The Lawyer Lifeguard by James Patterson

Author:James Patterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2017-06-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Hilliard rose, glowering down at me, then wheeled and stalked out. I expected Chief Paquette to follow, but she just shook her head. “You don’t have enough enemies? Trying to add one more?”

“Are you gonna bust my chops, too, Chief?”

“Not about Valentine,” she said, pushing a police file and a mug shot of a haggard, red-eyed woman over to me. “Do you know who this is?”

“Sure. Her name’s Sherry Molinere, and she’s a client who was recently busted for possession. That mug shot is six years out of date.”

“And that’s all she is to you? A client?”

“Here we go,” I sighed.

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning, you’ve received allegations of mental instability and illegal drug use. You’ve heard claims that she’s a danger to herself and others. Off the record? Maybe there have been a few suggestions of improper advances by her attorney, me, toward this client. All filed by her husband, Dexter Molinere, a ten-year corporal in the state police.”

“So far, you’re batting a thousand.”

“Let’s see what your average is. Does anything strike you odd about all this?”

“Sure. The mug shot. Your client was what? Twenty when it was taken, and strung-out at the time. I doubt she looks much like this anymore.”

“She was a college kid who got messed up on meth and oxy, and got busted for possession. While she was in Midland Rehab, the arresting officer, Corporal Molinere, visited regularly and brought her flowers. He seemed to be the only one who cared about her—a white knight. They were married three weeks after her release.”

“But…?” the chief prompted.

“Sherry thought he was a bit stiff at first, but it was a welcome relief after the life she’d been in. Then his white hat fell off. Dexter Molinere’s a control freak. He dictated every aspect of their lives, clothes, meals, friends. She was practically a hostage. And when she finally filed for divorce?” I gestured toward the mug shot.

“She suddenly gets busted for possession again.”

“For drugs that were planted by her husband.”

“Can you prove that?”

“Of course not. He knows the system, Chief. He’s part of it. The Staties gave Sherry a toxic screening when she was arrested, but then it disappeared.”

“A buddy protecting a fellow officer’s wife?”

“It wasn’t ditched to protect her. I think she tested clean, which would prove the charges are bogus. Look, I can understand you feeling sympathetic toward the officer’s situation—”

“Sympathetic?” she echoed, raising her eyebrows.

“A cop with wife trouble? Do tell. Divorce rates in law enforcement rank right up there with rock stars. You’re a career cop, who’s the widow of a cop—”

“With a son on the force, and a nephew who’s applied to the academy,” she finished. “Which means I know cops a hell of a lot better than you ever will, sonny. My Arlo had a theory about cops. Wanna hear it?”

“Go ahead.”

“Some join the force because it’s a family business, the way citizens become butchers or coal miners. Others think it’s a good job—do your twenty-five, then collect your pension. Some want to serve and protect, and if they weren’t cops, they’d be firemen or EMTs.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.