The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark

CHAPTER 50

Johnny couldn’t remember when an alleged perpetrator had left him speechless, or when a cop had done so, for that matter. But the sound of Nadia’s name rolling off the cop’s tongue left him in a momentary state of shock. He sat dumbfounded for ten seconds, staring at Clark’s grin before he realized the truth. His appetite vanished immediately. It was replaced by a sense of utter hopelessness and despair. He wanted so desperately to be wrong, but he was certain he was right.

“Tell me about the pending charges,” Johnny said.

Clark cleared his throat. “They say I tampered with evidence.”

Johnny cringed. It was the answer he was hoping not to hear. The only question left was how they’d put the squeeze on Clark.

“Are you in debt to someone, Richie?” Johnny said.

Johnny’s deduction wiped the smile from Clark’s face.

“Let me guess. You borrowed money.”

Clark remained silent.

“What was it? Gambling?” Johnny studied him. He looked like a former athlete, probably a high school star, maybe even college. “Sports gambling.”

The cop took a sharp breath through his nose.

Johnny nodded. “You bet on games, it got away from you. Who put the squeeze on you? What did he look like?”

Clark frowned slightly, suggesting Johnny should have known better than to even ask the question.

“It’s simple,” Johnny said. “You answer my questions, I’m going to represent you. If you don’t, I’m walking out of here and whatever leverage you think you have over me you can go ahead and use it. I honestly don’t care.”

Johnny wasn’t sure himself if he was bluffing or not, but he was so angry at the turn of events that he was certain he’d delivered his threat with conviction. They sat staring at each other for a bit longer.

Clark looked both ways, cleared his throat, and leaned in. “There were two of them. In their twenties. Russian.”

“Did they tell you to call me? Were they the ones who gave you the magic word?”

“Yeah.”

“What was the evidence they told you to get rid of?”

“Five ounces of heroin.”

“Where was this heroin found?”

“Under a Lincoln Town Car.”

Of course that’s where it was found. Johnny had paid the James brothers to plant it there to put Nadia’s nemesis away. To put him away for good.

“The owner of the Town Car,” Johnny said. “The man who was charged with intent to sell…”

“They dropped the charges.”

“When?”

“Three days ago.”

Johnny ran outside to call Nadia, unable to shake the sensation that he was too late.

Once again he’d tried to help her. Once again he’d come up short. As the call went through he couldn’t help but think that in the real world, good intentions didn’t pay the rent. In the courtroom, he was formidable. But with this man, even when he thought he was in control, it was a delusion.

With this man, he was perpetually out of his depth.