The Advocate's Illusion

by Teresa Burrell

  “Yes—Evan. He was a newborn. I used to send them gifts for Christmas and birthdays, but I talked to Heather once about three years ago and she said Todd would throw them in the trash without even opening them. The kids never even knew they came, so I stopped sending them.” Ian looked pensive, and then shook his head. “No, I couldn’t do it. As much as I’d like to help those boys, I wouldn’t be the best placement for them. I’m sorry.”

  Chapter 26

  The Parker Case

  JP sat in Mike Powers’ office with Mike’s client Amber Baker, the woman who possibly had an encounter with “Jim Jones.”

  “Tell JP everything you remember about that night at the bar,” Mike said.

  “I went to the bar to have a drink,” Amber said. “I was feeling kind of low because my aunt had died, and I wanted some drugs. I thought a drink was a better answer. I should’ve gone to a meeting, but the bar was close and it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  “What bar was it?” JP asked.

  “The Blarney Stone. It’s on Balboa. I live right across the street from it, so it was very convenient. I would’ve just gone to Vons and bought a bottle, but I didn’t want to be alone. My kids were in a foster home and I was feeling sorry for myself. You know how it is, right?”

  JP nodded. “What happened in the bar?”

  “I wasn’t in there very long, maybe two beers later, when this guy comes up and sits down next to me. He said hello and started making small talk. He said he had had a rough day and that I brightened it up. I was like a shining light, he said. He bought me another beer, which I drank. Then I went to the bathroom and when I got back, he had another one waiting for me. I think he put something in that beer because I got real loopy. That would only have been four beers, and I don’t get drunk on four beers. You know what I mean?”

  JP wondered how many it took, but he didn’t ask. “Can you tell me what he looked like?”

  “He had brown hair. It seemed to be combed over a little like he was hiding a receding hairline, but later when I saw it, he wasn’t really balding, so I guess that was just for looks. His hair came to a little peak on his forehead.” She reached up to her forehead and drew an imaginary V-shaped line with her index finger and thumb. “It came like this. There’s a name for it. What’s it called?”

  “A widow’s peak.”

  “Yeah, that’s it.”

  “Anything else about his looks?”

  “Like, he wasn’t great looking or anything, but he wasn’t bad either. Oh,” her voice escalated, “and he was wearing wire-rimmed sunglasses. I asked him if he had been to the eye doctor or something, but he said no. He said his eyes were particularly sensitive, but mostly he just liked wearing them.”

  “Did he tell you his name?”

  “He said it was Jim. Jim Jones, I think.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “I don’t remember too much, but he must have walked me home because the next thing I knew we were in bed together and he was talking about crazy stuff.”

  “Like what?”

  “He kept asking me if I recognized him, but I didn’t. I thought maybe I had met him before, but he said that wasn’t it. He said he was famous, but he was from another world—the spirit world.”

  “Did he say anything about a comet?”

  “Yes,” she said excitedly. “I thought I was hallucinating. Sometimes when I use drugs, I have crazy visions and hear weird things. So when I thought about it later, I just thought it was the drugs talking. But then I remembered I hadn’t used any drugs, so I figured this guy had spiked my drink or something, because I didn’t really think he was talking about comets and stuff. So maybe he didn’t spike my drink. Maybe he was just talking crazy crap.” She paused. “Yes, he did. I know he did, because I was high. It wasn’t just the alcohol. I know the difference. But you think that part was real—about the comets? I mean, not that the comet part was real, but that he really said it. You know what I mean?”

  “Yes, I know what you mean, and he likely said it,” JP said. “He’s done it before.”

  “Why would he say I was pregnant? I wasn’t pregnant, you know. I had my period a few days later. I was pretty freaked out until I started. But that was really strange. The last thing I wanted was to get pregnant again, especially by some weirdo, you know.”

  JP asked a few more questions, but they didn’t reveal anything new. He thanked her and she left.

  “This ‘Jim Jones’ is a piece of work,” Powers said. “How many women have you found that match his M.O.?”

  “So far, at least three: our client, Regina Collicott’s client, and your client, Amber.”

  “All juvenile court cases?”

  “So far, but in all fairness, that’s the only place we know to look. We know he’s still on the prowl because he approached someone recently in another bar in Clairemont.”

  “Are they always in Clairemont?”

  “So far, but then that’s also where I’ve concentrated my efforts. I don’t have time to hit every bar in San Diego County.”

  “That’s a lot of bars,” Mike said.

  “And a lot of beer.”

  “Yeah, the beer—I wish I could help, but I don’t have the time either. Besides, the doctor said I had to cut back on my alcohol intake.” He slapped one hand against his cheek. “But if I had to drink while I worked, that wouldn’t be my fault now, would it? I think I better help with this investigation.”

  “Right, and try to convince your wife that you’re working.” JP laughed. “But that gives me an idea, Mike. Thank you.” He stood up and stepped toward the door. “Later.”

  JP called Ron on his way to his car. “Are you busy?”

  “No, why?” Ron said.

  “I have a job for you.”

  “Good, I could use the work. What do I need to do?”

  “Meet me in twenty minutes at The Blarney Stone on Balboa. We’re going to do a little ‘on the job’ training.”

  “At the bar?”

  “At the bar.”

  “My kind of work.”

  Chapter 27

  The Parker Case

  Ron was standing outside The Blarney Stone when JP arrived. They greeted each other and walked into the bar.

  JP told Ron about the Parker case and how they were trying to find Jim Jones, or obtain information from anyone who had contact with him. “Watch and listen. I’d normally tell you to take notes but it might intimidate our sources.”

  “Got it.”

  JP looked around, saw that there was only one bartender, assessed the bar’s setup, and led Ron to a couple of barstools. When the bartender approached, JP ordered a beer. “Just water, please,” Ron said.

  “Always try to sit where the bartender will be hanging out,” JP said.

  “How do you know where that is?”

  “If they have a sink where they wash glasses and he’s the only bartender, he’ll be there a lot. If not, watch for a few minutes and see where he goes after he serves someone. Most of them have a spot. Don’t ever sit near the cash register. It’s too noisy and they won’t want to be bothered while they’re handling money.”

  When the bartender delivered their drinks, JP engaged him and gave him a twenty-dollar bill to pay for his drink. He returned shortly with the change. “Thank you,” JP said. “I could use a little information.”

  “About what?”

  “I’m a private eye, and we’re looking for a rapist. We have reason to believe he found one of his victims in here a few months back.”

  The bartender shook his head. “What do you need?”

  JP showed him the photo on his phone that Ellesse had given him. “Does this guy look familiar?”

  “Maybe.”

  “He would probably be wearing sunglasses.”

  “There is a guy who has been in here a few times that doesn’t take his sunglasses off.” He glanced around the bar. “As you can see, it’s pretty dark in here already. I figured he must have someth
ing wrong with his eyes, or some disfigurement or something. Does he?”

  “Not that we’re aware of,” JP said. “When was he in here last?”

  “I don’t know. A few weeks ago, maybe. I’ve only seen him two or three times, all in the last six months.”

  “He wasn’t in here before then?”

  “I don’t know. That’s when I started working nights. I don’t recall ever seeing him in here during the day.”

  JP gave him his card and a generous tip, and asked him to call if he came back. The bartender assured him he would.

  Before they left, JP talked to the waiter, but he couldn’t provide any new information.

  “I need you to hit about three bars tonight in El Cajon. Tomorrow night, hit three bars in Lakeside, National City, Escondido, downtown, maybe Pacific Beach. I don’t expect you to do them all in one night. Whatever it takes. You need to try to do this on weeknights because the weekends are too busy, especially downtown. If we can determine what area he is frequenting, it may help us find him. Also, the more feelers we have out, the greater the chance that someone will call when he goes after his next victim.”

  “You got it,” Ron said.

  “I’m guessing you don’t have any business cards, right?” JP asked.

  “I haven’t had any need for them, but I can get some made up if you want me to.”

  “For now, use mine. Just tell them to call me if they learn anything. Write your name on the back before you give it out.”

  “Okay.”

  “And here’s a hundred bucks for the drinks and tips.”

  “I don’t need your money, JP. I have a little.”

  “Take it. It’s a business expense.”

  Ron hesitantly took the money and put it in his pocket.

  JP continued. “If you’re a cop, you don’t need to order a drink, your badge will suffice, but if you’re anyone else seeking information from a bartender, you better order something. It doesn’t have to be alcohol, but order something besides water. If you order alcohol, don’t drink it if you’re hitting a lot of bars.” JP didn’t think he had to explain that, but he wasn’t sure and the last thing he wanted was for Sabre’s brother to get picked up on a DUI while he was working for him.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t drink and drive.”

  “And tip well. If there is a tip jar or something like that, make sure they see that you are tipping. It’s always best to give it to them directly, if you can. Make as much personal contact as you can. You want them to think of you when they have new information.”

  ~~~

  Ron was a little uneasy at his first bar in El Cajon, partly because this was unfamiliar territory for him. He had been to a lot of bars in San Diego in his day, but few in East County. Most of his bar-hopping had been done either downtown or at the beach, and this bar was a lot more crowded than The Blarney Stone. All the seats at the bar were filled, so he found a table and took a seat. Within a few minutes, a waitress in a short, flared skirt and a low-cut blouse that showed just a peek of cleavage approached his table.

  Ron smiled and said, “Good evening. How has your night been so far?”

  She looked at him for a second and then said, “Not bad. Thanks for asking. What can I get you, Sugar?”

  “A Pepsi, please.”

  “Will Coke do?”

  “Sure.”

  A few minutes later she returned with his drink, set it on the table, and surprised Ron by sitting down in the chair across from him.

  “So, what is it?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  She looked directly into his eyes. “You don’t seem sad, so I don’t think you were just dumped or anyone you know has died. You seem a little nervous, but not enough to be planning to rob the place. You don’t appear to be waiting for someone. You don’t strike me as shy, and you’re very attractive, so I don’t think you’re here for a hookup, and you ordered a soft drink instead of alcohol.”

  “Do you always sit with your customers and analyze them?” Ron asked with a smile.

  “Only when it’s slow and I get bored.”

  Ron looked around at the relatively crowded bar. “You call this slow?”

  “No, but my shift is over and I thought I’d rest my feet a bit before I left. My name is Sunshine, but everyone calls me Sunny. My parents were leftover hippies. It could have been worse; they named my sister Moonlight. And don’t get any ideas. I’m not leaving with you.”

  “My name’s Ron, and I wouldn’t expect you to.”

  “So, what’s your story?”

  Ron removed his phone and showed Sunny the photo of Jim Jones. “I’m looking for this man.”

  Instead of looking at the photo, Sunny studied Ron’s face and then glanced at his body. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

  “Not that.” Ron laughed. “I’m working with an attorney and we’re investigating this man. We have reason to believe he’s been picking women up in bars and raping them.”

  Sunny looked at Ron’s phone, tapped the screen because it had gone to screensaver, and then scrutinized the photo. “I don’t recall seeing him in here. The picture isn’t real clear, and with the sunglasses I can’t see his eyes. You can tell a lot about people from their eyes.”

  “He usually wears his sunglasses in the bar, no matter how dark the bar is.”

  “Now that I would remember, because I would want to see his eyes. I haven’t seen anyone in this bar who kept their sunglasses on. I’ve been working here for years, mostly this shift and the later one. Let me go ask the other workers.”

  “Thanks.”

  Ron drank his Pepsi and did some people-watching while he waited. Most of them appeared to be having a good time, laughing and drinking. A few sat alone just drinking. It struck him as sad, and he decided he never wanted to be one of those. He really wanted to meet someone that he could spend more time with, but he wasn’t really lonely. He had his family and friends, and kept busy with hiking, surfing, geocaching, and softball. Now all he needed was a regular job and a girlfriend.

  His thoughts were interrupted when Sunny returned alone. “No one has seen anyone in here wearing sunglasses,” she said. “Sorry.”

  “Thanks for checking.” Ron gave her one of JP’s cards. “This is my boss, JP. Please call him if you see the man in the photo.”

  Ron continued his search through several El Cajon bars but found no one who recognized Jim Jones or had any patron with sunglasses, except some kid celebrating his twenty-first birthday who had big lenses shaped like birthday cakes. After his fourth bar in El Cajon and three in Lakeside, he went home with virtually nothing to report.

  Chapter 28

  The Parker Case

  Sabre called JP from Bob’s office. She was outside the conference room waiting for everyone to arrive for the meet and confer on the Fowler case. Bob had filed a demurrer on behalf of the father on the case and Irene had joined in for the mother. A demurrer basically admits that the facts in the case are true, but says, “So what?” The contention of the parents was that even if Lester had had sexual contact with Mary Margaret, they were married, so it wasn’t illegal. California required a meeting between the parties on the issue prior to bringing it before the judge.

  “Did you get an appointment with Sheila Krueger, Sarah Parker’s paternal aunt?” Sabre asked.

  “I did, but I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking for,” JP said.

  “Sarah’s father wants custody of his daughter, but Judge Hekman isn’t going to do that right now because of his recent jail stint and his drug history,” Sabre said. “His second choice was for her to live with his sister Sheila. Sarah lived with her for a while when this case first came into the system. She was detained with the father at the aunt’s home until her father violated the court order, was caught with drugs, and claimed they were his sister’s.”

  “Nice guy.”

  “Yeah. Sarah was removed from the home and put in foster care for a short time and then she
was returned to her mother. Sarah likes her aunt and wants to live there, but she wants her little brother with her. Sheila is willing to take him, but since she’s not related to Denny, she needs to be approved by DSS. The big question is whether or not she can protect the children from Russell Drake, Sarah’s father. DSS is doing their evaluation, but I want to see what you think.”

  “I’ll do what I can.”

  “JP, I know you’re crazy busy with all these cases right now and I expect you have others that I don’t know about, but it’ll all break pretty soon. I just have so many new cases that need so much attention.”

  “It’s all good. I don’t have much else I’m working on and I enlisted your brother to help. He’s going to be hitting the bars in search of Jim Jones. We’ll git ’er done.”

  “Good, Ron needs the work.”

  ~~~

  Sheila Krueger and her husband Paul sat across from JP in their living room. It was a beautiful two-story home in Rancho Peñasquitos.

  “I understand you’re a teacher, correct?” JP asked.

  “Yes,” Sheila said, “I teach high school English at Mt. Carmel High. My husband is a pharmaceutical salesman, and he works from home a lot. We’ve arranged for daycare for Denny, and Sarah will be in school most of the time while I’m working.”

  “How close are you to your brother?”

  “We were very close as kids and have for the most part remained so, but once he got into drugs, our relationship changed, because I lost trust in him.”

  “Other than the drugs, what kind of father is he?” JP knew if he just asked if she would protect the children, she would say yes, so he wanted to hear more about their relationship.

  “He’s a good, compassionate man when he’s clean. He’s a good worker and a good father, but he’s weak. He has been fighting his addiction since he was in high school.”

  “And if he tested clean, would you be in favor of Sarah living with him?”

  “He would have to be clean for a very long time to get my trust. In the past, he has stayed clean for almost two years and then started up again. I’ll keep helping him if he really wants help, but I’m not sure he’ll ever be able to raise his child. I didn’t think Sarah should be with him the last time.”