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Chapter One Hundred-Eighty-Eight
Point of View: Narrator


"Where are you going?" Nick asked, blinking up at Dirk as he slammed his briefcase.

"I have one hour to find Leon," Dirk answered, grinning. He snatched the briefcase off the table and bolted out of the courtroom. As he ran, he withdrew his cellphone and quickly texted Kevin. First thing was first, he needed Kev.

Including travel time, Dirk realized, he would have approximately twenty minutes to find what he was looking for. It had been right in front of their eyes a good twenty times and none of them had ever picked up on it.

He needed the copy of Desi's phone bill they'd all been looking at a thousand times in the last few days - the one that held the answer plain in front of their faces - and, just to solidify his claim, he also needed a copy of Amelia's cell phone bill.

And he also needed the number to the Nashville police department.

They had a pick-up to make.



Dirk was positively ecstatic by the time the court reconvened. He'd been frightened to death that he wouldn't get back in time. He'd cussed and sworn and screamed at poor Kevin, who had cut off several vehicles on the freeway trying to get there from Verizon Wireless. Now, he was sitting in his chair, and had just resettled his briefcase, when the door opened and the officer led Nick into the room.

Dirk felt a surge of triumph.

"What?" Nick asked, eying him suspiciously as he lowered himself into the seat next to Dirk.

Dirk held up the copy of Amelia's cell phone bill. "You're as good as free, Nick," he said.

Nick squinted at the paper, "Because of a cell phone bill?"

Dirk nodded.

"This courtroom is now in session, all rise for the honorable Judge Heath," called a tired sounding voice. Judge Heath again entered through the door to the side of her stand, ascended and lifted her gavel. She called the court to order, stating the time and date and the case once more, and then she gestured toward the two tables, to the lawyers.

"The defendant is now free to call witnesses," she said calmly.

Dirk stood up. "The defense would like to call to the stand Nickolas Carter."

Nick blinked in shock. Me? he wondered. Dirk hadn't warned him... Dirk hadn't told him anything, shown him anything... Nick wondered what Dirk was up to, what was about to happen. He moved to the front of the room, was sworn back in, and took a seat on the stool once more.

"Nick, tell me about your house fire."

Nick was so confused. "My house fire," he stammered, "I dunno, I was there with Zoe and suddenly there was lots of smoke and-"

"And this was at your house in Los Angeles?" Dirk interrupted.

Nick blinked. Dirk was excited. He wasn't even letting Nick get the full story out before he was switching trails of thought. "Um yes," Nick said.

"Nick, you said to me earlier you wanted to go home..." Dirk said, he leaned against the witness stand. "And you asked me if you even had a home to go to, but Nick..." Dirk smiled at me, "How many homes, not counting the one that burned down, do you, in fact, have?"

"I own two houses," Nick said, "Three, if you count the LA house."

"And where are those houses?"

"One's in Florida and one's in Tennessee."

"Tennessee?" Dirk asked, eyes flashing.

Nick nodded slowly.

"The defense would like to submit for evidence, exhibit E. Please note especially the highlighted line." Dirk passed a sheet of photocopied paper to Judge Heath, as well as to the jury, and then, finally, one to Nick.

Nick's eyes slid across the typical-looking Verizon Wireless bill. It was Desi Hernandez's bill. His eyes slid across the amount due, the account number, the name and address of the billee, and then he saw it. Highlighted in yellow that had slightly smudged the ink that had not yet dried on the sheet itself. Nick looked up from the page.

Dirk nodded, "What's wrong, Nick? Recognize something on there?"

"I never called Desi," he said, mind whirling.

"So that is, in fact, your home phone number at your house in Tennessee, Nick?" Dirk asked, rubbing his hands together.

Nick blinked. "Yeah, but, dude, Dirk, I didn't call Desi. I didn't have any reason to.. I didn't even know the guy..." Nick's mind was racing. Why the hell did Dirk want the jury to think he called Desi? Didn't that make him look bad? Like he'd been jealous... Maybe jealous enough to commit the crime he was being tried for, for example?

"No, you're right, you didn't because look at the date on the bill, Nick."

Nick's eyes travelled along the line. It was several days after Leon had shot him. Nick had been in the hospital. He looked up at Dirk. "What the hell?"

"Someone was using your phone, Nick," Dirk said slowly, "To call... their friends..." Dirk turned and walked carefully, deliberately back to his briefcase. His eyes connected with Amelia's. "And others." Dirk returned, carrying Amelia's phone bill, and submitted that to evidence as well.

"Objection!" called Walters, "Dirk is using evidence that we had no time to research to refute."

Dirk laughed, "Your honor," he said, "They aren't trying to defend Amelia Armaletto, last I checked." Dirk smiled up at Judge Heath.

Heath glanced at Walters. "Overruled," she stated. She looked at Dirk. "Although I am wondering what this has to do with the case."

"Oh trust me," Dirk responded, smiling, "It does."

Nick was staring at the second page that Dirk had just handed him. This time it was a copy of Amelia's phone bill and, yet again, highlighted in bright, smudgy yellow ink, was his phone number. He looked up at Dirk. "How?"

"Well, Nick, who knows both Desi and Amelia?"

Nick stared at Dirk for a long, long moment, confused as all hell. Then he heard a gasp and looked up and saw Zoe's eyes had widened and her mouth was covered, as was Kayla's. What the hell? Nick wondered... and then it clicked.

"Leon is at my HOUSE?" he exclaimed.

Dirk shrugged, "That is still waiting to be confirmed..." he held up his cell phone, "But the Nashville police department are on their way over to check it out and see."