Page 95 of Devil and the Deep Blue Fish

“Or not?” Galen said, curiosity tinting his voice.

Ellery fought the temptation to bury his face in his hands. “Galen, you are averygood friend, and I will never regret making you my law partner, but you aremaking me dizzy.Can we stick to a subject—one subject? I’m starting not to care which one.”

Galen’s evil chuckle slowed the conversation down a little, and Ellery took a breath.

“Okay, then,” he said. “First things first. The teacher’s union is moving to a new office building closer to the state office of education. They told Jade so we could put a bid in for the property, which I have.”

“You have?” Ellery asked, his voice squeaking. “Galen, we are hardly in the black—”

“You worry too much,” Galen said breezily. “We’ve been making our nut since I joined the practice last year. It’s fine. So we have added offices now. We don’t just have the spare inthiscorner, but we have three smaller ones in the old teachers’ union. It’s a much smaller space, but do you see?”

“Two associates,” Ellery said slowly, “and what’s the third office for—”

“Our private detectives,” Galen said, as though Ellery was an idiot to miss it. “Think about it, okay?”

“They get their own office?” Ellery asked, surprised. He and Jackson had always worked quietly in the same space, which was something they’d done since they’d gotten together.

“Your boy,” Galen said patiently, “needs a place to change, a place to organize, and a place to hold all that weird paraphernalia he keeps showing Henry how to use. It’s shoved back behind the reception counter right now, but….” Galen’s voice shifted, and Ellery had a sudden sense that this man would bedevastatingin the courtroom. “You must admit that Jade deserves an entire space to herself, as well as an aide. If we put a connecting door in from your office to the last one in the hallway of the new space, you can work together, and he can have a place to store stuff and computers for Henry and AJ and anybody else he wants to employ to use.”

“And Arizona is a partner,” Ellery said, feeling a little numb from all this planning. “Gotcha.”

“Good,” Galen said. “Make it so.”

Ellery burst into hysterical laughter, because it was such agrandplan, when they’d all been cruising along just fine, and Galen jumped in and saved him from being overwhelmed.

“But before you call Arizona, tell me everything.” Suddenly he was laser focused. “I amdyingto hear about the case.”

Ellery told him everything, including what Jackson had guessed about and had relayed that morning about the former inhabitants of what Ellery now knew was called the At Risk Youth Prayer Group, which was the term on the paperwork that the parents had signed when they’d given Moms for Clean Living custody of their children.

“Is the paperwork legal?” Galen asked.

“Not in California law,” Ellery replied with grim satisfaction. “The paperwork promised schooling, and according to the child advocates who conducted the first interviews and placements, there were no regular classes. Withholding food as punishment as well as corporal punishment as a matter of written policy are both enough to get a place claiming to be a school shut down, not to mention the other offenses….”

His fading voice said it all.

“Of which I take it there were many?” Galen asked, sounding angry.

“There were,” Ellery told him, feeling that same anger in his gut. The more he took in the statements taken by the advocates, the more he knew where that terrible nightmare had come from, the one that had clawed Jackson apart.

Yes, the resulting wound may have cleansed some of the festering sickness from Jackson’s soul, but the wound itself was so huge. Ellery’s own hands shook thinking about it. He couldn’t imagine the strength it would take for somebody with Jackson’s past to walk around bleeding like that.

“So,” Galen said, his voice icy with control, “what are we doing about it?”

“Well, Mother and I are still scanning the paperwork,” Ellery said. “Mother is trying to assemble a brief on the fly to present to the state attorney general—she’s got more than enough for a full investigation and warrants. However….” Hesighed, knowing full well the limits of the system they were working within.

“That could take months,” Galen answered for him.

“Yes,” Ellery acknowledged. “And Jackson suspects the most damning evidence will have disappeared by then. In fact, Mother and I were discussing it, and I’m not sure if it will be there by the end of the day.”

“Where do you think it will be?”

Ellery explained the connection between the Moms for Clean Living, one very shady politician, and a Machiavellian ex-preacher man currently named Newton Dwayne.

“Sonora?” Galen asked, sounding puzzled. “I’ve heard of the place, but I’m afraid I haven’t lived in your fair state long enough to really know all its venues.”

Ellery snorted. “It’s… well, from what I understand, there’s a lot of trees, it’s ungodly hot in the summertime, and there’s a railroad museum and tour that can take you on a route that’s been seen in over one hundred television shows and movies.”

“Really?” For once Galen was neither dry nor sardonic. “How do you know this?”

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