The Attorney Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn't have standing."
    "I see."
    "The judges ruled that whatever she had to say was irrelevant.
    They wanted nothing to do with her. That was like waving a red flag under Zolanda's nose. They may as well have painted a bull's eye on their own ass. The one thing you don't do with Zo is ignore her.
    Somewhere along the way she decided that the courts were irrelevant.
    She set up her own procedures for enforcing custody."
    "Abduction."
    "She refers to it as protective action," says Susan. "Her organization is called Vanishing Victims. It's part self-help, part social services agency--with no accountability and no appeals. If somebody makes a mistake, and Zo has made plenty, there's nowhere to go to complain.
    From what I hear, Zo's gotten pretty sloppy over the years. She's actually had a few abusers in hiding. Mothers who complained about fathers who were themselves putting cigarettes out on their kids' arms and getting a little carried away with corporal punishment."
    "Why haven't the courts held Suade in contempt?"
    "She's certainly held them in contempt," says Susan. "Problem is, you have to prove she's involved. Zolanda operates like the godfather in the mob, the president in the Oval Office; she's always just one step outside the loop of incrimination. If she and her organization have taken this girl, you won't find any witnesses placing Zo at the scene.
    She's very careful."
    "Who does the snatching?"
    "People in her organization. Volunteers. Guys who, no doubt, go to church on Sunday and aren't bothered by the fact they're going to grab some kid out of the school lunch line on Monday.
    Cuz Zo's told 'em it's a mission from God."
    "What you're saying is, fanatics?"
    "Let's just say misguided."
    "And prosecutors haven't been able to charge her?"
    "No. The FBI's turned her and her organization upside down, at least that's what I've heard. She always uses one of the parents for cover, so it's not a straight-up kidnapping case, and there's a reason Suade is set up on the border. Mexico's not a bad place to lose people"
    "You think that's where my client's granddaughter is?"
    "If I had to guess. To Zo, the Baja is just like one big halfway house.
    Move them down to Ensenada, maybe Rosarita for a while, until they can find someplace more permanent. Tell me about the mother."
    "Mom was in the joint, a troubled past, mostly drugs. The grandparents got a custody order from the court. When the mother got out of jail, she showed up at the house with Suade making threats to get the kid back. A week later mom came back alone, under the guise of an on-sight visit.
    Only there was nobody home but the granddaughter and a baby-sitter."
    "Convenient," says Susan.
    "Mother and granddaughter disappeared."
    "And let me guess," says Susan. "Nobody saw Zolanda anywhere near the house during the visitation." I nod. "And mom and daughter haven't been seen since."
    "And they won't be," says Susan. "At least not under the same names, and not in this city. If Suade could take them to another planet, she would.
    You can be sure the mother's hair will change color and length a dozen times in the next year. Your client's granddaughter may end up looking like a little boy. No one's going to recognize either of them when Zolanda's done doing her magic."
    "You'd think Suade would have checked the mother out," I tell her.
    "Jessica Hale has a prison record. A history of drug abuse that stretches back to her teen years." Susan is silent.
    "Your client, does he have a name?" she asks at last. "Is he somebody anyone's ever heard of? A celebrity?"
    "Not really. Why?"
    "Zo's made a big thing of celebrities lately. Word is she's become afflicted by the need for publicity. It scratches some itch deep down inside. She's gone after a few well-known locals, the PJ of the local court."
    "You're kidding."
    "No. His son and his ex have been missing for over a year, along with nearly half a million dollars from a joint savings and investment account."
    "You'd think he