The Advocate (The Advocate Series) (34 page)

“They already have,” JP responded. “I spoke with Nelson earlier. He said they arrested him a couple of days ago. He’s the same guy who abducted Elizabeth, Murdock’s wife. He’s the goon with the tattoo, ‘Mama tried,’ on his arm. They need to give him another tattoo on the other side that says, ‘and failed.’” Everyone chuckled. “By the way, they charged him with Elizabeth’s murder and the murder of the police officer who investigated her case. Now they can add another murder rap.”

“Steve Parker, the police officer he killed, was Joe’s best friend.” Sabre jumped up. “Joe! I need to call Joe. Will you two excuse me for a moment?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Bob said, reaching for his cigarettes. “I’m going out for some fresh air.”

Sabre looked at him and raised her eyebrow. “You mean contaminate the fresh air, don’t you?” Bob smiled and left.

“I’m going to talk to Nelson for a minute. I’ll be right outside,” JP said.

Sabre dialed the phone.

“Joe Carriage.”

“Two-syllable Joe. How are you?” she asked, teasing about his accent.

“Sabre, are you okay? Where are you?”

“I’m fine. I’m at the precinct with Detective Nelson. They rescued us yesterday morning. I’m sorry; I should’ve called you sooner.”

“It’s okay. Nelson called to let me know they found you, but not before I saw it on television. It’s big news here because of the Murdock family,” he said, his voice smiling. “How’s Alexis?”

“She’s safe and sound.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I am, although I’ll feel better once they catch Murdock. Say, I understand things have picked up for you as well.”

“Yes, they arrested Bill Davis a few days ago. But Sabre, there’s something else you need to know. It’s about your brother. Murdock knew him.”

“I know, Joe. Murdock told me all about it,” she said. “Look, I need to get back in. Let’s talk tomorrow after you’ve read the police report, and we can fill in the missing blanks for each other.”

“Sounds good.” He paused. “Sabre, I’m so glad you’re safe.”

35

The next morning Sabre woke up in JP’s house for the second time, still adjusting to the strange room. She missed her bed, her personal things, and her familiar surroundings. JP had been kind enough to go pick up some of her belongings, but she still didn’t have everything she needed. He had brought her red notebook for her, though, and that pleased her. It had been some time since she’d been able to write in it or read it. She picked it up and held it in her hand for a second. It seemed so small. She thought back to when Ron gave it to her for her sixth birthday; it seemed to have so many pages then.

She read through the list, beginning with
Marry Victor Spanoli
right through to her last entry,
Peace Corps
. She wondered if Victor had married and if he had children. She wondered if he even remembered her. She realized she probably wouldn’t remember much about him if it weren’t for the reminder in her notebook every day.

Sabre had another entry to make. When she had been out in the woods, walking for miles up and down the mountains, she’d wished she had stayed in better shape. She vowed to become more physically fit if she ever made it out. She needed a goal to keep her motivated, something tangible to drive her. She smiled. She knew what she wanted to do, something she had thought about before but had never taken too seriously. She loved to run. She picked up her pen and wrote,
Run a Marathon
.

Sabre spent the day trying to keep busy. She returned some phone calls and e-mails, and worked on some files Bob had brought her from her office. She hated using JP’s dining room table for her desk. Although he didn’t seem to mind, she still felt in the way. Imposing on others made her uncomfortable, and she missed having her own space. She felt guilty for being ungrateful for all the help he had given her. She wanted to go to court, go for a run in the park, or just sit in her own house and do nothing, unsure how long she could take being a prisoner, no matter how comfortable the surroundings. She couldn’t continue to let Bob do her caseload, either. She had made up her mind. “JP, I’m going to court tomorrow.” He laughed. “What’s so funny?”

“Bob said you wouldn’t last more than a day. Are you sure I can’t talk you out of it?”

“Nope, I can’t do this. I’ll be in the loony bin by the end of the week.”

“Okay, but here’s the deal. I’ll drive you to court. You’ll be safe while you’re there. The bailiffs will keep an eye on you. After your hearings are completed, I’ll pick you up and bring you back here. You’re not going to your office or your home. Understood?” He sounded like a drill sergeant.

“Yes, sir!” She saluted him and clicked her heels together. “Whatever you say, sir!” She laughed. The idea of returning to the real world made her giddy.

“What say we order a pizza and watch a video, something nice and easy, like a good comedy?”

“Sounds good; I’m hungry. You call and order the pizza. I’ll pick out the movie.” She looked through his collection of movies. She had no trouble picking one out. “Here we go,” she said, as she put
When Harry Met Sally
in the machine. “I love this movie.”

“Me, too.” JP smiled.

About twenty minutes into the movie, someone knocked on the door. “That was quick,” JP said, as he stood up to answer the door, expecting to see the pizza delivery person. Nevertheless, he looked through the peephole before he opened the door.

“Nelson,” he said in surprise, “what are you doing here?” The detective didn’t respond. JP opened the door and stepped back, making room for him to enter. “Come on in. You can join us for some pizza. It should be here any minute now.”

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry,” Nelson responded, trying to be pleasant, but he had an edge in his voice. “Hi, Sabre.”

“Hi Gregory, what brings you here?” She perked up and added, “Did they find Murdock?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” Nelson said. He sat down in front of Sabre and put his hand on top of hers. She knew something was wrong, but was afraid to imagine what it might be. Her stomach felt queasy. She heard the detective speak, but the words didn’t register. “Listen, Sabre, I’m sorry, but there’s a fire. Your condo is burning.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“How bad is it?” JP interjected.

“It’s still burning. They’re doing everything they can to extinguish it, but right now it’s out of control.”

Sabre looked at him, shaking her head from side to side. “My house is burning?”

He nodded.

“No,” she said, “this can’t be happening. How . . . What happened?”

“We don’t know yet. One of the condos next to yours is burning now, too, but it started inside yours.”

“Oh my God, there’s a baby next door and an old couple on the other side. Is anyone hurt?”

“No, they’re fine. A police officer detected the fire while patrolling the area. Consequently, the neighbors evacuated. Everyone is okay.”

The pizza man knocked on the door. Nelson sat up, turning toward the door like a lion ready to pounce on its prey. JP checked the door, then opened it. He paid him, took the pizza, and set it on the table. No one felt much like eating.

Sabre didn’t cry, partly because it hadn’t all sunk in, and partly because she wouldn’t allow herself the luxury in front of people. “Do you think Murdock did it?”

“We don’t know. We don’t know yet what caused it. It could’ve been some electrical thing or something. As soon as the fire is contained, they’ll be looking for the cause. We’ll know more then.”

“Objection, non-responsive,” she said, as if in the courtroom. “I didn’t ask you what you know; I asked you for your opinion. Do you think it was Murdock?”

“If it’s arson, he’s our prime suspect.”

Sabre stood up. “I’m really exhausted. If you two don’t mind, I’m going to go to bed.”

“Go ahead. Goodnight,” they both said.

She walked toward the bedroom, stopped after a few steps, and turned. “Oh, JP, I think I’ll pass on court tomorrow. I haven’t a thing to wear.”

Sabre lay down on the bed, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what had just happened. She realized all her personal belongings were probably destroyed; every treasure, every memory, and every photo of Ron, all gone. She started to cry – a deep, loud wail. She couldn’t keep it inside any longer.
Everything is gone! I have nothing of Ron left. That’s what he wants. He can’t hurt Ron any more, but he can still hurt me.
When she remembered her notebook, she reached for it, clenched it in her hand, and tucked it under the covers. She pulled it to her heart and held it tightly with both hands. Her wailing turned to sobs. Eventually, she fell asleep with the notebook secure in her arms.

36

Bob walked into Sabre’s office after court to gather up some of her files, once again amazed at her organizational skills. Everything Sabre had asked him to pick up was exactly where she said it would be. He noticed, however, something missing in the room. “Elaine,” he called to the receptionist, “did you do something with the photo of Sabre’s brother?”

“No,” she answered, as she walked down the hallway to the room. “It should be sitting on the credenza where it always is.”

“Hmm . . . well, it’s not here. Do you know if Sabre did something with it?”

“No, I don’t think so. In fact, I remember seeing it on Tuesday when I put some things on her desk.”

“Maybe she took it with her when she left for her mother’s house for some reason. I’ll check with her. I’m going over there right now.”

Sabre welcomed her buddy and his antics about the daily courtroom drama. A pro tem had yelled at one of the new social workers and had her in tears. Bob said, “She made a bonehead call, but he didn’t have to embarrass her. Granted, she was a rookie and didn’t know much, but he could’ve cut her some slack. Since he didn’t know anything either, he decided to take it out on someone who knew even less.”

“Gee, I miss all the fun stuff,” Sabre said jokingly.

She tried to keep a smile on her face, but it slipped away on more than one occasion during their conversation.

“Sobs, I’m so sorry about your house. You know you’re welcome to stay with us if you’d like.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine. JP said I can stay here as long as I want, but I’ll be out looking for an apartment once they catch Murdock. I just need to regroup. I’m okay, really,” she said, trying to convince herself as much as Bob.

Bob didn’t want to bring up the photo, but if it was missing, then Murdock had probably been in her office and he had to let the police know. “Sobs, did you do something with your brother’s photo in your office?”

“No, why? What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s not on the credenza where it usually is.”

“Where is it?”

“I don’t know. I looked around the office, but I couldn’t find it. I thought maybe you had taken it with you when you left on Wednesday.”

“No, I didn’t. Did you ask Elaine?”

“Yes, the last time she noticed it was on Tuesday.”

Sabre fell back in her chair. “It’s like he’s trying to take everything from me. At least anything connected to Ron. He said we were just alike, that we destroy families.”

“Don’t be silly, Sobs. You can’t take anything he said seriously. He’s a madman.”

JP chimed in, “Bob’s right, Sabre. That’s ridiculous.”

“No, guys, that’s not it. It’s what he said afterward. He said, ‘You destroy families. Well, I’ll destroy his, all of it.’ Don’t you see? He’s not talking about just
me
? When he said I would die, he meant more than just me. He said, ‘you and yours.’ My mother,” Sabre shouted. She ran to the phone. “I need to get my mother out of her house!”

“Sabre, what are you talking about? What are you thinking?” JP demanded.

“He knows my mother,” she said, as she dialed the phone. It rang once, twice, three times, but no one answered. She let it ring. “She’s not answering. I can’t be too late. I just can’t.”

“Sabre, why do you think he knows your mother?”

“Why didn’t I realize it before? I’m so stupid!” She banged the phone down.

Bob grabbed her by the shoulders. “What are you talking about?”

“Murdock said my mother still made Ron’s favorite pie for the holidays. How would he know? He couldn’t hear that from Ron.” Sabre grabbed her coat and her car keys and headed for the door.

“One second, young lady,” JP said. “I’m driving. Just point the way.” The three of them jumped into JP’s car. The tires squealed as he pulled out of the driveway. JP zipped in and out of traffic like a video game. “Bob, call Nelson and let him know we’re going to get Sabre’s mother. Tell him we’re going to bring her back to stay with us for a while. And tell him why.”

“Sure thing,” Bob said. He tried to dial the number, but every time he tried to push a button, JP would take a sudden turn. “How the hell am I supposed to dial with you flopping me all over the place? Can’t you go straight for just one minute?”