A Class Action (14 page)

With the Billy Z and Stuart situation under control, I’ve got to concentrate on getting Joe Morgan off of the hook. I feel in my heart that he’s innocent, but with the political climate being what it is nowadays, I can imagine how an experienced Federal prosecutor can turn a jury into a lynch mob - especially faced with a Muslim who is allegedly part of conspiracy to kill our President. With a convincing argument, even a jury member not in the President’s political party might vote for conviction.

Somewhere in the back of my mind is the feeling that some answers are at the dealership where Joe works. My feelings about Eaton’s guilt are as strong as my feelings about Joe’s innocence. I certainly hope Jack B. comes up with some holes in Eaton’s timeline alibi.

I drive over to the dealership to snoop around. Maybe I’ll get lucky with some talkative low-level employee who has no love for his general manager.

If you’ve seen one new car dealership, you’ve seen them all. They’ve all got their fanciest models in the showroom, a front line of beautiful used cars that they want you to believe were traded in, and the cash cow service department with numerous repair bays and a cashier behind thick glass who’s more secure than a bank teller.

This particular dealership has one extra feature that I’ve never noticed in any other one before – a security guard posted near a closed garage door. He isn’t just one of the dealership employees wearing a jacket with the word ‘security’ on its back, he’s a true rent-a-cop and he’s wearing a gun.

I know that Vinnie and Olive carry unloaded weapons in their holsters, but they do it for show only. This guy looks like he means business. I ask a couple of mechanics if they know anything about the security guy or what he’s guarding, but the only information I can gather is that the garage is ‘off limits’ to all customers and employees, and that I should avoid going over there. They tell me that whatever’s in there was wrapped up and offloaded from a large truck, and that it was done inside the building, after the guard was posted.

Columbo is my favorite television detective. He has a method to get information out of guilty people. He just keeps dogging them until they make the mistake that shows him how to solve the case. I might as well take a page out of his book and start working on Eaton. One method Columbo uses is to ask for the suspect’s help in solving the crime, so I think I’ll ask if Eaton can get me inside that area that security guy is guarding. It may not help the case, but even if it’s not connected in any way, my curiosity will be satisfied and Eaton will think my investigation is going in some direction other than his.

They page Eaton is over the dealership’s PA system and he meets me at the service department’s sign-in area. I can tell he’s on his guard when talking to me. He wants to appear to be helpful, but he’s got something to hide and we both know it.

I tell him that I’m curious about that security guard and would like to get into the garage to see what’s so important. Eaton lets me know that there’s no way I’m getting in that garage. The dealership has some contract with the Federal government for emergency repairs on their vehicles and that garage is a secure area. His answers don’t sound right to me, so it’s time for a little out-of-court cross-examination.

“
If it’s that secure, how do your mechanics get in there to work on the vehicles?”

“
They don’t. When a government vehicle is in there the government mechanics come to work on it. All we do is provide a secure garage facility for them.”

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That’s ridiculous. They’ve got plenty of garages in the Federal Buildings.”

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Yes, they do, but the July Fourth parade will be coming down this street, and there’s not a federal building within fifteen miles of this dealership.”

“
Are you trying to tell me that there are federal vehicles in that garage?”

My last question stops him for a second. He hesitates before answering.

“
I’m not supposed to tell anyone about this, but since this is a privileged communication… it is privileged isn’t it?”

“
Of course it is.”

“
Well, it’s a special vehicle that’s going to be in the parade. The President might even ride in it.”

“
Great. Can I go in and see it?”

He can’t get me into the garage. He’s the general manager of the entire dealership, but he still can’t break the rules that his employer agreed to. He does make one concession.

“
I can’t get you in there, but if you’re with me, you’ll be allowed to go around to the back of the building. There’s a locked storage shed back there with some file cabinets, and if you can get inside it and stand on something, you can peek through a hole in the wall and see inside the garage.”

“
And just how do you happen to know all about this elaborate peeking procedure?”

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I have the only key to that shed, and I had to go in there yesterday to get some sales brochures. While I was in there, my curiosity got the best of me.”

“
Okay Eaton, don’t make me guess… what did you see?”

“
C’mon…you’ll have to see for yourself.”

Eaton walks with me as we approach the garage. The guard obviously knows who he is. They nod at each other as we walk by. When we get around to the back, he goes to the storage shed and opens the lock. Once inside, he closes the door again and moves an empty file cabinet away from the wall. Sure enough, there’s a six-inch diameter hole with a two-inch diameter pipe coming through it, leaving some peeking room. Fortunately there was a concrete block lying around, so I bring it over, stand it on its sixteen-inch side, and step up to peek into the garage.

Eaton was right. It’s not a military tank, presidential limo, or secret service Suburban. It’s a red, white, and blue customized Hummer with its top removed, making it look like a huge patriotic, open phaeton. Sitting on the floor next to it is a large bubble-like plastic dome, also partially open on the top. The bubble top has some straps around it that are connected to a chain hoist coming down from the building’s ceiling. They’re obviously going to lift it up and attach it to the Hummer, making it a secure vehicle for someone important to ride in. I don’t think there are very many of these red, white and blue four-door Hummer convertibles around, so this must be the one that Olive told me about. The nagging question now is, with all the government security, how the hell did she know about it? Of all the people in the world that the Federal government might tell about that Hummer, Olive is probably right near the bottom of the list – just above Osama bin Laden.

Driving back to the Marina, my Hummer is doing about thirty miles an hour, but my head is doing at least ninety, trying to figure out how Olive knew about it. The only thing I can come up with is probably by some article in a recent issue of the National Enquirer. There’s only one way to really find out, and that’s by asking her.

Olive’s knowing about the Hummer certainly asks a big question, but at the same time it answers one. If that Hummer is the one that’s going to be in the Presidential parade, then I think I now know what’s going through FBI Special Agent Snell’s mind. He isn’t worried about Joe Morgan sabotaging a Secret Service Suburban or planting a Trojan horse in the parade, he’s trying to protect that Hummer from a guy trained in the use of explosives.

This is interesting. Myra kept Joe locked up and didn’t have a motive. All she had was a case of some people paying a service manager under the table for some non-warranty repairs. Snell has Joe locked up but has absolutely no case at all. Nada. Zip. Nothing.

I don’t know any explosive experts, but my friend Victor at 1800AUTOPSY certainly should. I’ve heard that he brings experts like that in whenever someone gets blown up, so I call him to get a referral. He turns me on to a guy he uses who formerly worked with the LAPD Bomb Squad. I make arrangements to pick him up and take him with me to see Snell at the Federal Building. I want to see the infamous explosive device that Snell thinks can blow up a Presidential parade.

Snell agrees to meet with us at his office and I tell him that I’m bringing an explosives expert along with me. When we’re shown into his office, he gets up with a smile on his face and an outstretched hand. I’m really surprised to see this, and then realize that the welcome isn’t for me. Snell walks right past me and shakes hands with my explosives expert.

“
Hello Vaughn, it’s been a long time.”

What a small world. My expert used to be with the FBI and worked on quite a few cases with Snell before retiring and working part time with the LAPD. I didn’t know if their being old friends was a good thing or not until we all sat down and started talking. Snell is a smart one.

“
What can I do for you today counselor?”

“
I know about the bubble-top Hummer, Agent Snell.”

He looks down at his desk for a while, like he’s been caught being a naughty boy. I have to hand it to him – he knows that the best defense is an offense.

“
Counselor, any information about whether or not a vehicle like that exists is classified. If you have some knowledge you’re not supposed to have, then you’re in a lot of trouble.”

“
Relax, super spy. I represent the company that insures that dealership, and it’s my responsibility to know what’s being stored in every building there. I happened to notice that flag car during a routine inspection of a shed behind the building that has a hole in the wall looking right into where the Hummer is being worked on. So now that you know I’m not a foreign agent, I’d like to get back to the commercial – my client, Joe Morgan.

“
I have a hunch you realize that your friend Vaughn here will be able to tell in a New York second that the explosive devices found at Morgan’s house are only good for being squibs and setting off a fireworks display. So what the hell’s going on? We both know you don’t have a case against my client. What’s this game-playing all about? Is it just because he’s a Muslim? I don’t think you would take a chance like that. Am I wrong?”

He starts in slowly.

“
No Peter, you’re not wrong. But I’m in a real difficult position here and I’m going to break some rules by telling you what it is. I know you’re a good lawyer and my past dealings with you on that bank robbery gang have shown that you’re a man of your word, so I’m going to have to trust you on this one.

“
You’re right. The explosives we found at his house really can’t do any damage, but we didn’t know that when his arrest warrant was issued and we had him transferred over here from Myra’s jurisdiction. Look at it from our perspective. We’ve got a Muslim who’s a former Navy Seal. He’s well trained in explosives and works at a dealership that’s garaging a vehicle scheduled to be in a Presidential parade.

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Our intelligence tells us that there’s a very high probability that some attempt will be made to do some damage during the parade. Secret Service tried to talk the President out of appearing, but he insisted. There are just too many voters in California for him to not show up.

“
Actually, we’re doing both you and your client a favor by keeping him in custody until after the parade. If we release him before the parade and some crazies kill some people that day, then you know what will happen. The press will have a field day. My head will be on the chopping block for letting a suspected Muslim terrorist with explosives training out onto the street just before a Presidential parade during which a terrorist attack takes place. Whether your client is innocent or not, he’ll be picked up and sent to Cuba for interrogation, and I’ll probably be fired or transferred to our field office in Nome, Alaska.

“
The best thing is for him to stay in our custody, so I’ll make a deal with you. He stays in, you keep quiet about it, and after the parade we’ll let him out, whether there’s an incident or not. You’ve convinced me that he’s not involved in anything, so he’ll be free after the parade – but I can’t make any guarantees about your ex-wife. When we release him, we’ll have to send him back to her. It’s then her decision to make as to whether he gets released on bail. If he’s not involved in anything more than some under the table stuff for repairs, then he should have no trouble bailing out.”

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I don’t really have a choice, do I? The parade’s only another few days away. Even if I made a big stink I couldn’t get him out before then, and if I did, and if there was an incident, then it’s back to square one. Okay Snell, you win. I’ll see you after the parade.”

Politics sucks. As part of our deal, Snell arranges for me to visit with Joe and I explain the situation to him. Strangely enough, he agrees that it would be better for him to stay in custody. He tells me that there are some pretty angry people at his mosque, and he doesn’t want anything that anyone else does to make him a hunted man. As long as the FBI knows he’s not one of the bad guys, he’ll just sit for another couple of days and then try to get his life back on track. He only has one question. “Do you think I can get my job back?”

That’s a tough one and I don’t want to lie to him, so I tell him that it’s unlikely, but if he’s as talented a mechanic as some of his co-workers says he is, he should have no problem getting a job somewhere else. I go so far as to tell him that I might be able to help him out there. If Stuart can’t use him, then maybe Billy Z could use someone who can fix cars and blow people up. He is not amused.

Vaughn the explosive expert has years of experience when it comes to cars blowing up, so I put him in touch with Myra. The first two Suburbans that exploded were repaired before anyone could take a real good look at them, but the one that went off of Mulholland drive and killed Eaton’s wife and mother-in-law is still at the police impound garage. The District Attorney’s people have been going over it with a fine tooth comb, but haven’t found anything yet. Vaughn says that he knows those guys, so I assign him the task of looking over their shoulder. I’m especially interested in the front right brake caliper, so I tell Vaughn to play it close to the chest. We want to know if the D.A.’s techies formed any conclusions before we tip our hand and give our theories away. It’s still an adversarial proceeding, and I want Vaughn to make sure he knows that he’s on our side now – not theirs. Just to make sure, I check with Victor at his autopsy shop and he assures me that Vaughn is a straight shooter who can be trusted.