The Cartel Lawyer by Dave Daren (popular books to read .TXT) 📗

advice… maybe you should think about what kind of cases you want to pursue.”

“Sure,” I responded.

“I hope you have a good night,” the man told me with a wry smile.

I waited until the cop had gotten into his cruiser and driven away before I started my car with shaking hands. I didn’t know if he’d been sent by the judge or Everson, but it seemed more likely that the old magistrate had seen me in his court and realized that I had started to investigate him.

Judge Travis Williams had shown his hand by sending a cop to harass me. He had something to hide, and as I pulled out onto the road, I wondered if the judge had been up to more than just accepting bribes. He wouldn’t want his finances to be under too much scrutiny, but sending a cop made me sure that there was more to the corrupt magistrate than I’d originally thought.

I would need to search through the judge’s case history again, into the adult cases that came across his bench, and the connections he’d made at that country club. I had struck a nerve with the fat man, and it was crystal clear that he wanted me to back off. I sighed as I realized that I had yet another person threatening my life, and both of them wanted very different things from me.

And then my thoughts drifted to the beautiful reporter that I’d been about to call. There was no way I could put her in the middle of such a dangerous situation.

Our romantic night would just have to wait until I’d exposed the corrupt judge and freed Camilo.

Chapter 16

I drove the exact speed limit on the way back to my apartment so that I didn’t draw any more unwanted attention from the police. I sighed when I parked in front of my building and didn’t see the familiar black car of Osvaldo’s goons. The one time I wanted the gun-toting men around, and they were nowhere to be seen.

There were a few people out and about as I climbed out of my car. A young woman in a flowy summer dress strolled toward her apartment with bags of groceries in her hands. An older man that I recognized from my building was walking his ancient terrier. The little creature’s legs pumped hard as it hurried after its human, but it kept getting distracted by the trees that were planted along the sidewalk.

The evening had cooled a bit since the sun had set, and even the humidity seemed to have taken a break as a salty breeze drifted down the street. There were no stars visible in the sky, too many street lights, but the lit windows from the other apartment buildings lent a different romantic atmosphere to the night.

I stood in the peaceful moment as I breathed in and out, and my heart finally slowed back to a normal rhythm. When I didn’t feel as if there were other policemen in the shadows ready to jump out and arrest me, I started to walk toward the door to my building.

“Hey, there,” the older man said as he shuffled toward me. “You live here, right?”

He had on brown slacks and matching loafers, a white, short-sleeved button-up with black palm trees, and he had swept his short silver hair back in an effort to cover the large bald spot in the middle of his head. His shoulders were hunched in from age and hard work, but there were still muscles underneath his pale wrinkly skin.

“Yes, sir,” I said with a small smile. “My name’s Rob.”

“I thought I recognized you,” the man said with a grin while he tried to tug his dog backwards as it sniffed my leg. “Sorry about Betty. She’s just a curious little thing. My name’s Elmer.”

“It’s nice to officially meet you,” I responded as I shook the hand he held out to me.

His grip was stronger than I expected for his age, and I gave him another once over to see if he had any of the taletell tattoos that would mark him as a dock worker or military man. He had a black splotch on the top of his right forearm that looked vaguely like it could be the Marine Corps insignia.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Rob,” the old marine said with a nod of his head as I held open the door for him. “You always seem like you’re in a hurry. Seen you go on some late night runs. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a lawyer, sir,” I said while we strolled across the lobby toward the elevator.

“A lawyer?” the older man asked as he stepped into the elevator.

He tried to tug Betty onto the elevator after him, but the dog seemed hesitant at first. The doors started to shut, and both me and the small dog darted inside together.

“What kind?” Elmer asked when we were all inside the box.

“I’m a defense lawyer, sir,” I told him as I pressed the button for my floor.

“Ah,” the ex-Marine said as he nodded his head in understanding. “That explains why you’re coming and going at all hours. Well, you have a good night. And be safe. There’s been some dubious-looking men around the area lately.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir,” I said as I stepped out onto my floor.

My shoulders were tense again as I unlocked the door to my apartment. At least one neighbor had noticed Osvaldo’s goons hanging around, and if they started to call the cops, then I would have to deal with my employer’s anger at their intervention and whatever officers the judge sent to my home. I needed to wrap this up, and soon, if I didn’t want more personal visits from Alvaro or corrupt policemen.

I double-checked that the locks on my doors