Anastasia pointed to the window. “Look, there she is.”
JP watched as the garage door opened across the street, and a Mercedes pulled into the garage. The trunk popped open and Helga removed several packages. She walked around her car toward the front of the garage and the door closed behind her.
“She shops a lot,” Anastasia said.
“Does she ever have company?”
“She never used to, but I think she recently got a new male friend.”
“You mean, like a boyfriend?”
She looked at Ervin before she answered. “I don’t know about that. I can’t say I’ve seen anything romantic, but he’s called on her for the last three Saturdays.” She glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. “He should be here in about an hour.” She stood up. “Will you excuse me for a moment, please?”
“Certainly,” JP said. He visited with Ervin while she was gone. They talked about sports and about his career as a director. He had funny tales to tell about Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken, and several others. He was in the middle of a story about young Tom Cruise, aka Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, when his wife returned.
When he finished his story, Anastasia said, “I never tire of hearing about his experiences, especially the early days. It got rougher as time went on; there was so much competition, and it got real cutthroat. Ervin retired a lot earlier than he had planned, but I’m glad he did. We had plenty of money for what we wanted to do, and we’ve had a lot of wonderful years together.”
“It’s nice to see,” JP said. “I’d better get going.”
“Would you like to stay for dinner? We have plenty, and I’m a much better cook than I was an actress.”
“That’s true,” Ervin mumbled.
Anastasia waved her hand at him again. “If you stay, you’d be able to see the man who calls on Helga,” she said with a grin.
JP thought about it, but he wanted to get a photo if he could, and hopefully a license plate number. He didn’t want to do it in front of them and he could possibly have a better vantage point from his car. Besides, he didn’t want to intrude.
“Thank you, ma’am, but I really better go. I appreciate the information and I enjoyed our visit. It made me happier than a hog in mud.” He gave them his card and left.
Chapter 36
JP sat in his parked car a few hundred feet south of the Lott home. He had a good view of Helga’s house. At 5:28 p.m. a silver Camry passed him, drove to the corner, made a U-turn, and then pulled up in front of Helga’s home. JP had his camera ready and snapped a photo as a silver-haired man stepped out of the car. He was dressed in a well-fitting suit and walked with confidence toward the front door. The door opened, and he stepped inside. For a second, JP thought the man leaned in for a kiss, but he couldn’t be certain.
The car had no front license plate, which wasn’t unusual in California even though it was required by law. JP drove forward, made a U-turn in the same spot the Camry had, and pulled up to the curb on the opposite side of the street, putting him behind the Camry. He felt a little conspicuous with only two other cars on the street, but this put him in a better position to see the plates and to follow when they left, and he was not visible from inside Helga’s house. With the help of his binoculars, he was able to see the plate. He wrote the number down on his notepad and waited.
By six o’clock, JP was getting restless. He called his friend Ernie Madrigal, explained what he was doing, and asked him to run the plate. By six-thirty he was beginning to wonder if they were going out at all, but he continued to wait. He hoped they would leave before the sunset. The later it got, the harder it was going to be to follow them in city traffic.
JP picked up his phone to call Sabre, but before he could make the call, the front door opened and Helga appeared, followed by the silver-haired man. Based on comments Anastasia had made, JP watched for signs of their relationship. Was it a date? Or were they just friends? He wasn’t sure that it mattered, but his gut told him it did.
The man walked behind her to his car, reached out and opened her door, and she got inside. They drove off and JP followed, keeping his distance, but close enough to see which way they turned after they passed through the gates. Once he saw them make a right-hand turn, he pulled forward and out of the gate, which did not require a code to open when leaving. He caught up to them at the first traffic light.
The traffic was heavy and JP almost lost them twice before they turned south on Pacific Coast Highway. They stopped at Mastro’s Ocean Club, a high-end restaurant on the waterfront, and left their car with the valet. JP held back, found his own parking spot, and waited about five minutes before he went inside.
He glanced into the foyer before entering to make sure Helga wasn’t still there. A couple in their thirties were at the counter where a tall man in an expensive suit appeared to be seating people. He led them inside and returned.
“May I help you, sir?” the man asked, eyeing his clothes from top to bottom.
“May I see a menu?”
The man hesitated. “We’re by reservation only, sir.” Even his voice showed disapproval for JP.
“It ain’t for tonight,” JP said in a stronger than usual southern accent. “My wife and I have a big anniversary comin’ up and I want to see if the food would suit her.”
He handed JP a menu. JP looked it over. He thought about asking to have a quick look at the dining area, but decided he would be too conspicuous. The man kept watching him as if he were going to steal his menu.
JP handed the menu back to the man and said, “I ’spect this’ll make her as happy as a clam at high tide. See ya next month.”
JP stayed on PCH until he reached Dana Point, then took Interstate 5 south toward home. He called Sabre, but she didn’t answer. He called Ron and told him what little he had found out.
“You left them at the restaurant?” Ron asked.
“Yeah. I knew I didn’t belong there when I saw there were no prices on the menu.” They both laughed. “Have you talked to Sabre tonight?”
“No, why?”
“I tried to call her a few minutes ago but she didn’t answer.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.”
“I know, but I don’t like what’s going on with that Lynch guy. He’s madder than a bat in a suitcase. I don’t want him around Sabre when he blows.”
“Neither do I. I thought I’d try the bars in North County tonight, but I’ll stop by and check on Sabre first.”
JP had an incoming call. “That’s her now. I’ll call you later.” He disconnected and answered Sabre.
“Hi, Sabre. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I was in the shower when you called. Are you done for the day?”
“Yes, I’m headed back.”
“How close are you?”
“I passed Del Mar a few minutes ago. Are you free?”
“As a bird. I need a break, and I’d like to spend it with you. Are you hungry?”
“Just for you, darlin’,” JP said. “But I should go home and take a shower.”
“You can take one here.”
JP hung up and heard his stomach growl, but it was already past eight-thirty and he was anxious to get to Sabre’s. He decided he could order pizza if she didn’t have anything to eat in her house except salad, which he referred to as rabbit food.
His phone rang, and a San Diego number flashed across the screen. “JP Torn,” he said.
“Hello, this is MJ from The Reef. You were in here last night asking about the guy with the sunglasses.”
“Is he there?”
“No, but Dandee is. She just came in alone.”
“I’ll be right there. I’m about ten minutes away.”
He called Sabre back and told her. She was disappointed and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t be spending so much time on Jim Jones. He doesn’t really matter to the outcome of this case unless he turns out to be the father.”
“I don’t have to go. I’d much rather come see you.”
She was silent for a few seconds. “No, I can’t stand the thought of that predator out there. If we can do something to stop him, we should. You better go talk to her. Who knows when you’ll get another chance.”
“Okay, kid. If it’s not too late, I’ll come by after.”
~~~
At MJ’s direction, JP found Dandee near the end of the crowded bar. There were no seats available on either side of her, so he stood behind her and ordered a beer. When MJ brought the beer, she said something in a low voice to the man sitting next to Dandee. He stood up and took an empty seat a little further down.
“Can I buy you a drink?” JP asked Dandee.
She looked him up and down and said, “Absolutely.”
He signaled to MJ and then pointed at Dandee’s empty glass. “Coming up,” MJ called out.
“Do you come in here often?” JP asked.
“More than I should, but I’ve never seen you here before.”
“It’s only my second time here. Nice bar, though.”
“The people are nice.”
JP waited until her drink came. “Thanks,” she said, “but so you know, as good-looking as you are, I’m not looking for a hookup.”
“I’ll be straight with you. I’m here to get some information.”
“I might have known.” She seemed a little disappointed. “Are you a cop? Because I don’t need any more trouble.”
“No, I’m a private investigator.”
She slapped her hand lightly on the bar in frustration. “Tsk. You already have my kids. What more do you want? I’m not using drugs. I just have an occasional drink. That’s not illegal.”
“Whoa,” JP said. “I don’t know anything about that. Are you involved with CPS or is it a custody battle with the father of the children?”
“CPS.”
“I don’t work for the county. This has nothing to do with your case. I didn’t even know you had one. It’s about a man you met in here a few nights ago. He probably called himself Jim Jones.”
“That guy is a real whack job! He thinks he’s some kind of an angel or something.”
“Did you leave here with him?”
“I must have, but to tell you the truth, I don’t remember much. I felt kind of drunk, but I had only had a couple of drinks. I think he walked out behind me, and the next thing I knew I woke up with him in my bed. I told him to leave.”
“Did he?”
“Not right away. He kept babbling about how famous he was going to make me when I gave birth to his child who would be the next prophet. He had me sort of pinned down, and he wouldn’t let go of me until I told him I had to go to the bathroom. Then I got up and grabbed the baseball bat I keep under my bed and told him to get out. That’s when he finally left. He was so scared he left without his stupid sunglasses.”
JP showed her the photo on his phone.
“That’s him,” Dandee said. “Stupid sunglasses and all.”
“One more thing,” JP said. “Which court is your dependency case in?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Please. It may tell us more about your predator.”
“Whatever.” She shrugged. “It’s in Meadowlark.”
~~~
JP reached Sabre’s condo at 9:48 p.m. He couldn’t see any lights, but if she was upstairs reading or watching television, he wouldn’t be able to see that without going around to the back. He sat in the car trying to decide if he should knock on the door, call her, or leave. He didn’t want to wake her if she was asleep and since she kept her phone next to her bed, calling would be as bad as knocking. If she wanted me to come in, she probably would have left a light on downstairs, he thought. He drove away.
Chapter 37
The next evening, JP was waiting for Sabre at her office when she arrived. They had plans to go over the cases JP was working on and then finally go to dinner. Sabre was a little frustrated that JP didn’t make it back to her house the previous night, but she decided not to bring it up. After all, he was working for her and she didn’t want to sound petty.
“Thanks for meeting me here at the office,” Sabre said. She kissed him lightly, and they went inside.
Sabre pulled her files and sat down at her desk. JP sat across from her. She picked up the first file and said, “Let’s start with Parker. What did you find out last night about Jim Jones?”
“The most surprising thing was that Dandee has an active dependency case.”
Sabre’s eyes widened. “That’s interesting. Every other victim we’ve talked to was also in the system, but that’s because we got them from other dependency attorneys. This one came from outside. That seems like a big coincidence.”
“That’s what I thought, and I don’t take much to coincidences. It’s only one victim, but still, what are the odds? The thing is, I thought since we had found three or four within the system that once we started investigating, we would find dozens of others that had no connection to juvenile court.”
“You know what this means,” Sabre said. “He must be connected some way to juvenile court.”
“Yes, and he’s not picking up random women. He knows they’re vulnerable and may even know which buttons to push.”
“And where they hang out.”
“If he has access to their files, he would have a lot more information on them as well.”
“That’s frightening,” Sabre said. “Has Ron come up with anything new?”
“He’s narrowed Jones’ territory. He found no sign of him in any of the outlying areas; nothing in east, north, or south counties. It has all been downtown and Clairemont, possibly the beach.”
“That’s still a huge area. If he’s an employee, he would have to have access to case files. If he works at DSS, it’s most likely Linda Vista.”
“I asked Dandee where her case is, and she said Meadowlark.”
“So, he could be with social services at Lavant Street in Linda Vista.”
“Or he could work at juvenile court at Meadowlark.”
“It’s time to turn this over to the authorities. I’ll call and report it.”
“I think that’s a good idea. There have been too many victims, and most of them sound like they’d be willing to help, especially Dandee. He left her house without his sunglasses, so they have some physical evidence to connect to him. She told me she hadn’t touched them. She was tempted to throw them in the trash, but she didn’t have the heart to throw away an expensive pair of Ray-Bans.”
“Did you get a chance to talk to Sheila Krueger, Sarah’s paternal aunt?”
“I did. I met both her and her husband Paul. They really want Sarah. And they want Denny, even though they aren’t related to him. They both strike me as no-nonsense kind of people. Sheila loves her brother, but I don’t think she’ll let him break the rules if they were to be placed there.”
“The social worker agrees. I think the problem last time was that Sarah’s father, Russell Drake, had control. This time, he won’t be living with them.”
Sabre set the file she was holding aside and picked up another.
“Lynch,” she said.
“Have you had any more problems with him?”
“No. I heard through the grapevine he’s boiling mad about DSS putting the kids with his neighbors, Andrew and Marilyn LaFiura. Somehow, I’m getting the blame for that too. I’m not exactly sure why, since the request was made by Heather, his ex-wife, and the evaluation was done by the department. Maybe he found out you went there and spoke to the LaFiuras, or maybe he sees me as an easy target.”
“He better not mess with you again or he’s gonna find himself a few pickles short of a barrel.”
Sabre frowned. “The thing is he’s fighting the placement, but if the kids move to Pasadena, their mother plans to go too and live with her sister, Delores Green. Then there is no basis to keep the case in San Diego, which is what he seems to want most.”
“Wasn’t the Department considering placem
ent with Delores?”
“Yes, but she’s too afraid of Todd. She’s a single mother and she didn’t think she was strong enough to control the situation.”
“So this is the second placement he has fought in Pasadena, but he wants the case moved to Los Angeles County?”
“He does. He’s been asking for that since the first hearing, but apparently, he wants the children with the LaFiuras even less. Or maybe the only places he’ll consider are with him or his mother.”
“I just hope they all go to L.A. I’ll feel a lot better knowin’ he’s not doggin’ you.”
Sabre picked up the next file. “That leaves the Fowler case. Their big argument is that Mary Margaret is legally married and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. We weren’t able to come to any agreement at the meet and confer, so the judge will decide on the demurrer.”
“And if you lose?”
“If we lose, it’s over. If the court rules they were legally married at the time then there was no molest. The cause of action in the petition is for the same date they were married. We have no evidence that supports anything happening before that date. Although, I’d bet my last dollar it did. Besides, if the marriage is valid, juvenile court has no jurisdiction.”
“And if you win on the demurrer?”
“Then we’re back to the usual jurisdiction and disposition issues, placement, etc.”
“Any chance Candace Fowler will leave her husband for Mary Margaret?” JP asked.
“I doubt if she could protect her daughter from the wishes of her husband. He has a pretty strong hold on her. And she has her two boys to consider as well. I’m sure she’s afraid he’ll get the boys.”
“Is there anything else you want me to do on this case?”
“Not at the moment.”
“So that’s a wrap. Wanna go eat?”
“You bet. Just let me get the files together that I need for court tomorrow.” Sabre brought up the calendar on her computer and started to pull the files. “Have you learned anything new about my mother’s new love interest?”
The Advocate's Illusion Page 16