Fair Warning (Jack McEvoy #3)(46)

The tacos were excellent and I was finished with ninety minutes to go before the appointment with Orton.

As I was walking through the parking lot my phone buzzed. It was Rachel.

“Did you just get up?” I said.

“No, I’m at work, thank you,” she said.

“Well, I thought you’d call sooner. Did you see my note?”

“Yes, I saw it. I just wanted to get to work and start my day. Are you down in Orange County?”

“Yeah, I’m here. I talked to the detective who handled the Orton case.”

“What did he say?”

“Not much, but I think he wanted to talk. He asked for my card and that usually doesn’t happen. So we’ll see.”

“Now what?”

“I meet Orton at two. His corporate sponsor set it up.”

“I wish I was there. I could give you a good read on him.”

“Well, the other reporter is coming down. Three would be a crowd, and I’m not sure how I would explain who—”

“I was just saying, Jack. I know it’s not my story or case.”

“Oh, well, you could always give me a secondhand read tonight.”

“Mistral?”

“Or I could come over the hill to you.”

“No, I like Mistral. I’ll be there. After work.”

“Good. I’ll see you then.”

I got in my car and just sat there for a long moment thinking. Though the feelings and senses of the night before had been fogged by alcohol, they were nonetheless wonderful to me. I was with Rachel again and there was no better place in the world to be. But it was always hope and hurt. Hope and hurt. With her, there had never been one without the other, and I had to prepare myself for the same cycle again. I was riding on the high now but history and the laws of physics were clear. What goes up always comes down.

I put the address of the lab into my GPS app and drove by Orange Nano a few times before pulling over on MacArthur Boulevard and using the cell to look up and call the offices of Hervé Gaspar, the lawyer who had represented Jane Doe. I identified myself as a reporter who needed to talk to the attorney for a story that would be posted by the end of the day. Most lawyers wanted their names in the media. It was free advertising. As expected, I was transferred to his cell phone and could tell I had caught him in a restaurant, eating.

“This is Hervé Gaspar. What can I do for you?”

“My name’s Jack McEvoy. I’m a reporter for FairWarning up in L.A.”

“What the hell is a FairWarning?”

“Good question. It’s a consumer-protection news site. We watch out for the little guy.”

“Never heard of it.”

“That’s okay. There are many who have, especially the charlatans we expose on a regular basis.”

“What’s it got to do with me?”

I decided to jump over all the buildup.

“Mr. Gaspar, sounds like you’re eating so I’ll get to the point.”

“Taco María, ever been here?”

“Yeah, about twenty minutes ago.”

“Really?”

“Really. And now I have a two-o’clock interview with William Orton. If you were me, what would you ask him?”

There was a long silence before Gaspar responded.

“I would ask him how many lives he’s ruined. You know about Orton?”

“I know about the case involving your client.”

“How?”

“Sources. What can you tell me about it?”

“Nothing. It was settled and everybody signed NDAs.”

Nondisclosure agreements, the bane of a reporter’s life.

“I thought no lawsuit was filed,” I said.

“There wasn’t, because we reached a settlement.”

“And you can’t share the details of it.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Is there anyplace where this settlement would be recorded?”

“No.”

“Can you tell me your client’s name?”

“Not without her permission. But she can’t talk to you either.”

“I know that, but can you ask her?”

“I can but I know the answer will be no. You’ll be at this number?”

“Yes, it’s my cell. Look, I’m not looking to put her name out there publicly. It would just help me to know it. I’m interviewing Orton today. It makes it hard to go at him on this if I don’t even know the victim’s name.”

“I understand and I will ask her.”

“Thank you. Going back to my first question. You said you would ask how many lives he has ruined. You think there were more than just your client?”

“Put it this way, the case I handled was not an aberration. And that’s off the record. I can’t talk about the case or him at all.”

“Well, if we’re off the record, what did you think about the DNA report? Detective Ruiz said he was pretty shocked by that.”

“You talked to Ruiz, huh? Yeah, it was a big fucking shock.”

“How’d Orton get around it?”

“When you find out, let me know.”

“Did you try to find out?”