“And why is that?”
He didn’t answer me right away. Because of that, my patience was shot. I spun on him fast, backing him against his desk. I stopped short of throwing a punch, but given I was a few inches taller, the intimidation factor worked to my benefit.
“Jesus. What the fuck is going on with you? You’ve never been this way. It’s one case. You’ve ruled on hundreds, dozens just as horrible as the one with Jacob Jones.”
“It wasmycase. There was no tampering of evidence and you fucking know it. There are two attorneys and their assistants potentially in danger, twelve jurors whose lives are in peril. Now, from what I understand, they were all given a warning that Jones had been freed. Only from what it seems, a couple days after and not before. Thank God, the jurors’ and the witness’ names and contact information have been kept confidential. Or have they?” I stopped talking and calmed my fucking rage. If it went any further, I’d cross the line with a man I thought I could trust above reproach.
He closed his eyes, his entire body tense.
“You know it’s funny how my phone number and email have been the same for years, yet I wasn’t afforded the same courtesy,Dan. Plus, there’s a witness still alive and trying to enjoy her life without fearing a madman stalking her and her little girl. Thefact that Jones is out of prison, and the case likely not going to be retried is infuriating and unacceptable. I don’t know about you, but when I took an oath, it was to uphold the law. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Once again, I was almost out the door. “Worthington is in bed with Delgado.”
The news did surprise me. Of all the people I’d worked with over the years, I’d thought for certain James Worthington was one of the good guys. I guess at this point nothing should surprise me any longer. “How deep?”
“Deep enough to consider him someone you don’t want to piss off. I don’t ask questions any longer and you shouldn’t either. Just know this case is going nowhere.”
“He threatened you.”
“Oh, hell, no. James Worthington wouldn’t dare get his hands dirty. He’s damn good at hiding his tracks. Trust me, I’ve tried to find evidence on him but no longer. It’s not worth it. I prefer breathing to fighting a losing battle.”
“What did Delgado do to you, Dan? Or was it that you were encouraged to back away?” I had to know the truth. I tipped my head over my shoulder. I could tell he was embarrassed.
Even his hands were shaking.
“Goddamn it, Hudson. I thought we were friends.”
It was painfully apparent whatever Worthington was involved with was worth killing over.
“Talk, Dan, or I’ll have you up for review with the Florida bar and you know I won’t hesitate.”
“Fuck you, Hudson,” he snarled. Five seconds passed. “Delgado threatened my family. He had pictures and knew everything about their schedules. Even worse, I think someone spent time in my house. There was nothing missing but you know that feeling when sense your space had been invaded? There was a strange odor after we came back from a couple days at the beach. Nothing too distinct and my wife was certain something had gone bad in the refrigerator.”
I turned to face him after hearing the haunted tone in his voice.
“I noticed a few things like a book was turned upside down in the bookcase in my office. A piece of paper on the floor when I know I didn’t leave it there. A photograph had been moved. I could tell because of the dust.” He laughed, the sound even more strangled than before. “I didn’t tell my wife because I was supposed to dust the cabinet before we left. Anyway, I didn’t tell her about anything. Then the pictures turned up on my computer, including where we stayed at the beach. The last straw was the smell. It kept getting worse.”
Without him telling me, I already knew what he’d found, but I allowed him to tell the story.
“Thank God my wife was out getting groceries or we wouldn’t be living in the same house. There was a rat in the pantry in a box. And no, it wasn’t just any rat as in we had a rodent problem. It had been beheaded.”
He stopped talking and since I knew him fairly well, I was surprised to see how rattled he was. However, threats from organized crime were nothing to be taken lightly. And I did believe him. With Delgado being suspected in several horrific acts of violence, including against the mayor and her family, the man had every reason to be afraid.
There was nowhere else to go at this point. If the attorney general was corrupt then the case was dead and buried, never to be resurfaced again. And I had my doubts even with a witness that Jacob Jones would ever face another day behind bars.
That’s because Valentina would never make it inside a courtroom alive.
I did little more than glare at him. He wasn’t finished yet. What the hell was going on with the system we were all supposed to trust? Corruption at its highest level.
“There’s more,” he finally admitted.
“How much more shit could there be?”
He almost laughed as if any of this was funny in the least. “You were right. The list was leaked.”
I cocked my head, studying him as if he were on the stand fighting for his freedom. “What the fuck?” The words were little more than a growl.
“I swear to God, I don’t know how it happened but?—”
