Wild Justice (21 page)

57 Amanda was working on a discovery motion when the intercom buzzed. Mary Ann Jager is on line one, the receptionist said. Amanda recognized the name of the attorney who had purchased the farm. This is Amanda Jaffe. How can I help you? I, uh, I m not sure if I m calling the right person. Jager sounded nervous. You represent Justine Castle, right? Yes. Is Robert Vasquez working for you? Yes. He, uh, he visited my office recently and wanted to know about some property. It s the place where all those people were murdered. I read that Castle was charged with the murders and that you re her lawyer. I can t get in touch with him, so I decided to call you. About what? There was someone else who came around asking about the property. Mr. Vasquez showed me a picture but it wasn t him. He, uh, he said there was some money in it if I could tell him who it was. Are you still interested? Yes. I never told anyone but Mr. Vasquez about this man, not even the cops, so you ll be the only one who knows. Who was it? Vasquez said that he would pay me for that information. How much did he say he d give you? Why don t you come to my office with three hundred dollars? I m just a few blocks away. Amanda knocked on Frank s doorjamb. Got a second? she asked when Frank looked up from his work. Sure. What s up? I just visited Mary Ann Jager, the attorney who bought the farm where the bodies in the Castle case were found. When Bobby Vasquez interviewed her, she told him that someone else had asked about the property shortly before he did. Bobby showed her an old picture of Cardoni, but she couldn t identify him. Last night she saw the man on the evening news in a story about Justine s case. When she couldn t get in touch with Vasquez, she called me. So who is it? Cardoni. I thought you said The picture Vasquez showed her was taken before he had plastic surgery. Frank s brow furrowed. That makes no sense. Why would Cardoni expose himself to Jager if he already owned the farm? He wouldn t. You re saying . . . ? There are some loose ends in Cardoni s case that always bothered me. For instance, who made the first anonymous call to Vasquez? Martin Breach. Justine. Frank shrugged. It could have been anyone Cardoni pissed off. It couldn t have been Breach, Amanda said. Why would he want Cardoni in police custody, where he could cut a deal to testify against him? Breach would be more likely to put out a contract on him. You re probably right, Frank answered thoughtfully. And the caller couldn t have been Justine. Why? She didn t know about the mountain cabin. Cardoni bought that in secret. The police were never able to prove that Cardoni owned the cabin. What if he didn t? What if Justine did? You think Justine is responsible for the murders in Milton County? That s what Cardoni always claimed. Frank drew into himself for a moment. Then he shook his head. It doesn t work. Even if Justine knew about the cabin, how did she know about Martin Breach? The caller said that Cardoni bought his cocaine from Breach. In any event, you shouldn t be trying to prove Justine Castle is a murderer. First off, that s a job for the police. Then there s the little fact that Dr. Castle is our client. Even if you had the proof you needed, most of it, like the information you just learned from Jager, is privileged either as an attorney-client confidence or work product. Besides, you re sniffing up a false trail. I don t have any doubts that Cardoni is guilty. How can you be so certain? You remember the coffee mug with Cardoni s prints that the police found in the cabin in Milton County? Amanda nodded. The fact that Cardoni s fingerprints were found on the mug was never made public. It wasn t? No. The police always hold something back to weed out false confessions. I became suspicious when a coffee mug was found at the farmhouse with Justine s prints on it. The public didn t know about the coffee mug, but Cardoni did. How do you know? I told him his prints had been found on the mug when I was representing him. Only someone who knew about the coffee mug from the Milton County case would go to the trouble of stealing Justine s mug from the hospital and planting it at the farmhouse. If it was planted. What if Justine brought the mug with her and drank coffee while she worked? Frank s smug look disappeared. That s a chilling thought. It dawned on Amanda that another of Frank s conclusions could be wrong as well. He had said that Justine could not have made the anonymous call to Vasquez, because the caller knew about Martin Breach and Justine did not. But Justine would know a great deal about Breach if she was Clifford Grant s partner in the black market organ scheme. Amanda was about to explain this to her father when the intercom buzzed and the receptionist announced that Sean McCarthy was in the waiting room and needed to talk to Amanda. Frank told her to show McCarthy to his office. The detective looked paler than usual and he moved slowly. Good afternoon, Frank, Miss Jaffe, the detective said. Good afternoon, Sean, Frank answered. You look like you can use some coffee. Can I get you some? I d appreciate it. I haven t been to bed and I m running on fumes. Frank buzzed his secretary and asked her to bring a cup of coffee for McCarthy while the detective settled into a chair. So, what brings you here? Frank asked. Bobby Vasquez. McCarthy looked at Amanda. A trucker found him in a rest area on the interstate. He s at the county hospital. Amanda paled. What happened? Frank asked. He was knocked unconscious. The blow to the head was pretty severe. His condition is serious. Amanda felt dead inside. Did Cardoni . . . Was he the one who . . . ? We think so, McCarthy answered. We went to his hotel room to talk to him. He wasn t there, but we found a map in his trash with the rest area circled and a journal excerpt that s similar to the accounts in the journal we found at the farmhouse. We also found your business card in Vasquez s wallet. I thought you might be able to tell me what Bobby was doing in the rest area. Amanda was about to tell McCarthy that Vasquez was working as Justine s bodyguard, but she stopped herself. Why was Vasquez in the rest area when he was supposed to be guarding Justine? Had Justine sent Vasquez to kill Cardoni? Amanda had no proof that Justine had done anything wrong, and she remembered what Frank had said about her duty to her client. Mr. Vasquez was working with me on Dr. Castle s case, but I don t know why he was at the rest area, Amanda told the detective. Will Bobby be okay? When I left the hospital, the doctors didn t know. Amanda felt terrible. Are you going to arrest Cardoni? Frank asked. We re looking for him. Until we find him, you two should keep your eyes open. We have no reason to believe that Cardoni will go after you, but we re concerned for the safety of anyone connected to him. Amanda normally dealt with stress by exercising, but she did not have the energy for a workout. Going home was out of the question, because she could not handle being alone. She hesitated a moment, then picked up the phone and called Tony Fiori at the hospital. How are you feeling? she asked. Like Sly Stallone at the end of Rocky. Should you be working? Hey, if Sly could go fifteen rounds with the champ and not quit, I can t let a couple of cracked ribs stop me. What s up? Bobby Vasquez was working with me on the case. Now he s in the hospital. The police think that Cardoni did it. Oh, shit. How bad is he? I don t know, but I feel awful. Do you need someone to talk to? Yeah, Tony, I do. I get off in an hour. Why don t you drive to my place? I ll meet you there. That would be great. See you in a few hours. Tony gave Amanda directions to the house he d purchased when he moved back to Portland. It was in the country, south of the city, several miles east of the interstate on two acres of secluded woodland. Amanda found the curving country lane that led to it. As soon as she got out of her car Tony put his arms around her. They held each other for a moment, then Tony pulled back so he could see Amanda s face. You okay? he asked. Amanda nodded somberly. Better now. Thanks. Rain started to fall, and they hurried inside a modern log cabin with a huge stone fireplace and a high, peaked roof crossed by massive raw beams. No walls separated a large living room from a modern kitchen. On either side of a short hall were an office, a bathroom and the stairs to the basement. A wide stairway led to a sleeping loft that overlooked the first floor. Logs were stacked in the fireplace, and there was a pile of old newspaper in a wicker basket next to the hearth. Tony used the paper to start a blaze. Amanda listened to the patter of the rain on the roof and the crackle of the flames. The heat from the fire soon took the chill from the room. Can I fix you a drink? he asked when the fire was going. You look like it might help. I don t want a drink. She sounded dragged out. Tell me what happened. Bobby Vasquez asked me if he could work on Justine s case. My father didn t trust him, but I did, so I argued with Dad until he gave in and let me hire Bobby. Amanda sounded like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. When Justine was released from jail I got Vasquez a job as her bodyguard. Now he s badly hurt and I . . . I don t know, it feels like my fault somehow. Tony sat beside Amanda and took her in his arms. It s not, you know. Vasquez is an adult. You just told me that he wanted to work on the case. Amanda pressed against him, feeling safe and comforted. I know you re right. It just doesn t make me feel any better. What if he dies? Tony stroked Amanda s hair and kissed her forehead. It was the right thing to do. Amanda wanted to forget Cardoni, Justine Castle and the terrible thing that had happened to Bobby Vasquez. She tilted her face up and their lips met. Whatever happens to him, it won t be your fault, he whispered. That was the right thing to say. Amanda grabbed Tony and kissed him hard. He kissed back just as passionately as they sank onto the white shag rug in front of the fireplace. Tony winced. Amanda drew back, alarmed. She had forgotten Tony s injuries. Did I hurt you? A little, he answered with a laugh. Can you do this gently? Amanda placed a hand on Tony s chest. Lie back. Tony lowered himself onto the rug as Amanda stripped off her clothes. Tony reached out and played with her nipples while she tried to undo the buttons on his shirt. The touch of his fingers made it hard to concentrate, and she fumbled a few times. Then she gave up altogether. Tony pulled her to his side. He stroked her thigh with a feathery touch, working his way upward until he slipped his fingers inside her. Amanda closed her eyes and lost herself in Tony s touch. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once, and each stroke made her quiver or flex. Amanda s senses were soon jumbled. Her breath came in gasps, and her body moved involuntarily. When she came the first time she squeezed Tony s fingers tight to keep them in her, straining for more. After a while her legs relaxed and Tony slipped his hand out. She opened her eyes. It took a few seconds to focus. He was watching her, still fully clothed. Her breathing was ragged. Tony smiled. You ve got strong legs. He shook his fingers slowly. These might be broken. I m not sure I can finish unbuttoning my shirt. Amanda flushed. Think maybe you can do the job this time? he asked. Amanda nodded, still too wasted to speak. Tony lay down beside her and she started undressing him. As she worked he played with her body. By the time they were both naked, she had no idea where she was. Amanda lay in Tony s arms. She could feel the heat from the fire on her back. The rain beat a tattoo on the roof. Maybe it would be a good idea if you stayed here for a while, Tony said. I don t like the idea of you being alone with Cardoni on the loose. I don t think he ll go after me. Why would he? Why did he go after any of the people he killed? Cardoni doesn t think logically. Amanda remembered the way Cardoni had stared at her at the release hearing. She also remembered McCarthy s warning. Hey, it s not like going to prison, Tony said. I make much better meals than they serve in the joint. Amanda smiled. Okay, I m sold. Speaking of food, I m starving. There s a shower upstairs and a warm-up suit in the closet that you can slip on. While you re showering I ll whip up some dinner. It occurred to Amanda that she had not eaten for hours. Tony grabbed his jeans and shirt and limped toward the downstairs bathroom to wash up. Amanda picked up her crumpled clothes from the floor and climbed the stairs to the loft. A king-size bed sat beneath high windows. Amanda straightened her clothes as best she could and folded them over a chair. A blue warm-up suit was hanging in Tony s closet. Amanda turned on the light in the bathroom. Tony had a large shower stall with multiple shower heads, and a Jacuzzi. Amanda set down the suit on the tiled counter next to the sink and turned on the shower. She watched the rain spatter on the skylight for a moment before stepping into the shower stall. It was chilly in the bathroom, and the cascade of hot water felt wonderful. Amanda closed her eyes, tilted her head back and let it run over her, trying to lose herself in the pulsating spray. But she couldn t. The Castle case kept intruding on her thoughts. For all intents and purposes, her involvement in Justine s case was over. Justine was out of jail and the charges against her would soon be dismissed. She should feel triumphant, but she didn t. And the case wasn t really over. Cardoni was somewhere in the night, and Bobby Vasquez, his latest victim, was suffering in a hospital while Justine Castle lived in fear. The ending was unsatisfactory, not at all like a work of fiction where all the loose ends were tied up with a well-constructed knot.

58 In the morning Tony left for St. Francis and Amanda returned to her apartment to dress for work and pack some clothes to take to Tony s at the end of the day. Amanda called the county hospital, only to find that the doctors weren t letting Vasquez have visitors. Then she tried Justine to find out why Vasquez was following Cardoni instead of guarding her. She got the machine and left a message asking Justine to call. Tony phoned Amanda shortly before noon and told her to come by at nine. By the time she pulled into Tony s driveway, she was ravenous. The aroma of simmering tomatoes, herbs and spices assaulted Amanda as soon as she walked through the front door. Tony was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt spotted with tomato sauce. Let me at the food, I m starving, Amanda said, slipping an arm around his waist. You re going to have to show maturity and self-control. I just beat you home. Do you have any tree bark I can chew on? No, Tony replied with a laugh, but there s a loaf of olive bread sitting on the counter next to a great bottle of Chianti. If you want white, there s a bottle of Orvieto chilling in the fridge. Now, give me your bag. Tony took Amanda s valise from her and carried it up to the loft. Amanda shucked her coat and wandered across the living room to the kitchen. A cast-iron pot filled with tomato sauce was bubbling on the stove next to a larger pot of boiling water. A fire crackled in the hearth. Amanda poured a glass of Chianti, cut a slice of bread and wandered over to the couch. She remembered curling up with Tony after dinner on their first date, four years ago. That had been a great evening, an evening she had replayed in her mind many times. What are you daydreaming about? Tony asked as he came down the stairs from the loft. How nice it is to be with you. Tony smiled warmly. Me too. A timer bell went off in the kitchen. He groaned. Duty calls. Ten minutes later the pasta was ready. When they were through with dinner, Amanda carried the dishes into the kitchen. Then they settled down in front of the fire. Tell me about Justine Castle, Amanda asked abruptly. Tony looked surprised. What do you want to know? What s she like? I don t know, really. I see her at the hospital, but we aren t intimate anymore, if that s what you re worried about. I m not jealous. I just want to get a handle on her. And you haven t while you ve been representing her? She s very controlled most of the time. And she lies, or at least she withholds information. What was she like when you were close to her? You want to know what she was like when we were lovers? Tony sounded uncomfortable. Amanda nodded, flushing slightly because she was embarrassed to pry and worried that Tony would think that she was jealous. I was only with Justine a few times. The sex was okay, but sometimes I wasn t sure if she knew I was there. And she was tough to talk to if we weren t talking shop. She s a brilliant surgeon, but she didn t seem to have any interests outside medicine. I don t know what else to say. Do you think that Justine is capable of murder? Tony paused and gave the question some thought. I guess anyone is under the right circumstances, he answered finally. I m talking about something else. I m talking about . . . Cardoni always claimed that Justine was framing him, that she killed the people at the cabin. Tony shook his head. I just can t see her as a serial killer. Amanda wanted to tell Tony about the way Justine s first two husbands had died, but her duty to her client sealed her lips. What makes you think that Cardoni isn t responsible for the killings? Tony asked. I can t tell you very much. A lot of what I know is confidential. Have you thought of a way to prove your suspicions? Vasquez compiled a list of other serial murders with possible similar MOs. I can see if Justine lived in any of these places when the murders were committed. I m not a lawyer, but don t you have a duty to Justine? She s your client. Should you be investigating her? No, I shouldn t. Amanda sighed. It s just that I feel responsible for what happened to Vasquez and that I should do something. Tony yawned. Well, I know what to do, he said. We should get to bed. I m beat and I ve got to get up at the crack of dawn. Let me help you clean up. Not necessary. Why don t you use the bathroom while I load the dishwasher? It ll only take me a minute. Amanda walked over to Tony. He took her in his arms, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. It s nice being here. He kissed her forehead. It s nice having you. Tony patted her on the butt. Now let me clean up before I fall asleep. Amanda gave him a quick kiss and went upstairs to the loft. She heard the disposal run as she started to enter the bathroom. It stopped. She opened her valise and took out her makeup case. She was headed for the bathroom when her cell phone rang. It was in her purse, and it took a moment to find it. Hello? Amanda? Justine? Amanda heard heavy breathing on the other end. You have to come to my house, now. We have to talk. It s about Vincent. It s . . . it s urgent. Justine was speaking in gasps. She sounded very upset. What do you Please come right away. Justine, I can t The phone went dead. Downstairs the dishwasher started. Amanda leaned over the loft wall and yelled down to Tony. What is it? Justine just called me on my cell phone. Tony walked to the bottom of the stairs, a damp dishrag dangling from his hand. Amanda repeated the phone call as she descended. Should we call the police? she asked when she reached the bottom. What would you tell them? Wouldn t she have called the cops if she was in danger? She sounded so upset. Tony thought for a moment. Let s drive over. He walked to a drawer in the kitchen and took out a pistol. Amanda s eyes widened. Do you know how to use that? Oh, yeah, Tony said. The care and use of handguns is one of the things my father taught me. He was a gun nut. I never liked shooting, but now I m glad I know how. Justine s Dutch Colonial looked eerie and deserted. The limbs of the barren shade trees swayed in the chill night air like skeletal hands. There were no lights on in the downstairs rooms, but two of the upstairs dormer windows glowed pale yellow like cat s eyes. Justine should be expecting us. Why is it dark downstairs? I don t like this, Tony said as they climbed out of the car. He rang the doorbell as Amanda glanced nervously over her shoulder and to either side. When Justine did not answer after the second ring, Tony tried the door. It s locked. The curtains on the front windows were drawn, but Amanda pointed out a small gap between the sill and the bottom of the curtain. Tony slipped through a row of boxwood hedges and squatted so that he could see into the front room. Amanda started to say something, but Tony put his finger to his lips and hurried back to her. Go to the car and lock yourself in, he whispered urgently. Call nine-one-one. Justine is in there. She s tied to a chair. Is she Go now, he said, pushing her away from him. Ask for an ambulance. Go! Tony disappeared around the side of the house. Amanda ducked behind the car and called 911 on her cell phone. The dispatcher took the information and told her that help was on the way. As soon as she hung up Amanda reached for the door handle, but she stopped when she realized that Tony had the ignition key. If she locked herself in, she would be trapped with no way to escape if Cardoni came for her. Amanda hesitated for a moment, then followed the path that Tony had taken to the rear of Justine s house, crouching low and listening for any sound. Just as she reached the backyard Amanda heard a shot. She froze, terrified. A second, louder shot followed. Amanda edged along the side of the house until she was able to see through the windowpanes into a large, modern kitchen. Vincent Cardoni was sprawled against the wall next to the refrigerator. Tony stood over him, gun in hand. Amanda opened the door. There was a smell of gunpowder in the air. Tony swung the gun toward her, his eyes wide with panic. It s me, Amanda yelled, thrusting her arms toward him, hands out. Jesus! Tony lowered the gun. I told you to stay in the car. I called nine-one-one, but I didn t want to stay alone. I could have shot you. Amanda remembered the first shot. Are you okay? Tony nodded. What happened? He tried to kill me, Tony said, pointing to a head-high hole in the wall next to the back door. He was in the kitchen. He fired when I stepped through the door. Tony shook his head. He looked dazed. I shot him. Amanda flipped on the kitchen light and knelt beside Cardoni. There was a gun lying near his hand, and blood was spreading across his shirt. Cardoni s eyes were closed, and his head lolled to one side. He was alive, but just barely. Tony took a handkerchief out of his pocket and picked up the gun. Amanda looked at him quizzically. Cardoni s prints will be on the gun. I don t want the police thinking that I shot him in cold blood. Amanda suddenly remembered the reason they d driven to the house in the middle of the night. She took Tony s hand. It s okay. It was self-defense. Now we ve got to check on Justine. Amanda pushed through the door that led to the living room. As she groped for a light switch she could see a figure silhouetted against the shaded window, and she could smell the rustlike scent of blood. Amanda stopped searching for the light and crossed the room. When she drew closer, she saw that Justine s arms and legs were secured to a straight-back chair with thick strips of masking tape in a way that made the front of her naked body vulnerable to assault. Justine, Amanda whispered in a trembling voice. Justine s head was down and her chin rested on her chest. A lamp sat on an end table near the chair. As Amanda switched it on she noticed a blood-smeared hunting knife resting next to the base. Weak yellow light illuminated the room. Amanda s back was to Justine, and it took all her courage to turn around. A sob caught in Amanda s throat, and her stomach clenched. She wanted to turn away, but she d lost control of her body and could only stare with horror at what had once been a beautiful woman. Tony knelt beside Justine and checked for a pulse. Then he turned to Amanda with sad eyes and shook his head.