The Advocate's Dilemma Read online

  Sabre shook her head.

  “Did you see anyone around when you came in this morning?”

  “No one unusual. Casey, an attorney who works upstairs, drove up the same time I did. We walked up to the building together but then he went to his office.”

  “Did Casey come inside?”

  “No, there is no entrance to his office from inside here. There’s a stairwell on the outside that leads to another set of offices. I came in alone. No one else was here.”

  “Who else works in this law office?”

  “Jack Snecker owns the building. He has the front office. He’s in Hawaii on vacation.” She glanced around the room. “David has this office but he seldom shows up. He has another business so this is only part time for him. Elaine is the receptionist and secretary for all of us.”

  “Where is Elaine?”

  “She had a doctor’s appointment this morning and won’t be in until the afternoon.”

  “And they all have keys, I presume.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Have you given anyone a key?”

  “Only Bob, the attorney who was just here.” When she saw the look on Klakken’s face, she suddenly wished she hadn’t told him about the key.

  “Who else might have one?”

  “I don’t know for certain. I don’t think Jack changed the locks when I came here, so I suppose past tenants could have them. Jack and David are both married. Their wives may have them.”

  “And Jack’s in Hawaii?”

  “I’ll get you his cell number. And Elaine might be able to help you as well.” Sabre searched on her phone for Jack’s cell number and gave it to Klakken. “Oh, and there’s a janitorial service that comes in once a week.”

  “Which one?”

  “I don’t know, but I can look in Elaine’s Rolodex.”

  Sabre walked out of the room and into the front lobby to Elaine’s desk. She flipped through the Rolodex and wrote down the number listed under “Janitor.” Bob walked in the front door carrying some folders and smelling like cigarette smoke.

  Bob handed Sabre the files. “This is what I have on calendar this morning. You’re on three of them and we’re not protesting anything on those. The Barber case is a trial set; I wrote down some dates for you. And the Jones case will need to be continued if I’m not back. See if you can put it over until tomorrow. I don’t think my client will show anyway, but I need to be there.”

  “I’ll take care of them. Did you call your client on Foreman?”

  “Yes, I just hung up.”

  “Did you tell her that her husband was dead?”

  “Dana doesn’t have a phone but the woman she’s staying with does, so I called her. She’s a good friend of Dana’s and has been a big help to her since this case started. I told her and she was going to tell Dana. She said she would take her to the coroner’s office, and I’ll meet her there shortly. I’m sure Dana’s pretty upset. Even though she and her husband were separated, she was very invested in their relationship. She was planning to take him back once he got his act together.”

  “I better call Marla, the social worker, and let her know what’s going on. She’ll inform the boys once the body is identified. Marla is very good at that sort of thing. Better than I would be. I’m glad she’s on this case. It’s going to be especially hard for Marcus. He already has so many problems.”

  Chapter 3

  A tall, handsome man dressed in cowboy boots and a black Stetson walked in the front door accompanied by a uniformed officer.

  When Sabre saw him enter she walked down the hallway to meet him. “JP, I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Bob called and briefed me.” The look on his face was a mixture of frustration and concern but, as usual, he spoke without raising his voice. “Why didn’t you call me? Dang, woman, you could make a preacher cuss. I may’ve been able to get a few clues before they disturbed the crime scene.”

  Sabre put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”

  Before she could say anything else, he said, “I’m your investigator. Didn’t you think a dead man on your desk called for a little investigating?”

  Sabre removed her hand. “I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

  His tone changed slightly. “Are you okay?”

  Sabre nodded her head. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said convincingly. “Surprisingly, it didn’t upset me as much as I would’ve thought. I mean, I was shocked when I first saw him and my first reaction was to bolt, but then I took a closer look and he appeared to be dead. What was he going to do to me? So I called the police and then Bob who, by the way, got here nearly as fast as the cops.”

  “I’m glad he was here,” JP said, as he gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. “See if you can get me in there, kid.”

  Sabre felt relieved. He called her “kid.” That meant he wasn’t upset with her, at least not too much. He never called her “kid” when he was angry. Then he called her Sabre or worse, Ms. Brown. She didn’t want to upset JP. He was a great investigator and she liked him a lot. She even had the occasional romantic dream about him. But they were just dreams; nothing had ever happened between them. She couldn’t let that happen, as it would surely ruin their professional relationship. Besides, she knew he wasn’t interested in her. He’d had plenty of chances to show her otherwise and he never did.

  They walked down the short hallway toward Sabre’s office. Just before they reached the open door, Detective Klakken came out.

  Sabre started to make an introduction but before she could, Klakken said, “What are you doing here, Torn?”

  “My job,” JP said.

  “This is my job today. Not yours,” Klakken said.

  At first, Sabre thought they were friends, but she noticed some tension between them.

  “I won’t touch anything,” JP said. “I just want to have a look.”

  “No, you won’t touch anything because you aren’t going in there. Now back off and wait in another office with Ms. Brown or you can both leave the building.”

  Sabre took hold of JP’s arm and tried to usher him toward David’s office, but JP stood his ground. Sabre tugged his arm. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  JP hesitated for a couple of seconds. Klakken tossed him a pair of rubber gloves. “Put these on because I know it won’t do any good to tell you not to touch anything.”

  JP caught the gloves, glared at the detective, and then turned and walked away with Sabre, sticking the gloves in his back pocket.

  “What was that all about?” Sabre asked when they were in David’s office and their voices out of reach.

  “Nothing.”

  “Well, it’s obviously something. You two know each other and you were so cold to one other I felt the chill. Did you work together?”

  “Yes, a long time ago. We were on the force together.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing. It doesn’t matter. It won’t affect this case. Klakken is a good detective. He’ll figure it out. Now, tell me what you know about the dead guy.”

  Sabre knew it was no use trying to get information out of JP, especially something as personal as this appeared to be, so she let it go. After giving him an overview of the juvenile dependency case, she explained to JP exactly what she had told Klakken earlier and everything she had learned from the police.

  “The dead man is the husband of Bob’s client?” JP said.

  “Yes.”

  “So, he didn’t just randomly end up in your office. I mean…there’s some connection to you.”

  “Perhaps, but I don’t even know the guy.”

  “Then the real question is what was he doing here that got him killed, or why would someone dump him here if they killed him somewhere else?”

  “The police think he was killed here.”

  “That’s even worse, but there has to be some connection to the juvenile case.”

  “But what could that possibly be? I’ve been racking my brain trying to think what it might be, but it makes no
sense.”

  “And the case is based on neglect and drug use?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Whose drug use? Mom’s or Dad’s?”

  “Both, but the mother was trying to clean up. They were living on the streets and the only one working was Riley.”

  “Riley? Didn’t you say he was fourteen?”

  “Yes, but even after they lost their home, he continued to keep his lawn-mowing jobs with his old neighbors.”

  “How did he get to work?”

  “He had a bicycle until his father sold it for drug money a few weeks before they were picked up.”

  “Real ‘Father of the Year,’” JP said. “Wait, didn’t you say the mother retained Bob? How did she do that if she was homeless?”

  “Her stepfather paid for counsel. He apparently has plenty of money.”

  “He wouldn’t help her when she was on the streets, but he paid for an attorney for her?”

  “According to the social worker, her parents tried to help her many times, but they wanted her to leave her husband and she wouldn’t leave him, at least not for long. She kept going back to him. They only retained the attorney because the children were removed and they wanted to help them.”

  “So, are the children with the grandparents?”

  “Yes, the maternal grandmother, Celia, and her husband, Frank Davis. Celia and Frank were split up, but they went back together when this all happened. According to the grandmother, they separated because she helped her daughter one too many times.”

  “Do you believe her?”

  “I have no reason not to. Frank Davis is loaded, but I’m sure he didn’t want his money thrown down the rabbit hole. His wife enabled her daughter, basically feeding her drug habit. People talk about drug use as a victimless crime, but it isn’t. Look how many people this affected—the parents, the grandparents, the children, and those are just the ones we know about.”

  “What can I do to help?” JP asked.

  “For starters, you can investigate the Foreman case and see who might want to kill him. Try to find out why he was in my office and see if there is any connection to the juvenile dependency case. Any information you gather will also be helpful in the disposition of my case. I need to be certain we have the best placement for those boys. Come with me, and I’ll make you a copy of the reports.”

  They left David’s office and walked down the hall. Across from her door and against the wall stood eight grey file cabinets. They were covered with black dusting powder where fingerprints had been lifted. Sabre stepped toward a file cabinet and then stopped.

  “I should check with Klakken,” Sabre said.

  JP frowned, but Sabre stuck her head inside her office where Klakken stood talking to another officer. When she caught his eye, she said, “I need to get some files out of the cabinet for court and I need to make some copies. Can I do that now?”

  “Sure. Everything in there has been dusted already.” Sabre thought he smiled at her as she turned around, but when she looked back he was already engaged in conversation with the coroner.

  Sabre took the Foreman file out of the cabinet walked to the copy machine, and made copies of the reports she thought JP would need. She placed them in an aqua-colored file folder and handed them to JP. She then picked up the files Bob had left for her.

  “I really need to get to court. Can you stay here and keep an eye on things?”

  “Sure,” JP said.

  “And you and Klakken will be alright?”

  “Of course, get out of here. I can handle Klakken.” He smirked at Sabre, then put his arm around her shoulder and escorted her to the door.

  Chapter 4

  Sabre didn’t realize until she pulled away from the office and drove off just how much the dead body had upset her. Now she could let her guard down. She no longer needed to act brave or even professional. She felt a flood of emotions hit her all at once: fear, anger, frustration, and the one she hated the most, vulnerability. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

  By the time Sabre arrived at San Diego Superior Court, Juvenile Division, the parking lot was full. After circling the lot several times, she finally found a parking spot in a far corner of the lot near the fence. She checked her phone for the time and when she saw how late it was, she picked up her files, Bob’s files, and her calendar and hurried across the pavement. About twenty feet across the parking lot she caught the right heel of her new shoes in a crack in the pavement. She stumbled but managed to keep herself upright. When she took another step she discovered the heel was loose and her ankle hurt. She walked back to her car and retrieved a pair of running shoes from her trunk. There was not enough time to go home and change, so in spite of the fact that she felt silly in her expensive suit, her Jerry Garcia tie, and beat-up running shoes she continued on to the courthouse.

  Sabre set her files on the belt of the metal detector and limped through the scanner. Her ankle hurt less if she didn’t put all her weight on it. She walked directly to the attorney lounge, which was really just an old storage closet that had been converted to a work place. The room contained a small table with wire baskets where the detention reports for the day were stored. At the far end of the room against the wall was a large wooden structure divided into small cubicles, the attorneys’ mailboxes. Four uncomfortable old chairs, two on each side of the room, completed the shabby décor.

  Sabre took her reports and Bob’s from their mail slots and sat down for a minute to get off her sore ankle and to read the reports. She glanced through them, not discovering anything too surprising. As she stood up to leave, a tall, attractive woman with a dark pageboy haircut entered.

  “Good morning, Regina.”

  “Hi, Sabre. You’re short today.” She glanced down at the shoes. “Starting a new fashion trend? It looks great with the new tie. That is a new Jerry Garcia, isn’t it?”

  Sabre smiled. “I broke the heel of my shoe in the parking lot. And yes, it’s a new tie. Thanks for noticing.” Sabre received her first Jerry Garcia tie from her brother Ron when she graduated from law school. Ron was a big fan of the band, “Grateful Dead,” so wearing a tie designed by the leader of the band, Jerry Garcia, brought her a little closer to her brother, who had disappeared from her life many years ago. After she received the first tie from Ron, she started a collection and wore them in his honor. She never wore any other ties—only the ones created by the “deadhead.”

  Sabre sat back down. “Please sit. And thanks for meeting me here.”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  “You represent the father on the Foreman case, right?”

  “Yes, for what it’s worth. I’ve only spoken with him once and he’s never shown up for court.”

  “Something really strange happened today. I went into my office early this morning and discovered a dead body lying across my desk.”

  “Oh my God! That’s terrible.”

  “Regina, it was your client, George Foreman.”

  “My client? My client was dead in your office?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why was he there? What happened?”

  “I have no idea. The police are investigating right now.”

  “Oh, Sabre, I’m so sorry. You must be pretty shaken up.”

  “I’m okay now. Bob and his client, George’s wife, will be meeting with the coroner soon so she can identify the body. I’m sure the police will also be talking to you. JP is investigating for me as well. Please give him any information you can.”

  “I will, but I don’t think I’ll be of much help. I really know very little about him.” Regina moved her head back and forth in disbelief. “Do you or Bob need any help on your cases? My daughter has an assembly today but it’s not until 12:30 so I could help with this morning’s calendar.”

  “I’m good, but I see you have a case in Department One with Bob. It’s just a review and he’s submitting on the recommendations. If you want to cover that one you won’t have to wait on me and it
might save you some time so you can get out of here.”

  “Sure, I can do that. Anything else?”

  “No. I can take care of the rest.”

  They both stood up and left the lounge. Walking past the information desk and through the crowded corridor, they parted ways when Regina went to the right and Sabre veered to the left toward Department Six. Sabre completed two of her cases and one of Bob’s before she moved onto Department Four. Just after 11:30 a.m., Bob arrived.

  “You’re just in time,” Sabre whispered to Bob, as he sat down at the defense table next to her. “This is your last case. I just submitted on the recs.”

  “Nice to see you, Mr. Clark,” the judge said.

  “Thank you, Your Honor, I apologize for being late.”

  “I was about to wrap this up. Is there anything you need to add, Counselor?”

  “No, Your Honor. My client is submitting on the recommendations in the social study.”

  “Very well. The Court is following the recommendations by the Department of Social Services. All orders not in conflict remain in full force and effect,” the judge ordered. “That completes today’s calendar.” She hit her gavel just slightly on the block, stood up, and left the room.

  “Lunch?” Bob asked.

  “Sure. Drive me to my car. It’s clear out by the fence, almost to Children’s Hospital. I’ll move it now so I don’t have to walk so far when I get out of court this afternoon.”

  Bob and Sabre left the courtroom and walked toward Bob’s car.

  “So what’s with the tennis shoes? And are you limping?” Bob asked.

  Sabre waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “I broke the heel on my shoe and twisted my ankle a bit. It’s fine. What happened downtown?”

  “My client was pretty upset. I wanted to tell her she was better off without him, but I didn’t.”

  “I’m sure he had some redeeming qualities.”

  “No, he was a total waste of space. I think he was abusive. Have the kids said anything?”

  “No, not to me and there’s nothing in the reports.”