Sugar & Spice by Keith Lee Johnson Page B

“I’m married, Nelson. I have an eight-year-old daughter, too. Please don’t interfere with that.”
    â€œSo you happy?” he asked.
    I kind of laughed a little. Shook my head. “You know, Nelson, it always amazes me when people ask that question. It’s like if you say I’m unhappy, then somehow you’re no longer married or something. But, to answer your question, I’m very happy. Okay? Now, will you answer some of my questions before your plane takes off?”
    â€œYeah, okay. What do you wanna know?”
    â€œWhat are your thoughts on the warden’s murder? If you had to guess, who would you say did it? Who would have that big of a grudge to bullwhip them like they were runaway slaves?”
    â€œI have no idea. None whatsoever. Wasn’t no dealer though. If I had to guess, I’d look at the recently paroled inmates. Perkins was no choirboy. Allowed the prisoners to do pretty much what they wanted as long as nobody got killed. See, killin’ would bring too much unwanted heat. There would be an external investigation. Perkins couldn’t control that. So as long as nobody got killed, we all made money. Serious money. Thewarden, me, the guards and the gangs. And the prisoners got all the drugs they wanted.”
    â€œSo who would be pissed if everybody was getting what they wanted?”
    â€œThe hell if I know. If I did, I’d waste whoever it was myself. Deals like that don’t get no sweeter. On the other hand, Perkins let a lot of sexual abuse go on. Prostitution rings, gang bangin’ other prisoners—all kinds of shit went on in that prison. You had to be a gang member or a Muslim to avoid being turned out.”

CHAPTER 26
    â€œThere’s something different about you, Sterling,” Kelly began. “What is it?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Sterling asked, but he knew exactly what she was talking about.
    Sterling had been a lady’s man all of his life. But with the murder of his assistant, he had begun to reflect on his playboy lifestyle. In the last month he had thought about Vanessa Wright, his former live-in girlfriend, and decided to try and get her back.
    â€œYou just seem different,” Kelly repeated. She didn’t see the same lust in his eyes that she’d seen in the Denver airport when they met. A month ago, Kelly believed that Sterling found her attractive. Were it not for the tragedy that befell them, he probably would have made a move on her. “How have you been getting along since your assistant died? Tiffany was her name, wasn’t it?”
    â€œYes, her name was Tiffany,” Sterling acknowledged. “She had been with me for about ten years. She was just eighteen years old when I met her. She was a student at the University of San Francisco and working part-time for the District Attorney’s office. But to answer your question, I’ve been better.”
    â€œSo you used to prosecute criminals, huh?” Kelly smiled.
    â€œYeah, for about seven years. Never lost a case.” He grinned proudly.
    â€œWhat made you leave the DA’s office?”
    â€œI got an offer I couldn’t refuse from the most prestigious firm in San Francisco. Ever heard of Daniels, Burgess and Franklin?” “No. I can’t say I have.”
    â€œWell, Zachary Daniels is the senior partner and he recruited me after I cleaned their clocks on a murder case.” Sterling grinned again.
    â€œIt’s hard to lose someone you cared about, huh?” Kelly asked.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œBelieve me, I know. I’ve been through the ringer, too,” Kelly said. “So Phoenix says you’re in town working on contracts for some of the football players.”
    â€œYes. That’s correct.”
    â€œDo you like being an agent better than you liked being a defense attorney?”
    â€œIn some ways. In others no. In a way, athletes are like criminals in that they are used