Act Normal, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 9

client doesn't want you to spare any expense if it will lead to the acquittal of your client."

  "Or exposing those responsible for this atrocity," I added.

  "That goes without saying."

  "Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you, Mr. Richmond. I'll call your secretary back to get an address to send the statements."

  "You do that Ms. Waters, and have a nice day."

  I hung up the phone and laughed. This guy was a real comedian. He seemed to be really enjoying our little covert operation with TI. I wondered if he was always so fun loving. When I told Bart about the phone call, he shook his head in disbelief.

  "Well, I guess we better get Thayer over here," Bart said, "so we can brainstorm how we should handle the investigation. I'm not sure exactly how we should approach it."

  "Good idea. I'll have Maria call him and set up an appointment. Why don't you go visit our client and tell him the good news. I know he's been worried about running out of money."

  "I will, but I don't think we should overlook our other suspects. Perhaps you should meet with Paul and coordinate his efforts while I follow up on our other leads. That way we won't inadvertently miss something."

  I nodded. "You're probably right. I've never seen a case with so many people with such good motives for murder. It's bizarre."

  A little after noon, Stan stuck his head in and said he was ordering some Chinese fast food for lunch and wanted to know if I wanted anything. I put in an order for Mongolian steak and fried rice for me and cashew chicken for Bart as I knew that was his favorite. When the food arrived we all sat around the kitchen table and ate. I told Stan about Stanley's defense fund.

  "That was pretty creative. I'm impressed," Stan said. "Don't tell Mo, though, he'll try to recruit you for the CIA. I bet they could use someone with your talents for raising money."

  "No thanks. I don't want any part of that business. I value my life."

  "Well at least with the CIA you have a little backup. You're all alone in the game you're playing."

  I raised my eyebrows but didn't comment. Stan was right. TI would disavow having any knowledge of our investigation and if Stout felt threatened by it, he might try to derail it. In the process people might get hurt. Security would have to be a major consideration from now on. I made a mental note to discuss that with Paul when he came in.

  Stan told us about his plans to go to Waco on Saturday to meet with Ben and Alice Stover, work all day Sunday putting the finishing touches on the chapter 11, filing it on Monday and then arguing motions on Tuesday. It sounded pretty intense to me, but I was more worried about Stan spending all that time alone with Tehra than anything else. There would be too many opportunities for them to get in trouble. I wanted to address that issue but couldn't think of a tactful way to bring it up. When Bart and I were alone I told him of my concerns.

  "I can't believe Tehra. She hangs all over Stan—touching him, giving him back rubs. And she's with him every minute. I think she'd go to the bathroom with him if he'd let her."

  "Well, she's his intern. They have to work together."

  "Sure, but does she have to smother him? It's ridiculous and what's worse, I think Stan enjoys it."

  Bart looked at me warily. "So, are you jealous?"

  "No, it's not that. I'm just afraid Stan's going to get hurt. Tehra's going to destroy his marriage and then dump him. Hell, she's not much older than Reggie. He has no business getting into a relationship with her."

  "Stan's gone through hell this past year. Leave him alone. If Tehra helps him forget all that's happened, then she may be just what he needs."

  "What! I can't believe you're defending him."

  "I'm not defending him. I'm just saying it's none of our business."

  "Well it is my business. He's my partner and if she messes with him, she's messing with me and I have a right to protect my interest."

  Bart shrugged. "Okay. Okay. But I think you're acting out of jealousy rather than good sense. Don't do anything rash. If you piss off Stan he may not want to be your partner anymore."

  "I know. And I not jealous. It's just so frustrating. I know Tehra doesn't really care about Stan. She's got her own agenda. I'm a woman. I can feel it. I'm not sure what it is, but when she's through with him she'll dump him like an empty water bottle and never look back. With all that Stan's been through, I don't know if he could survive that."

  When I was alone back in my office all I could think about was Stan and Tehra alone together in Waco. Would Stan give in to her? He'd shown remarkable loyalty to Rebekah in the past, but in his present state of mind I couldn't see how he could resist her. Had she been an ordinary woman, I don't think their relationship would have bothered me so much, but Tehra was very different from anyone I'd ever known. She looked almost normal, but I could feel that she was extraordinary. Who was this strange woman and why was she so interested in Stan? I just knew there was more to her than met the eye.

  Later that afternoon Paul Thayer and a staff member named Lou Stallings showed up for our meeting. I couldn't tell them about TI's funding of the project so I said that Stanley had been able to borrow money from family and friends. Paul knew better than to question my explanation. I asked him how we should proceed.

  "We need to identify Stout's staff and find out as much about each of them as we can," Paul said. I'm sure one of them was assigned the task of getting rid of Chester Brown. I'd bet whoever it was put together a team of ex-military to handle the job."

  "Do you think they put together a team just to kill Chester Brown?" I asked.

  "Maybe, or they assigned the task to an existing team that handled problems like that."

  "Once we find out who was in charge of the hit," Stallings added, "we can check out his whereabouts when the fire broke out."

  "Can you track the parts used for the bomb and maybe find out who built it?" I asked.

  Paul shrugged. "Maybe. I'll get with the arson investigator and see if that's a possibility.”

  We talked for several more hours and then Paul and Stallings left. I was starting to feel a little better about the case as it seemed we were finally making progress.

  Just after five Bart called and said he wasn't coming back to the office but would meet me at home. He said he had some interesting news but refused to tell me what it was over the phone. I didn't know if he was teasing me or if there was a reason for his secrecy. Either way I was intrigued enough to quickly gather up my things and head for home. It had been a long week and I was ready to kick off my heels and relax for a change. When I got home I had expected to find Bart, but he wasn't there. When it got to be six-thirty, I began to worry in earnest. What had happened? He had called and said he was on his way home. I assumed he was somewhere in north Dallas or Collin County. If that were the case he'd have been home by now. Where could he be?

 

  25

  Venom

  Stan Turner

  In the blurry mist I saw Tehra leaning over me moaning. “OH, Stan. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I'll get you help." I tried to move but my body wouldn't respond to my wishes. Her voice faded . . .

  Later, I don't know how long, I heard many voices, men barking orders, others talking excitedly. Someone was working on my arm, another adjusting my feet. "Get that IV in him stat! We're losing him," a man said sternly.

  "Blood pressure 60 over 40," a second voice said.

  "Shit! Is that thing working? “I could see glimpses of the men hovering over me and Tehra to the side, her arms wrapped around herself, tears flowing from her eyes. Then darkness returned.

  My next memory was of the beeping sound of a heart monitor beside my bed. As the room came into focus, I saw I was in a medical ward somewhere. There were patients on either side and a nurse was hovering over one of them. I tried to sit up but realized I didn't have the strength.

  The nurse looked over at me and smiled. "Well, Mr. Turner. You finally woke up. I was worried about you."

  She strolled over and smiled down a
t me. "What happened?" I asked.

  "That's what we were hoping you could tell us. Your illness is somewhat of a mystery."

  I looked around for Tehra but didn't see her. "How long have I been out?"

  She looked at her watch. "Almost twelve hours. Your wife is in the waiting room and I think the rest of your family is on their way.

  "My wife!" I gasped. "When did she get here?"

  "She called for the ambulance. She was with you when the spider bit you."

  Relief fell over me as I realized the nurse must have thought Tehra was my wife. "A spider bit me?"

  "A spider or flying insect. What else could get into your mouth and bite the back of your tongue?"

  I swallowed hard and it felt like I had a needle in my throat. I grabbed it wincing in pain. "Shit, is there something still in there?"

  "No. The doctors couldn't find anything but the bite marks."

  "My tongue is swollen," I slurred.

  "Not as bad as it was. When the paramedics got to your motel room it was twice the size it is now."

  I shook my head rubbing my throat. A horrible thought suddenly struck me. What would I tell Rebekah when she showed up. I looked at the nurse. "I'd like to see . . . ah . . . my wife. You said she's in the visiting room. Can she come in now?"

  The nurse looked at her watch again. "Well, it's not visiting hours yet, but I guess it wouldn't hurt. I'll call the front desk and tell them to send her back."

  "Thank you," I said trying to manage a smile.

  The nurse left and my thoughts went back to the previous night. I tried to remember what had