of a crane swinging a wrecking ball through the sign on top of the old Capri Hotel, Nick’s morning coffee shop. If he is looking down, or for that matter up, I can’t help but wonder what he would say about this.
“Here it is,” says Harry. “It’s just a short piece.” The headline reads: ARREST IN VISA THEFT
A taskforce of federal and local law enforcement agencies led by agents of the Immigration and Naturalization Service as well as federal customs agents raided a residence in Santee last night, and an arrest in connection with the theft of thousands of border crossing visas in Tijuana last May.
The visas, issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, are used for short-term stays in the U.S. They were stolen from a commercial delivery van at gunpoint near the U.S. Consul’s office in Tijuana on May 23.
Arrested was Miguelito Espinoza, a local labor contractor whose business involves hiring unskilled labor, mostly for work in agriculture. According to authorities, Espinoza was in his home at the time of the raid and offered no resistance.
Authorities refused to say whether they found any evidence in Espinoza’s residence. The visas are believed to be worth as much as a million dollars on the black market, where they can be sold and used to enter the U.S. by undocumented aliens or by those seeking to smuggle people or contraband into the country.
Authorities have been searching for the missing visas for months. According to sources who declined to be identified, the documents represent the latest in laser identity technology and include holographs. It is feared that the hijackers who took the visas may be able to copy the laser technology in order to forge new cards.
Harry lowers the paper and looks over the top at me. “That’s it.”
“Why does your friend at the D.A.’s office think this is connected to Nick and the shooting?”
“What he said was, the guy they arrested was somehow involved with Metz.”
“Did he say how?”
“He didn’t say, and I didn’t want to crawl across the table and ask him. I got the sense that he probably didn’t know.”
“Do you think he’d tell you if you called him and asked him?”
Harry shakes his head. “We’re friendly, but not that friendly. What he did say is that the guy they arrested, this…” He looks at the article again. “This Espinoza, he was under surveillance by the feds for some time prior to the arrest. We’re talking months,” says Harry. “And I mean a blanket. Immigration wanted these visas back in the worst way according to what I heard. The D.A. wants to shake the guy to find out if he knows anything about the shooting. They’re assuming he couldn’t have been directly involved since the feds were watching him at the time. But they think he may know something. I didn’t even want to bring it to you, but I knew you’d want to know.”
“Thanks.”
Harry starts fixing himself a cup of tea, hot water in a cup in the microwave across the hall. He comes back dunking the tea bag on a string. “Did Tolt have a copy of the insurance policy?”
“What?”
“The key-man policy for Rush’s wife?”
“Oh. Yeah. He’s sending it to us in the mail.”
“Was he cooperative?”
“I suppose. As much as he could be. There’s some question, a complication,” I tell him.
“What kind of complication?”
“Seems her name is not on the policy as the beneficiary.”
“I’d call that a complication. Who’s name is on it?”
“The first wife.”
Harry rolls his eyes toward the ceiling. “So what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let me give you some advice. Send her the policy when it comes, put a cover letter on it, and tell her to get a good insurance lawyer.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because there are others involved.”
“Who?”
If we get drawn in, I’m going to be asking Harry to give up his fee. He deserves an answer.
“There is a child. Nick had a daughter out of wedlock a few years ago, before he met Dana. Her name is Laura.”
Harry looks at me. Mental tumblers turning in his head. “The envelope the cops found with the cash in Nick’s pocket,” says Harry.
I nod. “Nick had been paying support since the birth. No court order. Voluntarily. No one except the mother and him knew about it. It was the way they wanted it.”
“And you want to get the insurance for the child.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t. That’s going to be governed by the terms of the insurance contract. What I can do is to cut a piece out for her.”
“Our fees?”
“I nod.”
Harry nods. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I couldn’t. If the cops questioned you, you could honestly say you didn’t know anything. I wanted to protect their privacy. This way they won’t have to be a party to the scramble for insurance.”
“Why didn’t Nick put the kid’s name on the policy?”
“He probably wasn’t planning on dying quite yet. And to name her as beneficiary would put her head-to-head with Dana in the claims department. I suspect it’s the reason he left Margaret’s name on the policy. That way it might be up for grabs. The child could get something if the mother decided to pursue it and Margaret was found to have an invalid claim based on the divorce. I owe that much to Nick. He’d do the same if I were in his situation.”
“You very nearly were,” he says.
“Don’t remind me.”
“I understand. I only wish you’d told me earlier. Have a little more faith in me.”
“It wasn’t a matter of trust.”
“I understand.” Harry is hurt. “Of course we give up our fees. No question.”
Harry is looking down into the dark tea in his cup, wondering if he should just leave it there. But he can’t. “Rush’s death wasn’t your fault,” he says.
“Who said it was?”
“Nobody. It’s just that sometimes I think you have some lingering doubts. Especially now that I know what’s driving it. Did she know him, the child I mean?”
I nod. “According to Nick he went over whenever he could. She thought he was her uncle. You could see it in his eyes-he loved her. Told me how smart she was. How happy.”
“Still it’s not your fault. You recognized Metz for what he was and you opted out. You gave Nick fair warning. Would you rather it was Sarah who was without a father right now?”
“Believe me I’ve thought about that. I thought about what Nick might do in my situation. The four grand a month Nick was paying her mother isn’t there anymore.”
“And you’re thinking the insurance money?” Harry is already there.
“That’s what I’m thinking. And when she gets a little older, I suspect she is going to have a lot of questions about her father, who he was and how he died. It might be nice if there were some answers, something beyond the hideous speculation on yellowed newsprint about her dad doing business and dying with a client who was indicted.”
“The money I understand. Looking for answers as to who shot him and why is something for the cops.”
“Maybe. But I don’t see them busting their hump looking.”
“Could it be they figure Nick got what he deserved?” says Harry.
“One criminal defense lawyer more or less is not something high on their list.”
“You think it’s going to end up in the file of unsolved cases?”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
