Found Money - James Grippando [103]
It took all his strength, but Ryan said nothing. He just watched as Jackson led the way with Liz in tow. She took his arm as they passed through the swinging double doors in the back of the courtroom. Inertia kept the doors swinging back and forth several times before coming to a halt. On the third swing, he saw Brent and Jackson shaking hands in the hallway. Liz was there too, smiling. All three were smiling.
It was the Three Musketeers.
“I really don’t believe this,” he said softly.
47
The drive back to Norm’s house seemed to take forever. Ryan rode in the passenger seat, venting. Norm was behind the wheel, just listening. Ryan wasn’t criticizing his friend. He was more critical of the process.
“It’s totally bizarre,” said Ryan. “One minute Judge Novak is threatening to throw Jackson in jail, the next minute he’s throwing us out of court.”
“I see that kind of posturing in criminal court. Judges are always threatening to hold the prosecutors in contempt and throw the case out. It creates the illusion of fairness before they stick it to the defendant. Whenever I hear that nonsense, I know my client is in for a nice long all-expenses-paid trip to Club Fed. I guess the same holds true in Family Court—though at least you’re not in jail.”
“That’s the irony of it. Brent is the one who should be locked up. Instead, he and Jackson are buddies.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Brent put Jackson in the hospital. But somehow—probably through his FBI contacts—Jackson must have found out about the three-million-dollar bank account. Big money has a way of healing old wounds. They’ve clearly cut a deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
“Jackson probably gave him two choices. One, Brent could help Liz get her share of the money. Or two, Jackson could bring the FBI down on Brent’s head and make sure he spends the next three to six years in jail.”
“You think Brent told them about the two million in the attic?”
“It’s possible. Jackson was very careful with his questions. He didn’t get too specific about the amount of the money, where it was kept, whether it was cash or in some other form. When it comes to money, he knows he’s not helping his client by raising a red flag for the FBI or the IRS. He doesn’t want to kill the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg.”
“I can’t believe Liz would be part of this. She never even liked Brent.”
“He’s all she’s got. Look at it from her standpoint, Ryan. You never told her about the money. She had to hear it from her lawyer that your father had three million dollars in a foreign bank account. And she may not like Brent, but she may very well believe his story that you hired someone to beat up Jackson. To top it all off, your father gave her the combination to the lock. Don’t you think it’s natural she’d feel a little entitled?”
Ryan shook his head. “That combination just frosts me. I don’t understand what my father was trying to do.”
“What’s to understand? Your old man loved Liz. Honestly, I think he felt sorry for her going way back to when you went away to college and left her behind in Piedmont Springs.”
“Dad was the one who talked me into leaving her. I told you that story, didn’t I? My dad’s very sophisticated hot-wire analogy. Once you’re grounded, never grab another.”
“Maybe he felt guilty for giving you bad advice.”
“Or bad metaphors.”
“Whatever. The bottom line is he wanted you and Liz to stick together. So he told you where the money was, and he gave her the combination. He was forcing you two to work together.”
“Except he screwed up. He didn’t scramble the tumblers after he closed up the briefcase. It was still set to the combination when I found it. It opened right up.”
“So, his intent was clear. The execution could use some work.”
Ryan glanced out the window. “A lot of work. What do we do now?”
“This hearing is a lost cause, so I don’t want to submit an affidavit from you. Jackson was attacked while you were in Panama, so the only way to oppose Brent’s testimony is to account for every minute of every day while