Sedona Law 6 by Dave Daren (ebook pdf reader for pc .TXT) 📕

“Like nuts,” she said. “They’re like Amish, only the hippie kind. They don’t believe in electricity or running water. They also don’t believe in birth certificates and social security cards.”

“Oh my gosh,” I rolled my eyes. “I’ve met people like that. They live out in the desert off the grid.”

“Uh-huh,” she said. “They have this whole premise that filing for a birth certificate or social security card is optional, and they homeschool their kids, and live their whole lives under the radar. No bills, no jobs, they swap and barter.”

“Then why is he in a band?” I asked.

“Well,” she said. “I think he’s a second generation. That’s just how he was raised. He does his own thing, but he may not have gotten those records himself, so there’s no record of him existing.”

“Then how did he get a passport to go to Africa?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe he’s got those things now. But, he still doesn’t show up on searches.”

“Which means,” I said. “At least in his mind, if he commits a crime…”

“There’s no one to tie it to,” Vicki concluded. “Whoa.”

It occured to me it could have been any of those guys that smuggled those elephant tusks.

Or it could have been none of them.

I needed to give this case some room to breathe. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on lighter cases like the vet bills for a millionaire zebra that lived on a commune.

But that night, my mom and Harmony took Vicki to meet a dress consultant. I knew Vicki better than that. She would ultimately end up with a dress from an incredibly high end designer, preferably found either in New York or Rodeo Drive.

But, the Irving women swore up and down that this consultant was the best, so she spent the evening at a dressmaker’s shop. Vicki did it with a level of graciousness that I admired so much it made me love her even more.

This left me alone for the evening. I got my mom to bring over Lady Sara’s trust agreement, and I pored over it. It was clear Phoenix was out of luck. Whoever drafted that trust knew exactly what they were doing. Phoenix couldn’t get a dime from Lady Sara unless it was for an accredited college, university, or vocational school.

I spent the rest of the night working up a plan that I had had in the back of my mind for about a year now.

Chapter 7

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Vicki asked me.

The next morning Vicki and I had a slow and relaxed morning in our cottage. We ordered delivery from Jitters, our favorite coffee shop downtown. Over cinnamon bagels and coffee, we start the morning soft and easy.  She wore a white button down dress shirt and nothing else. She held the paper cup with both hands and then eased into a barstool and crossed her legs.

“The idea’s been brewing for a while,” I said.

I took a bite of the warm toasted bagel, covered in a generous layer of artisanal cream cheese. The whole thing seemed to melt in my mouth.

“I know,” she said. “But do you think it will take away from what we’re doing with the firm?”

“No,” I said. “In fact, I think it will enhance it. It’ll add a passive income for us, and we’ll be that much more visible in the community.”

She raised an eyebrow and quietly took a bite of her bagel.

“Do you think we shouldn’t?” I asked her.

“No, I think you should,” she said as she wiped her perfectly manicured fingers on a napkin. “But I just wonder if this is the right time to do it.”

“I think it’s the perfect time,” I said. “AJ, Leila, Phoenix, Landon, they’re all circling around the same idea.”

“And you’d be Daddy Warbucks,” she teased.

I laughed. “Not exactly. I’d be their senior partner. I believe in all of them in different ways. Phoenix has got talent, Leila’s got the connections and the practical knowledge. AJ’s a really good writer, pretty funny, actually. That July Fourth thing she wrote.”

AJ had put together a July Fourth play for the city, when their original Independence Day show had fallen through. She’d put the whole thing together in less than a month, and the satirical take on the Independence Day story had just the right amount of reverence and snark, that it was one of the city council’s highlights this year.

Vicki laughed. “That was epic. She’s so much more serious in person, though.”

“Eh,” I said. “I think she’s serious around us. I have a feeling when she gets off with her friends, she’s pretty goofy.”

“Probably,” she said.

“Anyway,” I continued. “She’s a good writer. Landon’s got the aesthetic vision and formal training. You put all of these people together, and you actually might have something way more relevant than Steele productions ever was.”

“I don’t know that Jerry Steele had ever been relevant,” Vicki said.

“It’s quite possible he never was,” I said. “But these people are. They’re young, and in touch with an alt vibe that I think Jerry tried to find, but couldn’t. And I think it’s time the Irving family has more hands in the pot around this town.”

She smiled in that odd way she did when she was moved deep below the surface. We both rose and cleared the table of the takeout trash.

“Don’t look now Irving,” she said as she rose to toss the empty mug into the sink.“You’ve got real roots here now.”

“I know,” as I said as I spun her around and drew her close to me. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where I grow roots.”

She ran her tongue over her teeth in that familiar way, that meant she was totally turned on. What the