Counsel (Counsel #1) (8 page)

"I need to take this down to the station," Jon announces, staring at the envelope on the table.

"What? You think it’s poison or some chemical compound?" I ask incredulously, and Jodi draws a shocked breath.

"We can't take any chances, Adam," Jon says. I protest, but he holds up a hand. "We've just discussed the lengths Joseph would go to; why would he stop at witnesses?"

"Because another prosecutor would step in. We're in danger of becoming paranoid."

"Adam, let's just get it checked out," Jodi reasons.

"I don’t have a problem with that. I just want us to maintain perspective and not lose our nerve. That's what they'd want…
if
this is really what you suspect it is." I add as Jon’s about to interrupt. The waitress returns just then. Jon introduces himself properly and thanks her before donning the rubber gloves. He carefully places the envelope into the plastic bag, seals it shut and removes the gloves.

"I'll get this to forensics." He reaches for his wallet, but I wave him off.

"Get back to me as soon as you can," I say. He nods and after a hurried goodbye, leaves.

I look into Jodi’s fear-filled eyes. "Relax, he's just being cautious." I beckon the waitress to order more coffee, and then, to distract Jodi, turn the discussion to work.

"I had a thought about Maria Riviera. I want us to check the sex worker lists for anyone with a birth-date within five years of hers. Then, I want to narrow those down to anyone who matches her physical appearance. I know it’s a long shot, but it will be worth the extra work if it pays off."

Jodi looks sick as she grasps my thinking. "You're right; they wouldn't miss out on an opportunity to exploit a child and profit by it. I'm onto it," she says, already reaching for her bag.

.

.

"I know we have our meeting scheduled for five, but I have somewhere I need to be. Do you have ten minutes to give me a progress report now?" Bristly asks from my doorway that afternoon.

"Of course, Sir. Have a seat," I offer. He settles his large frame into my visitors’ chair before raising one of his bushy brows as a signal for me to continue. Bristly expresses surprise when I inform him of Justin’s plea. "Really? I don't think any of my cases involved one. What do you think they’re thinking?"

I share my theory on their strategy. "Sly bastards, aren't they?" he says almost admiringly.

I provide an overview of the cases against the Cordi henchmen next, which are progressing through the system without any surprises. Nate Barnes has decided to cooperate and testify against the brothers. He listens intently as I tell him about the brothers' cases and Joseph’s decision to waive the pre-trial hearing.

"You have a smart head on those shoulders, Thorne," Bristly says when I’ve expounded my views on Joseph’s actions. "When you first joined the department, I doubted that a man so pretty could be smart or ruthless enough for the job." He positively grins as, with a raise of his bushy brows, he challenges me to object to his description of me. I don’t.

"Smart," he says with another smile. "Most men’s egos would have dictated that they respond."

Finally, I tell him about the mysterious note. His banter instantly disappears.

"You and Maddox need to be careful," he warns. "This is a high stakes game for the Cordis. Let me know the forensic results as soon as you have them. I don't want us to overreact, but if I deem it necessary, I
will
insist on protection for both you and Maddox. " He looks at me sternly, and I nod my acquiescence.

He gets up to leave. "I don't want anything to happen either of you. Be careful, Adam," he turns to say from the doorway.

.

.

I’ve only just entered my office the next morning when my phone rings. "Good, you're there. I'm on my way," Jon says without preamble.

"Pick up good coffee," I ask and hang up to immediately dial Jodi’s extension.

"One day, I’ll have a life outside of work again," she answers petulantly.

"You wish! Jon's on his way in, would you like to join us?"

"Give a girl a chance to put her handbag down, Thorne, it's only seven-thirty, for goodness sake. I’ll be there in ten." I smile; bossy Jodi’s back.

Jodi and I are going over the day’s schedule when Jon arrives, juggling a cardboard tray containing our coffees, a messenger bag, and a brown paper bag. He’s barely placed the items on the table when Jodi snatches the bag and eagerly opens it. She looks up at him with a brilliant smile.

"They're your favorites," he says rather shyly for the usually confident Jon.

I look on with a good deal of interest and amusement. These two definitely have a thing for each other.

"You went all the way to Café Provence?" she asks in amazement.

"It was on my way." He shrugs, trying to hide his pleasure at her response.

"No, it's not. That was really sweet of you, Jon." She stretches up to kiss him on the cheek, and I swear, he blushes.

"Are either of you going to let me in on what's in the bag?" I ask, unsuccessfully hiding my amusement.

"Chocolate croissants, the
best
in the city, and if you don’t behave, you won't get any," Jodi threatens, clutching the bag proprietorially.

"You wouldn't do that to me." I waggle my fingers, reaching for the bag. "How come you don't do nice things for me?" I tease Jon. His faces flushes, knowing that I’m on to him.

"Jodi’s better looking," he says in an attempt at nonchalance.

"I am. Do you have something to say about that?" she challenges, instantly jumping to his defense.

"I wouldn't dare." I feign surrender.

"Should we get down to business?" I suggest, letting them off the hook. Jodi makes her way to the refreshment table. He hands out the coffees as she places the plate of pastries and paper napkins on the table. When we’ve each helped ourselves, Jon unzips his bag and removes a sheet of paper and pushes it toward me.

I preferred you as a sniveling kid,
it reads. I have no idea what the hell it means. Jodi peers over my shoulder.

"That's
it
?" I ask Jon.

"That’s it. Thankfully, there was no sign of poison," he replies.

"I don't get it," I mutter, pondering how the words on the page could possibly relate to me.

"Maybe the waitress gave it to the wrong person?" Jodi suggests hopefully.

"It was addressed to Adam, and the guy mentioned his name to the waitress." Jon pulls out a photocopy of the envelope to prove his point.

"What about fingerprints?" I ask impatiently.

"We’ve had some luck there. They found prints belonging to Barry Chambers, a well-known dealer. My guys are out looking for him now. We’ll drive to the precinct as soon as I get the call," he says.

"Can you think of
anyone
who’d send you something like this? It’s obvious this person knew you when you were young," Jodi asks.

"Very few people know about my childhood and those who do, wouldn’t be responsible for something like this… but I’m wondering whether it could be linked to what Joseph said before…."

"What
exactly
did he say?" Jon interjects

"I never thought I'd see you again.... You've come a long way," I repeat the words that have kept me awake many nights.

"Are you
sure
you haven't met him before?" Jon presses.

"I've wracked my brain, and I honestly can't remember, but I can’t get rid of the feeling that I’ve seen him before. I asked my father and Matt, my best friend who grew up with me, but they can’t recall a time or incident where we could have met."

"Chambers may give us something," Jon says and knowing that we’ve exhausted all possibilities on the note for now, we discuss the trials and ongoing investigations. Jon’s had no word on the dealer when he’s ready to leave, so we part ways to get on with our day.

At two o’clock, Jon calls to say that Chambers has been brought in. I leave for the precinct immediately, and when I arrive, find Jon waiting for me outside an interview room.

"I told you, man, I did nothing wrong. I only did a guy a favor," Chambers says sullenly in response to Jon’s question.

"Do you really expect us to believe you just did a
favor
for a guy you don't even know? " Jon leans across to get in Chambers' face. The usually calm and reserved Jon can be a scary bastard when he puts his mind to it, I decide.

"Don't bullshit me! You think doing fifteen years is tough? I promise it will be your worst nightmare if you don’t tell me what I want to know. Imagine what would happen to you in prison if word gets out that you betrayed the Cordis?"

Chambers’ already sallow complexion turns sicklier. "I may have met the guy once or twice before," he mutters.

"I'm listening," Jon says, settling back in his seat.

"His name’s Victor. He’s Mr. Cordi’s enforcer, that’s all I know. You don’t turn him down when he asks," he whines, turning to me.

I raise an eyebrow, letting him know I’m not fooled. He pushes drugs onto sick and innocent people; he doesn't give a damn about me or anyone else.

"Doesn't mean I wouldn't put you away, so you’d better think carefully about Detective Holmes’ offer," I reply tersely.

"Tell me what you know about this Victor and what he looks like," Jon demands. Satisfied that Chambers has told him all he knows, Jon leaves the room and returns with a book of mug shots. He slams it down on the table.

Chambers eventually points to a photograph. The guy is huge, with dark, close-shaven hair and an angry looking scar running down his left cheek and onto his neck. Even from his headshot, I can tell he’s hugely muscled. I understand now why Chambers had been terrified to refuse him.

Jon identifies him as Victor Perez, reputedly of Mexican origin, who started working for Joseph some years back. The connection confirms our suspicions about the sender of the note, but I’m still no closer to discovering where and how Joseph and I met.

Back in my office, the note and Joseph’s behavior continue to baffle and frustrate me. I’m convinced now that I must have encountered him before. I sense that all the clues are there, but that I'm missing the insight to make sense of them. My hope now is that Perez will provide answers to the questions I so badly need.

I force myself to forget about Joseph by immersing myself in work for the rest of the day and a large part of the night when I get home.

The next morning, on my return from a meeting with Bristly, Bec delivers an urgent message from Jodi. Natasha Perkins has been located and, in an earlier interview with Jon, confirmed her past relationship with Justin. She intends leaving town for a week tomorrow but agreed to come in for an interview. Jodi, Bec tells me, has just left to meet her in reception.

"Conference room four," she calls out as I turn away.

Justin’s former escort is tall, blonde, and tanned enough to be mistaken for a resident of Los Angeles or Miami rather than Boston. She’s the antithesis of Angelique Bain, and I can't help wondering how both could have appealed to him. I have no idea what he paid the woman sitting before me, but if I were a betting man, I'd wager it was nowhere near the sum he paid for her replacement. Natasha’s appearance is all about overt sexuality and promise, whereas Angelique Bain’s natural beauty and sensuality hints at hidden depths.

"I’m Adam Thorne, Ms. Perkins, thank you for coming in," I say, offering my hand in greeting.

"Counselor, a pleasure. Please call me Natasha," she gushes and without standing, takes my hand. When I step back, she slowly and deliberately re-crosses her legs. Jodi unsuccessfully suppresses an amused smile.

"You've told Detective Holmes that you were an escort at Liaison?" I ask, getting straight to the point.

"If by
escort
you mean was I paid to provide sexual services, then yes." She utters the word sexual like a caress, and I'm sure Jodi’s cough was really a muffled laugh.

"So, you’re a paid sex worker?" I ask bluntly.

"Yes, I am; well
was
."

"Can you tell me us how you met Senator Wade and what your relationship with him was?"

"The senator and I had a different view of our
relationship
. I thought we had some regard for each other; well that he had
some
regard for me, but I wrong," she says, sounding bitter, her smile momentarily gone.

"Every escort wanted to get their hands… hopefully more…on him," she pauses, but getting no response to her innuendo, continues. "We all wanted to bag the sexiest politician in the state." She looks to Jodi as if seeking another female's confirmation of his appeal. Ever astute, Jodi nods encouragingly.

"I spent most of my time escorting two other members back then; a handsome and very rich entrepreneur and an older, foreign diplomat, both nice men, but I was flattered when Justin asked Mr. Cordi to introduce us."

"What happened after that?" I prompt.

"We had a couple of drinks, and then he invited me to join him in his room."

"He took you to a hotel?" Jodi asks. Natasha stares at her incredulously.

"Men become members of Liaison so they don't have to go out in public for illicit sex, Ms. Maddox. We visited one of the club’s private rooms; Justin was strict about not flaunting his exploits. He did make quite a few exceptions later, though," she adds, her earlier resentment returning.

"Tell me about the private rooms, Ms. Perkins; what exactly goes on in there?" I press.

"You want the juicy details, Mr. Thorne?" she asks suggestively.

"No, Ms. Perkins, just the facts." She feigns a disappointed sigh.

"The rooms on the floor above the members’ lounge are used for liaisons. They have two-way mirrors that overlook the stage. Many members like watching the dancers to get them in the mood," she explains, and I wonder whether using euphemisms like escort and liaisons makes it easier for the women to cope with the reality of what they do.

"So the Senator invited you to join him in a private room?" I prompt.

"He asked me to remove my clothes."

"Just like that?" Jodi clarifies.

"We’re not talking about romantic encounters," she retorts with a sardonic lift of an eyebrow.

"What happened after that…I mean after your
liaison
? Did Senator Wade pay you?" Jodi asks, and Natasha laughs lightly.

"Nothing as tacky as that happens. I’m paid a salary by the club."

"Tell us what you were paid and what exactly your duties entailed?"

"Mr. Cordi prefers to call our salaries retainers. He once said it's the kind of arrangement businesses enter into with consultants. He joked that perhaps we should be called consultants," she says, clearly amused. "I also get a bonus for each liaison. It’s all in my contract."

"Would you tell us exactly how much you earned?"

"I’m not a dancer, so one thousand dollars a month and another five hundred per liaison."

"Do you have a copy of your employment contract?" I ask, and she nods.

"Would you let us have it please?" Jodi adds.

"Of course;
anything,
to help," she says to me.

"How much did you earn in a given month?" Jodi asks.

"As I said, I was primarily seeing two members, and I saw each of them about two or three times a month; so on average, two or three thousand dollars. When Justin became interested in me, he didn’t really want me to see John Clarke, the entrepreneur."

"Why was that?" I push.

" I think they had some kind of male competition going on; I don't know."

"Did the senator object to you having sex with other club members or only John Clarke?"

"To Justin, I was just good, discreet sex. He didn't lay claim to me, or buy me flowers, or organize for a suite for
our
liaisons," she says sourly.

"The senator arranged for a suite?" I press.

"He certainly didn’t seem to need one until little Miss Perfect came along. He’s always had an exclusive room, but after her, he somehow managed to get the one next to it too. He had them remodeled into a suite. I haven’t actually seen it, but I heard it’s like a luxury hotel."

"Little Miss Perfect?" Jodi asks in a slightly goading tone. I smile inwardly at the way she deliberately ruffled Natasha’s feathers to determine her real feelings.

"Angelique Bain," Natasha says contemptuously. "She worked as a dancer, and then months later, she began escorting Justin. Everyone goes on about how nice and polite she is, but she thinks she’s better than the rest of us. They say she’s a wonderful dancer; Sarah and Amy called her a ballerina. What a joke! The girls at Liaison dance to entertain the members, and we all know what kind of entertainment they're after."

"You said Senator Wade made exceptions for Ms. Bain. Can you tell us about that?" I ask when she’s ended her tirade.

"He never spent a lot of time with me in the members’ lounge, except for that first night. I always had to meet him in his room, sneak up there after he pretended to leave for the night, but everything changed for
her
. Suddenly, it didn’t matter that people saw him sitting with her, holding her hand like she was his date. I just don't get what's so special about her."

"Can we clarify a few points?" Jodi asks. "You say Ms. Bain started as a dancer? How do you know she didn't have any liaisons at that time? You said yourself that Senator Wade was discreet about your meetings. Why couldn’t it have been the same with her, at least at first?"

"Because it didn’t matter what we did or what Justin wanted people to think, they
knew
. The girls talk;
I
talked, especially about him because I was proud that Justin Wade chose me. Angelique may not have talked to the rest of us, but Sarah and Amy would’ve known; and there’s no way Amy would have kept quiet. She was the one who told me Angelique was hired to dance, and then when she had her first liaison. She couldn’t
wait
to tell me it was with Justin."

"Tell us what you know about the arrangements between Ms. Bain and the senator?" I ask.

"I don't know… no one knows; it’s like some big secret." She shrugs, looking disgruntled. "All I know is that after he'd been with her that first time, he didn’t ask for me. Then, when Amy said Mr. Cordi insisted Angelique escort other members, Justin suddenly arranged for a liaison with me…but he was different."

"How different?"

"I don’t know…. moody, angry. We normally talked after, have a glass of wine, have sex a second time, but not that time. He dismissed me and didn’t ask to see me again. Later, Amy told me he had an exclusive arrangement with Angelique. I knew he’d only been with me for sex, but I really thought he felt something for me, as a
person
, you know?"

I sense hurt beneath her resentment and bravado. "What more do you know about the agreement between the senator and Ms. Bain?" I press.

"Nothing more than what I said. His behavior changed after their
arrangement
. He sat with her, touched her, held her hand," she says acidly.

"Do you know what role Joseph Cordi may have played in the senator’s new arrangement?"

"No, but his secretary, Carmen Bonacci, would. Everyone knows she and Mr. Cordi have a thing, and nothing happens at the club that she doesn't know about."

I studiously avoid letting on that the name holds significance. "Ms. Perkins, I think that's all the questions we have for today. When will you be back in town?" I ask.

"I get back next Thursday."

"Would you be prepared to testify in Senator Wade’s trial?"

"I would," she says without hesitation.

"Should we decide to call on you, you'll be sent a subpoena advising you of the court date. You’ll also be required to attend a witness conference during which Ms. Maddox and I will revisit your testimony and prepare you for court. We'll be in touch on your return." I rise to my feet.

"We appreciate your time today and the fact that you’ve agreed to help, Ms. Perkins." I extend my hand, making sure to extricate it quickly this time.

"Ms. Maddox will see you out. I'm due in another meeting," I say, looking to Jodi, who nods.

She joins me in my office shortly after. "You didn’t have a meeting, did you?" she challenges humorously.

"What do you think?" I ask, ignoring her dig.

"Shouldn’t I be asking
you
that?"

"I meant of her as a
witness
." I glare at her obvious amusement. "And you were no help in there; don't think that I didn't see or hear you snickering."

"It was funny."

"Not for me," I retort, reluctantly smiling. "But getting back on track, how do you feel about her as a witness?"

"Well, what she says definitely proves that Wade can't claim ignorance about Liaison being a brothel."

"Exactly. Her animosity toward Angelique Bain could pose a problem, but I think we can coach her not to get carried away."

"I agree. I understand her feeling slighted, and I
almost
felt sorry for the woman. Her predatory behavior toward you quickly dispelled that, though." She stifles a giggle.

"I’ll get my revenge on you, you know," I threaten lightheartedly.

"Sure, Thorne," she says with something between a snort and a giggle.

"She revealed two more potential sources; Carmen Bonacci and John Clarke," I say returning to matters at hand. "I found a deed to an apartment in Carmen’s name among Joseph’s files. Now that we know she was also his secretary, I want to find out more. If what Natasha alleges is true, then we could potentially have someone close enough to know his secrets, and unlike his wife, she won’t be able to claim spousal privilege."

"What about John Clarke?" Jodi asks.

"Let’s interview him and see."

"I'll get onto it," she assures me. "I have news on Maria Riviera."

"You found something?" I ask eagerly.

"Two girls on the sex worker list fit Maria’s general age and description. Here, look," she says, placing a sheet of paper in front of me. Jodi’s right; Miranda Flume and Lucia Fluss, the names she’d highlighted, are potential matches.

"Have we traced them?"

"Not yet. Jon’s working on it."

"Keep me posted. This is good work, though. Thanks, Jodi."

.

.

That night, when I check my mail, I find a letter from my insurance company. I can’t resist a satisfied smile when reading that Angelique Bain’s insurers have agreed to pay for the damages done to my car."