Guilty Blood Read online

  PRAISE FOR RICK ACKER

  “You love rocket-fast legal thrillers? Ones that also dig deep and make you wrestle with the bigger questions of life? Then Rick Acker is a must-read.”

  —Bestselling author James L. Rubart

  “TOP PICK! Authentic courtroom drama meets chilling psychological thriller in Acker’s latest, and the surprising twists and turns will keep readers riveted. The characters are engaging, the plot is masterfully done and the pace is ideal. Fans of John Grisham and Dr. Richard Mabry should put this book on their must-read lists!”

  —RT Book Reviews on Death in the Mind’s Eye

  “Readers looking for a unique blend of science, murder mystery, and legal thriller will find much to enjoy with Acker . . . Acker both entertains and challenges readers’ thinking on what is truly good for humankind, finely blending genres into an intricate moral tale.”

  —Publishers Weekly on The Enoch Effect

  “Move over, John Grisham! . . . Acker writes in a straightforward style that compels the reader to read just one more chapter—again and again . . . Acker foreshadows with skill and unwinds the story artfully all the way to a powerful climax.”

  —Christian Book Previews on Dead Man’s Rule

  “Gripping, edge-of-your-seat fiction. When the Devil Whistles is a fast mix of suspense, compelling characters, and legal intrigue as only Acker can write it. I dare you to try to put this book down.”

  —Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author

  “Attorney Rick Acker brings an unputdownable mix of great writing, unexpected twists, and courtroom authenticity in Death in the Mind’s Eye. If you love John Grisham and Greg Iles, you’ll gobble up this book and every other novel written by Acker! He’s an automatic read for me.”

  —Colleen Coble, USA Today bestselling author

  ALSO BY RICK ACKER

  The Enoch Effect

  Death in the Mind’s Eye

  Blood Brothers

  Dead Man’s Rule

  When the Devil Whistles

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2017 by Rick Acker

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Waterfall Press, Grand Haven, MI

  www.brilliancepublishing.com

  Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Waterfall Press are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

  ISBN-13: 9781503942936

  ISBN-10: 1503942937

  Cover design by Jae Song

  For Anette, without whom I would never have written a single book

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  CHAPTER 47

  CHAPTER 48

  CHAPTER 49

  CHAPTER 50

  CHAPTER 51

  CHAPTER 52

  CHAPTER 53

  CHAPTER 54

  CHAPTER 55

  CHAPTER 56

  CHAPTER 57

  CHAPTER 58

  CHAPTER 59

  CHAPTER 60

  CHAPTER 61

  CHAPTER 62

  CHAPTER 63

  CHAPTER 64

  CHAPTER 65

  CHAPTER 66

  CHAPTER 67

  CHAPTER 68

  CHAPTER 69

  CHAPTER 70

  CHAPTER 71

  CHAPTER 72

  CHAPTER 73

  CHAPTER 74

  CHAPTER 75

  CHAPTER 76

  CHAPTER 77

  CHAPTER 78

  CHAPTER 79

  CHAPTER 80

  CHAPTER 81

  CHAPTER 82

  CHAPTER 83

  CHAPTER 84

  CHAPTER 85

  CHAPTER 86

  CHAPTER 87

  CHAPTER 88

  CHAPTER 89

  CHAPTER 90

  CHAPTER 91

  CHAPTER 92

  CHAPTER 93

  CHAPTER 94

  CHAPTER 95

  CHAPTER 96

  CHAPTER 97

  CHAPTER 98

  CHAPTER 99

  CHAPTER 100

  CHAPTER 101

  CHAPTER 102

  CHAPTER 103

  CHAPTER 104

  CHAPTER 105

  CHAPTER 106

  CHAPTER 107

  CHAPTER 108

  CHAPTER 109

  CHAPTER 110

  CHAPTER 111

  CHAPTER 112

  CHAPTER 113

  AFTERWORD

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER 1

  November

  Jessica Ames was shopping for salmon when her life shattered for the second time.

  She was at Safeway. Money had been tight since Tim died, so she bought most of her groceries at Walmart or Trader Joe’s. But Safeway had better fresh fish, and she was treating herself because she had gotten a raise—not a lot, but it was still worth celebrating. The ingredients for a lemon-dill marinade were already in her basket. So was the premade rice pilaf from the deli. All she needed was a good fillet, ideally a tail piece. But the only tail slice in the cooler expired tomorrow, while another piece of the same size didn’t expire until the end of the week. She held one piece in each hand, examining them through the plastic wrap sealing the fish into its blue Styrofoam tray.

  Her purse started playing the marimba. She dropped the packages back into the cooler and pulled out her phone. She smiled when she saw Brandon’s picture and name. The picture was from his high-school graduation: she stood to his left, Tim stood to the right, and Brandon was in the middle. They were all vibrant and happy, beaming at the camera. It was a bittersweet image, but she hadn’t had the heart to change it.

  She accepted the call. “Brandon! How are you, honey? How are classes going?”

  “Mom, I’m at a police station in Oakland,” he said, his voice shaky and small. “They arrested me this morning.”

  Fear knifed through her. “What happened? Have you been drinking again?”

  “No, I haven’t been drinking. Or doing drugs. I . . . I’m not sure what happened. I was in my apartment studying, and the police started pounding on the door. I answered it, they asked who I was, and they pu
t handcuffs on me and took me away. I was just sitting there at the dining-room table with my chemistry notes in front of me. Then two minutes later, I was in the back of a police car, heading for the station. Ever since I got here, they’ve been asking me about some guy who was killed a couple of weeks ago in Oakland.” He paused and drew a deep breath. “I’m pretty sure they think I’m the murderer.”

  Jessica stood frozen, unable to speak or even think. It was happening again. The familiar waking-nightmare feeling took hold of her. It was unreal, but all too real. She wanted to throw up, to scream, to curl up in a ball and hide, to hug Brandon tight and never let him go. And all she could do was stand rooted to the supermarket floor, staring into a pile of chilled pink fish.

  Dear Lord, let this all be a mistake, she prayed. I can’t . . . I can’t . . .

  “Mom . . . Mom, are you there?” Brandon said. “I didn’t do it, I swear.”

  “I know you didn’t,” she said. The words came automatically, but she knew they were true. They must be. Brandon had made mistakes in the past, but she knew he was no murderer. So how could this be happening? “Brandon, are you okay?”

  The line was silent for a long moment. “I don’t know,” he said softly. “They didn’t hurt me. But I’m in shock. I don’t know what to think.”

  Neither did she. This must all be a horrible mistake. The police had arrested the wrong Brandon Ames or something. The truth would come out and they would let him go. They had to. But what if they didn’t?

  Her brain started to function again. “Did they give you a lawyer?”

  “Not yet. I told them I wanted one and they said they’d call the Public Defender’s Office. That’s when they stopped the interrogation and let me call you.”

  The public defender. Jessica’s mind conjured up the image of an overwhelmed and underpaid lawyer trying to juggle a hundred cases. A lawyer who would take any deal the prosecutor offered just to get rid of another case—even if the defendant was innocent. Her panic rose a notch.

  She couldn’t let this happen. She just couldn’t. There had to be something she could do. Then she realized that maybe there was. She could try to get Nate Daniels. Tim had always said Nate was one of the best courtroom lawyers in the country. He might be exactly what Brandon needed.

  She hadn’t talked to Nate in a year, and it would be uncomfortable to ask him for a huge favor. But that didn’t matter. Nate could help Brandon, so she would ask him. No matter how hard or awkward that might be.

  She didn’t want to get Brandon’s hopes up. Not until she had at least talked to Nate. “Don’t say anything more to them until the public defender gets there,” she said. “I’m going to try to get help.”

  “Okay, Mom.” He paused. “I love you.”

  Tears suddenly blurred her vision. “I love you too.”

  CHAPTER 2

  “Who is Brandon Ames?” FBI Special Agent Coleman Jones asked, staring at Brandon’s picture on his computer screen. The photo was from Ames’s Facebook page. It showed him grinning and squinting slightly in the sun. His blond hair was cut short on the sides but long and floppy on top. He wore a Cal T-shirt, and he was standing in front of Sather Gate at UC Berkeley. He had a muscular build, and his school records showed that he was a college senior, but he had the face of a fifteen-year-old. He’d still be getting carded when he was forty. If he lived that long.

  Cole swiveled around to face Billy Chen, a compact Chinese American man with a carefully cultivated nondescript appearance. Anyone who passed him on the street would assume he was a typical tech worker.

  Billy shrugged wiry shoulders and nodded toward the screen. “Run-of-the-mill suburban college kid. He went slumming in Oakland, got in a fight, and killed a guy. It happens, right?”

  “That’s obviously what the OPD thinks.”

  “But you don’t?”

  Cole rocked gently in his chair for a moment, drawing soft squeaks from the springs. “I don’t think we can afford to. There’s too much riding on this. And the timing of Linc’s death was awfully inconvenient. Linc Thomas’s murder would have set us back at any time. But now it’s devastating.”

  “So, what do you want to do?”

  “Figure out whether Ames is a Lan Long assassin.”

  Billy nodded. “Want me to try to talk to him?”

  Cole shook his head. “No. He’s in Tassajara. Getting to him in there would be too risky. People would notice if an FBI agent walked in there, flashed his badge, and interviewed Ames. It would probably tip off whoever he’s working for.”

  “What do we do?”

  “We learn about Brandon Ames. We look for connections to Lan Long. We watch his family and friends.”

  Billy picked up a pen from Cole’s desk and began flipping it through his long, dexterous fingers. “If you’re right that he’s a Lan Long hit man, there might be people coming after him in jail. What do we do if someone gets to him?”

  Cole pondered that for a moment, then shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Kevin Fang sat at the conference-room table, watching in fascination as Nate Daniels worked his magic. Nate was Kevin’s lawyer, though Kevin regarded him as something closer to a wizard.

  Nate looked nothing like a wizard, of course. He always wore suits—gray 53 percent of the times Kevin had seen him, dark blue 42 percent of the time, and a weird brown color the other 5 percent. Rather than the flowing gray or white mane of a wizard, Nate’s hair was short and wavy, brown with gray at the temples. And he carried a briefcase rather than a staff. But he could accomplish arcane feats every bit as impressive as Dumbledore or Gandalf.

  Nate had first represented him when Kevin was a college student trying to get the rights to his first patent from the professor who had stolen his idea. Kevin’s parents had paid Nate at the time, and it must have nearly wiped out their life savings. Once Kevin discovered what Nate’s services cost, he had insisted on reimbursing his family—which hadn’t been difficult after Nate extracted a four-million-dollar settlement from the university.

  This time, the stakes were much higher—but the basic problem was the same: Kevin had trusted the wrong person. Specifically, he had trusted Harry Clarendon—who sat across the table from Nate right now. Harry was the CEO of Fortuna Software. He had also been one of Kevin’s idols up until one year, two months, and sixteen days ago. That’s when Harry stole Kevin’s company. The details of how it happened still mystified Kevin—something about diluted stock and voting rights. There was some confusing legal language near the back of the joint-venture agreement he had signed with Fortuna that somehow allowed them to cheat him. Nate had explained it to him several times, but it still didn’t make much sense to him. All he really knew was that one day he owned half of a hot new startup, and the next day he didn’t.

  Since then, Kevin had paid Nate and his firm, Bingham & Brobeck, approximately $53,500 per month to get his company back—or at least force Fortuna to pay for it. Nate said he thought Kevin had a strong case, but Fortuna’s lawyers ignored the evidence, insisted that Kevin’s company had been worth only a few thousand dollars, and fought Nate at every turn.

  Nate said that he thought Fortuna’s board of directors wanted to settle the case, but that Harry Clarendon refused. According to Nate, Harry and his lawyers—whom Nate referred to as a “scorched-earth” firm—were trying to drive up Kevin’s legal bills in order to force him to drop the case, or at least take a very low settlement.

  Kevin attended the legal proceedings whenever he could, even though he didn’t always understand them. But he understood today’s events, or thought he did, anyway. Nate had forced Harry Clarendon to come to Bingham & Brobeck’s office for a three-hour deposition. That meant Harry was required to answer Nate’s questions under oath while a man videotaped him and a woman transcribed everything that happened.

  Kevin had expected the truth to come out when Nate finally got to cross-examine Harry, but so far he had been disa
ppointed. Nate asked Harry question after question, and Harry calmly lied in response. He denied that he had ever called Kevin a “partner” or promised that they would “split everything fifty-fifty.” He repeated his lawyers’ lie that Kevin’s company had been basically worthless—even when Nate showed him the transcript of a Fortuna quarterly-earnings call where Harry said that the acquisition of Fang Software “had added at least fifty million to Fortuna’s value.” That had just been “talking up the street,” he said. And so on.

  Kevin didn’t like hearing people say things that weren’t true. It bothered him, and he wanted to correct them. His counselor, Steve, had told him that it usually wasn’t appropriate to do that, so Kevin restrained himself most of the time. But it was hard—especially when the untrue things were about him. He looked down during most of the deposition, playing with a Fidget Cube in his lap until his fingers hurt.

  Two hours passed. Then two and a half. Kevin kept waiting for Nate to show that Harry was lying, like the attorney had done to Kevin’s former professor in the patent case. But the deposition ended without that ever happening. The three hours were over and everyone began to pack up.

  Nate turned to the videographer. “I’ll need a copy of the video by the end of the day—and so will Fortuna’s board of directors.”

  The videographer nodded, but Fortuna’s main lawyer scoffed and shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”

  Nate shrugged. “That’s your decision, of course. Your client just admitted that he committed securities fraud. I’ll notify the SEC tomorrow, but as a courtesy I’m willing to wait until the board has had a chance to see the video and take whatever action they think is appropriate.”

  Harry’s face turned red while his lawyer’s went pale.

  “You’re insane,” Harry said.

  “But not delusional, I hope,” Nate said with a smile. “Unless I was hallucinating, you said—under oath, I might add—that you made an intentional and material misstatement during a shareholder call. Specifically, you told Fortuna’s shareholders that Fang Software was worth fifty million dollars when in fact it was worth almost nothing. As your attorneys can explain to you, the SEC takes a dim view of that sort of thing. A very, very dim view.”

  And at that moment Kevin understood. The pieces slid into place and he saw the pattern. Nate had let Harry lie all afternoon because for once those lies were actually helping Kevin. It was beautiful. It was magical.