Free The Price of Candy by Rod Hoisington

look
around,” he said. “We have your laptop, and the county towed your
vehicle to the county auto pound."
    They put her in a holding cell, another
chilling procedure for all except a seasoned criminal. It helped to
remember she was innocent. Thankfully, Kagan was waiting for her
there.
    “How did you get here so fast?” she
asked.
    “In fact, I’ve been waiting here for an hour.
Detective Triney phoned me when the sheriff’s office first received
the arrest warrant from Moran.”
    Jerry Kagan was still alert at age eighty
something. He’d have unquestionably closed his law office by now
except for her. Defending her brother had reenergized both him and
his reputation.
    He said, “Abigail Olin is already under
arrest. However, I’m not certain of the exact charge. Maybe she
implicated you.”
    “Either that or Moran saw a slight opening to
hassle me and make me sweat. Probably a little bit of both. I’ve
really screwed up. Assuming Bruce Banks is the actual victim, he’d
never have been down here if I hadn’t mentioned his name to Abby.
Now he’s dead and I know he has three kids. I know everything about
him. His wife will hate me for ruining her life. Don’t be surprised
if she shows up with a gun looking for me. Toby is still on the
loose. We still don’t know what he and Abby are up to. And Jamie’s
missing.”
    “First, you must worry about yourself with a
charge of conspiracy to commit murder against you.”
    “I should have never butted in. Now I’m in
deep shit.”
    He nodded. “You are. I can’t argue about
that. State Attorney Moran believes he has something on you at
last. This conspiracy charge...what’s it all about?"
    “In a nutshell, when I was a teenager my mom
learned I had done a little weed and stolen some of her pills. She
freaked out and called a teen hotline for advice. Bottom line, I
ended up in a corrupt juvenile rehab center with other girls,
including Abby Olin. Bruce Banks was a counselor who sexually
abused the girls and tried to abuse me. We became enemies when I
didn’t put out.”
    “So both of you knew Banks and hated him and
now he’s dead. Excellent motive. Doesn’t sound too good to me.”
    “He’s old news. When I innocently recalled
his name to Abby, she must have contacted him, most likely by
email. She wanted the name of a real life villain thrown in the mix
so she’d have evidence she was justified in thinking she was being
stalked.”
    “So, she didn’t actually expect him or want
him to come down here,” he said. “She just needed any kind of
response that would suggest he was interested in her.”
    “That’s my guess. She might never have
dreamed he’d really show up. Hate to tell you, Jerry. Moran may get
his hands on my laptop. I left it in my car.”
    “If so, it’s now evidence. Anything in there
about Banks?”
    “Plenty and it’s all incriminating. I’ve kept
track of Banks over the years. I’ve got personal information about
him, his family, and his job that I obtained using my firm’s
tracking facilities. I made a silent promise to the abused girls
I’d get even someday.”
    “Does Abby know you’ve been tracking
him?”
    She appeared contrite. “I told her when we
got reacquainted. Do you think she told Moran?”
    “Absolutely. If he knew you had incriminating
entries on your laptop, he’d definitely want it. Moran may even
have had you arrested so he’d have probable cause to search your
laptop. He’d never get a warrant otherwise.”
    “Is he really that clever?”
    “Even a blind squirrel will occasionally
stumble over an acorn.”
    “Hey, I like that. So, what happens
next?”
    “A law student shouldn’t need to ask me that.
You need to brush up on the criminal process in Florida, Miss
Reid.”
    “Oh, yeah. Ah...let’s see...it’s different
when you’re the one involved. First, I’ll make a court appearance
to be arraigned, and will enter a plea at that time. The state will
ask for remand and we’ll argue