Free The Advocate's Conviction by Teresa Burrell

quickly.”
    “Yeah, but we may not have had the same result.”
    “I would’ve won that one.”
    “Only because we were on the same side. That baby needed to be with her mother. I’ve never seen anyone work so hard to obtain sobriety. I just hope she stays that way.”
    “She’s pretty determined and she has great support from her family. I think she’ll make it.”
    As they walked out the door toward their cars, Sabre received a text. She read it and said, “I’m going to go meet JP. He has a lead on Cole.”
    “Did someone find him?” Bob’s eyes opened wide.
    “No, but it seems someone saw him. That’s about all I know. He told me not to go there, but I’m going anyway.” Sabre opened up her car door and stepped inside. “I’ll keep you posted.”
    As Sabre drove to meet JP at the park where they had spoken to the old woman, she was excited they had a lead, but nervous about what they might find out. JP was waiting for her when she arrived. “I thought I told you not to come here.”
    “So, why are you here waiting for me?”
    “Because I knew you’d show up and I didn’t want you wandering around here by yourself.”
    Sabre smiled. “Thanks.”
    JP mumbled something Sabre couldn’t understand and then said, “I stayed with the old woman yesterday for a couple of hours but she didn’t lead me anywhere. When she lay down under a tree and fell asleep, I left. But then I came back today and spoke to a homeless man who said ‘the woman’ would know. When I asked him ‘what woman’ he pointed to the same woman we talked to yesterday. He said she goes to the bridge every day about this time. So, I’m going there to see what it’s all about. You wait here.”
    Sabre tipped her head to the left and rolled her eyes upward. “I’m going with you.” Sabre popped her trunk open, stepped out of the car, and walked to the back. She slipped off her heels and replaced her shoes. “See, I even have my walking shoes on. Let’s go.”
    JP shook his head. “You’re a pain some times, you know?”
    Sabre smiled sheepishly.
    “Well, stay close to me. Don’t wander off. We’re going to be about as welcome as a skunk at a wedding.”
    Sabre laughed.
    They walked through the park and across a field toward a bridge that no longer appeared to serve any purpose. It once crossed over a street, but now it ended in mid-air and was blocked off at the end. Brush scraped against Sabre’s pant leg, sometimes sticking through the fabric. Sabre hadn’t quite expected all the debris and she was glad she had at least changed her shoes. The closer they got to the bridge, the more garbage they encountered. She stepped on a piece of glass that wrapped around her shoe and stuck to it without cutting her foot. She stopped and removed the broken bottle.
    “Ah,” Sabre said shaking her bleeding finger.
    “Are you okay?” JP asked.
    “I just cut my finger. It’s nothing, just a little puncture.”
    JP mumbled something again. She chose not to ask him to repeat it.
    As they approached the bridge, the smell of garbage grew stronger. Sabre took a deep breath, expecting it to be the last good air she was going to breathe for a while. She was right. The stench became so strong she wanted to vomit as they passed a pile of trash near the opening. “I think the skunk has already been here,” Sabre said.
    JP didn’t respond. Sabre knew he was a little bit upset at her for insisting that she go along, but she knew he’d get over it as long as she didn’t do something really stupid.
    Up until that point they hadn’t seen anyone, but just as they went under the edge of the bridge, they saw a group of people at the other end approximately thirty feet away. There appeared to be about ten men and women sitting around on boxes and rocks and a few others lying down. They could hear the chatter as they approached. Several shopping carts were parked haphazardly in the bushes. Another lay on its side, bent almost in half. Old