The Advocate - 02 - The Advocate's Betrayal (36 page)
Read The Advocate - 02 - The Advocate's Betrayal Online
Authors: Teresa Burrell
Tags: #Mystery, #General Fiction
Listening intently, Sabre drove on to the freeway. “So, John’s real name was Shane Behan?”
“Yes, but not for long. We changed our names when we went on the run. It took a while to break the habit of calling him Shane. But we had to learn to not use our real names, and to not respond when we heard them. Once, I was in a store in Tennessee and someone recognized me. She kept saying my name, and I just ignored her. Finally, she walked right up to me, looked me in the face, and swore she knew me. I denied it, but she wasn’t convinced. That was enough to make us move on.”
“So, why did you leave Villa Paceco?”
“There was a big shakedown on the Paceco Family. The old man, Vicentio, Salvatore, John, and a whole bunch of others were arrested. The prosecutor offered John a deal and witness protection if he’d testify against the family, but John couldn’t bear to betray Paceco or Salvatore. They had given him a home, an education, and even though he hated what he was doing, he was loyal to them. When he was released on bail, we ran. Soon we were running from the law and from the Pacecos.”
“Why the Pacecos?”
“Word got out that John had given names and dates and enough information so the cops could get their convictions, and then left town. But he didn’t snitch. Someone did, but it wasn’t him. John was pretty sure it was Vicentio. He was such a weasel. Vicentio should’ve gone down for murder, but instead he got five years. He let his pop take the brunt of the fall. The prosecutor was happy because they got rid of the leader. They weren’t too worried about Vicentio taking over when he was released because no one respected him, and Salvatore’s heart wasn’t in the business. But Vicentio turned out to be a little smarter than they gave him credit for, and what he couldn’t do, old man Paceco did from his prison cell. They still managed to keep the business going strong.”
They pulled into the parking lot at the El Cajon Courthouse. Sabre parked in the parking structure and shut off the car. “We’re early. Let’s just stay here and finish talking.” She took the keys out of the ignition. “So, had you already had your baby by then?”
“I gave birth to fraternal twin boys, Neil and Byron, about three weeks before we left.”
“Twins? So, what happened to them?”
“When we left we took Neil with us, but Vicentio raised Byron.”
“So, your son was raised with Luke?”
“Yes, and that’s why I’d like to talk to Luke, to ask him about Byron. I don’t even know if Luke knows that Byron isn’t his brother.”
“So, why didn’t you take Byron when you left?”
“We tried so hard, but we couldn’t get him. Here’s the thing. One of the twins was very light, the other very dark; they were polar opposites. Their father had dark olive skin, dark brown eyes, and brown hair that appeared almost black. At the time, Vicentio had been married about six years and his wife hadn’t gotten pregnant yet. She tried to convince me to give her the boys, telling me I was too young to raise them and they’d have a better life. She even offered me a great deal of money. I wouldn’t do it, but the worst part was she never really wanted Neil. She wanted Byron, the dark one, the one who matched her family. She was always holding him and taking care of him. I hardly ever got to hold him. I knew it wouldn’t be long before we left and then I’d have them all to myself.”
“But you didn’t. You didn’t have either of them.”
“We had to sneak out one night. It was all planned. John took Neil, and when I went to the nursery to get Byron, he wasn’t there. He was in the room with Vicentio and his wife. Up until then, both boys had been sleeping in the nursery, but I knew she was becoming more and more attached to Byron. We had to leave. John promised he’d go back and get him. It’s the only promise he ever broke, and he never forgave himself. You know, he spent his entire life trying to do good and make up for the horrible things he did when he worked for Paceco. What a shame it ended the way it did. And to think, Paceco got his revenge after all.”
“So, John never went back for Byron?”
“Oh, yeah. He went back half a dozen times. He almost got himself killed. He was shot once in the shoulder, but he managed to get away. By then, Byron was about a year old, and Vicentio’s wife was pregnant, probably with Luke. They guarded the kids like Fort Knox. We could never get close enough to get Byron.”
“But what about Neil?”
“Our life was not exactly ‘Leave it to Beaver’ material. We had to keep moving from place to place. Just as we would get settled somewhere, they’d find us and we’d have to move on. It was no life for the boys. I couldn’t do that to Neil, and I was afraid for his life if they caught up with us. I considered leaving John and raising Neil. John even encouraged me to do it if that was my choice, but it was too risky. I didn’t have the knowledge John did to stay on the run and keep my boy safe. The Pacecos knew about me and probably the cops as well. I just couldn’t put Neil’s life at stake. So I took him to Gary, his father. No one knew who the father was, so I figured he’d at least be safe and loved there. His grandmother was around to help, and she was very excited to have him.”
“Did you stay in touch with Neil?”
“Not much. I always had a number for Gary, his father, but he didn’t have mine. Gary was married when Neil was about eleven. Nice woman. I saw Neil a few times, but neither he nor his stepmother knew who I was. It was too risky for all of us, especially Neil. He never asked for any of this. A few years ago, Gary and I set up email communication.”
“And Gary emailed you about Neil’s accident?”
“Yes, and now I need to find out how he’s doing.”
Sabre handed Betty her cell. “Call him. Find out.”
Betty’s eyes brightened in appreciation. She made the call, but the look in her eyes changed to sorrow and tears dripped down her cheeks. “I’ll be there,” she said before she hung up and handed the phone back to Sabre. “He’s gone. Service is next week.”
Sabre wrapped her arms around her friend. “I’m so sorry.”
“I can’t do anything for Neil, but I’m going there to say goodbye, and to meet my grandchildren.”
They sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, Sabre said, “We better go in. Are you up to it?”
“Sure.”
They walked to the courthouse not saying much. Betty blew her nose and wiped the tears from her eyes before they reached the door. “Sabre, I had no idea it was Luke or I would’ve told you everything. I wouldn’t have risked your life like that. I just had no idea.”
“I know.” Sabre squeezed her hand.
“It’s just that I spent my entire life running, hiding, changing identities, always in fear for our lives and for Neil’s. John and I agreed that no matter what happened to us we wouldn’t risk the boys, and we’d stick to our story to the end. I kept my promise to him. I’m just so, so sorry.”
They walked upstairs and into the courtroom, both women apprehensive about seeing the one who betrayed them both. They sat down in the front row.
They watched as Luke was brought inside in chains and an orange jumpsuit, his left arm in a cast, his face black and blue. Sabre approached Luke’s high-powered, Chicago attorney in his Boss suit and Ferragamo shoes, much like Luke wore, thinking her ex-boyfriend and his buddies must get a group rate on expensive clothes. She introduced herself. He did the same, extending his hand to shake hers before saying, “What may I do for you, counselor?”
“My client, Betty, the victim’s wife, would like to speak with your client. I understand this is quite unusual, but she has some questions about her son that he may be able to help with. I assure you, it has nothing to do with this case, and there’ll be no discussion of the case. I’d like you to be present as well.”
“You’re right. It is unusual, Ms. Brown, but I’ll certainly ask my client if he wishes to have a conversation with you and your client.”
“Oh, I don’t need to be there.”
“Actually, I’d prefer if you were. I don’t want there to be any hint of impropriety.”
“Of course.”
They listened as the court clerk called the case of “Antonio Paceco aka Lucas Rahm.”
“Not guilty, Your Honor,” Luke said, entering his plea. A hearing date was set and he was remanded to custody. His attorney whispered something in Luke’s ear. He nodded and then left the courtroom through the back door with a sheriff escort.
His attorney approached Sabre, “Come with me. They’re taking my client to an interview room. We can talk to him there.”
As she walked into the interview room Sabre was determined to stay calm and composed. The attorney spoke to Luke and then stepped back. Betty approached the glass, but before she could say anything, Luke spoke.
“Hello, Mama.”
So, what did you think of the book?
Please email me. I’d love to hear from you…
Teresa
Visit me at
www.teresaburrell.com
Books by Teresa Burrell
The Advocate
The Advocate’s Betrayal
The Advocate’s Conviction
The Advocate’s Dilemma
Table of Contents
Table of Contents