Justice Lost (Darren Street #3)(24)

“What the hell was that?” he yelled. “I mean, I know Roby’s crazy, but he just aimed a pistol at my forehead! You ought to arrest him.”

“Calm down,” Corker said. “That man is my uncle and a big part of your paycheck every month, and you know it. He is not getting arrested, unless you want to go back up there and try it yourself. But if you do that, you and I both know you won’t come back. Besides, what would be your explanation for being out here at this warehouse in the middle of nowhere while cockfighting, dogfighting, and bare-knuckle fighting is going on—not to mention a shitload of illegal gambling? You’re working undercover? You’re looking for evidence in a case? Roby isn’t one to be trifled with. He takes things to heart. And doesn’t cotton to people coming onto his property and telling him what to do.”

“I politely asked him to give us some privacy.”

“Forget about it, all right? Water under the bridge. Just keep taking your money and let Roby be. So what did you want to talk about? What’s the problem with this Darren Street?”

“He says he’s going to run against me in the election. I don’t know if he’s bluffing. He hasn’t picked up any qualifying papers, but he told four TBI agents who went to question him about a suspected kidnapping and murder that he was going to run against me.”

Corker chuckled. “Be damned,” he said. “If he does it, he’s got some set of balls on him.”

“It isn’t funny,” Morris said. “Street is smart and he’s determined, and he’s been a darling in the press because of all the bad shit that’s happened to him. He’ll get thousands of votes on sympathy alone.”

“Hasn’t anybody made any progress on any of those murders he’s supposedly committed last year?”

“None. Nobody’s even looking into them anymore. From what I’ve been able to find out, the files are closed. They’re cold cases.”

“And the latest? You said he told four TBI agents who went to question him about a possible kidnapping and murder that he was going to run against you. Is this kidnapping and murder a new case?”

“Yeah. The doctor who was supposed to be taking care of Street’s girlfriend and baby when they died has gone missing.”

“What do you mean, ‘supposed to be’ taking care of them?”

“He was on call, but he was drunk at a bar, trying to pick up a woman. Street’s girlfriend had a rare medical condition. If the doctor had been there and been sober, he could have handled it, and she and the baby would have been fine. But he didn’t show up until it was too late, and even when he did show up, he was drunk.”

“Sounds like a case you should use to make yourself look like a white knight,” Corker said. “Prosecute the doctor. What could you make? Reckless homicide? Criminally negligent homicide?”

“Can’t do it,” Morris said.

“Why the hell not?”

“Two reasons. First off, the doctor is a friend. We go way back. Besides, it’s a civil matter, not a criminal case. All Street has to do is sue him. I told him as much.”

“He came to see you about it?”

“Yeah. He came to the office. I turned him down. He pretty much threatened me. But that’s not the worst of it. The doctor has pulled a Ben Clancy. He’s disappeared into thin air. Vanished. No sign of him anywhere.”

“Street?” Corker said.

“It’s his modus operandi.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a problem, Counselor. So what do you want from me? What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to give you a heads-up on Street, first of all. If he runs, he needs to be stopped. We’ve got too much at stake if he somehow manages to win.”

“That ain’t the way I see it,” Corker said.

Morris’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing really changes for me if you lose,” Corker said. “The worst thing I see happening is that there’s one less finger in the pie.”

“And what if I decide to go to the feds and tell them about your operation?”

“Then I’m afraid you and your wife and your children and your momma and daddy can expect a visit from Roby and some of his friends.”

“Not even Roby would murder a district attorney general.”

“I wouldn’t count on that. If Roby gets wind that you’re thinking of going to the feds, God knows what he’d do. Roby hates the federal government. His favorite nighttime reading is The Turner Diaries. Do you know The Turner Diaries?”

“Vaguely. Some fictional account of a radical who thinks the government wants to take his guns and his religion so he decides to blow up some federal buildings.”

“That book has inspired a lot of radical white folks, Mr. DA, and Roby is one of them. I wouldn’t mess with him if I were you, and I damned sure wouldn’t go threatening to rat anybody out to the feds if you lose the election.”

“So this is how it’s going to go, then?” Morris said. “You’re going to leave me hanging out on my own, fighting my own fight?”

“If I’m getting what you’re saying, you’re asking me to talk to my political base, maybe raise you some money, get some organizing done, that kind of thing. Maybe even come out publicly and endorse you. Is that what I’m hearing?”