Read Online Lady Justice on the Dark Side (Volume 19) by Robert Thornhill - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robert Thornhill
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got us off the hook.
“Are you by any chance talking to me because I’m working with the guy who set up the King Tut sting?”
“Maybe.”
“So are you saying that a similar operation might shed some light on your case?”
“Maybe. What do you think?”
“I think it’s worth a shot. Give me the details and we’ll get this thing going.”
As I drove to Kevin’s apartment, two things were going through my mind.
The first was pure excitement. I had landed my first real case, working for one of the best defense attorneys in Kansas City.
The other was a feeling of apprehension.
I kept thinking of Suzanne’s example. For five years, I had been serving the Lady Justice in the flowing white robe wearing a blindfold. Then I remembered Kevin’s characterization of her sister, the one wearing the tight skirt, the fishnet stockings and the high heels, the Lady Justice of the dark side.
One of my favorite movies is Eddie and the Cruisers . One of the songs from the movie is titled, On the Dark Side , and as I drove, I couldn’t get the lyrics out of my mind.
The dark side’s calling now.
Nothin’ is real.
She’ll never know just how I feel.
From out of the shadows
She walks like a dream.
Makes me feel crazy.
Makes me feel so mean.
Ain’t nothing gonna save you from a love that’s blind.
You slip to the dark side across that line.
I could feel the new Lady Justice calling me from the shadows, drawing me into a world different from anything I had known. Was I blindly following her into the dark side and crossing that line?
Like Suzanne said, “We’ll see.”
Only time will tell.
CHAPTER 9
Kevin was all smiles when I told him about my meeting with Suzanne Romero.
“So, you’re really thinking about doing this --- going into the investigative business?”
“I’m giving it some thought. I might even have our first case.”
When I mentioned ‘our first case,’ his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.
“Whatever it is,” he said, rubbing his hands, “I’m in! Give me the details.”
I shared what Suzanne had told me about the theft of the two art pieces at the Heart of America Gallery.
“Let me get this straight,” he said, rubbing his chin. “Two Thomas Hart Benton pieces were stolen and one of them turned up in Jason Knight’s basement.”
“That’s what she said. One was a lithograph titled Coming ‘Round the Mountain , worth about ten grand and the other was an oil painting titled Construction Workers worth over forty thousand.”
“Let me guess. The lithograph was the one that turned up in Knight’s basement.”
“How did you know?”
“Think about it. If Andrew Pitts set up his partner to take the fall, it only makes sense that he would sacrifice the lesser piece and stash the more valuable one to sell after his partner has been convicted of insurance fraud. That’s what I’d do --- theoretically speaking.”
“If that’s actually what happened, do you think a sting similar to the one you cooked up in the King Tut case would work?”
“That particular sting works when one of man’s basic flaws is in play --- greed. So, yes, if Pitts set this whole thing up, he’ll be looking for a buyer for the oil and I know just the guy who is looking for such a work of art --- me!”
Kevin was a master at setting up a con.
His first task was recruiting another member for our team.
“Willie, how would you like to reprise your role as Reginald, the chauffer?”
“If dat means I get to drive dat big ole Cadillac limo again, den hell yes!”
Willie, a natural con man himself, had given a fine performance when the Professor had taken on the role of Oscar
“Are you by any chance talking to me because I’m working with the guy who set up the King Tut sting?”
“Maybe.”
“So are you saying that a similar operation might shed some light on your case?”
“Maybe. What do you think?”
“I think it’s worth a shot. Give me the details and we’ll get this thing going.”
As I drove to Kevin’s apartment, two things were going through my mind.
The first was pure excitement. I had landed my first real case, working for one of the best defense attorneys in Kansas City.
The other was a feeling of apprehension.
I kept thinking of Suzanne’s example. For five years, I had been serving the Lady Justice in the flowing white robe wearing a blindfold. Then I remembered Kevin’s characterization of her sister, the one wearing the tight skirt, the fishnet stockings and the high heels, the Lady Justice of the dark side.
One of my favorite movies is Eddie and the Cruisers . One of the songs from the movie is titled, On the Dark Side , and as I drove, I couldn’t get the lyrics out of my mind.
The dark side’s calling now.
Nothin’ is real.
She’ll never know just how I feel.
From out of the shadows
She walks like a dream.
Makes me feel crazy.
Makes me feel so mean.
Ain’t nothing gonna save you from a love that’s blind.
You slip to the dark side across that line.
I could feel the new Lady Justice calling me from the shadows, drawing me into a world different from anything I had known. Was I blindly following her into the dark side and crossing that line?
Like Suzanne said, “We’ll see.”
Only time will tell.
CHAPTER 9
Kevin was all smiles when I told him about my meeting with Suzanne Romero.
“So, you’re really thinking about doing this --- going into the investigative business?”
“I’m giving it some thought. I might even have our first case.”
When I mentioned ‘our first case,’ his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.
“Whatever it is,” he said, rubbing his hands, “I’m in! Give me the details.”
I shared what Suzanne had told me about the theft of the two art pieces at the Heart of America Gallery.
“Let me get this straight,” he said, rubbing his chin. “Two Thomas Hart Benton pieces were stolen and one of them turned up in Jason Knight’s basement.”
“That’s what she said. One was a lithograph titled Coming ‘Round the Mountain , worth about ten grand and the other was an oil painting titled Construction Workers worth over forty thousand.”
“Let me guess. The lithograph was the one that turned up in Knight’s basement.”
“How did you know?”
“Think about it. If Andrew Pitts set up his partner to take the fall, it only makes sense that he would sacrifice the lesser piece and stash the more valuable one to sell after his partner has been convicted of insurance fraud. That’s what I’d do --- theoretically speaking.”
“If that’s actually what happened, do you think a sting similar to the one you cooked up in the King Tut case would work?”
“That particular sting works when one of man’s basic flaws is in play --- greed. So, yes, if Pitts set this whole thing up, he’ll be looking for a buyer for the oil and I know just the guy who is looking for such a work of art --- me!”
Kevin was a master at setting up a con.
His first task was recruiting another member for our team.
“Willie, how would you like to reprise your role as Reginald, the chauffer?”
“If dat means I get to drive dat big ole Cadillac limo again, den hell yes!”
Willie, a natural con man himself, had given a fine performance when the Professor had taken on the role of Oscar
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