Part 29 (1/2)
”I'll reverse the charges,” said Tracy quickly. ”Can you hold?”
”Yeah, I guess.”
Tracy immediately placed the call to the law office in Wayne, Michigan.
”Greg Klingman here.”
”Glad I caught you,” said Tracy with a detectable sigh of relief.
”Did you locate Celeste?”
”Uh, no, that's not why I'm calling. Not Carrie Diamond either,” she rushed on. ”I'm trying to reach Chuck on another matter.”
”I see. Tracy, you just missed Chuck. Anything I can help you with?”
”I hope so, Mr. Klingman, it's that Carmen Williams calling back for Chuck.”
”Patch her through, Tracy. Miss Williams,” Greg began, straining to keep it easy, keep the anxiety out of his voice.
”Is this Chuck?”
”No, it's not. Chuck's in transit and he asked if you called to please talk to me. He said it must be important for you to go to all the trouble to contact him, and he hoped you'd trust me. I work with Chuck.”
”Trust you?” Carmen said slowly. ”Who are you anyway?”
”I'm Greg Klingman and I work with Chuck. Please, just let me know how I can help you.”
”I ... I don't know. I don't want to get in trouble, but I don't want anyone else to get hurt.”
”Ms. Williams, has something happened?”
”I saw Frank Santiago last night,” she blurted, ”in Tampa - Ybor City.”
Greg hesitated. ”I see. Did you call the police? Does anyone else know about this?”
”Of course not,” Carmen snapped. ”Oh, s.h.i.+t, why did I tell you? Now the cops'll be all over me. He'll kill me next.”
”Please, you can talk to me in confidence,” Greg tried to rea.s.sure her. ”I can promise you that.”
”Will you tell the cops? G.o.d, I never shoulda called.”
”No, I will not tell anyone. Please, fill me in.”
But he had already heard the click. She had hung up.
Within a halfhour, Greg's intercom buzzed again as the secretary at Youngman, Polk, and Allen announced that Chuck Dimer was on the line.
”Put him through.”
”I'm at the airport. On my way over to Northwest departures,” Chuck said quickly, ”I wanted to go over the plan.”
”Wait, Chuck. I've got to tell you about a call I just got - wait a sec. The intercom.”
”Mr. Klingman,” the secretarial voice began, ”I have a Mr. Rob Wilson. Take it or call back?”
”I'll take it, and put this one on hold. Chuck, stay on the line, will you? It's Rob. Maybe he's got something from the Hillsborough Family Court.”
Chuck mumbled ”okay” as Greg picked up the other line. ”Rob, what's up?”
”Not much, Greg. I've pulled every stop. With the kids in Michigan with their legal father, there's no way a Florida court will issue a restraining order without a custody agreement in effect. Believe me, I've worked every angle until I hit a stone wall. Well, you know the statutes.”
”Yeah, just hoped one of those judges would cut us a break.”
”Maybe if the kids were in state, but if it's gonna happen, it'll have to be done in Michigan.”
”No way we can swing it here either, Rob.” Greg checked his watch. ”After three. We're too late. Local counsel did all they could, but not enough time, and Nelson's their father. Kids have been with him uncontested for weeks. Courts here don't know Laura from Eve, and they have the usual local bias. No way they'll give up jurisdiction until at least a preliminary hearing in a Michigan court, and there's just no time.”
”Tough all around,” Rob commiserated. ”Guess it means we have to let those boys go?”
”I'll get back to you. Chuck's at the airport hanging on the other line. Gotta go.”
Greg switched lines and briefed Chuck on the disappointing news from Tampa.
”Not surprised,” said Chuck. ”So the plan's on. You bring Laura over to the boys and voila! Timing's right. Her flight's due in at six, and check-in for Nelson's flight starts at six thirty. Confront Nelson right there in the airport. If the boys throw a fit about leaving with him, maybe the airline will balk and defer their flight?”
”Could work.”
”What's the worst that can happen? A nasty scene? Let's go with it.”
”Somehow, I can't see Nelson letting those boys go easily. But if it works, we'll need tickets for the boys on Laura's return flight at nine.”
”My money's on the boys going with her. I'll get the tickets right now,” Chuck said.
”You're an optimist.”
”Always. Okay, boss, see you with Laura around six. Let's get ready for some fireworks.”
”Hold up, Chuck,” Greg called. ”I just heard from Kim Connor's friend, Carmen Williams. Called twice. Very reluctant to talk to me. Sounded scared as h.e.l.l. Only thing I got out of her before she hung up was that she saw Frank Santiago last night in Ybor City. This girl's really scared. Wants nothing to do with the cops. My guess is she's got more to tell. Can you reach her?”
”So the motherf.u.c.ker finally came up for air. Let me get right on it, Greg. I've got some calls to make, including Detective Lopez.”
”Lopez?”
”Yah, he asked me to keep him in the loop. Funny, he's become a fan of Laura's. Don't forget El creepo Santiago iced Lopez's former partner way back when, so he wants this collar in the worst way. See you later, boss.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO.