thank you, Father, whoever you are . . .
On the next stenographer’s break, Luis exited the courtroom with the jury and waited for Michael Story. The deputy DA exited a couple of minutes later, head bent over a cell phone. When he saw Luis rising to speak to him, he moved aside as if to avoid him. Then he saw the various jury members glancing back their way.
“Can I help you, Father?” Michael asked. “I know I’m a bit lapsed, but I didn’t expect a house call.”
“I need to talk to you about Anne Whittaker.”
Michael looked as if he’d been punched. He recovered quickly, but Luis hadn’t missed his reaction.
“Did you work with Annie?” Michael asked.
“No, but I know Odilia Garanzuay.”
“Who’s that?”
“She was in Annie Whittaker’s house the night Whittaker was killed,” Luis explained. “She says she barely escaped herself.”
“Of course. The other one,” Michael said, nodding. “Annie didn’t give me her name. If she was in the house, she’s a potential witness. Has she spoken to law enforcement?”
“She was too scared. I was trying to get to you, but she didn’t know your name.”
“Where is she now?”
“She was kidnapped from the parish last night,” Luis reported regretfully.
“The incident at St. Augustine’s,” Michael realized. “ Shit. So she’s gone?”
Luis said nothing. He already felt like a fool for allowing it to happen. Michael cursed under his breath.
“Something went wrong,” Michael said. “I still don’t know what. They got our other potential witness as well.”
“Was it Santiago?” Luis asked. “She mentioned a Santiago.”
“Santiago Higuera,” Michael said. “He was coming in on his own Sunday night but vanished before we could get to him. They found him strung up in Mexico yesterday. I tracked down the taxi driver. He delivered Higuera to the safe house. You know how many people know the addresses of departmental safe houses? Few. ”
Luis tensed. This time it was Michael who noticed.
“This Odilia told you something?” Michael asked, eyeing him closely. “Did she know who might have done this?”
“She thought the police were involved,” Luis admitted before realizing Michael might be the wrong person to say this to. “Maybe that was why. Are they?”
“I don’t know,” Michael sighed. “Annie only gave me dribs and drabs to get me interested. She specialized in the abuse of migrant or illegal labor, so I knew it might’ve been something people were turning their backs to.”
“There’s a difference between cops turning their backs and cops leaking the address of a safe house or, worse, actively delivering a whistle-blower to their death.”
“Is there? If there’s anything I’ve learned in this office, it’s that cops are masters of internal compromise and rationalization, and that comes from someone who is on their side. Still, I got the idea that it was much bigger than a couple of corrupt cops and bad-apple field hands. Annie made it sound like there were a number of players, a number of victims, and a great deal of money.”
“And she couldn’t have done that just to pique your interest?”
“I don’t think so,” Michael said, shaking his head. “Not given what I saw from her.”
“Are you going to continue the investigation?” Luis asked.
“Based on what?” Michael cried, before lowering his voice after a few jury members looked his way. “Malfeasance in the fields? A couple of local police looking the other way? I don’t even have jurisdiction. Annie promised there was an LA connection involving transport, but without evidence I’ve got nothing. And I even checked in with INS, the Border Patrol, even the Feds, looking for a connection between people stopped at the border and a Ventura County destination. Nada.”
“What about Annie’s files?” Luis said, grasping at straws.
“Oh, you hadn’t heard? Her computer and backup drives didn’t have a single file on them. At least
On the next stenographer’s break, Luis exited the courtroom with the jury and waited for Michael Story. The deputy DA exited a couple of minutes later, head bent over a cell phone. When he saw Luis rising to speak to him, he moved aside as if to avoid him. Then he saw the various jury members glancing back their way.
“Can I help you, Father?” Michael asked. “I know I’m a bit lapsed, but I didn’t expect a house call.”
“I need to talk to you about Anne Whittaker.”
Michael looked as if he’d been punched. He recovered quickly, but Luis hadn’t missed his reaction.
“Did you work with Annie?” Michael asked.
“No, but I know Odilia Garanzuay.”
“Who’s that?”
“She was in Annie Whittaker’s house the night Whittaker was killed,” Luis explained. “She says she barely escaped herself.”
“Of course. The other one,” Michael said, nodding. “Annie didn’t give me her name. If she was in the house, she’s a potential witness. Has she spoken to law enforcement?”
“She was too scared. I was trying to get to you, but she didn’t know your name.”
“Where is she now?”
“She was kidnapped from the parish last night,” Luis reported regretfully.
“The incident at St. Augustine’s,” Michael realized. “ Shit. So she’s gone?”
Luis said nothing. He already felt like a fool for allowing it to happen. Michael cursed under his breath.
“Something went wrong,” Michael said. “I still don’t know what. They got our other potential witness as well.”
“Was it Santiago?” Luis asked. “She mentioned a Santiago.”
“Santiago Higuera,” Michael said. “He was coming in on his own Sunday night but vanished before we could get to him. They found him strung up in Mexico yesterday. I tracked down the taxi driver. He delivered Higuera to the safe house. You know how many people know the addresses of departmental safe houses? Few. ”
Luis tensed. This time it was Michael who noticed.
“This Odilia told you something?” Michael asked, eyeing him closely. “Did she know who might have done this?”
“She thought the police were involved,” Luis admitted before realizing Michael might be the wrong person to say this to. “Maybe that was why. Are they?”
“I don’t know,” Michael sighed. “Annie only gave me dribs and drabs to get me interested. She specialized in the abuse of migrant or illegal labor, so I knew it might’ve been something people were turning their backs to.”
“There’s a difference between cops turning their backs and cops leaking the address of a safe house or, worse, actively delivering a whistle-blower to their death.”
“Is there? If there’s anything I’ve learned in this office, it’s that cops are masters of internal compromise and rationalization, and that comes from someone who is on their side. Still, I got the idea that it was much bigger than a couple of corrupt cops and bad-apple field hands. Annie made it sound like there were a number of players, a number of victims, and a great deal of money.”
“And she couldn’t have done that just to pique your interest?”
“I don’t think so,” Michael said, shaking his head. “Not given what I saw from her.”
“Are you going to continue the investigation?” Luis asked.
“Based on what?” Michael cried, before lowering his voice after a few jury members looked his way. “Malfeasance in the fields? A couple of local police looking the other way? I don’t even have jurisdiction. Annie promised there was an LA connection involving transport, but without evidence I’ve got nothing. And I even checked in with INS, the Border Patrol, even the Feds, looking for a connection between people stopped at the border and a Ventura County destination. Nada.”
“What about Annie’s files?” Luis said, grasping at straws.
“Oh, you hadn’t heard? Her computer and backup drives didn’t have a single file on them. At least
Similar Books
