by Marja McGraw
“Good. Otherwise, he won’t come to her door. But are you sure about this? It could be dangerous. I want your help, but I don’t want to put you in danger, either. I have enough on my mind worrying about Chrissy and Tammi.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m a professional. And I’m doing this so you won’t have to worry about them anymore. Okay?”
“Okay. Will you take me with you?”
“No, Dolly, you can’t come with me. Two people are enough to worry about. Three would put me over the top.”
“I understand, but I thought I’d ask. With the self-defense classes I took, I thought maybe I could help.”
I smiled to myself. “I appreciate the offer, but no. You stay home this time.”
“You could take Bubba with you,” Dolly suggested. “He’d sure scare the bum off.”
“Hmmm. Not a bad idea. I’ll think about it.” I had no idea how Bubba would react to riding in a car, and it was a long drive to Covina.
“Well, please let me know what happens.”
“I will, I promise.”
After talking to Dolly, I called Chrissy at work and told her what I wanted to do. She was more than happy to have me come for the night. I told her to listen for me. I’d be over after dark so I could sneak around and in through the back door. In the meantime, I gave her my cell phone number in case she needed to reach me.
The next item on my mental checklist was to call Stanley and see if he was going to work at my house or the office. He answered on the second ring.
“Stan,” I said without preamble, “where are you going to work today?”
“Good morning, Sandi. I’ve thought it over, and I’m going to work at your house. I must conquer this fear of mine. You’re right, there are no ghosts. I think.”
“Well, of course there aren’t any ghosts. And if you hear anything, you can go over to Dolly’s house. Or lock up and go home.” I wasn’t about to tell him about the events of last night. “I’m going to take Bubba for a ride to see how he reacts to being in a car. If I’m not back by the time you arrive, let yourself in.”
“There is one caveat to this though.” I could hear something I didn’t recognize in Stanley’s voice.
“What’s that?”
“I will not work at your house after dark. I’m trying to be a brave soldier, but it’s harder to handle the noises when it’s dark outside.” I recognized the tone now. He was nervous, and he was afraid. Stanley was trying to conquer his fear, but he wasn’t willing to carry it too far.
“That’s fine, Stan. You do what makes you comfortable. I’m not going to force you to stay in my house.”
“I knew you’d understand, Sandi.”
We hung up and I turned to the dog. “You wanna go bye-bye?”
He tilted his head and looked at me, trying to understand what I was saying.
I picked up my backpack and keys and headed for the front door. “Come on. Let’s go.” He seemed to understand the word go and followed me.
Watching him, I wasn’t sure he’d ever been for a casual car ride before. I opened the front door and threw my backpack in, and then opened the back door and invited him to climb in the back seat. He promptly climbed into the front seat and settled in.
“No, you get in the back. And get off my backpack.”
He didn’t look at me and he didn’t budge.
“Okay.” Had I given in too easily?
I climbed in the car and started the engine, watching for Bubba’s reaction. He sat quite still, looking out the window. I opened the window on his side a crack and he began sniffing. So far, so good.
I pulled away from the curb and I could see him sit up straighter, nose twitching and ears in the alert position.
I drove slowly through my neighborhood. Bubba shook a little from time to time, but mostly he watched the scenery go by. He glanced at me briefly and grinned, but immediately turned his attention back to the passing houses.
Gaining some confidence, I drove toward my office. Bubba was a perfect gentleman. The biggest problem was that it was hard to see around him.
While stopped for a red light, I tried to talk the dog into moving to the back seat. I leaned around him and noticed a woman in a new Mercedes turn to her passenger and jab the other woman’s shoulder. They both looked at Bubba and began laughing. I didn’t think it was all that funny. She probably had some yapping little poodle waiting for her at home. But when I glanced up at my canine companion, I saw he was grinning at the woman. She wiggled her fingers at him in a wave.
“Bubba, you and your magnetic personality get in the back. Now! You’re not transparent, you know.” I reached back and patted the rear seat. He looked at me before turning to study the rear of the car. He couldn’t stand up because he was too tall, but he managed to crouch and try to crawl into the back. Major mistake. And it was my fault. Bubba got stuck between the two front seats.
The woman in the Mercedes put her hand to her mouth, obviously trying to smother a snicker, but I could see the crinkles around her eyes.
The light turned green and I pulled out faster than I should have, leaving the two women to watch my smoke while I pulled into their lane and over to the curb.
“They can keep their little poodles. I’ve got a real dog. Unfortunately, you’re a really, really big dog.” I climbed out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, all the while listening to Bubba whine and feeling guilty. I grunted as I placed my knee on the seat and tried to push him through from behind. I couldn’t budge him. Okay, now what?
I climbed in the back and began pushing on his shoulders, or what I could reach of them, and I felt a little give. By this time a wino, not a politically correct word, but yes, there are winos in Los Angeles, had stuck his head in the car to see what was going on.
Bubba stopped whining long enough to growl at the man. He actually appeared to be embarrassed – the dog, not the man.
“Sorry,” I said. “He doesn’t like strangers.”
“Okay by me,” the man said. “I jus’ thought mebbe ya needed some he’p. But I’ll be ooooooon my way.” He staggered backwards and tried to salute me.
“Thanks for the offer,” I said over my shoulder while grunting and pushing.
One more giant shove and Bubba popped out of his dilemma. I enticed him out of the car with some sweet talk and put him in the backseat via the door. The wino had disappeared, but a couple of other people had stopped to watch and were getting quite a kick out of the situation.
I straightened my back and tried to walk back to the driver’s side of the car with dignity.
As I pulled away from the curb, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Bubba’s tongue was hanging out of his mouth and he had a dopey expression on his face. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a brilliant idea to bring him along to Chrissy’s house after all. Look what had happened on our first trip out.
Chapter Twenty-one
Bubba spent most of his time at the office sniffing everything from my shoes to the toilet in the small restroom. I used the time to return some phone calls and check my mail.
I called Chrissy again. “Are you or Tammi allergic to dogs?”
“No, why?”
“Would you mind if I bring my dog with me tonight? I have to warn you though, he’s pretty big.”
“Bring him along. Tammi loves dogs. He is friendly, right?”
“Oh, sure. And he’s very protective,” I lied. I had no clue. I knew instinctively that Bubba would be great with a child. He and Tammi would become good friends. I just wasn’t sure about him being protective.
We drove home, Bubba in the back seat from the beginning this time, and as I pulled up to the house I saw Stanley’s car parked in front. Everything appeared to be quiet.
“Stan?” I called from the front door. “Are you in the office?”
“I’m in the kitchen, Sandi, eating my lunch. Come join me.”
Bubba had decided to stay outside. I guessed he was excited from the trip, because he was hap
pily lifting his leg on everything in sight, marking territory.
I sat down at the table with Stanley. “What are you eating?”
“Tuna.”
“What are those little black things in the tuna?”
“Sliced olives. And I added hard-boiled eggs and celery. Would you care for some? I brought extra.” He pulled a second sandwich out of his paper bag.
“Thanks. Sounds good.” I unwrapped the sandwich and began to nibble at it. “That’s pretty good with olives in it.”
Stanley nodded. “What’s on your agenda for today? And how did things go at Chrissy’s last night?”
I caught him up on everything that happened in Covina and explained that I intended to stay at Chrissy’s house. He agreed it was a good idea and asked if I’d like him to come with me.
“If you’d like. In fact, Pete suggested you go with me. I have to warn you though, Bubba is going with me.”
“Oh. Well. I guess I’ll pass this time, unless you honestly need me there.”
“I guess I won’t need you tonight.”
I chewed and swallowed a bit of sandwich. “I’ve decided to keep Bubba.”
“Oh.” His voice sounded subdued.
“You might want to think about trying to get along with him.”
Stanley stood up and walked to the back door, opening it slowly. “Bubba,” he called. “Come on, fella. Let’s see if we can’t begin anew.” Stanley was full of surprises. He jumped right into the new situation with both feet. Almost.
Bubba came running and stopped short at the door, not understanding if Stanley was inviting him in or not.
“Do you know if he’ll take food out of my hand?” Stanley asked.
“Try it.” I didn’t think it would be a problem. “I bought some doggie cookies. Wait a second.” The bag was on the sink. I handed it to Stanley.
While he was opening it, Bubba decided to come in and join us for lunch. I closed the back door while Stanley held out a cookie for the dog to sniff. Turning toward the table, he got a whiff of Stanley’s sandwich.
“No. It’s a cookie or nothing.” Pretty brave talk for the little man, but it worked. Bubba gently took the cookie out of Stanley’s hand and sat down to munch. “That wasn’t bad. Want another?”
After four treats I told Stanley the dog had eaten enough.
“I still think I’ll pass on Covina tonight.” He was watching the dog intently. “I’ll give it a bit more time before I take any chances.”
“I understand. Don’t worry about it. The bum may not even show up.” I had a feeling he would though, because Chrissy’s house hadn’t been accessible for the past few nights with the company we’d provided. He was probably beginning to feel a little antsy.
“So,” I asked cautiously, “did you hear any noises while I was gone?”
“Not a thing. Quiet as a church. I’m sure you were right, Sandi. There’s nothing here.”
“Uh huh.”
Stanley returned to work on the computer, taking the last of his sandwich with him, while I packed an overnight bag to take to Chrissy’s house. I filled an empty grocery sack with food and a dish for Bubba, adding a few doggie treats as an afterthought.
Surprisingly, the dog spent time in the office with Stanley. He watched intently while the man’s fingers clicked on the keyboard. When I passed the doorway, Stanley was tossing bits of a sandwich to Bubba. They were getting along quite well.
I’d brought some files home with me and spent the rest of the afternoon making To Do notes in each one, determining what took priority. At the moment they were all low-profile cases, so I could devote my time to Chrissy.
Stanley finished his work and said he was leaving. Bubba walked him to the door.
“If I’d known all it would take was food to make us friends, we could have avoided some uncomfortable moments.” He patted the dog’s head with his fingertips. Bubba looked up at him with something akin to adoration in his eyes. Apparently, tuna can work miracles.
“He’s a good dog. You simply needed the opportunity to find that out for yourself.” Now, if I can just make Pete see what a great animal Bubba is.
I loaded my things in the car and opened the back door for Bubba. He ignored me and sat next to the front door.
“No. You’re riding in the back. I’ll even put the window down for you.” He grudgingly climbed into the back of the car, no easy task for such a large dog.
I knew that by the time I drove to Covina and talked to Lieutenant Johnson, it would be turning dark. Things were working out as I planned. I hoped Bubba would cooperate when I tried to sneak in the back door. I could picture him trying to sniff everything in the yard, marking territory and giving us away.
I pulled into the parking lot at the police station, parked under a shady tree and put the windows down part way, locking Bubba in the car. It was late afternoon and the sun was bright, preparing itself to disappear for the night. Bubba was busily sniffing the air when I left him.
“I’d like to see Lieutenant Johnson, please.”
The female officer at the desk seemed to be as bogged under as the last time I’d been at the station. She held her finger up to indicate I should wait while she answered a phone call. I only had to wait a moment.
“Your name?”
“Sandi Webster.”
“Just a minute.” She picked up the phone and punched in a number. I heard her tell the lieutenant he had a visitor, and she gave him my name. “He’ll be out in a minute.”
She turned to her computer and began entering information. I sat down in the lobby and waited, but not for long.
“Ms. Webster?” I looked up and saw Lieutenant Johnson beckoning me to follow him. We entered an office where he pointed to a chair and indicated I should sit down.
“What can I do for you today?” He sounded friendly, but I wondered if he even remembered me.
“I was in recently and spoke to you about Officer Paley.”
“I remember. And I’ve started checking into the situation.”
“I sincerely appreciate that, Lieutenant. Have you been able to find out anything?” I hoped, after my meeting Paley the other night, that Lieutenant Johnson was taking my concerns seriously.
“I’ve talked to Officer Paley. He claims he’s done everything he can to apprehend this so-called bum. Do you have any reason to disbelieve that?”
“I certainly do, sir. He’s dragging his feet on this one for some reason. I tried to talk to him the other night, when the bum made his way into Mrs. Knight’s basement, and he was quite unapproachable. He – ”
“The suspect was in her basement?” Lieutenant Johnson seemed surprised. “I didn’t see a report on that.”
“Yes, he was. And Paley was the responding officer. He was downright rude when I tried to talk to him about what’s been going on. He pretty much put me on notice that I’d better stay out of his way.
“Now, Lieutenant, I’ve been hired to take care of this situation, and I don’t want to get in the Department’s way, but I’m not going to sit back and watch this bum harass and hurt Mrs. Knight or her daughter. I wouldn’t be so worried if Paley appeared to be taking this more seriously.”
“Wait here for a minute while I go find the report on this latest incident.”
Johnson was out of his seat and headed for the door when I stopped him with my next comment. “I might add that Officer Paley was going to take a vodka bottle out of the basement that appeared to have been left by the bum. He was going to check it for fingerprints, and it seems he inadvertently forgot it. And there was a small amount of blood where the bum apparently cut himself while climbing into the basement.”
Johnson’s back stiffened, but he didn’t say anything before leaving the room. I knew the circumstances I’d described had surprised him. He didn’t appear to like surprises.
He was gone for a good ten minutes, and returned shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Webster, but we can’t seem to find the incident report. I’ll have
to look into this further and get back to you.”
We shook hands in silent agreement to resolve the situation. “Thank you, Lieutenant Johnson. I look forward to hearing from you.”
“I will take care of this, Ms. Webster. In the meantime, is there anywhere Mrs. Knight might go to get away from the problem?”
“Not at the moment, because she needs to be near the company she works for. I honestly don’t think it would change anything, only prolong it. I’m on my way to her home now. I’ll be spending the night with her.”
“If the suspect shows up, don’t take any unnecessary chances. Give us a call, and ask for me, personally.”
“I will, and thank you again. I brought a back-up with me, so I’ll be okay.”
He gave me a questioning look, but I didn’t offer the information that my partner for the night was a dog.
By the time I left Covina P.D. the sun was going down for the night. I drove to the grammar school across from Chrissy’s house and waited for the cover of darkness.
Chapter Twenty-two
I knew I shouldn’t do it, but I let Bubba out of the car so he could take care of business on the school lawn. While I was watching him, an older man with gray hair walked out of the school and approached me. Bubba saw him and came loping over. He planted himself between the tall man, who wore the uniform of a janitor, and me. I patted him on the head. Here was the protectiveness I’d been waiting for.
“Can I help you, Miss?” He seemed friendly enough, but the dog didn’t move a muscle. Surprisingly, the man didn’t seem to be afraid of him.
I decided honesty would work best for me, or he’d probably ask me to leave the grounds. I pointed out Chrissy’s house to him. “I’m Sandi Webster, a private investigator, and at the moment I’m watching out for the safety of the young woman and child who live across the street. There’s a man who’s been harassing them, and I’m worried about their safety.”
“A man? Would he be about five feet ten, maybe one hundred and fifty or sixty pounds with dark hair? Looks like a Skid Row bum?”