Chapter 11

It was near the end of a busy day when Ken Ogilvie received a phone call that chilled him to the bone despite the comfortable temperature of his office.

“You know who this is, don’t you?” The voice on the other end of the line asked.

Ken shivered uncomfortably. He recognized the voice immediately. It was gravelly rough, cold and officious with a tone that brooked no nonsense. Despite his attempts to remain calm, it always managed to send a shiver of fear through him. It was one of his clients but this one was different from all the others. First off, he had never seen him in person. The only way the client communicated with him was through anonymous brusque phone calls. His directions were given quickly and precisely and although sometimes the demands bordered on criminal activity, Keven was never given a chance to question them. This time was no different.

“One of our girls escaped a few days ago. Our sources tell us she’s being held by the police and we want her returned. Not only because she tried to leave The Family and nobody but nobody gets away with that, but also because when she left she took something that belongs to us.”

Ken was so afraid of angering the voice he didn’t bother to ask a single question. He just listened.

“We’re sending someone over with her documents and we want you to take them to the police station and get her released.”

“How am I gonna manage that?” Ogilvie dared to ask.

“You’re a lawyer so we’re depending on you to think of something. Maybe you can say she’s your client. Ask the police what she’s charged with and say you’ll pay her bail. That should get her released into your custody. Then you can bring the bitch directly to us. We want to have a word with her and we also want back what she stole from us returned. Understand?”

Moments after Ogilvie hung up, his secretary brought in a couriered envelope. He studied the documents and then slipped into his suitcoat, leaving the same time as his secretary. However, while she went home, he drove over to the police station where he began making inquiries about Denise Kolinsky.

May wasn’t surprised when she learned of a lawyer demanding to see Denise. She expected that would happen sooner or later but it stunned her that it happened so quickly. It made her worried on two counts. First: How did the word get out so quickly that the girl was in police custody and did it mean a leak somewhere in the department? She didn’t like those implications at all. Second: It showed The Family, whoever they were, must be very serious if they sent someone to try and spring her already.

“What did you tell them? Did you acknowledge that we even have her?” May asked the policeman who had dropped the note on her desk when she returned.

“No ma’am, I saw the red flag on the file and knew what that meant. I told the lawyer since there was nothing in the computer about her yet, I would have to do some checking but he was pretty adamant. Claimed he knew Denise, that she was a client and he come to see how she was being treated. He also wanted to know what charges she was facing and the possibility of bail. I told him nothing, but because he was so insistent and being a lawyer and such, I finally told him he’d have to speak to you.” The policeman explained.

The policeman had no sooner left her desk than Kevin appeared. “You got anything on this lawyer, Ogilvie? May asked as her partner sat down across from her.

“Yeah, found something on the internet. He does mostly civil disputes like divorces, estate settlements and accidents but he’s also represented a few characters on the shady side. He’s even appeared for some of the more unsavory ones in criminal courts. Other than that he looks pretty clean. Married with two children and appears to be an average Joe.

May looked up from her notes. “So what, you think he might be connected?”

Kevin nodded. “Looks like it. Those criminal cases all seemed gang related and also, it didn’t take him long to come asking about our guest.”

The detective’s conversation was interrupted by the buzz of the phone.

Kevin picked up the receiver and listened for a few minutes before saying “okay, send him up.”

“It’s him, Ogilvie is back. He’s demanding to see Denise immediately and he wants to know what her bail conditions will be.” Kevin explained.

“Okay, I am anxious to talk to him ‘cause I want to know who’s paying him. But first I think we should give Denise a call and see if she’s ever heard of him.” May replied. She was already reaching for the phone. “Just keep him occupied until I get there.”

Kevin looked up from his conversation with Ogilvie when May entered the interview room. He immediately caught the slight shake of her head which signified that Denise had never heard of Ogilvie.