Page 36 of Stolen By the Hit Man
“Thought that church had money to afford a whole team of lawyers.”
She shrugs. “That’s not my concern. My concern is that my client is missing, and I need you to find him.”
I point in the general direction of the jail, situated at the back of the law enforcement building. “I don’t know if you know this, but your client is in jail awaiting trial. The one sane judge in this town declared him a flight risk.”
Audrey cocks her head. “I don’t know where you’ve been, but there was a mob scene at the county jail. Some protesters created a diversion, while others used a homemade battering ram to break into the building. They took him away.”
I lean forward. “What do you mean? Took him where?”
She shrugs. “Who knows? That’s why I need you to find him before some of our citizens do something foolish and end up charged with murder.”
I think about this for a moment, silently fantasizing about the most notorious criminal that Darling Creek has ever seen since the Wild West days. Not going to lie, it’s pretty satisfying to think about some good-old-fashioned street justice when it comes to a guy like that. This kind of revenge is what I’ve built my life on after all.
Audrey taps her desk with her forefinger. “I know what you’re thinking. I can see it all over your face. And you need to get that thought right out of your head. We are about due process in Darling Creek. End of story.”
“Call Jefferson. He’s a bounty hunter. He’s the one you want.”
“This isn’t a parole skip,” she reminds me. “This is a rescue effort.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
“I’ve heard you’re good at tracking people down,” she says with a smirk.
“You’ve heard that, huh?”
She’s not wrong, not totally. I wag my finger at her. “You’re getting kinda nosy, Audrey.”
“I know you’re friends with Jefferson. He and his friends have inside knowledge about the effort to dismantle that church. You might easily be able to find out where Moffatt ended up.”
“You think Jefferson took him?”
“I don’t know,” she says. “Maybe the Wylie Gang knows something. I know you and Jefferson are tight, and he’s tight with that group. For all I know, you already know where Moffatt is.”
“If I did know where he was, he’d be dead.”
The unflappable public defender blinks. “Is that a confession? Because I’m kinda full up on clients at the moment.”
“Audrey, you really ought to let this one play out. Free yourself from getting mixed up with that church. Better yet, go private.Become a corporate litigator. You’re scary as hell. You’d be great at it. Retire early. Buy vacation property in Turks and Caicos…”
She crosses her arms, waiting me out.
I stand up and head toward the door.
“You’ll get paid as a contractor for the court. Honest money.”
I look back. “I’m retired. And if I let myself get involved with these people, someone’s gonna wind up dead. Better if I don’t.”
“That’s unfortunate. Will you at least keep your eyes and ears open? And if you know of anyone — anyone who might have information and likes money? Please send them to me."
I nod. And then a name pops into my head. Nelly. I know she knows a ton of shit she’s not telling me. And she does like money. “I might know someone.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jasmyn
Finally, a kitten.
A tiny gray ball of fur is waiting at the back door as soon as we arrive back at the crappy home office.
