Blood Defense

THIRTY-NINE

“So what are we going to do with the Jaylene angle?” Alex asked.

I wasn’t about to let Ockman shut down a viable straw man. “Do what you can to check out her alibi without getting caught.” No reason to risk life and limb if she was reading to blind orphans the night of the murders. I looked at my watch. “Oh jeez, I’ve got to move.” I picked up my purse and blazer. “I need to see how Dale’s doing.”

Michelle sighed and went back to her desk.

It took less time to drive downtown than it did to get through security. I was relieved to see that Dale was already looking better. And he said they’d had a guard posted by his bed all night.

“Did he stay awake?”

Dale smiled. “Mostly.”

After our visit, I went to the attorney room. I had to find out what I could do to beef up Dale’s security a little more.

When Tuck Rosenberg walked into the attorney room, his wide mouth spread into a smile. He was a Viking-size man, and he filled the little cubicle. The phone looked like a Barbie-doll toy in his hand. “How you doin’, Counselor?”

“I’m good. How’re they treating you?”

“I got no complaints. It’s good to be among friends.”

Meaning: he’d hooked up with some Aryan Brotherhood clique. Which I expected and hoped would come in handy right now. “I need to ask a favor.”

“You kidding? Anything you want, just name it.”

“I have a client who had some… trouble with someone here.” I gave him Dale’s name and told him about the stabbing.

“That the cop who’s in for murder?” I nodded. “Where is he?”

“In maximum. And this is what I know about the guy who set it up.” I told him about Ockman-according to Alex, real name Glen Ricker-and his visit to my office, then held up my cell phone and showed him a still shot I’d made from the video. “He talked like he had a big dope operation. It might be true; it might be bullshit. But he’s threatening to sic his dog on Dale again, and I need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Tuck stared at the photo for a few seconds, then nodded. “I don’t know the guy, but I can ask around. See if I can find out who he’s got in here.”

“In the meantime, do you have anyone in maximum?” Tuck had a short-term sentence. He was in the general population.

Tuck thought for a moment. “I think I do. Want someone to keep an eye on your man?”

“If you could.”

“Consider it done.”

“Thanks, Tuck. I owe you. And if you happen to run into the jerk who did the stabbing…” The chances of that were slimmer than my bank account, but you never can tell. Stranger things have happened.

Tuck smiled. “I’ll be sure to tell him you said hello.”

“That’ll work.”