‘the Clock’ Mellon?”
“Yes. That’s true. In the investigation of this case I came across certain information against Mr. Mellon that I passed on to the police.”
“Is there any connection between his arrest and Maureen Thompson?”
Paula looked at the man. He was the first one who had made the connection between the two cases. She wondered if she should acknowledge the connection. After a few seconds’ reflection she decided to tell the truth as she had nothing to lose and could use some help from the press. If they thought there was a new angle to investigate, they’d be on it like a fox on a rabbit.
“Yes. We believe so. When I give my opening statement it will all become clear.”
“Ms. Waters. Can you tell us more about the connection now?”
“No. Sorry,” Paula said, shaking her head. “You’ll have to wait.”
They finally made it through the crowd and headed across Commerce Street to the West End. They liked the Palm Restaurant and Bart had made them reservations there. Once inside they were escorted to a corner booth and given the wine list. Bart got them a bottle of Au Bon Climat and then placed their orders. Paula got the filet and lobster and Bart got a T-bone steak. They ate silently until they were well into their meal before Paula couldn’t stand the silence anymore.
“So, what’s the scuttlebutt at the office?”
“Ah. Well, you know, everyone’s pretty confident they are going to get a conviction.”
“Even though they know Mellon’s a scumbag and probably the real killer?”
“They’ll admit he’s a scumbag, but they don’t think he had anything to do with Rodney Thompson’s death. Unless you have something you haven’t shared with them, you don’t have much proof of that.”
Paula sighed. “We’re still working on it.”
Bart smiled gently. “Don’t think about the trial. Just enjoy your food. When we’re done, I’ll take you home and you can take a bath. Then I’ll give you a massage.”
“Hmm. Dinner, a bath, and a massage. You really know how to spoil a girl.”
“Of course. Isn’t that why you married me?”
“That and so I’d have a spy at the DA’s office.”
They both laughed and didn’t bring up the trial again that evening. When they got home Bart made good on his promises. Then they went to bed early, so Paula would be well rested when Rawlins put on the state’s case the following morning.
