Page 45 of Scooter's Endgame
Over his shoulder, I see Jeff step forward to push Tex but, quick as a flash, Beckett grabs and twists Jeff’s arm behind his back. “You really don’t want to do that, asshat.” Then he leans forward, whispering something in Jeff’s ear.
I have no idea what he says to the man, but he nods, and Beckett releases Jeff’s arm slowly. Yanking it clear, Jeff turns and stalks away.
“You all right, darlin’?” Tex asks.
More shaken than I’m willing to admit, I simply nod. Beckett, now on my other side, rubs a hand gently up and down my back. “I think it would be a good idea to report the incident to Lindsay. He’s probably convinced you’ll be too intimidated to do that. Don’t give him satisfaction. Rat his bullying ass out and let him face the consequences of his actions.” Again, I just nod.
I can feel his eyes on me, but don’t turn to look at him. I keep walking and hope I don’t cry in public. Swallowing hard, I bite the inside of my lip in an effort to distract myself. We arrive at our seats, and as I take mine, Tex smiles down at me. “He’s going down today. Have no fear, little one.”
Looking up him, it’s hard to miss his determination and conviction.
22
TEX
The judge raps her gavel on the bench. “Court is now in session. Ms. Seymour, are you ready to proceed?”
“Yes, Your Honor, I am.” Kathleen’s attorney gets to her feet, shuffles some papers on the table before her, then gives me an encouraging smile.
“Very well. You may do so.”
“Thank you, Your Honor. I’d like to call Mr. John Keegan to the stand.”
From my vantage point, I see Gonzo’s body go stiff. He’d definitely not been expecting that, and I experience a childish sense of glee at his obvious discomfort at the turn of events. He knows who I am, and my reputation as a “fixer” is a poorly kept secret. Thank God mymethodsare not widely known.
I have every intention of making sure this asshole is never given custody of the son he doesn’t want, just so he can get at Kathleen. But it would certainly hurt her case if it came out that sometimes my means of gathering intel can be, shall we say, less than legally acceptable.
As quickly as I’m able to, I make my way to the stand and wait patiently beside it to be sworn in. Once the bailiff’s done the deed, I take a seat and give Ms. Seymour a nod to let her know I’m ready.
“Good afternoon, sir. Could you please state your full name and occupation for the record?”
“John Keegan, Forensic Cyber Investigator.”
“Thank you, Mr. Keegan. And tell me, what did you do before you branched into this line of work?”
“I was a Navy SEAL before this. After I was medically discharged, I needed something to keep myself occupied with, and I’m good with a computer, so it seemed like a natural transition.”
“I see. How do you know the defendant, Ms. Pierce?”
“I’ve never met Ms. Pierce, but have known about her for years through Mr. Grimes, since they were a couple. And I knowhimbecause we served in the military together.”
“And what was your relationship like with Mr. Grimes?”
“Cordial. Even though we were assigned to different teams, you have to be able to work together since you may be required to work together on a mission.”
“Now, Mr. Keegan, getting to the reason we’re all here, can you please share with the court what you found during your investigation.”
“Yes, ma’am. Ms. Pierce’s employer is also an ex-colleague of mine. When she was served with the notice for this court case, he reached out on her behalf to ask me if I could assist in any way. I agreed to take her case. During the course of my investigation, I discovered numerous facts about Mr. Grimes that have direct bearing on this case.”
“And what did you uncover?”
“Shall I start with what I found out about his career and then move on to personal facts I uncovered?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Relating to his career, I discovered that Mr. Grimes had been dishonorably discharged from the military due to his gambling addiction. His commanding officer learned that he owed a well-known local loan shark a large amount of money and had been doing jobs for him, using skills developed through his work, as a means of reducing some of his debt.
“Concerning his private life, I uncovered that Mr. Grimes has actually been living a double life. While he was with Ms. Pierce, he was also in a relationship with one Josephine Bach. He and Ms. Bach are still together, and she is pregnant with their first child.
