The Advocate's Homicides

by Teresa Burrell

  "I already spoke with Bob. He's going with me. In fact, he should be here any minute. And there's no need to talk to her about what happened last night. I just want to see what she has to say about the visit she and Tray had on the seventh. That's the only time we haven't accounted for when Tray wasn't with his foster parents or in school, unless he skipped."

  "I spoke with the school office and they have no record of Tray missing school, or even a class, for nearly a month prior to his arrest."

  "That's good, but we still need to sort out the events that took place on that Saturday—the day Tray was supposedly seen with Irving at the supermarket. His friend, Drew, seems credible, although I still think he’s holding something back, and Tray claims he was with his therapist the remainder of the time period."

  "Have you talked to his therapist yet? Maybe his office assistant got the dates wrong."

  "He's still on vacation, but he's due back soon. I've left messages with his answering service and his office saying it's paramount I meet with him right away," JP said. "Have they determined the time of death yet?"

  "The DA said they expect to have a report later today. I'll let you know. In the meantime, just try to find another suspect. Even if we can account for Tray's time, we can create more reasonable doubt if we can point the finger at someone else."

  "I'm sure there are plenty of victims out there whose parents would fit the profile, but finding them isn't going to be easy. I think the best way to do that is to get to know Irving.”

  ***

  Bob and JP waited in the interview room at Las Colinas for Jeannine.

  "Thanks for doing this," JP said.

  "No problem. I needed to meet with my client anyway. Why don't you ask your questions, and then I'll meet with her alone for a bit. Maybe I can talk some sense into her—although I don’t know why I think that’ll work; I haven't been very effective so far."

  "Sounds like a plan."

  "Jeannine was probably high as a kite when they picked her up from that crackhouse, so she might not be in very good shape this morning."

  The door opened in the back of the interview room, and a female officer led Jeannine Copley inside. "I'll be right outside when you're through," the officer said. She nodded toward the chair, and Jeannine sat down across the table from JP and Bob. The door closed when the guard left.

  Jeannine put her right elbow on the table and the palm of her hand under her chin to hold her head up. Her fingers wrapped around her mouth and nose. Her eyes were droopy and JP wondered if she would stay awake for the interview.

  "Hello, Jeannine," Bob said. "Pretty rough night?"

  "Uh-huh," she said, without moving her hand.

  "This is JP Torn. You may remember him. He was the investigator for Tray on the dependency case and is now working on his criminal case."

  "I remember him."

  "He has some questions for you—not about your arrest last night, but about Tray. Are you up to answering a few things? It may help keep Tray out of prison."

  She raised her head from her hand. "Why would Tray go to prison?"

  "He's in juvenile hall right now. He's been charged with murder."

  "That's just crazy," she said in a louder voice. "My boy wouldn't kill anyone. Who'd he supposedly kill?"

  "Glen Irving."

  Jeannine wrinkled her forehead. "I shoulda killed him myself." She shook her head. "I know Tray wouldn't have done that. He's too good a boy. Did that creep attack him again or something?"

  Bob explained that Irving's body was found and a lot of the evidence was pointing toward Tray.

  "We're not sure exactly when he was killed," JP said. "But we're trying to account for Tray's time. When was the last time you saw your son?"

  She frowned as if it hurt to think. "A couple of weeks ago, I guess."

  "You didn't see him on Friday, the third of May?"

  She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe."

  "It was the Friday before the review hearing a little over two weeks ago."

  She rubbed her head with her right hand. "I can't remember."

  "Please think. It's really important for Tray's sake that you tell me the truth," JP said. "He and Shanisha were supposed to spend the afternoon with you. Tray said he saw you."

  "If Tray says I saw him, then I saw him. That kid don't lie."

  "I need to know what you remember. It would’ve been the same day that you left Harbinger House. He said that you took him and his sister to McDonald's. Was he lying?"

  "Look, I did see him that day, but…."

  "But what?"

  Jeannine looked at Bob. "I don't want to say any more. I just want to get my kids back."

  Bob turned to JP. "Maybe you should step out for a few minutes. Let me see if what she knows will help Tray."

  "Fair enough."

  JP left the room.

  "So, Jeannine, what is it you're not telling?"

  After some discussion with his client, Bob brought JP back into the room.

  "Jeannine understands it's important that you know where Tray was on Friday afternoon." He looked at his client. "Tell him what you told me."

  "I did see Tray that afternoon. A driver from DSS brought both of my kids to me. She gave me some bus passes and we used them to go to McDonald's. Then we went to the park and that's where I met up with Jolly. I didn't stay at the park."

  "So you left the kids alone at the park?"

  "Yes, and if the social workers knew that, they wouldn't let me have my kids back. That's why I didn't want to say anything."

  "How did you expect them to not notice that you weren't there when they came to pick up your kids?"

  "I told Tray I had to leave. That it was real important. Tray said they would walk back to the rehab center and wait for the driver. Apparently they did because no one seems to know I wasn't there."

  "How long were you with Tray and Shanisha?" JP asked.

  "About forty-five minutes. They only had an hour and a half scheduled with me, so Tray didn't have time to go anywhere else."

  "Where did you go?"

  Jeannine fidgeted with her hair. "Jolly and I went straight to the house where I was last night. I've been there ever since, except for when I went to the review hearing."

  "And you didn't see Irving in the park the day you left Harbinger House?"

  "No," she said loudly, and grimaced.

  "When was the last time you saw him?"

  "I haven't seen him since I kicked him out."

  JP remembered that Irving left on his own, but he felt no need to call her out on that one. "What can you tell me about Irving's family?"

  "Not much. His mother has Alzheimer’s and is probably in a nursing home by now. He took me by her house once, but we didn't go inside." JP jotted down the information that Jeannine could remember about Irving’s mother’s house, but it wasn't enough to find it.

  "Does he have any siblings here in San Diego?"

  "He has four or five sisters, but I don't think any of them live here. One of them was here for a while, but she left." Jeannine squirmed in her chair as she spoke.

  "Did you ever meet her?"

  "No, Glen and her didn't get along. They had some kind of fight a long time ago, and I don't think they were even on speaking terms."

  "I need to ask you a few questions about Tray's father."

  "He dumped us a long time ago. Who cares about him?"

  "Do you know where he is?"

  "No idea. The social worker tried to find him when this all started, but she wasn't able to. The last I heard anything was a couple of years ago."

  "What was that?" JP asked.

  "That he started a new family. He was working, but I don't know where."

  "Do you know anything about his sister, Cynthia?"

  "She used to spend time with the kids once in a while, but after Horatio left us, she stopped coming around too."

  "Do you have an address for her?"

  "No, but she lived on Date in L
a Mesa. It was a really tiny, old house with one tall palm tree in the front yard."

  "I'm familiar with that neighborhood. Is the house closer to the top of the hill or the town?"

  Jeannine thought for a second. "I think it's more toward the top, but I don't know. I remember she had a sweet view from the porch."

  "Do you remember the color of the house?"

  "I think it was white, but I'm not sure. I was only there a couple of times."

  “Thanks. You've been a big help."

  Jeannine sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath. "Have you seen Tray?" she asked.

  "Yes, he's staying strong, but it would help if you could get out of here, clean up, and go visit him. He needs you. More importantly, he needs to know that you are clean."

  Chapter 17

  JP liked this part of town—old, historic La Mesa. Many of the houses were over one hundred years old. The neighborhood was quiet, and it was a quick walk to Jitters, the neighborhood coffee shop. His friend, Augustine, lived here for a while just after his divorce so his son could attend Helix High. JP and Augustine hung out together a lot during that time, so he became pretty familiar with the area, but finding Cynthia’s house wouldn't be easy since almost every house on the street had palm trees. JP started up the short street where palm trees forty or fifty feet high lined the narrow road. He eliminated each house that had more than one palm tree, focusing on the right side of the street because he knew the left wouldn't have a view from the front of the house. About halfway up, he saw a house with one tall palm tree and a porch, but the house was too large to fit the description Jeannine had given him.

  He kept driving, eliminating house after house, until he was about three-quarters of the way up the hill and there it sat on the right side of the road—a tiny, old, white house in need of paint with one huge palm tree and seven steps that led up to a porch with an old wicker rocker. JP drove the rest of the way up the hill to see if there were any others that fit the description, but there were not, so he returned.

  JP walked up the steps, confident he had the right house but not really expecting Cynthia to still be the tenant. He knocked. A woman in a wheelchair opened the door.

  Through the screen, JP said, "Hi, my name is JP Torn. I'm looking for Tray Copley's Aunt Cynthia."

  "That's me. Is Tray all right?"

  "Not exactly."

  Cynthia turned her wheelchair around, and called out, "Derrick, come here, please."

  A tall kid about thirteen or fourteen years old meandered into the living room, eating an apple.

  "Open the door and let me out onto the porch. I need to talk to this gentleman."

  The young man opened the door and wheeled her out, and then went back inside.

  "Have a seat," she said to JP.

  JP parked himself on the edge of the porch railing. Jeannine hadn't said anything about Cynthia being in a wheelchair. He wondered if there had been an accident. Then he noticed she didn't have a lot of control over her hands, either.

  "Isn't this a great view?" Cynthia asked.

  JP looked out over the valley. He could see for miles. All the houses on the hillsides and in the valley were peppered with trees of all sorts. The blue sky seemed to go on forever. "I can see why you like it here."

  "So what's the story on Tray?"

  There was no way to sugarcoat the situation, so JP summarized it. "He's in juvenile hall and been charged with murder. I'm the investigator for his attorney, Sabre Brown. She doesn't believe he’s guilty."

  Her head shook from side to side. JP wasn't sure if the movement was voluntary or not.

  "Who's the victim?"

  "A man named Glen Irving."

  "I know I haven't seen Tray in a long time, but that doesn't sound like the little boy I knew. Is he involved in a gang?"

  "No, nothing like that. He's a good kid and a good student." JP paused. "What I need from you is information on his father. Tray hasn't seen him in about three years. I was hoping you could help."

  "I don't see much of my brother either. Don't even know where he lives." Her head twitched again. "I should’ve kept in touch with those kids. It got harder after Horatio left them. And then I was diagnosed with MS, and my illness took over most of my life. I hate that my brother didn't stay in touch with his kids. That's just not right."

  "I'm sorry about your illness, ma'am."

  "That's okay. I'm learning to live with it." She quickly changed the subject. "How can I help?"

  "When was the last time you saw your brother?"

  "Over a year ago."

  "Do you know what part of the city he was in? Or was he living with someone?"

  "He was in National City somewhere, or at least that's what he told me. He was living with some skank named Allison, but I don't know if he's still with her or not. They had a new baby, but that doesn't seem to mean anything to him."

  "Was he working?"

  "I don't know," she said. "Wait. Yes, he was. He was working at a tire place because he told me that if I needed tires to let him know and he would get me a deal."

  "Did you?"

  "No, I was afraid of how he was getting the deal. My brother doesn't always follow the rules in life, as you can see by the way he dumped his kid." Cynthia gazed out through the palm trees at the valley. "Do you think it would be okay for me to visit Tray?"

  "I think he’d like that, ma'am." He removed two cards from his wallet and handed them to her. "The first card is Tray’s attorney. Call her to see if she can get you on the list for a visit. The other one is mine. Please call me if you hear from your brother or if you think of anything else that might help us find him."

  "How can he help Tray?" she asked.

  "I don't know, ma'am, but we need to reach him just the same."

  JP thanked her for her help and as he walked to his car, his phone rang. It was Sabre.

  JP told her, “I'm just leaving Cynthia's house. I have a lead on Tray's father, but I need to go back to my house and do a little research. I also need to check on my pup."

  "Good. This should help you when you try to pin Horatio down. I just got the ME's report. Their best guess is that Irving died most likely on Saturday, but Sunday at the latest. They know it wasn't before Saturday because the nun saw him that day. Have you spoken to the checker at Albertsons yet?"

  "I'm going back there today to meet with a woman named Jodi Ellis. She's working the late shift today, and she's agreed to see me on her break."

  "Have you had any luck finding the other man Sister Maria saw in the store, the one at the end of the aisle who she thought might be a store employee?"

  "No. I've talked to the store manager and all the assistant managers in Albertsons, as well as security to determine if it was any of them. Several of those employees fit the limited description she gave us. I've eliminated a couple of them who weren't there that day, and the others don't remember seeing anything. It could've just been a customer, and there's no way we could find him if that’s the case."

  "I was just hoping we could find someone who would say it wasn't Tray."

  “What about the security videos?”

  “I’ve filed a discovery motion to acquire access to them. We should have them in a few days.”

  "If we see Tray on the video, then we know he was there. If he’s not on the video, we still don’t know for sure.”

  “I know,” Sabre said. “The videos have a greater chance of hurting us than helping us.”

  “I did track a guy who was getting signatures on a political petition outside the store that day. He's going to be at the Target near there tonight. I'll let you know if he saw or remembers anything."

  Chapter 18

  Jodi Ellis, a clerk at Albertsons, sat across from JP at McDonald's, the closest fast food restaurant to Albertsons. She had already purchased a small hamburger, fries, and a Coke, and was ready to eat her lunch. He guessed her age to be about forty. He thought her makeup aged her, but he had to assume she thought otherw
ise. JP was not a fan of heavy makeup. He preferred the more natural look, and looking at her features, he thought she might be quite attractive without the paint.

  "Thanks for meeting me today," JP said. "I know you have limited time on your break, so I'll try not to take up too much of it."

  "It's fine," Jodi said. "Aren't you going to eat?"

  "I'm not hungry, but I think I'll get a cup of coffee. Would you like anything else?"

  "No thanks."

  JP walked to the counter, paid for a cup of coffee, and returned with a steaming hot beverage. Jodi was picking at her fries.

  Opening his phone, JP showed her a photo of the nun, which Sister Maria had so graciously let him take. "Do you recognize this woman?"

  "I've seen her in the store before. She comes in once a week or so."

  "Have you ever talked to her?"

  "Just the usual while I'm checking, never anything really personal. I know she's a nun at St. Kieran's School. She told me that some time ago when she was buying something for the school. I mean, I could see that she was a nun by the way she was dressed, but I didn't know she was a teacher until that day."

  "Do you remember the last time you saw her in the store?"

  "She was there about two days ago."

  "And before that?"

  Jodi thought for a minute, and then said, "She was there a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember exactly when, but I do remember she seemed uncomfortable."

  "How do you mean?"

  "She kept staring at the man in front of her. Then she would look at me and back at him, like maybe she was trying to tell me something. I finished checking him out and he left."

  "Did you ask her if something was wrong?"

  "I did, but she said there wasn't."

  "What did the man look like?"

  "I couldn't really describe him. He was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, so I didn't really see his face."

  "Was he alone?"

  "No, he had a young boy with him."

  "Could you describe the boy?"

  "Not really. He was a light-skinned, black kid. That's about all I remember. If that's important, I really can't help you. I honestly didn't pay much attention to the kid."