The Advocate's Ex Parte (The Advocate Series Book 5) (16 page)

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The church steeple stood tall against the blue sky. The cross at the top extended up another fifteen feet. Stained glass windows displayed splashes of color along the side of each wall. JP pulled into the parking lot and walked toward the rectory. He was greeted by a man wearing a light, solid blue shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes.

“May I help you?” the man asked.

“I’m looking for Father Maher.”

“You found him,” the priest said.

“I’m JP Torn.” They shook hands. “I’m the investigator for Attorney Sabre Brown and we’re representing some children in a juvenile dependency case. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me.”

“Are they parishioners?”

“I’m not certain.” JP looked pensive. He hadn’t asked Willie if they were. It didn’t seem relevant at the time, but still, that’s a question that he should’ve asked. He felt a little uncomfortable that he wasn’t paying close enough attention to details. He gave the priest the names.

“Ahh…Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. Quite a flock they have. The good Lord certainly made that woman fertile. Interesting family. Good about attending church, but always late. They were lucky if they made it to mass before Communion some Sundays. But I guess when you have to get that many ready and moving it can’t be easy.”

“That would be them, Father.”

“I heard the children had been removed again.”

“That’s correct. What I’m here about today is your Bingo Night last Tuesday. Willie and Debbie claim to have been here helping with the event.”

“Yes, they don’t miss many Bingo Nights. They are quite helpful, actually. They take a few too many cigarette breaks for my liking, but since they’re volunteering their time, I can’t really complain. When they first started helping they brought the whole brood with them, but we had to stop that since they weren’t getting much done. They spent the whole time chasing after the kids. I limited their helpers to two of the children and they had to be at least nine years old. They rotated the kids and most of them seemed to like to help. The younger twins were exceptionally good. I would give the Wheelers the leftover sandwiches to take home to the rest of the children. They all seemed to appreciate it.”

“So, you remember seeing them last Tuesday?”

Father Maher nodded. “Yes, they were here.”

“What time did they arrive?”

“About five. I fed them before we started. They always seem to be hungry, but as I said before, they are very grateful for whatever I give them.”

“And they stayed here the whole evening?”

“Yes.” He thought for a moment. “They set up the tables and chairs before we started. They helped throughout the evening with markers and bingo sheets, and they cleaned up after we were done. They left here about ten o’clock.”

“And they remained here the whole time. Neither of them could have left and come back for, say, an hour?”

“No, they took their cigarette breaks, but never for more than ten minutes,” Father Maher said. “It sounds like I may be their alibi.”

“Yes, you are. Something pretty awful went down and although I didn’t think they were involved, we had to make sure.”

“Well, if it happened during that time frame, it couldn’t have been one of them. Of that, I’m certain.”

Chapter 24

The bell Bob had installed on Sabre’s office door jingled as it opened. Sabre wasn’t expecting anyone so she assumed it was someone looking for David or Jack, the other attorneys who had office space in the old Victorian house. Elaine, the receptionist, would take care of it.

Sabre continued to prepare her cases for the morning calendar, filling out the appropriate colored form for each hearing. She reached for a pink form just as Elaine walked into her office.

“There’s a gentleman here to see you. A very charming man with a Texas accent,” Elaine said.

Sabre glanced up and then continued putting the form in the file, her eyes back on what she was doing. “Is it JP? Just send him in.”

“No, it’s not JP. He says his name is Clint Buchanon.”

Sabre looked up again. “Hmm….” This time her face showed surprise.

“Would you like me to send him in?”

“Sure,” Sabre said. She stood up. “No. Tell him I’ll be with him shortly.”

Sabre took about five minutes to finish preparing her files, set them aside, and left her desk. She walked out to the reception area where Clint sat in a comfortable, dark brown, leather chair. He stood up immediately when she walked in.

“Howdy, ma’am,” he said, tipping his expensive-looking, dark, olive-colored cowboy hat.

“Hi, Clint. Nice to see you again. Are you here about your sister?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sabre wondered if any woman in Texas was ever called anything but ma’am. “Let’s go to my office.” Sabre stepped into the hallway but not before she saw Elaine shake her hand back and forth in a gesture indicating she was captivated and mouth the word, “Wow.”

Sabre smiled at Elaine. She was impressed with his looks as well. She hadn’t noticed just how attractive he was in the dim light of the bar where they met. Her state of mind after the bullets had blown past her that day had likely added to her lack of attention to his good looks.

Once inside her office, Sabre seated herself behind her desk. “Please, have a seat,” she said, pointing to the chair across from her.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Clint said.

“So, what can I do for you?” Sabre asked.

He removed his hat, revealing a full head of dark, wavy hair. He was even more handsome without the hat, Sabre thought. He set the hat on the chair next to him.

“Couldn’t get my sister to call you or any other attorney. I don’t think she wants anyone telling her not to see that loser boyfriend of hers.”

Sabre waited a few seconds. When she had met Clint in the bar, he had told her that his sister was being abused by her boyfriend, but she still didn’t know exactly what he wanted from her. When he didn’t speak, she said, “It’s difficult for a woman, or a man, in an abusive relationship to break loose. Even when they are no longer physically connected, a psychological connection remains. They begin to second-guess their actions, constantly wondering if they’re doing the right thing. It’s a process. It’ll take time for her to disentangle herself and establish boundaries. Hopefully, she’ll get the help she needs from social services.”

“You sure know a lot about it. I hope it’s not from personal experience?”

Sabre shook her head. “No,” she said rather bluntly. Then added, “But I’ve dealt with a lot of women who have been in an abusive relationship.” She thought of the Martinez case. “And even a few men.”

“Sorry, ma’am. I guess that wasn’t an appropriate question. Guess I need to learn the boundaries myself.”

“It’s okay. Just support her and keep an eye out for her safety. And you needn’t worry for the children. Now that DSS is involved, they’ll see to it that the children are protected.” Sabre paused. “If she went to court for the hearing, she should have a court-appointed attorney. Does she have one?”

“She doesn’t like him very much.”

“So, what is it exactly that I can do for you?”

“The truth is ma’am….”

“Sabre,” she corrected him.

“Sabre, that’s a beautiful name. Sabre, I came here because I just don’t know what to do for my sister.” He paused. “But also to see you again.” He raised his hands up and out to each side, palms facing out. “Hope you won’t be offended, but I’m going to be here a while and I just don’t know another soul in this town.” He smiled and his eyes twinkled.

Sabre hesitated and then shook her head slightly. She was caught off guard. When a man came into her office for legal help, she automatically shut down any personal interest in him. She seldom even noticed his looks or his charm once they were engaged in a legal matter. On occasion she caught them flirting with her, but she just failed to acknowledge it and dealt with them professionally.

“Before you say no, please hear me out. I’d like to take you out to a nice dinner and dance the night away with you, but I could understand that you might be reluctant to do that. So, all I’m askin’ is that you join me for a cup of coffee and some conversation.”

“I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

“In all fairness ma’am…Sabre,” he corrected himself, “we haven’t really done any business. And since you aren’t wearing a ring and you didn’t respond that you are otherwise involved, I’m assuming you’re single. Am I correct?”

Sabre looked at Clint. He was quite attractive and charming. She had mixed emotions about whether or not she wanted to get to know him a little better. She didn’t know if she wanted to be involved with anyone again. “Yes, you’re correct. I’m single,” she said, “but I really don’t need any distractions in my life right now.”

“I’m flattered that you see me as a distraction.”

Sabre smiled. “I…I just don’t want to start something.” She said the words but she wasn’t emphatic enough. She could hear the reservation in her own voice and she knew he did too.

“Come on. I’m not askin’ you to marry me. Just want to break a few breadsticks.” Sabre laughed and Clint continued, “Come on, what do ya’ say? I’m sure you need a break. Let’s go.”

Sabre looked at the time on her phone. “Okay, a cup of coffee, but not today. I have an appointment in about fifteen minutes. How about tomorrow afternoon, four o’clock?”

“That’ll work.”

“There’s a place in Seaport Village called Upstart Crow. It’s a coffee shop and small bookstore, only a few miles from here and easy to find. Do you know where Seaport Village is?”

“No, but I’ll find it.” He picked up his hat, stood up, and ran his fingers through his hair front to back before he placed the hat on his head. He winked at her and nodded his head just slightly. It reminded Sabre of JP. She wondered if it was a Texas thing.

“See you tomorrow,” Clint said and walked out of her office.

Chapter 25

JP arrived at Sabre’s office right on time, report in hand. Sabre had just hung up the phone when he walked in.

“Thanks,” she said, as he handed her the report. “Have a seat.” Sabre hated that her stomach giggled whenever she saw him. “Do you think any one of my clients killed Judge Mitchell?”

“I’ve eliminated Wheeler. Both of the parents have an alibi—a Catholic priest, no less. They were helping the good padre with his Bingo Night. Besides, as crazy as those two are, I really don’t think they’re capable of murder.”

“So, who does that leave?”

“Durham, Martinez, King, and Tran. If Durham wasn’t locked up, he’d be my first pick. That kid is scary.”

“What about his friend, Ralph?”

“Maybe. I’m still working on that. Ralph’s not too bright. In fact, he’s proof you don’t have to have a long neck to be a goose. But that doesn’t mean Durham wasn’t pulling his strings. Ralph likes to brag and act like he’s doing Durham a favor by hanging out with him. But, to tell you the truth, I think he gets more from the relationship than Durham does. Durham is a user and I think Ralph enjoys being his friend and more importantly, the alibi for an alleged killer.”

“Do you believe Ralph was really with Durham when Hannah was killed?”

“It’s hard to say, but I think his mouth writes a lot of checks that his butt can’t cash.”

Sabre smiled at his comment. “But even if Ralph is providing Matt with an alibi, it doesn’t necessarily follow that Matt killed Hannah and Mason.”

JP looked at her with an expression of complete incredulity. “Really? You still think he may be innocent?”

“I’m just saying that we really don’t know. It all hinges on the bat. If he really didn’t have the bat, then maybe he didn’t do it. And according to the form Matt filed with the coach, his bat went missing the night of the Poway game.”

“And you think Darren Flynn did it?”

“You said that Darren appears to have a real temper. If I can show that Matt didn’t have the bat in his possession and point the finger at Darren Flynn, it may be enough for reasonable doubt.”

“It’s not like you to point at an innocent person.”

“I’m not convinced he’s innocent. If I were, I wouldn’t do it. But juries need someone to pin it on and I think he’s a real suspect.”

“A jury? So you think he’ll be tried as an adult, and you’ll be there to represent him. Is that what I’m hearing?”

“I guess I’m getting ahead of myself, but it’s not looking real good for keeping him in juvenile court. We haven’t come up with much that supports that argument. And as for whether or not I’ll follow him downtown, I haven’t made that decision yet.”

JP shook his head. “I don’t like this.”

“I don’t either, but it’s what we have to work with.” Sabre glanced at JP’s report. “What about the other cases? Anything that connects them to the judge’s hit-and-run?”

“Juanita Martinez has some time unaccounted for. I had Bob ask her where she was that evening and she told him she went from her house back to her program.”

Sabre saw the concern on JP’s face. “But you weren’t able to verify it?”

“She went back there alright, but she still could’ve had time for a hit-and-run. I can determine what time she returned to the house because that’s logged in, but I’m not sure it’s accurate since it appears she had been drinking, and Bob said she might not have signed in when she first arrived. I also can’t pinpoint the exact time she left her house.”

“Did she have a car?”

“She rode with someone. I haven’t been able to track who she was with yet.”

“And what about King and Tran?”

“The father on the King case, Isaiah Banks, is a bad dude. I’m going to Donovan tomorrow morning to talk to some of his cellmates. I’m not convinced it wasn’t his doing when you were shot at the other day.” He paused and looked at her, his expression somewhere between concern and frustration. “I wish you’d buy yourself a gun. I’m sure you’d qualify to carry a concealed weapon. I’ve offered before to teach you how to use it. That still stands.”

Sabre drew a deep breath. “I know. A couple of the sheriff deputies at court have made the same offer.”

“If you’d be more comfortable with one of them….”