Irrevocable Trust (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller Book 6) (18 page)

Pulaski frowned and scanned the room.
“
Bricker? That name sounds familiar. Well, where is he? I guess we need to confer.
”

“
Mr. Bricker is currently a fugitive, Mr. Pulaski. Having escaped from a federal prison, he
’
s understandably keeping a low profile. He is, nonetheless, entitled to representation in a proceeding to terminate his parental rights. Accordingly, you will represent him.
”

Pulaski was shaking his head.
“
No way. Not that Bricker.
”

“
Yes, that Bricker. And yes, Mr. Pulaski, you will represent him.
”
The judge leaned forward and softened her tone.
“
Andrew, I
’
ve known you for a long time. You
’
ve created a persona that has made it difficult for litigants, lawyers, and the court. Now it
’
s time to pay the piper. Ms. McCandless has a will to probate. There are six children who need to get on with their lives. We aren
’
t all going to be held hostage by some escaped convict.
”

“
Will? Who
’
s dead? I have no idea what
’
s going on here. Someone
’
s going to have to fill me in.
”
Pulaski
’
s head swiveled from the judge to Sasha and Will then back to the judge.

Judge Perry-Brown puckered her mouth and surveyed the row of onlookers.

“
Ladies and gentlemen, sorry to disappoint you all but I don
’
t have anything on the calendar this morning. Judge Clark next door usually puts on a good show, though.
”

As the audience packed up their newspapers and tablets and started filing out of the courtroom, she turned back to the assembled lawyers.

“
Given the sensitive nature of the matter, we
’
ll do this in chambers. You
’
ll have to pardon the disarray; I
’
m in the middle of moving.
”

She left the bench and headed for the door to her private chambers. The clerk held it open and waited while Sasha, Will, and Pulaski gathered their belongings and followed suit.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

A shadow fell across the flattened cardboard box where Bricker sat, his legs outstretched and back against the cool brick wall, in the same pose as the other denizens of the alley that ran behind the courthouse.

He looked up.

The man
—
he
’
d given his name as Pat Brown, and Bricker neither knew nor cared if that were his real name
—
grinned down at him.

“
Thanks for saving my spot, friend.
”

“
Don
’
t mention it.
”
Bricker stood and dusted off the seat of his khakis.
“
Well?
”

Pat rolled his eyes skyward and thought for a moment.

“
Okay, the judge was already talking when I got there, so I missed the first part but he said that he, uh, couldn
’
t do anything with the will until Mr. Bricker
’
s rights were worked out.
”

“
You
’
re sure? He said Bricker?
”

“
Yeah, man. The second judge did, too.
”

“
Second judge?
”

“
I was getting to that. He said he was sending the lawyers over to this lady judge right away. I figured I should go, too. That was cool, right?
”

Pat looked worried, as if he might not get the promised twenty dollars because he
’
d used his independent judgment.

“
Yes, you did the right thing. Good thinking,
”
Bricker reassured him.

He hoped Pat hadn
’
t drawn too much attention to himself, but ultimately he was disposable if necessary.

The homeless man beamed at him.
“
Okay, good. So I went over to the other courtroom and there were already a bunch of geezers sitting there, so I sat with them. Two of the lawyers from the will judge
’
s courtroom came over
—
the little woman and one of the dudes. I don
’
t know where the other guy went.
”

Bricker did.

He
’
d seen the stranger from McCandless
’
office taking the wide courthouse steps two at a time about a half an hour earlier. The man had crossed the alley and continued along Grant Street into a glass office tower.

“
Don
’
t worry about him. What happened with the second judge?
”

Pat scratched his right ear.

“
Well they sat around for a bit waiting for this other lawyer to show up. Man, that guy was a piece of work. Name of, uh, Pulaski, Pulkowski, Pilarski
—
some Polish something or other. Anyhow, he must act like a real tough guy in court. The other two lawyers treated him like he stunk or something. Especially the chick. She wanted nothing to do with him. And the judge lit into him. She more or less said since he was such a scuzzball, she was appointing him to represent some scumbag client.
”

“
Oh?
”

“
Yeah. The Bricker guy broke out of prison and is on the run, but she needs to make a decision about terminating his rights before they can probate that will you
’
re interested in.
”

Pat
’
s eyes narrowed. Bricker could see the wheels turning. Time to wrap it up before Pat got too curious for his own good.

“
Hmm. So was that it?
”

“
Judge decided to do the rest back in her office. So I left. I got a friend, though. One of the guys who runs the security scanner sometimes brings me breakfast. I could find out when there
’
s another hearing and maybe do the same thing again?
”

Bricker had to give him credit for his eagerness to work.

“
Maybe. I
’
ll let you know. If I need to find you again, will you be here?
”

Pat nodded.
“
Rain or shine. Been kicked out of most of the shelters in town because I like a nip now and then.
”

Bricker peeled off a twenty from the roll of bills stowed in his left pants pocket. Then he added another couple of twenties and pressed them into Pat
’
s filthy hand.

“
Here you go. Twenty for your services, as agreed. Take the rest to the Army Surplus Store and get yourself a decent sleeping bag. Or a parka. Don
’
t drink it.
”

He turned on his heel and walked out of the narrow space before the man could react to his charity.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Sasha was putting together a medieval-themed Lego set with Leah and Mark at the kitchen table when she heard Connelly
’
s footsteps in the hall. She glanced up. His cheek muscle twitched, even as he smoothed his expression into a smile for the kids.

Tense
, she thought. The meeting with WITSEC must not have gone well.

Connelly had been waiting in her office when she returned from her morning spent bouncing around state court. After expressing appropriate horror at the news that Andy Pulaski had been appointed to represent Bricker, he said he needed a small favor.

The small favor had turned out to be babysitting all the kids while he and Hank met with WITSEC.

She caught Connelly
’
s eye and raised a brow.

He nodded, almost imperceptibly, then said,
“
What are you guys working on?
”

“
Some castle. It has eleventy-million parts.
”
She was only slightly exaggerating.

Mark snorted.
“
It
’
s easy. It just takes patience.
”

Leah slid out of her chair.
“
If it
’
s so easy, you can finish it by yourself. Leo and Sasha can help me figure out the garden since Brianna won
’
t.
”

“
What won
’
t Brianna do?
”
Sasha asked.

The girl stuck out her lower lip.
“
She
’
s the one who got Mom
’
s green thumb, but she won
’
t help me plot out a garden. We need to have a garden.
”
Her voice cracked and went up an octave.

Mark dropped the turret pieces and hurried to the other side of the table to put an arm around his sister.

Connelly feinted forward as if he were going to try to help comfort the girl. Sasha shook her head and gestured toward the doorway.

As Mark shushed his sobbing sister, Connelly followed Sasha into the hallway.

“
We should do something to take her mind off it,
”
he whispered.

“
No. They
’
ve suffered a loss. They need to mourn. And, trust me, she
’
d rather be with her brother now than some random adults.
”

He twisted his mouth into a skeptical knot, but she pressed on.

“
Trust me, Connelly. You
’
re an only child
—
you don
’
t understand. Mark can help her better than we can. They have a bond.
”

As she said the words, she realized she was thinking of her own brothers and the way they
’
d all come together when Patrick, the oldest, was killed.

She cleared her throat and pushed the thought out of her mind.
Not now.

Connelly furrowed his brow and stared hard at her.

“
Thinking about Patrick?
”
he asked in a low, gentle voice.

She blinked.
“
How do you do that?
”

He pulled her close.
“
I know my wife.
”

She allowed herself a moment to rest her head against his warm chest and listen to the steady rhythm of his heart. Then she leaned back to tilt her head up and meet his eyes.

“
You do. And I know my husband. What happened with Hank?
”

His jaw tightened for a brief moment. Then he exhaled.
“
He wants to update you and Will tomorrow. Right now, he
’
s off on some sort of top-secret day trip, but let
’
s just say WITSEC is looking to wash its hands of the Bennett kids.
”

“
Wash its hands how?
”

His cheek twitched.
“
Hank was told that if he insisted on continuing to have contact with the kids, they were out of the program effective immediately.
”

She felt her mouth drop open and clamped it shut.

“
On what grounds?
”

“
He
’
s a person from their past. That
’
s against the rules. If he agreed to cut off all ties with the Bennetts and you agreed to decline to serve as trustee, then they would immediately swoop in and relocate the kids again. They
’
d get new identities, and we
’
d never see them again.
”

“
What did Hank say?
”

His lips quirked into a smile.
“
It involved the inspector
’
s mother and a barnyard animal. I don
’
t think you want me to repeat it.
”