“In the meantime, we’ll continue to research what Petra’s discovered, make notes, make files, and if you want to help us, then you’re going to have to start to be that pissed off disillusioned cop ready to come over to the dark side.”
“I can do that, however, I’m going to have to talk to Sally first.She may be my sister, but we ride together, and I don’t want her hurt if I do this, and some of these guys decide to come after me.I won’t put her life in danger for anything.”
“We understand,” Petra said.“Here’s another thought.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not saying to use it as blackmail, but what if you start getting in with these guys, and all of a sudden they expect favors from you, because you’re a cop.Like the way Eddie was blackmailing Dawson.You know, for favors of getting him out of jail, or his charges reduced.I don’t believe it would be entrapment if they request you help grease the wheels on any charges they may be facing.I know you’re not that type of person, but in order to take these fuckers out, pardon my language, you might have to join them, not literally, in order to beat them.We all know that they think they are above the law.If you don’t think that, just think back to all the drugs that were passed around yesterday, and the mistreatment of some of the women there.”
Warren’s sullen expression took about thirty seconds to turn into a gigantic grin.“Ah, I understand, like you said, not blackmail, but maybe extortion.”His expression clouded over suddenly.
“What is it?”Paul asked in concern.
“I’m going to have to beef up my security system, so I can have sound along with video.”
“Do you trust me?”Paul asked as he withdrew his phone from his pocket.
“Yes, I do.”
Paul typed rapidly, and turned his phone so both Warren and Petra could see his message.“I’m sending this to both Kessler and Flynn.If they agree, because they already know that I want to use your bar as the drop off and pick up point, then they should send me several packages.They won’t answer.I’ll just get the equipment.When I get it, I’ll contact you, and we can work overnight to make your bar secure.If they don’t agree with this plan, then I will get nothing, along with no explanations.I’ll give it a couple of weeks, no more than a month, then if nothing comes, we go to plan B.”
“What about Sally’s diner?”
Paul nodded as he typed, and sent the second message.He only received a thumbs up, stating that the two recipients of his messages received them.He showed that to Warren.“Now we wait, but in the meantime, Petra will explore what she found, and I have a couple of questions for you.While you were reading, I was digging.”
“What did you find?”
“What do you know about a man named Terry Hoag?”
Warren reared back like he had been slapped, and looked at Paul in confusion.“The judge?”
“Yes.”
“Shit,” Warren said as he scrubbed his face.“This is just my take on things, I don’t know if everything I’m about to say is true, some of it is rumor, some of it I’ve seen with my own eyes.”
“Talk to me,” Paul said, sitting behind his desk and picking up a pen.
“First, when he first took the bench, in less than a month, he received the moniker of being the hanging judge.No one, and I mean no one that came before him got off Scott free.He issued heavy bails, and even heavier jail times.He hardly ever granted bail.”
“What happened?”Petra asked as she settled on the corner of the desk.She looked at Paul with a smirk.“You need more chairs in here.”
“I know.”He grinned as he tapped the side of his head.“I made a note of it.”
“Contact the local fire department.Sometimes they have extra chairs they will sell for a donation to the department.They might be the metal folding ones, but they should do in a pinch.”
“Thanks, I’ll look into it.”
“I will,” Petra said firmly.“The chief comes into the restaurant almost every day.”
“Good, then you can handle it.”They shared a laugh, and Warren shook his head at them.
“Back to Judge Hoag.You said he used to have the moniker of the hanging judge, what happened?”
“Shortly before Eddie started getting his wrist slapped in court, it was rumored that Hoag had a heart attack.I didn’t believe it.”
“Why not?”
“He was only in his early forties.”He shook his head and held up his hand.“I know, I know, you can have a heart attack at any age.However, I’ve been out to lunch, and dinner with the guy before.He worked out at the gym every day, he ran five miles a day, never drank alcohol, didn’t smoke, and ate healthy.He was a walking advertisement of what to do right.”
