The Advocate's Justice Read online

  Chapter 1

  JP Torn, a San Diego private investigator, opened his eyes and picked up his cell phone to see the time. It was nearly midnight, so why was his doorbell ringing? Louie, his beagle, jumped off the bed and ran to the front door, making a muffled bark as he darted across the living room floor. His bark grew louder as he approached the door.

  JP slipped on his jeans, took his gun from the nightstand, and followed Louie. He flipped on the porch light and looked through the window curtain. All he could see was a female who stood less than five feet tall. She looked like a child. He cautiously opened the door, his gun at his side, and glanced around. He saw no one else. On the lawn, a few feet away, lay an old bike. Louie barked again. JP reached down, placed a hand on the dog’s head, and he became silent.

  “Are you Johnny Torn?” the young girl asked. She sounded like a grownup, but her apprehensive face was that of a child. Her light-brown hair was partially covered by a beanie. Her brown eyes looked desperate from behind tiny red glasses.

  “Yes, but most people call me JP. Who are you?”

  “My name is Morgan. My brother was arrested, and I need your help.”

  “Are you alone?”

  “Yes. Can you help me?” She shivered.

  “Come inside where it’s warm and we’ll talk.”

  As Morgan walked in, JP glanced around outside once more. He closed the door behind her and locked it, still unsure if this was some kind of setup, but he couldn’t leave this child outside in the cool night air. He led her to the kitchen and flipped on the electric teapot his girlfriend, Sabre, had left there for him. JP loved children, but he hadn’t been around many and was never sure how to handle them. He wished Sabre were there now. She would know what to say and do.

  “Would you like some hot tea?” JP asked, as Morgan sat down on a barstool.

  “No, thanks. I just need your help.” She rubbed her hands together, as though they were cold.

  “How do you think I can help you?”

  “I need you to get my brother out of jail, or juvie, or wherever he is.”

  “When was he arrested?”

  “A couple of hours ago. It took me a while to get here. I had trouble finding your house in the dark.”

  “You rode your bike here?”

  “Yes.”

  “From where?”

  “It was only a few miles. At least it would’ve been, if I hadn’t gotten lost,” Morgan said.

  “How old is your brother?” Before she could answer, JP asked, “How old are you?”

  “I’m ten. My brother’s fifteen.”

  Only ten? She seemed so mature. “Tell me what happened leading up to the arrest,” JP said.

  Morgan told her story, seemingly choosing her words carefully. “The cops came and knocked on the door. I answered it, and they asked for my brother. I retrieved him from his room, and they put handcuffs on him and said he was under arrest. I ran out back and got my mom and my grandma. They came inside and started bellowing at the cops, but the cops wouldn’t stop. They showed my mom a document, and then they went through the house looking for stuff. They really tore it apart.”

  JP was surprised by her use of retrieved and document; those were words an adult would use, but in the syntax of a child. It sounded odd. “Do you know what they arrested your brother for?”

  Morgan gulped. She looked away and then back at JP. He waited. The only noise in the room was the teapot boiling. Finally, she said, “Murder.”

  The electric pot shut itself off. JP walked over, picked it up, and poured hot water into two cups with peach-flavored tea bags. He brought them to the counter and put one down in front of Morgan. “If you don’t want to drink it, just hold the cup. It’ll warm your hands.”

  She reached for the cup, wrapping her hands around it.

  “Do you know who they think your brother killed?”

  “His name was Bullet. That’s not his actual name, but everyone called him that. He was my grandma’s boyfriend. We all live with her, and Bullet used to live there too. But he left a few days ago. Conner didn’t kill him. I know that.”

  “And how do you know?”

  “I just know.”

  “Do you know who killed him?”

  She shook her head. “I just know Conner wouldn’t do it,” Morgan said, with teary eyes.

  “Did the cops take anything from the search?”

  “They took Conner’s phone, his tablet, some of his shoes, and a gun.”

  “A gun? Whose was it?”

  “I don’t know. I never saw it before. They took it from Conner’s closet. You’ve got to help my brother,” she pleaded. “Can you?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. But first, tell me, why did you come here?”

  “My dad told me to come here if something like this occurred.”

  Again, with the adult words. “Did your dad expect Conner to be arrested?”

  “No,” she spurted. “Just anything strange that might happen. He said if there was ever any trouble we couldn’t handle that we should find you. So when the cops left, I told my mom I was going to bed, then I snuck out and came here looking for you.”

  “Where is your father?”

  “He’s in prison. In Donavan. Before he left, he gave me your address and phone number. But I don’t have a phone, and they took Conner’s, so I had to come here. Daddy said if anything went wrong that I should find Uncle Johnny. That’s you.”

  Oh no. “What is your father’s name?”

  “Gene Torn.”

  “My brother Gene?”

  Chapter 2

  “We need to get you home to your mother,” JP said. “I’m sure she‘s worried.”

  “She’s partying. She doesn’t even know I’m gone.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She already has some guys over, and they’re drinking a lot. She won’t even notice I’m not there. Can’t we just go see my brother?”

  “Maybe your mom is at the station with your brother.”

  Morgan gave a funny little laugh. “I don’t think so.”

  “But you said she was upset and yelling at the cops when they took Conner.”

  “Yeah, but then she went back to her party in the backyard.”

  JP knew he couldn’t keep this little girl at his house without her mother’s permission, niece or no niece, and he wasn’t even certain she was telling the truth.

  “Wait here,” he said. JP walked into the bedroom, put on his cowboy boots, and grabbed a t-shirt, pulling it over his head as he returned. “Let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To your house to see what’s going on, then we’ll decide what to do.” JP grabbed his black Stetson, and they headed for the door.

  Morgan looked up at JP’s hat, and then down at his boots. “My dad wears a hat and boots too, but yours are shinier.”

  The girl was silent most of the way, except when she was giving directions. As they approached her home, they could hear the music blaring. JP parked behind the other four cars in front of the house. When he shut off the engine, Morgan began to fidget.

  “Please don’t make me stay here without my brother,” she pleaded. Her eyes were wet, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Please, please.”

  JP thought for a second. “Is there somewhere we can stand and see what’s going on in the backyard without being seen?”

  “Yeah, right over there.” She pointed to her left. “There’s a tree stump on the other side of that car.”

  They walked around the cars in the driveway, and Morgan stepped onto the stump.

  “Do you see your mother?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  JP could see a few heads on the other side of the yar
d, but he needed a better view. Morgan hopped down and JP stepped up. He saw three men and two women milling around, all with beer bottles in their hands. Two men were smoking. Then he spotted a couple sitting on a block wall off to the left.

  “Which one is your mother?”

  “The one on the wall with the naked guy.”

  They walked back to the car. JP took out his phone and made a few calls to find out what he could about Conner. The information was slim. He started the engine and drove away.

  “Did you find Conner?” Morgan asked.

  “They have him at juvenile hall, but they haven’t finished booking him yet.”

  Her face lit up. “Can we see him?”

  “Not tonight, Munchkin.”

  Morgan’s shoulders drooped and the smile left her face, but she didn’t say anything.

  “I’m sorry,” JP added. “First thing in the morning, I’ll find out everything I can.”

  They drove in silence for a few minutes until Morgan asked, “Are you going to take me back home?”

  “Do you want to go home?”

  “No.”

  “Your mom’s gonna realize you’re not there pretty soon, and she’ll be worried. She’ll probably call the cops.”

  The girl snickered. “Trust me. She won’t call the cops. She hates cops. Besides, she won’t even know I’m gone until she wakes up tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Is there somewhere else I can take you? Another relative or a friend maybe?”

  “We don’t have any relatives here, except you.”

  “Friends?”

  “Not where I can stay. But I’m not going to live at that house without my brother,” she said with conviction. “If you take me back, I’ll just leave again.”

  JP was afraid to find out why, and he didn’t want to interrogate her. He just knew taking her home with him was not a good idea. He wasn’t even sure she was family. For all he knew, this was his brother Gene’s idea of a sick joke.

  Morgan interrupted his thoughts. “Why don’t you take me to your house? If you don’t want me in your way, just give me a blanket and I’ll sleep outside.”

  JP gulped. “I have a better idea.” He picked up his cell phone and called Sabre.

  Chapter 3

  Attorney Sabre Brown was awake and waiting for JP and Morgan when they arrived. She had known JP for years. Her best friend, Bob Clark, was JP’s friend as well. JP was Bob’s private investigator. Soon after JP and Sabre met, JP started investigating for her as well. After much soul searching and many mishaps, they eventually started dating and had been together for almost a year now. Sabre was reminiscing about their time together when she was interrupted by the doorbell.

  “Sorry to bother you so late,” JP said.

  Sabre brushed her hand through the air in a dismissive gesture. “This must be Morgan.”

  “Yes,” JP said. “Morgan, this is Sabre.”

  “Hello, ma’am.” The girl studied Sabre’s face. “You’re very pretty.”

  “Thank you,” Sabre said. She didn’t feel particularly pretty in her sweats, and she hadn’t brushed her hair. She reached up and ran her hand through it. The light brown strands still had some soft curl and fell softly to her shoulders. “Come in and sit down for a minute,” Sabre said. “Can I get either of you anything?”

  “No, thanks,” Morgan said.

  JP shook his head.

  “I called my friend, Maxine Quinn, at the Department of Social Services and told her what was going on,” Sabre said, as they sat down. “She notified the authorities in case a call comes in from Morgan’s mother. Morgan can stay here tonight, and we’ll sort this out tomorrow.”

  “Uncle Johnny said you’re an attorney. Does that mean you can help my brother?” Morgan asked.

  “I’m certainly going to try. I’ll go see him first thing in the morning.”

  “I best be going.” JP stood up and looked at the sweet little girl. “You’re going to be okay. Sabre will take good care of you tonight, and we’ll deal with everything else tomorrow.”

  “Do you think Conner’s okay?” Her soft voice searched for hope.

  “He’ll be okay tonight. Don’t you worry, Munchkin.” JP smiled and nodded. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Uncle Johnny,” the girl responded.

  “Yeah, goodnight, Johnny,” Sabre said with a smirk.

  After JP left, they got up off the sofa, and Sabre noticed the girl was shorter than she had seemed at first. When Morgan spoke, she sounded so grown up, but she was only four-ten, about six inches shorter than Sabre. They walked upstairs to the guest room. The queen-size bed was covered with an assortment of aqua-and-coral pillows. In the middle sat a soft, cuddly, stuffed bear.

  “Wow,” Morgan said. “It’s all so pretty. And the bed is so big.”

  “I’ll get all this out of your way.” Sabre removed the pillows and put them on a bench under the window. Morgan reached for the stuffed toy.

  “Can the bear sleep with me?”

  “Of course. He makes a great companion. He’s nice and cuddly.” Sabre pointed to the door to her right. “That’s the bathroom. I put out a toothbrush and toothpaste for you, and there are clean towels. On the dresser are a pair of my pajamas, which are probably too big for you, but you’re welcome to wear them. I also left you a t-shirt you can sleep in, if you’d rather.”

  Morgan laid the bear on the bed, picked up the pajamas and t-shirt, and went into the bathroom. Sabre turned down the bedding and waited for the girl to return. Morgan came out wearing the pajama top, with the sleeves covering her hands.

  “The bottoms wouldn’t stay up,” she said.

  “I was afraid of that.”

  “But the shirt is long enough for a nightgown.”

  Sabre rolled up Morgan’s sleeves. “There, that ought to work.”

  Morgan reluctantly got into bed and covered up, and Sabre walked to the door.

  “Do you want it open or closed?” Sabre asked.

  “Open.”

  “I have a nightlight in the bathroom, and I’ll leave that door open in case you have to get up in the night. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Can I get you anything else?” Sabre asked.

  “Uh….”

  “What is it?”

  “Sometimes Conner would sit with me until I fell asleep.”

  Sabre was so tired she just wanted to get to bed, but she couldn’t leave the poor girl like this. She shut off the overhead light, but the room was still illuminated by the light from the hallway. Sabre walked back to Morgan’s bed and sat down.

  “Conner sounds like a good big brother.”

  “He is.” Morgan gulped. “What’s going to happen tomorrow?”

  “I’ll go see Conner first thing in the morning and try to figure out what’s going on. If he wants my help, I’ll do everything I can for him.”

  “Will they let him come home?”

  “Not tomorrow for sure. They’ll have a court hearing in a few days, and then we’ll know more. But these are very serious charges. So, JP will probably have to investigate, and we’ll have a lot of court hearings, maybe even a trial. It could take a while.”

  “But he’s innocent, so they’ll let him go, right?”

  “I hope so, but I have to learn more about what happened.”

  The girl’s eyes widened and her jaw clenched.

  “Morgan, do you know what happened?”

  She shook her head and her face tightened, likely with pain. “I know Bullet was a real bad man.”

  “What did he do that was bad?”

  “He was always hitting my grandma. And sometimes he hit my mom too.”

  “Did he ever hit you or Conner?”

  “No. He yelled at us a lot, but we stayed away from him as much as we could. Conner always told me to stick close to him.”

  “It seems that Conner protected you.”

  “He’s the best.” She paused. “Most of the time anyway. He teases me a lot tho
ugh.”

  “I have a brother like that too, but he always had my back when I was young. He still does. Big brothers are pretty special. Once when we were little….” Sabre stopped, smiling to herself.

  Morgan had closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  Sabre left the hallway light on and went to bed, wondering how she was going to help Morgan and Conner.

  Chapter 4

  Sabre and JP drove Morgan to Polinsky, where the social worker, Maxine Quinn, was waiting for them. Morgan had a sober look as they walked inside the building.

  “Are you afraid?” Sabre asked.

  “A little.”

  “This is a nice place, and you may have to stay here for a few days, but it’s all going to be okay. And don’t forget, your Uncle Johnny and I will help you.”

  Morgan latched onto Sabre’s arm, and they walked into the interview room where Maxine greeted them. After introductions, Maxine said, “Hello, Morgan. You sure are a beautiful young lady.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.” The girl’s expression didn’t change, and she held onto Sabre even after they sat down on the sofa.

  “Morgan, I need to ask you some questions,” Maxine said. “Are you okay with that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sabre said you didn’t want to go home. Can you tell me why?”

  “Because my brother isn’t there.”

  “You realize you can’t be with your brother right now, right?”

  “Yes, but I’m afraid to be at home when he’s not there.”

  “What’s going on at your house that makes you afraid?”

  “There are too many creepy men there, and my brother keeps them away from me.”

  Maxine spoke softly. “Can you tell me why you think those men are creepy?”

  “Sometimes they’re”—she hesitated—“they’re naked.”

  “Have any of them ever touched you inappropriately?”

  “They try to hug me and stuff, but Conner hides me from them.” The girl started to cry. “I don’t want to go home if Conner isn’t there with me.”

  “You’re going to stay here for a few days until we can investigate,” Maxine said. “But I have to ask you some questions, and you need to tell me everything you can about what goes on in your home.”