J.D. Trafford - Michael Collins 02 - No Time to Die Read Online Free Page A

for a moment.
    “We might also occasionally get a recent law grad that scraped together some foundation money to work here for a year.” She sat down. “But mostly … it’s just me.”
    She gave a little smile and a small laugh, signs of resignation.
    When she tilted her head, the light from the window hit her face in a soft light. Michael noticed how pretty she was; tired, but pretty.
    Her skin was naturally light, but her cheeks were kissed by the sun. Her nose was delicate, and her features were sharp.
    Kermit was watching, too. He noticed how Michael’s demeanor changed, and Kermit kept it mellow. He wasn’t going to ruin whatever was happening, especially if it meant Michael would stop yelling at him.
     
    ###
    “ So, we went out to the trailers on Green Haven. That’s the address where Tommy’s son said his dad was living.” Michael grabbed one of the chairs from the conference table and rolled it closer to Jane. He sat down. “But we got arrested before we could figure out if he even lived there. It wasn’t at all like what –”
    “ Tommy had told the family back home.” Jane completed Michael’s thought. She shook her head, knowingly. “Let me guess.” She pointed one finger in the air. “A swimming pool.” Then Jane pointed the second finger in the air, “and a weight room.”
    “ Something like that,” Michael said.
    “ Pretty typical. I don’t quite understand it.” Jane paused, thought, and then corrected herself. “Well, maybe that’s not accurate. I do understand it, but I’m not sure who they think they’re fooling. Everybody knows why they’re coming and what they’re doing. They’re modern slaves. It’s been going on for a long time, but perhaps pretending makes it easier, makes the sacrifices easier.”
    “ Do you know where Tommy is?”
    “ No.” Jane slid a stack of files closer to her from the side of the desk, and then picked up a folded newspaper article that had been underneath the files. “Read this and you’ll understand why I wish I did.”
     
    ###
    Holding an actual piece of newspaper printed on real paper was a small shock. Michael had forgotten the feel. At the Sunset he was isolated from the tabloids and 24/7 cable news shout-fests. Seeing the article, Michael remembered how loud everything was in the United States. So-called news reporting, to the extent there was any, had no subtlety.
    The article was about four months old and took up half the page. Another quarter of the page featured a picture of Tommy Estrada. He held a large poster above his head along with a half-dozen other workers. The headline across the top of the page read: WORKERS RALLY FOR BETTER CONDITIONS.
    Underneath, the article summarized an organizing campaign.
    The article talked about unsafe conditions in the fields and unsanitary conditions where the workers were housed. There were also multiple quotes from Jane Nance, Supervising Attorney and Director of Community Immigrant Legal Services, Inc.
    “ We were supposed to have a meeting to negotiate with Jolly Boy this week. Tommy was our lead representative.” Jane tensed. “I honestly don’t know how we can do it without Tommy. Tommy was a leader. He was a little older than the others, and the workers looked up to him.”
    Michael nodded, although he had never really met Tommy. Most of his interactions were with Pace and sometimes Tommy’s wife, Elana. But Michael knew that Pace was a leader. It was a skill he had probably inherited from his dad.
    Michael handed the article back to Jane.
    “His family thinks he might be sick, but they didn’t know any details.”
    Jane nodded, considering whether to trust Michael and Kermit.
    “He was dying,” she said, eventually. Jane placed the newspaper article back on her desk.  “He had cancer.”
    “ The big C.” Kermit looked up at the ceiling, drifting away in his own thoughts.
    “ I took him to a free clinic in Miami and got the diagnosis,” Jane said. “We talked about