The hearing was to take place in the San Remo County Courthouse.
When I arrived, I spotted a larger than usual crowd assembled outside. The press contingent stood in a roped-off section along with a number of local TV reporters and their crews.
I stepped quickly through the melee and was on the courthouse steps when one of the reporters recognized me and began firing questions.
“Do you have any suspects in the killings?”
“Are you going to hold strong on the beach access issue?”
“Where’s the Sheriff and why isn’t he in charge?”
I slipped inside the courthouse without answering and took a moment to gather myself. Then I entered the courtroom and found a seat at the back of the amply filled gallery.
A handsomely dressed, middle-aged man was standing in front of the witness stand questioning a nerdy-looking man while Marielle Lemieux, in her judge’s robes, sat at the bench intently listening.
I presumed the questioner was Craig Leonard, the lead attorney of Boris Petrov’s legal team.
Jordyn Yates sat alone at the defense table. At one point, when she looked around to check out the attendees, we made eye contact. She winked at me.
Leonard finished questioning the nerdy young man, then called a solemn-looking, thirty-something woman to the stand. Prior to her being sworn in, Judge Lemieux motioned for Leonard to step to the bench.
I could barely make out their conversation but it appeared he was indicating this would be the prosecution’s last witness.
The judge nodded and Leonard went on to ask the woman a series of questions relating to bird species and their sanctuaries. When Leonard seemed satisfied with her testimony, he thanked the witness and said, “No more questions, Your Honor.”
Judge Lemieux turned to Jordyn, who waived any cross-examination. Then, in answer to the judge’s question, she said, “Just one witness, Your Honor.”
“Please proceed.”
Jordyn called me and as I made my way to the witness stand, Judge Lemieux made eye contact with me and despite herself, broke into a large grin.
Once I was sworn in, Jordyn asked, “What is your association with Boris Petrov?”
“Very little, actually. I’ve only met him once.”
“But you’ve had some interaction with his staff.”
“Yes. The San Remo Sheriff’s Department was empowered by the California Coastal Commission to enforce the beach access laws as they pertained to Boris Petrov’s property.”
“And what exactly did that entail?”
“The removal of permanent fencing that had been constructed at the four access points which had previously afforded beachgoers a right-of-way.”
“Did you meet with any resistance to this undertaking?”
“A handful of Petrov’s goons accosted me and my deputies on two different occasions.”
Craig Leonard stood and averred.”We object to the term goons, Your Honor.”
“Sustained,” the judge said. “Please find different nomenclature for Mr. Petrov’s employees.”
I nodded and smiled.
“And what were those occasions?” Jordyn asked.
“Once, when we were bulldozing the permanent fencing that was then blocking a previous access point. And again as we were removing the new fencing that Petrov’s goons…uh, I’m sorry, Petrov’s men…had constructed elsewhere to prevent public ingress to the beach.”
“And how exactly were you accosted?”
“The first time was just after we had successfully restored an original access point. One of the Petrov thugs shoved me and their leader, a Mr. Volya Koskoff, made a menacing gesture toward me.”
Leonard stood and said, “We object to the word thug.”
“Sustained,” Judge Lemieux said. “Sheriff Steel?”
“I apologize, Your Honor. These Petrov employees behaved like thugs.”
“Objection,” Leonard said.
“Overruled.”
Jordyn seized the moment and quickly went on. “What was your response to this so-called thuggish behavior?”
“One of my deputies tasered them both.”
“And the result of the tasering?”
“Wet undies and jail time.”
Judge Lemieux could barely stifle her laughter.
“Objection,” Leonard shouted. “These men are highly trained members of Boris Petrov’s security task force.”
“And illegal immigrants, as well,” Jordyn said.
“Objection,” Leonard said.
The judge turned to him. “To your knowledge, Mr. Leonard, are either of these assailants in the country illegally?”
“It’s possible,” Leonard said sheepishly.
“Possible?”
“They’re in custody until such time as that determination is made.”
“Objection overruled,” Judge Lemieux said.
Leonard sat down heavily, muttering something unintelligible under his breath.
“Excuse me,” the judge said. “I didn’t quite hear you.”
“Nothing, Your Honor.”
“I should hope so,” she said sternly.
“And the second assault…?” Jordyn asked me.
“It was at the same location. We were confronted by another pair of Petrov’s…employees. We were in the process of tearing down the new fencing they had just finished erecting when one of them attacked me physically.”
“And?”
“I put him down.”
“You did what?”
“I immobilized him.”
“How?”
“Superior martial arts training.”
“Yours?”
“Yes.”
“And what happened then?”
“The men were arrested and are currently being held without bail awaiting a deportation hearing.”
“I’m led to believe there was another incident,” Jordyn said.
“There was.”
“Can you describe it?”
“I was attacked from behind by another of Mr. Petrov’s security officers. He struck me twice with a tire iron.”
“And?”
“I shot him.”
“You shot the Petrov employee?”
“In the hip.”
“Objection,” Craig Leonard protested.
“What is the objection this time?” the judge asked.
“We don’t deny the fact that Mr. Steel was assaulted by a member of the Petrov security contingent. But we want to go on record as to Mr. Petrov’s involvement in this attack. He steadfastly denies any knowledge of or participation in this event. He apologizes for the unsanctioned behavior of one of his employees.”
“Duly noted,” Judge Lemieux stated.
Jordyn addressed the judge. “No further questions, Your Honor.”
Judge Lemieux turned to Craig Leonard. “Any questions?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
He approached the witness stand and stood directly in front of me. “You referred to Mr. Petrov’s staff as…let me get this straight…goons and thugs.”
“I did.”
“Because?”
“Because that’s what they are.”
“For the record, that’s your personal opinion.”
“Correct.”
“They’re actually top-notch, highly qualified security personnel.”
“That’s your opinion.”
“Correct,” Leonard said.
“But if the laws of the land are upheld, these qualified security personnel will soon be on their way back to the cesspool of a country they crawled out of.”
Leonard turned to the judge. “As you can see, Your Honor, this witness has no respect for Mr. Petrov’s security detail nor their place of birth. As a result, his credibility should be discounted.”
“Thank you for your opinion, Mr. Leonard,” Judge Lemieux said.
Leonard nodded. “Thank you, Your Honor. No further questions.”
After I was dismissed, I returned to my seat at the back of the courtroom. The judge had summoned both attorneys to the bench and they were engaged in a three-way conversation.
When they finished, Judge Lemieux banged her gavel loudly. “Injunction denied,” she said.
Then she headed for her chambers.
I made my way to Jordyn, who greeted me with a warm smile.
“Congrats,” I said.
“Aw, shucks,” she chided. “The judge asked if you might stop by her chambers.”
I nodded.
“Forgive me,” Jordyn said.
“For what?”
“I have to scoot back to L.A.”
“You mean now?”
“Tragic, isn’t it?”
“You mean before…?”
“There’s no need to belabor the point, Buddy. I get it.”
She stepped up to me and kissed me quickly. She searched my eyes. “I can hardly wait for this dinner of ours.”
I smiled. “Me, too.”
“Liar.”