089 – Roxanne Does Business

As Rox drove to her next stop Caspian used her cell phone to call Judge Kevan and update him on the situation. They stopped at the karate supply store she used, and purchased a new gi in Steven’s size. She suspected that the elves would probably tear it apart at the seams, and Steven would not appreciate them doing that to his current one. She also stopped at the archery store, for some broad heads.

When they arrived home, Steven’s car was in the garage. A note from Leticia hung in the center of the bulletin board. Cyrril was agitated. Also Steven’s effects were on the counter, with a new vest pack, within a second stuffed into itself.

‘Rox: Steven has been taken to the County Police Station. He needs you to go get him. What is this little beast? It looks like a dragon. There is a story here that I expect to be told in full. Leticia.’

“Well, this is peachy.” Rox put the note down.

“Peachy?” Caspian had not heard that adjective before.

“Does that Judge you know, know any lawyers up here?”

“I’ll have to ask.”

“Do that, now.” Rox’s tone was flat with frustration.

Rox handed Caspian the home phone, and went to the bedroom, moving the fresh shopping on to the couch as she went past. Here she gathered up her hiking boots, some more replacement clothes for herself and for Steven, then went back out front to hear Caspian talking to someone. For a moment Roxanne was unsure of the language she was hearing. Then it settled to English. She unloaded her arms onto the couch.

Caspian held the handset out to her. “He wants to talk to you. This is Judge Alistare Kevan.”

She took the handset. “Hello.”

“Mrs. Roxanne Caplan, I’m Judge Alistare Kevan. Caspian has told me the bare facts, but being from elsewhere has not got a solid grasp of the legal situation. I believe you want a Lawyer?” An unfamiliar male voice spoke.

“Yes. My husband Steven has been picked up. Presumably on suspicion of causing all this trouble.”

“O.k. Got a pen and paper? I’m going to give you a name and number.”

Rox moved to the notepad and opened to a fresh page. “Go ahead.”

“The firm is Torry and Clark. Ask for Ron Scalegi. I’ve worked with him before on cases involving…visitors.” He paused, being careful how he couched his words. He then gave her the phone number. “I’m going to call him right now. Call him in about 20 minutes if I don’t get back to you first, and tell him the full truth. Anything less and he may turn you down.”

“Is he expensive?” Rox had never retained a lawyer for anything before. Her mom was expensive, but did not handle criminal matters.

“I don’t know. He’s never billed me.”

“This is in your hands.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Caplan. Everything will work out.”

Judge Kevan disconnected the line. Rox hung up. Caspian looked curious, with Cyrril perched on his shoulders.

“We wait. Then I call the lawyer.” She went back to the front room. “In the meantime, I’m going to pack.” And she started to do so, pulling tags off the new stuff, and tossing the trash into a can. Rox separated the vest packs, turning the one right side out. She then put a few heavy things at the bottom of the pack on Steven’s new pack vest, followed by the new gi, rolled into itself. She rolled three pairs of her spandex tops and shorts tightly and put then into her pack-vest, for convenience. The new socks followed. Her archery field maintenance kit was put in the top. Three more rolls of film were put into a front pouch on Steven’s vest. The new boots and her own pair were respectively tied together by their laces for easy carry, and set aside. She then took the water bladders and was rinsing them when the home phone rang. The caller ID. matched the Lawyers number.

“Hello, this is Roxanne Caplan.”

“Mrs. Caplan. My name is Ron Scalegi. Alistare Kevan just asked me to talk to you.”

“Yes.” Rox motioned for Caspian to get on the other extension. “I have a friend who will be joining us on the line.” Caspian picked up the phone as she said this.

“My name is Caspian.”

“Ron Scalegi. Mrs. Caplan, I understand your county sheriff has taken your husband in to custody. Is this correct?”

“I don’t know for sure. And I don’t want to call, and find out myself.” Rox did not yet want to get involved with the local police, after what Steven had said happened the night she was last here.

“Very well. Do you want me to find out?”

“What would that cost?”

“For Alistare, I take clients on contingency.”

“Very well. Please call and find out about my husband, Steven Caplan.”

“I will do that, and get back to you, in about half an hour.”

“Thank you.”

They all hung up.

Caspian helped Rox finish with the water bladders, and fill them. They then assembled the filters and packed them back up when Ron called back.

“Good news and sort of good news. Your husband was picked up, but only for questioning. No charges have yet been filed.” Ron Scalegi kept his tone neutral.

“Are they going to let him go?”

“The officer that I talked to could not answer that question.”

“O.k. It’s just that we are in a bit of a hurry.”

“Do you have time to come see me in person?”

Rox looked at the clock, being out of the habit of wearing a watch. “Um, where are you located?”

He told her, she wrote the address and Carson City landmarks down.

“Twenty five minutes travel time…Um, yeah. We can be there in half an hour.”

“I will be waiting.”

Rox and Caspian slapped some sandwiches together, finished the water they had been drinking, and locked up as they went out and got in her truck. This time Cyrril came with. Rox drove quickly into Carson, and parked in the lot of the building. The sandwiches were gone by then.

They went inside, Cyrril riding Caspian’s shoulder, though nobody noticed. On the third floor, they were directed to an office suite within the law firm’s offices. After knocking, a man about Steven’s age opened the door and let them in, shaking their hands in turn.

“Mrs. Caplan, Mr. Caspian, I’m Ron Scalegi.”

Ron Scalegi was shorter than average, stocky and moved with unconscious confidence. He would have fit on Tywacomb well. His suit coat and tie hung from a wood coat tree. Pictures of family and rock climbers surrounded his several framed certificates on the wall behind his desk. A conversation pit was on one side of the room by the windows, to which he steered Rox and Caspian. He produced the typical yellow legal pad and disposable ball point pen from their places on the coffee table and sat in an arm chair facing them. He noted the time at the top of the sheet.

“O.k. It is just short of two pm. Just to summarize. At this moment, your husband, Steven Caplan, is at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, being cooperatively questioned about the disappearance and presumed abduction of you, Mrs. Roxanne Caplan, and your children Diana and Alex. I have been asked to assist you by Judge Alistare Kevan. I don’t know officially anything beyond that.” Ron wrote on his pad as he talked. “So, what’s the simplest beginning to this?”

Caspian spoke first. “I suppose it is that some really nasty people think Diana and Alex Caplan are children of prophecy, in the place where the nasty people are. So they had the kids kidnapped and in process ended up getting Roxanne as well. Being bad guys and having enemies, the enemies found out about the plot, and sent me to thwart it. But I failed, so I did what I could.

“At the time, Mr. Caplan, Steven, was out of town. I observed from a distance as the events unfolded, until I felt comfortable to approach Steven, and explain the situation. From there we immediately set out to get Rox and the kids.

“First we found that Rox had been separated and sold as a slave. After spending several weeks getting her back, we set out to go catch up to the kids. In process we were interrupted by the people that sent me in the first place, and summoned to their city to report our progress.

“So we went there, and while re-supplying, Rox and Steven decided to come home to pick up a few things and run some errands. We got in last night. Steven got up first, and while on his errands was picked up.”

Ron took notes, through all of this. “Do you know where the kids are?”

“Generally.” Caspian answered.

Ron wrote more notes. “Off the record, how much of this took place on this planet? That little creature on your shoulder tells me plain enough that you’re not a local. And your hair…”

Rox answered this. “I’m a native. My family is several generations native. He is not. The kidnapping happened here, and the last twenty hours we’ve been here. The rest is off planet.”

“O.k.” Ron scratched more notes. “While you were coming, I called back down to the sheriff’s office. From what I could tell, they want to hold your husband for a psych-evaluation.”

Caspian responded. “We don’t have time for that. The sooner we get back, and after the kids, the better.”

Ron pursed his lips. “Sounds reasonable. But odds are they aren’t going to willingly let him go, unless you can present yourself and the kids.

“For the record, I need to know about them. Name, sex, age, the basics.”

Roxanne could provide this off the top of her head. “Diana, girl, 10, brown hair, tall, skinny. Alex, boy, 8, blond hair, tall, skinny.”

Ron wrote this, and looked over his notes. “I suppose I can get the rest of the information from the police. Though the question is how to get Steven out.”

Rox looked at Caspian.

Caspian looked at the far wall for a moment. “Can you get us in to see him?”

“I could go down with you, but I won’t let you get me in any trouble.” Ron looked a bit icy at this.

“My cover is as a ‘detective’. Does that mean that I can go in and talk to Steven? With my assistant?” He looked at Roxanne as said this.

“Don’t see why not, but I have nothing to do with this.”

Rox cut off Caspian’s response. “Fair enough. Do you know just where my husband is?” She bit off the rest of her question.

Ron put his pad down. “I’m probably going to need to ask when I get there. May I presume that you want to retain me to defend your husband, Mrs. Caplan?”

“Mr. Scalegi, I want you to defend my husband, Steven Caplan, against whatever charges he will face. My husband may have another Lawyer in mind to help, but that can be dealt with later. Also I believe Judge Kevan can put you in contact with my mother, who is a business lawyer in the Bay Area, if needed.” Rox was ready to do about anything.

“Very well. I will do so. First, I’m going to make some phone calls. Then I will head down to see your husband in person.” Ron stood up.

Caspian and Rox followed suit, and Cyrril jumped from the back of the couch to Caspian’s shoulder. They all shook hands and Rox and Caspian left the office. Once into the foyer and going down the stairs and across the parking lot outside, the unspoken question was asked by Caspian.

“So, what are we going to do? Our window closes within the next day.”

Roxanne climbed into her truck, and started toward the closest mall as she answered. “I think I need a suit. And we need brief cases. We have to get Steven out of there. The legal stuff can wait. The elves won’t.”

They drove to the mall, and Caspian got a taste of how to shop fast.