Page 130 of The Advocate’s Ultimatum

“Educational enrollment?”

“No.”

Judge Hammouri closed the file. “So, I have a young woman with no stable identity history, no safe address, no support system, and counsel suggesting there may be others involved somewhere offstage.”

Vale accepted the hit. “Yes, Your Honor.”

She looked at Bay once more. “When people stay silent long enough, they begin to believe silence protects them. Often it protects someone else.”

Bay’s jaw tightened.

Hammouri made her ruling. “Continued custody. Department to evaluate other secure placement options immediately. Defense to receive all discoverable material forthwith. The matter is continued for two weeks.” She paused. “And if there is another vulnerable young woman connected to this case, I suggest everyone develop some urgency.”

The gavel went down, but Sabre never looked at the bench. She was watching Bay. The moment remand was ordered, the girl sighed with relief.

As deputies moved in, Bay turned slightly toward Sabre. Then the girl’s eyes flicked toward the courtroom doors with fear before she was led through the side door.

Sabre stayed seated a moment, then rose and stepped into the hallway. Vale came out several minutes later carrying his file.

“How’d I do?” he asked.

“Better than your facts,” Sabre said.

“That was the concern.”

They moved aside as another family passed.

“She relaxed when custody was continued,” Sabre said.

“You saw that too? She wanted to stay in.”

“No,” Sabre said. “She needed to. And when the judge mentioned another vulnerable young woman, Bay had almost looked panicked.”

“Do you want to talk to her again?”

“We need to.”

Chapter 49

Friday morning

JP started with the closest address to the laundromat. The tired fourplex sat on a narrow street lined with cars, trash cans, and small front yards that had given up on grass. The building had once been beige but had faded into something less committed. Two upstairs balconies faced the street. One held a bicycle with a flat tire. The other held three plastic chairs and no people.

A woman in a purple robe answered the manager’s door with a cigarette in one hand and suspicion in both eyes.

JP tipped his hat. “Mornin’. Sorry to bother you. I’m looking for someone who may have lived around here.”

“That so?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I don’t rent to trouble.”

“Good policy.” That softened her by half a degree.

He showed her Bay’s photo first. “Have you seen this young woman?”

The manager shook her head. “No.”