Minnie’s hesitation already had Amanda assuming that. “As I said, you are safe to talk to us. This person’s name?”
“He has been a client of Ms. Sharp’s since not long after she opened her doors. He was her first multimillion-dollar client.”
Amanda wasn’t going to push her on the name again so soon out of fear it would shut her down. “Did something happen with this client?”
“Uh-huh. All because Ms. Sharp decided with the move to DC she was heading in a different direction. She wants to shift focus to fraud and financial cases.”
“They’re still criminal offenses,” Trent filled in.
“Yes, but different from this specific client’s needs. She fired them as her client, refunded their retainer, and gave them a referral. Other clients were fine with it, but…” Minnie drained the rest of the water from the glass.
“Their name?” Trent asked.
“Lucas Hernandez.”
No wonder Minnie hesitated to provide his name. Hernandez was a big-time drug dealer, who continually got away with his crimes. The PWCPD staged a sting that cost three officers their lives. Some of his men went away for that, while Hernandez remained untouchable. Even federal law enforcement had failed to get charges to stick against him. Was all that the work of Dominique Sharp? If so, it made it harder to think about protecting a woman who slept soundly after defending a cop killer. “How did Lucas Hernandez react to Ms. Sharp dissolving their professional relationship?” She could only imagine not well at all. Hernandez was used to being the one calling the shots.
“I overheard him talking with Ms. Sharp the day she handed him a check to reimburse his retainer. It was late atnight, but I was here working on paperwork for a case. I had just locked up and was leaving when I saw Ms. Sharp in the parking lot with Hernandez and two of his goons. They didn’t see me, I don’t think, but I saw and heard them.”
Amanda’s heart was picking up speed. Hernandez had people who did his dirty work. What was to say one of them wasn’t a woman who liked to shoot people and wrap them in tarps?
Minnie continued. “The guy had a gun on her. At least I’m fairly sure he did.”
Amanda noted the subtle distinction in gender.The guy…She followed a hunch. “Were they both men?”
Minnie shook her head. “One was a woman.”
Excitement laced through Amanda. Was this woman who they were after? “When was this?”
“Last Monday. I heard Lucas say he wasn’t going to go away silently. He ordered Ms. Sharp to remain his lawyer, but she refused.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine Dominique standing bold in the face of life-threatening danger. They had seen that performance already.
“He spoke to her in this most chilling voice. I’ve had nightmares about it since. He told Ms. Sharp that she could work for him or end up dead in her bed.” Minnie’s chin quivered, having made it through what Amanda imagined was the worst of the story.
Dead in her bed…That struck just a little too close. The victim might have been Christine Lane, but she was killed in Dominique Sharp’s bedroom. Amanda would like to know why Dominique hadn’t mentioned a word about this altercation. Had she not viewed it as a threat? They never did mention Christine was found under her bed, but still… “What happened after that?”
“He ripped up the check and took off with his people,” Minnie added.
“And what did Dominique do?” Trent asked.
“She got into her Cadillac and left.”
“And what did you do?” Amanda wanted to make sure they didn’t miss any small tidbit.
“I went over and picked up what he’d ripped up. That’s how I know it was the check.”
“Thank you for telling us all of this.” While this was a promising lead, Amanda wasn’t eager about where it was taking them.
“If he finds out I told you this, he’s going to…” Minnie blanched, her face becoming a mask of horror.
“There’s no reason he ever needs to find out.” She and Trent would talk to Lucas Hernandez, but there would be no mention of Minnie.
“Thank you.” Minnie sniffled and bobbed her head toward the door. “May I leave now?”
“You can, and thank you for being brave and sharing this with us.” Amanda gave her card to Minnie and told her to call anytime if she thought of something else or was concerned about her safety. “Could you shut the door behind you?”
When Minnie was gone, both Amanda and Trent swiveled to face each other.
