"Did you take him to the visit?"
"No, a worker from DSS picked him up and took him."
"Was the visit with his mother supervised?"
“Technically, no. Tray was having unsupervised visits with his mother until she relapsed a few days ago."
"Did he have overnights?"
"He had supervised visits for a long time, but his mother was in rehab and she was doing real well. After a few months, she was able to have unsupervised visits and then overnights, but she was still at the rehab center so most of the time she was supervised. She could take him out of the center for short periods." June clamped her teeth. "He could not have done this. I know him."
"I know Tray is a good kid, and Sabre and I want to help him. Hopefully, we'll learn that someone else killed Irving. But we need to find out everything we can, even if it isn't what we want to hear."
"I know, but I believe in him and I know he didn't do it."
"His friend, Drew, isn't in foster care, is he?"
"No. He lives there with his mother. His father passed away two years ago. I've known the family for years; otherwise I wouldn't let Tray go there. Drew's mother is one of my best friends."
"Do you think Drew's mother would let me talk to him? Maybe I can find out if the boys went anywhere or if Tray went somewhere by himself. Or it may be that Tray has said something to his friend that would help us."
"I can call Drew's mom and pave the way for you."
"That would likely help. Does she know that Tray has been arrested?"
"Yes. She was here when the cops came." June picked up her cell phone and placed a call to Maggie, Drew’s mother, who gave JP permission to come over right away.
Chapter 9
JP walked up the street and knocked on the Fletchers’ door. Maggie answered.
"Howdy, ma'am," JP said. "I'm JP Torn."
"Nice to meet you," Maggie said, as she unlocked the security screen. "Please come in."
Maggie showed JP to a seat and handed him a glass of iced tea. He graciously accepted the tea, even though he didn't really want it.
"How can I help?"
"There is a witness who supposedly saw Tray with the victim on a day when he would’ve been here with you. We think that person is mistaken, so we're trying to track Tray's movements. We're also not exactly sure when the victim was killed. Do you know if the foster parents ever let Tray go out alone?"
"Not that I've ever seen. June is pretty strict with her kids."
JP sensed the defensiveness in her voice. "I know Mrs. Longe is an excellent foster parent and I'm not suggesting otherwise. I also know that teenage boys have a way of doing things that parents don't know about. I can't tell you the number of times I did things as a kid."
"Teenagers are a different breed. Don't get me wrong, Drew and Tray are the best, but they are struggling with acceptance and 'fitting in' like every other kid their age."
"Such as?"
"Pushing the curfew limits; keeping their rooms clean, although that one is more Drew than Tray; using some bad language. Stuff like that, but nothing big."
"Have Drew and Tray come home late any time in the past week?"
"Not that I recall. They don't walk home by themselves. June and I take turns picking them up from school. Sometimes Tray stays and works with a tutor or meets with the therapist. Drew often waits for him and gets his homework done while he's waiting."
JP made a note to check with the school. "I just need to account for all of Tray's time so we can prove it wasn't him with Irving. I understand that on Saturday, May 4, you were watching Tray while Mrs. Longe went to the hospital with her father. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Were you with the boys the whole time?"
Maggie thought for a moment. "Tray came over a little before nine that morning. June's father had been taken to the emergency room. She called and asked me if I would watch Tray. He had an appointment with his therapist at 11:00, so I dropped the boys off there and I went to show a house." She quickly added, "I'm a real estate agent."
"Drew went with him to therapy?"
"Not to the actual therapy session. There's a skateboard park near the therapist's office and the boys took their skateboards. Drew hung out at the park until Tray was done, and then they stayed at the park until I picked them up."
"How long would you say you were gone?"
"It was a little after one when I finished the first showing, but I called Drew several times to check on them. It took longer than I intended, but they were having a good time and were glad to stay there. I'm a single parent and I have to make a living. It's been a struggle ever since Drew’s father passed away."
"I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am."
"Thank you. It's been over two years now, so we've learned to cope."
"You said it was a little after one when you finished the first showing. Did you have another one?"
“Yes. I'm sorry; I got off track. I intended to pick the boys up and take them home, but by the time I finished the first one, it was time for the second one. That one was even worse. The house has a retaining wall that was recently replaced and it was leaning. The buyer is concerned that there is something wrong with the wall, so now we have to bring in another engineer, even though it's been inspected three times and it's structurally okay. The issues are all cosmetic."
JP tried once again to get this woman back on subject. "I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am. Do you know what time you picked up the boys?"
“Yes. I believe it was around five."
"And you picked them up at the skatepark?"
"Yes." Maggie continued to tell another story about the problems she had had that day, none of which pertained to the task at hand.
JP waited politely and when she finished, he asked, "Would you mind if I speak with Drew?"
"Not at all."
"I need to find out if Tray was ever by himself during that time period, or any other time in the past few weeks, that Drew might be aware of. And I want to know if Tray has confided in his friend."
"Of course."
"It's entirely up to you, ma'am, but if I could talk to Drew alone, he might be more forthcoming. I have found teenagers are far less willing to talk in front of their parents."
"Sure. Let me get him."
Before she could walk away, JP asked, "Does he know about Tray's arrest?"
“Yes. He saw them take him away. He was devastated."
"Does he know what he was arrested for?"
“Yes. I told him." Then, as if she felt she should explain, she added, "I didn't want Drew to see the arrest on the Internet or hear about the murder allegations somewhere else."
Maggie went upstairs and returned with a thin, gangly kid with bushy hair and the first stages of acne on his face. The young man smiled when he was introduced to JP. Then he flopped himself down in an easy chair, throwing one leg over the arm.
His mother scowled at him, but didn’t say anything. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," Maggie said.
"You know Tray Copley, right?"
"He's my best friend," Drew said.
"I expect you'd like to help him if you could, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I need you to be totally honest with me."
Drew didn't wait for a question. "Tray didn't kill anyone."
"How can you be so certain?"
"Because I just know."
"Tell me about a week ago last Saturday."
"What about it?"
"You and Tray spent the day together, right?"
"Yes. Mrs. Longe’s father had a heart attack, and my mom took us to the skatepark."
"Was Tray at the skatepark the whole time?"
"Except when he was with the therapist."
"What did you do while he was there?" JP asked.
"I hung out at the park. There're other kids there on their skateboards all the time. We were mostly carving the bowl and jumping the stairs."
"Carving the bowl? What
is that?"
"You know how the bowls at the skateboard parks go up on the sides?” He put his hands palms down in front of him and made a swooping motion outward with hands going in opposite directions. "You skate up the side and back down, or around, but the park was pretty busy that day so we had a small spot so we couldn’t make a very big loop."
"How long was Tray gone?"
Drew shrugged his shoulders. "About an hour, I guess. I didn't really pay attention to the time, but it wasn't that long."
"Did your mother call and check on you?"
"Probably. I don't really remember, but I'm sure she did. She always does."
"Did the two of you go anywhere besides the park?"
"Nope."
"Drew, has Tray ever told you anything about Irving?"
Drew cupped his left hand inside his right and popped his knuckles. Then he switched hands and popped the other ones.
JP waited for an answer.
"He said he was a creep who tried to touch him and that's why he is in foster care."
"Did Tray ever threaten to hurt Irving or anything like that?"
Drew removed his leg from the arm of the easy chair and sat up a little straighter. "You mean, like, kill him?"
"Yes. Did he ever threaten to kill him? I know that sometimes people say things when they're angry that they really don't mean."
"Tray's not like that," Drew said. "He hardly ever gets mad. But I would've killed that creep if he ever tried anything like that on me."
"Did you tell Tray that?"
Drew shrugged his shoulders again. "Probably. Goofs don't deserve to live."
"Why did you call him a goof?"
"Because that's what he is."
"What do you mean?"
"He's a child molester. They call them goofs."
"Who are they?"
"Lots of people."
"Did Tray ever call him that?"
He shrugged.
JP waited for an answer.
"I don't think so. My uncle used to call them that."
"Did you ever use that term in front of Tray?"
"I don't know. Maybe." He shook his head. "I don't think so, 'cuz we only talked about it that one time and I don't think I said anything like that."
"Was anyone else at the park that day?"
"Lots of people. It was real crowded."
"Was there anyone else you knew?"
"There were several guys there that I recognized, but I don't know most of their names. I did some tricks with Anthony for a while."
"Who is Anthony?"
"Just some guy we've hung out with before."
"Do you know his last name?"
"No."
"How old is he?"
"I dunno. About my age, I guess."
"Does he go to your school?"
"No, I don't think so. I've never seen him anywhere else, just a couple of times at the park."
"Can you describe him for me?"
“He's taller than Tray but shorter than me."
"So, about five-foot-five maybe?" JP asked.
"I guess," Drew said. “He has dark hair. I think he might be Indian or something. He has a little bit of an accent."
“Is there anything else you can tell me about that day? Anything unusual happen?”
“No.”
JP wasn’t totally satisfied that Drew was telling the truth, or at least not all of it, but he didn’t get the impression that Drew had been involved in a murder.
Chapter 10
JP entered the Harbinger House Rehab Center on Texas Street. After several attempts to gather information on Tray's mother, Jeannine Copley, he gave up on learning anything from the administration. They all spouted "privacy laws."
There were two sections in the Harbinger House. Phase I was where new inhabitants stayed. This area was highly supervised and the residents weren’t allowed to come and go freely. Each room had four beds and a bathroom. The timing for meals was very strict, curfews were tight, and visitors were limited or not permitted in most cases. There was only one community room that was used for dining and socializing. The residents called Phase I the "lock-up."
Residents in Phase II had a lot more freedom but required at least thirty days sobriety. There could be no write-ups for bad behavior in Phase I before the individual was considered for placement in Phase II. Each room had a bathroom and only two beds instead of four. Two "community rooms" were provided for residents’ use. One was for dining and doubled as an activity room for card games, board games, and crafts. The second room was set up like a living room with two sofas, three stuffed chairs, a bookcase, and a large-screen television. Phase II allowed visitors between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Children were allowed to stay overnight with their mothers with permission. Lights had to be off in the community rooms by 11:30 p.m.
JP left the administration office and walked into Phase II. He had been there before to see other clients for Sabre, so he knew his way around. His last visit there was a week ago to see Maribel Vargas, who had just qualified as an "assistant" at the front desk. He knew that one paid receptionist worked the front desk with help from resident assistants. It was a privilege for residents to work the desk, and it took a long period of sobriety as well as other responsible behaviors. The assistants didn't usually last long because they were often released shortly after they reached the level that qualified them for the position.
JP spotted Maribel helping another resident. He hung back and didn’t make eye contact with the other workers. When Maribel was free, he stepped forward.
"Good morning, Maribel," JP said.
"Nice to see you again." She paused. "Is something wrong with my case?"
"No, not at all. Everything is good."
"So what do you need?"
"I'm here about someone else. Do you have a minute?"
"Sure. Who's the resident?"
"Jeannine Copley."
"She's not here any longer."
"I know. Do you know why?"
Maribel looked around and then lowered her voice. "I don't know, but come with me." She turned to another clerk and said, "I'll be right back."
She walked with JP toward the recreation room. "There are always rumors when someone here fails their program. I believe about half of them."
"What are the rumors about Jeannine?"
"You need to talk to Tanika, Jeannine's roommate. She always knows what's going on around here and in the streets. She's a tough woman who has seen it all."
They stepped into the rec room and Maribel glanced around until her eyes lit on a large woman sitting at a table in the back of the room. "There she is, over there near the window."
JP followed Maribel across the room toward an African American woman with her hair pulled straight back into a short ponytail. JP knew by her size that her drug of choice was not methamphetamine—the most common in this facility. Marijuana, alcohol, heroin maybe, he thought. She was far too heavy to be a meth freak.
"Tanika, this is JP. He'd like to talk to you for a minute."
"Is he a cop?" Tanika asked, looking him over from head to toe.
"No. And he's a good guy."
"Okay." Tanika looked directly at JP. "Sit," she commanded.
JP did as he was told. He suspected he would get more out of her if he didn't tower over her, and he was pretty certain she was used to being the boss.
"What you need to know?"
"I need some information about Jeannine Copley. You know her, right?"
"She was my roomie 'til she done gone and screwed up."
"What did she do?"
"She started seeing her ol' man and he got her tweakin' again. I told her to dump his skinny butt before he tripped her up, but she wouldn't listen." She shook her head. "She was so close to gettin' her kids back and then she go’d and screwed up. The fool."
"When did she start using?"
She thought for a second. "It was weekend before last. Saturday, I think. She went out for somethin', and
when she come back, she was high. I kept her hid and covered for her, but the next night her ol' man came by and gave her some stuff."
"Did she leave then?"
"No, she didn't leave until Friday. She hadn't had nothin' all day that day 'cuz her son was comin’ by for a visit. He's just the cutest thang, real polite and sweet."
"Did you see Tray when he came?"
"Not that time, but I seen him before a couple of times. I don't think he ever made it here that day."
"Why do you say that?"
"'Cuz I talked to Sondra later, and she said she just seen Jeannine leavin' alone with her bag."
"And Jeannine never came back after that?"
"No."
"Was she kicked out of the program for using?"
"No. She just bounced on her own." Tanika looked up and then called out to a thin woman who had just walked into the room. "Hey, Sondra. Come here."
The woman sauntered over. "What?"
"Remember when Jeannine left last week? Was her kid with her?"
Sandra looked at JP from head to toe. "You a cop?"
"No. I'm not. I'm trying to help Tray."
"Yeah, I heard he was in some big trouble. Good for him. One less chomo in the world. What do you wanna know?"
"Was Tray here for a visit with his mother last week?" JP asked.
"He was here, but I didn't actually see him with Jeannine. But she might’ve gone out with him for a while, 'cuz she was gone somewhere. But then an hour or so later, I saw her leave the building carryin’ her bag. Tray was not with her."
"You're certain of that?"
"Yeah, I’m sure. I went outside for a cigarette and I saw Tray and his little sister sittin’ on the sidewalk. Before I could get to them, someone from DSS picked them up."
"How do you know it was someone from DSS?"
"’Cuz I've seen her here before. She drives the kids here and back all the time."
"You've both been very helpful. Thank you."
"That kid don't deserve to go to jail for killin' no molester. He should be gettin' a freaken’ reward or somethin’."
***
"Thanks for coming by," Sabre said to JP as they walked back to her office. As she passed the receptionist, Elaine, she saw her mouth the word, "hot." Sabre smiled and shook her head.
The Advocate's Homicides Page 4