Ties That Bind

Chapter Nineteen.

As soon as Amanda returned to her office after talking to Oscar Baron, she looked up Ally Bennett's address in the police reports. Forty minutes later, she and Kate Ross were at the door of a garden apartment in Beaverton.

Amanda was curious to see what a high-class call girl looked like, and she was a little disappointed. Ally's black hair was cut short, framing a face that was pretty, but not striking. With the proper makeup and clothing, she would probably look sexy, but today, without makeup, wearing sweat socks, jeans, and a T-shirt, she had the tired look of a co-ed who was cramming for exams.

"I'm Amanda Jaffe," she said, holding out a business card, which Ally looked at but did not take.

"So?"

"I'm an attorney. This is my investigator, Kate Ross. I've been appointed by the court to represent Jon Dupre. We'd like to talk to you about him."

Amanda hesitated for a moment, hoping for a response. When she didn't get one, she forged on.

"He's facing a possible death sentence, Miss Bennett. Kate and I want to save his life, but we need information to do that. Right now I don't know very much about him. That's why we're here."

Ally opened the door and ushered Amanda and Kate into a small, spotless front room. The floor was partially covered by a throw rug. Framed Monet and Van Gogh prints decorated the walls. The furniture was inexpensive but in good taste. Ally dropped into a chair and folded her arms across her breasts; her body language told Amanda that Bennett didn't trust her.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ally asked.

"The DA has charged Jon with killing Wendell Hayes, a lawyer who was appointed to represent Jon before I was, and U.S. Senator Harold Travis. We're interested in anything you can tell us about Jon or these two men that will help us defend him."

"I don't know anything about Hayes, but I can tell you about Travis," Ally said angrily. "The papers are making him sound like a choirboy but he was scum."

"Why do you say that?"

Ally's eyes misted. "He murdered Lori."

All good trial lawyers develop an ability to keep their emotions hidden when the unexpected happens, so Amanda managed to conceal her surprise.

"Are you talking about Lori Andrews?" Kate asked. "The woman who was found in Washington Park?"

Ally nodded.

"The police think Jon killed Lori Andrews to keep her from testifying at his trial," Kate said, keeping her voice level.

"The day Lori disappeared, Travis asked for her specifically. He had one of Pedro Aragon's men take her someplace so he could meet her later."

"How do you know that?" Kate asked.

"I was there. Travis had a fund-raiser for a bunch of high rollers at this big house in the country. He arranged for Jon to bring me, Lori, and some other girls to entertain these special guests after the regular guests had left."

"You're talking about sex?" Amanda said.

"What do you think?" Ally asked with a roll of her eyes.

"What happened with Travis and Lori?"

"Me and the other three girls were at the party most of the evening. We were told who our dates would be, but we circulated most of the night so no one would catch on about the real party that would take place after the straight guests left. As soon as we were the only ones left, Jon drove up with Lori, and Travis told one of Aragon's men to take her away." Ally paused. When she spoke again there was a catch in her voice. "Lori was scared to death. I tried to get Jon to stop it but . . ."

Ally shook her head.

"Why would Pedro Aragon be getting women for Senator Travis?"

Ally shrugged. "All I know is that Travis dated Lori before. The first time he beat her bad. One of Aragon's men drove her to emergency. He told her if she called the cops he would kill her and her daughter, Stacey."

"If Travis beat her, why did Lori see him again?" Amanda asked.

Ally looked sick.

"She didn't know what Jon had done until she got to the fund-raiser. Then it was too late."

"Why did Jon put Lori in that position?"

"He needed the money. Ever since he got busted, he's had trouble running his business. I'm guessing that Travis paid Jon a lot for the evening."

"Wasn't it dangerous for the senator to deal with a pimp who was under indictment?" Kate asked. "What if it got in the newspapers?"

"Lori worked for Jon, and Travis had this thing for her. She was small and she looked young. Travis made her pretend she was a bad little girl. Then he would punish her." Bennett's eyes welled up with tears. "And I'm sure it never entered his mind that he could get in trouble. He was going to be president. He probably thought he could get away with anything."

Bennett paused and her features hardened. "A little rough stuff was something we've all put up with, but what he did . . . I picked up Lori at the hospital after he got through with her that first time. You should have seen her."

Bennett shivered.

"I don't suppose she considered going to the police," Kate said.

"She wouldn't tell anyone but me what happened. She was afraid of Aragon but she was just as afraid that Children's Services would take Stacey away from her if she admitted what she did, which is what happened anyway. Besides, who would have believed her? Lori was a whore and Travis was a big shot."

"Do you like Jon?" Kate asked.

The question surprised Bennett. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"If you testify for Jon, the prosecutor can ask you about anything that would give you a motive to lie for him," Kate explained.

Ally thought about the question. Then she straightened up and clasped her hands in her lap, her shoulders folding in from tension.

"It doesn't matter whether I like Jon. I owe him."

"Why?"

"My mother died a few years ago and my father . . . He needed a woman," she said bitterly. "I was the closest one. I got out of there as fast as I could and I ran as far as I could and ended up living in an apartment in the same building as Lori. I was barely making it when she introduced me to Jon." She shrugged. "It was easy money and I'm good," she added forcefully. "But Jon saw that I was smart, too. No one ever saw that in me before. He showed me how to run the phones, then he showed me how to handle the accounting."

Ally looked down at her lap. When she looked up, Amanda saw strength in her that had not come through before.

"Jon trusts me and he made me believe in myself. I've even started taking some courses at Portland Community College to get my GED. Jon encouraged that."

"Are you and Jon lovers?"

"Lovers?" Ally laughed. "We've screwed, but our thing is different. Jon fucks the other girls and he parties with them, but I'm the only one he trusts. I'm the woman he sends when someone important wants one of his girls. And no one else knows anything about the business. When the cops tried to frighten me into turning on Jon I told them to get fucked. So, no, we're not lovers, but Jon means something to me."

"Ally, I've got a problem and you can help me solve it. Jon may trust you, but he doesn't trust me. When I met him at the jail he walked out on me. You need to know that I am the only lawyer in Oregon who will take his case, which means that I'm the only lawyer in Oregon who can keep Jon off of death row. I need you to talk to him, to tell him to cooperate with me. Will you do that?"

"I'll talk to Jon. He'll see you."