Page 41 of Trusting Laurence
“Right behind you, sir,” Finn replied.
The two men made their way out of the building, heading for the bakery where Larry had met Tahlia. A waitress came over to take their order as soon as they were seated. When she’d left, Larry turned to Finn.
“What do you reckon, son? Do we place a call to the District Attorney? You think the intel will be worth it?”
Finn considered his answer before speaking. “I’m not sure he’s got anything important that’ll break this thing wide open. If anything, he’ll just be more confirmation that we’re on the right track. But yeah, I think whatever he can give us would be worth the call.”
He nodded his agreement and reached into his pocket for his phone. While he waited for Preston to answer, he remembered he wanted to follow up with Jim about another visit with Marcus.
“Finn, do me a favor. Put a call through to the warden. Find out when we can get in to see Forrester again.”
He heard the call connect and then heard, “James.”
“Preston, it’s Larry. Got time for a meeting? I have a couple of things I need to discuss with you. It’s pretty urgent.”
“Hey, Larry. Give me a sec.”
He heard the rustling of papers and muted voices before Preston came back on the phone. “Yeah, I can shuffle a couple things and meet you in about an hour and a half. Will that work?”
“Perfect. Appreciate it. I’ll meet you at Giorgio’s Bakery in an hour and a half then.”
“See you there.”
His phone call over, he waited patiently for Finn to finish talking to Jim. He sat staring out the window, contemplating the arrangements that needed to be made with the District Attorney. He wasn’t sure how happy his friend was going to be now that there were two people standing in line for witness protection.
He, however, was willing to do whatever it took to convince the man that they needed these two witnesses if they were ever going to solve this sex trafficking case. He and Finn had been working this case for more years than he was happy to own up to. Each time they thought they were getting close, the trail would run cold.
While he didn’t think Hector would have any intel that would help solve it, the more fingers pointing in the same direction, the stronger the case they could build against the cartel. The things they’d seen they could never unsee – the inhumane degradation of women whose only crime was being born beautiful. And all that for the depraved enjoyment of the entitled few.
One night, after a particularly disturbing raid, he and Finn had gone out and gotten roaring drunk. They’d sworn that night to do whatever it took, no matter what, to bring those responsible down.
For the first time in a very long time, Larry felt optimistic they’d be able to keep their promise, not only to themselves but to the women affected.
“What did Jim have to say?”
“He’s happy for us to come either this afternoon or tomorrow sometime. We just need to give him a heads up before we go. He says James is welcome to come along.”
“Great. He’ll be here in an hour and a half. We can finalize arrangements with him then. In the meantime, let’s get back to the office and get Hector squared away until we can sort him out.”
Back at headquarters, Larry headed for his office while Finn went off to get Hector back to the cells. As he entered the outer office, Mary-Beth jumped to her feet and frantically motioned him back into the hallway. Frowning, he followed her back out the door as she rushed past him.
“What’s up, Mary-Beth? What’s got you so unsettled?”
“Director Moran is in your office. He’s been there for approximately ten minutes. When I said you were out but I could call you back, he said it was okay. He was looking for some papers, and he’s sure he’ll find them without your help. I tried calling your cell, but I kept getting your voicemail,” she replied in a harsh whisper.
Suspicion welled in him. What on earth could the director possibly be looking for that he didn’t want Larry to know about?
“It’s okay. I’ll deal with it. Thanks, Mary-Beth.”
“Thank you, sir.” A relieved expression crossed her face.
Larry re-opened the door to the outer office and indicated for her to precede him. His secretary went to her desk as he proceeded to his office. His mouth tightened in irritation when he found his office door closed. Stepping closer, he pressed an ear to the wood. Not hearing any movement, he opened the door and stepped inside.
He found the director seated in a visitor’s chair opposite his desk, reading through a case file. Larry couldn’t see which one. The man turned to look at him.
“Larry, there you are. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“My apologies, Director. Did Mary-Beth forget to inform me about a meeting?”
