CHAPTER 130 Meeting the Martíns
Link
The sun was rising when I left Hignd Oaks.
Before meeting up with Jake, I made a quick stop at the diner to pick up a sandwich.
As I was leaving the diner, I saw a ck Jaguar enter the parking area. But instead of parking, it
continued moving towards the back. It was my first time to ever see that car in New Salem, so I quickly
memorized its te number before driving off.
I found Jake casually seated on a bench along Main Street, drinking coffee from one of Bo’s disposable
cups. When he saw my car, he threw his cup in the trash bin, opened the car door to the passenger’s
side and climbed in.
Jake was what the Blood Disciples called a ‘cross. He was exceptionally gifted, being both a skilled
hacker and a trained mercenary, so it wasn’t a surprise when Primo and Beaufort both tapped him to
join their crew. Jake was given three days to decide, a cross thatid heavily on his shoulders.
Ultimately, he chose Beaufort despite being heavily courted by Primo. It was one of those rare chances
for Primo to employ a man with almost the same skillset as Beaufort, however the excitement of
pursuing your prey on the field was something atputer or any gadget couldn’t give Jake.
Jake was a muscr man of average height. His short brown hair matched the color of his eyes while
his muscr physique was well-hidden under an oversized gray hoodie…. he loved wearing hoodies.
“I got a copy of all of Hartman’s files on herptop,” Jake said, showing me a USB sh drive. “She
was nning to leave New Salem under an alias, Mary Turner. That note you said you got from
Autumn was actually written by Hartman herself.”
the note
“So Hartman was going to take the fall by sk ipping town,” I said. “The signature on looked authentic,
so I’m guessing Hartman left the note in her office and Autumn took it.” I maneuvered my car to the
Sheriff’s station, then handed him Hartman’s phone. “I checked her call log and noticed most of
Hartman’s recent calls were from Norma Martin. One guess is they were conspiring together. Did youPublished by N?v''elD/rama.Org.
find a money trail?” I asked.
“Yes, I did,” he answered, scrolling through the phone.”Half a million dors was sent to Hartman
directly from Norma Martin’s ount. I grimaced. Five hundred grand wasn’t enough. No wonder
Hartman held Emma at gunpoint. “I also checked Hartman’s finances
1/6
11:50 Tue, Apr 2 MG
CHAPTER 130 Meeting the Martins
60%
and found she has a sizeable amount saved up in her bank ount. The five hundred thousand dors
together with her savings is actually enough to buy this house she was eyeing in Miami, but that would
leave her with little left. I figured the money was a down- payment, but…”
“But what? I mean it is possible it’s a down-payment. If Hartman was nning to sk ip town, she would
lose her retirement benefits,” I pointed out.
“I thought the same, so I checked Norma Martin’s ount and discovered she’s mostly in debt with the
credit card… the five hundred thousand being thest of her money. Surprisingly, though, Ford Martin’s
trust is still intact. ording to the stiptions provided by the grantor, Ford is allowed to withdraw a
hefty sum at any time, given the money is intended to be used for livelihood, business or an
emergency.”
I had to make a call to Beaufort and inform him, Norma needed money and he had lots of it.
“Link, what’s up?” He shouted. The background noise was really loud. I suspected he was in
the back of one of his trucks heading back to New Salem..
“I just wanted to inform you it seems Norma Martin paid Lindsay Hartman all the money she
had left, so Hartman would take the fall for Ford. What if Hartman told Norma about Emma,
so the both of them could milk Emma for money?”
“I doubt it,” Beaufort answered. “But it can’t be possible Norma’s broke though… She boug the
McDowell’s pharmacy after Cynthia died.” Apparently Primo has checked Norma’s
finances yet.
“Who said she bought it?” I asked, surprised.
“Ma Lawrence. She got the info from the ex-husband,” he answered. The ex-husband who
no one has ever seen or met.
“It’s probably all a lie. I had Jake do some recon at Hartman’s house and he says Norma is in debt,” I
exined.
“I see… Emma did mention Lindsay Hartman believed Norma was one selfish b itch. I
guess she didn’t know Norma’s broke. Thanks for the info, Link. I’m going to have Cristos look into
everything and n ordingly. Where are you headed now?”
“To the Sheriff’s station to meet my new client,” I answered.
2/6
“Don’t forget to put in your earpiece. By the way good work on Hartman. I knew I could
CHAPTER 130 Meeting the Martins
count on you, Link.”
Hearing his praise made my heart swell. I was finally gaining his respect.
“Jake, take my car and hand the USB and the phone to Beaufort,” I said, stopping the car right across
the street from the Sheriff’s Station. It was around seven-thirty and the sun was already up in the sky.
After inserting my earpiece and making sure it was hidden, I opened the car door. “After you report to
Beaufort, tell him I need you with me today, just in case I need someone to carry out some important
errands.”
“Sure thing, Link,” he said, but paused before opening his door. “I forgot to tell you… I also found out
that about forty female nurses filed sexual harassmentints against Ford
Martin, but most, if not all, didn’t pursue it.”
“That many?” I asked before getting out of the car. And what did Hartman do?”
“She sent theints to the hospital director. I checked her email and the hospital director said he
would take care of everything. I don’t know what he did or say to these women, but they immediately
withdrew theirints,” Jake said after he exited the car.
“Autumn must have that information. Tell Beaufort to have Primo ask Autumn for it,” I instructed Jake.
“Soon, we’ll be able to piece all of this together. Personally, I think this. sexual harassment thing Ford
has got going on has something to do with drugs.”
“Drugs?” Jake asked, surprised.
“Some of these nurses do drugs to stay awake. It’s possible Ford targeted them because he knew he
could use his knowledge of their drug use as a shield.”
“That sounds really f ucked up,” Jake replied, realizing how twisted everyone in this town really was. “I
thought we were only dealing with a handful of sick f ucks. I wasn’t expecting.
there’d be more.”
“I know what you mean. By the way, change into something nice will you… like a suit.”
“Hoodies are my thing, Link,” he said as he climbed into the driver’s seat of my car. He gave
me a small salute before he drove off heading towards theplex.
Since it was still early, the parking lot at the station was practically empty. Good. I still had enough time
to confer with my client before the district attorney arrived.
Inside, I went straight to Jack who was on the phone with someone. He mouthed, “Norma 6
CHAPTER 130 Meeting the Martins
over there,” and pointed towards the back of the station.
At the waiting area, I found Norma Martin on her phone, looking quite frustrated.
“Having trouble contacting someone?” I asked, smiling down at her.
“I’m trying to call my aunt,” she murmured, a small smile ying on her lips. “But her phone’s off. She’s
probably getting ready for work.” She waved a dismissive hand in the air,
pretending it was nothing. “You must be Bo’s attorney.”
“Yes, I’m Lincoln Murphy. Undersheriff Jack Emery informed me of your son’s case. I’d like to have a
few moments with your son before we speak to the district attorney on the circumstances of the case-” I
paused, noticing Norma’s eyes widen with shock.
“It can’t be…,” she mumbled under her breath.
I turned around to find a rather short, stocky fellow in a gray suit standing behind me. His oily dark
brown hair was slicked back while his dark moustache was well trimmed. He had dark beady eyes, a
wide nose as well as a wide mouth while his lips were dark from smoking. I could tell… he smelled like
a cigar.
“Norma, what is this nonsense I hear? Ford killed Theodore? Is this true?” The man asked, scowling at
her. Norma tried to answer, but her lips wouldn’t move. I decided to butt in
“I’m sorry. Have we met? I’m Lincoln Murphy, attorney to Ford Martin-”
“It’s Martín, Mr. Murphy,” the man corrected me, using the Spanish pronunciation of M “I’m Tomas
Martín, Norma’s ex-husband, but you can call me Thomas.” He grabbed my and shook it. “Mr. Murphy,
I don’t care how much I have to pay, but I want my son out by day end. If he is truly guilty, I want him to
have the lightest sentence possible for his crin You do this for me and I will make you a wealthy man. I
can assure you… I keep my promises.”
“Tomas, I already made a deal with Liam. This is why I need-”
“Enough, Norma,” Tomas Martín said, cutting her off. “The pharmacy stays in the organization. I can’t
believe you. You only had one thing to do… to watch over our son, but you keep gallivanting with that
college ni?o. I thought maybe you would grow up if I gave
you
less money, but you have be worse.”
This is where Norma’s money troubles stem from.
4/6
11:50 Tue, Apr 2 MG
CHAPTER 130 Meeting the Martins
.60%
“Our son is not a child. He is a grown man, Tomas,” Norma replied haughtily. “And you have no right
giving me less money. I am entitled to a piece of the pie, you jacka ss!”
“Link, cough once for yes. Is this Tomas Martín Hispanic?” Beaufort asked through my earpiece. I
coughed to answer Beaufort, but ended up interrupting the Martins’ little spat. They both looked at me,
embarrassed at their vile behavior.
“I think it’s better if we take this discussion away from prying ears… yes?” I said, gesturing for them to
move further into the waiting area while I waited for Beaufort’s instructions. Thest time we talked
about Ford, Beaufort wanted me to make sure he went to jail. But Tomas
Martín was a game changer.
“The Angels of Darkness is primarily the Mexican Mafia. I want you to get on Tomas’ good
side. If he wants Ford out, get him out. Do whatever it takes, Link, Beaufort said. I
undoutedly heard the excitement in his voice.
I smiled at Ford’s parents as they both calmed down..
A n was already forming in my head.
“Mr. Martín, leave it to me. I’ll get your son out.
Tomas Martín grinned at me. “I like you already.
I excused myself to call Autumn. On my way outside, I bumped into the district at
needed to act fast.
Outside, I saw a lone deputy admiring himself through his car window. I quickly hid hoping he wouldn’t
notice me.
I was about to dial when I saw the Sheriff’s car speeding towards the station. I decided to send Autumn
a message instead and head back inside.
What stopped me though was the harsh greeting the Sheriff gave the lone deputy.
There was something else going on.
5/6
11:50 Tue, Apr 2 MG
The Joy of Revenge