by Gayle Tiller
"Ms. Myers, I have some information for you. Could you meet me at my office in thirty minutes?"
"Sure."
Michael scribbled down his address.
After he left, I glanced at the address. He was the minister of the Holy Baptist Church, which was the largest African-American church in San Jose. Of course, it didn't surprise me that Kristal would be a parishioner at the church. She only liked the best of things. So that was consistent.
I saw James Colby walking toward the parking lot. I approached him and said, "Hello, I am Jasmine Myers and I am a private investigator. I have been hired by Kristal Woods."
James extended his hand and said, "Pleased to meet you."
"I'd like to meet you later today to discuss the case if you are available."
"Sure, how about 3:00 at my office?"
"Sounds good to me."
He handed me a business card and walked away.
I called Sheila and told her the news about the bail.
Sheila said, "That's too bad. I know Patrice must be pissed off."
"What do you know about her?"
"She is one bad ass woman. Patrice has been the head of the African American Coalition for the past three years. And during that time, she has kicked ass on a number of issues at City Hall. She won't take no for an answer."
"So what do you know about her family?"
"Her only child William was gunned down by the San Jose Police a few years ago. Patrice had over a thousand people protesting at City Hall and shut it down. The cops who killed her son got fired. That's how she got involved with community politics."
Shit, her only child had been killed by the cops. That definitely explained her attitude.
"Does she have any other family out here?"
"No, she doesn't. Her father killed her mother and her female lover when he found them in bed together. He then shot himself in the head."
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So Kristal's family was tame by comparison. I definitely did not want cross Patrice Collins, because there was no telling what she would do to me.
"What is her connection to Kristal?"
"She took Kristal in when Kristal was a child. Kristal's family had a lot of problems and they were ready to put her in foster care, because nobody wanted her."
"Are she and Kristal related?"
"Patrice's father was Kristal's godfather. But beyond that, they're not."
"Is she married?"
"Patrice has been married at least two or three times. Her last marriage ended in divorce a couple years ago."
"Is she seeing anybody?"
"Patrice likes younger men who are well built, but aren't smart enough to challenge her. When she gets bored with them, she discards them like old shoes."
"What does she do for a living?"
"She's a writer. She's published a couple books and she's written a lot of poems."
"Has she made any money from it?"
"Yeah, her last book netted her over a half million dollars."
Damn, Patrice had money. I said, "If Kristal needed money, she could go to her, right?"
"No, she couldn't. Patrice spends money like it's going out of style. She has a big house up in the hills that is mortgaged to the hilt. And she spends money on her men. Patrice is like a lot of people living from pay check to pay check."
Damn, it was too bad she had passed on her bad spending habits to Kristal.
"So is it possible that she helped Kristal kill Ralph for money?"
"Nah, as much as Patrice likes money, she likes screwing more. And so long as she has a young piece of ass, she is happy. And besides, she could go back to her old profession."
I was tempted to say hired assassin. Instead, I asked, "What did she used to do?"
"Patrice was a corporate lawyer. She worked for Miller, Rogers, and Croth. She was pulling down six figures. And she was on the fast track to becoming a partner."
"Why did she leave? Discrimination?"
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"Nothing like that. Patrice left, because she was found screwing one of the law clerks in her office. The law clerk later threatened to sue the firm for sexual harassment and the firm got rid her like yesterday's newspaper."
Damn, this woman had problems. She definitely needed to control her sex drive. And I thought Sheila was out of control.
"Was she sleeping with Ralph?"
"No, that wasn't her style. Messing around with Ralph was something she would never do, because Kristal means too much to her. And besides Ralph wasn't into messing around. He was really dedicated to Kristal."
"So is Patrice for real?"
"Jazz, the woman is damn good at what she does. And anyone with any sense wouldn't try to mess with her."
"Why is that?"
"Because Patrice Collins is well connected and she is always right."
"Sheila, nobody is always right. That's impossible."
"She is. I suggest that you not mess with her, because she is the power."
"Alright Sheila, I hear what you're saying. Anyway, I got to run, because I have an appointment in fifteen minutes."
Patrice was the power base of the community and she was Kristal's protector. Patrice was out of control when it came to younger men. But hell, if she were a man, nobody would look twice at her. So I guess I shouldn't judge her on that count.
And I couldn't believe that Sheila was so in awe of her. Sheila had never been a follower of anyone. But maybe Patrice was somebody that you followed. She hadn't really impressed me, but hell, what did I know about this city's politics?
Anyway, Patrice hadn't offered me anything concrete. And if the leader of the community couldn't help me, who could?
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10
Chapter
New Chapter
It felt strange going to a church. The last time I had been in church was twenty years ago.
After Mama died, I stopped going to church. I couldn't believe that He had taken her away from me. She had never hurt anyone. It was so wrong.
And quite frankly, I couldn't buy into the bull that it was her time. It's no one's time when you are not even 43 years old.
No, God had abandoned me when Mama died. And that was something I had never forgiven Him for.
When I knocked on the church door, a woman who in her seventies greeted me. Her face was sprinkled with wrinkles. She was slightly stooped and walked with a cane.
I smiled at her and said "Hello, my name is Jasmine Myers and I have an appointment with Reverend Michael Baylor."
She smiled and said, "Oh, do come in. I'll ring the Reverend."
Michael came out and led me into his office.
He said, "I wanted to talk to you privately about Kristal."
I nodded.
He looked into my eyes and said, "I have known Kristal for over ten years. At times, she can appear to be arrogant and self-centered, but that isn't the real Kristal. The real Kristal is a very kind and caring person. I know deep in my heart and let God be my witness that there is absolutely no way that Kristal could have killed her husband, the Chief or Dan Fulton. It's impossible."
I asked, "Why is that?"
"Because I just know that Kristal could not have killed them."
"Reverend, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but a jury won't buy that. I need evidence."
"Call me Michael. This is the information that you need."
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He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it to me.
On the paper, there was a handwritten note dated October 5, 2005.
saying to contact Bill Roberts and to do laundry. Ralph had signed it.
I looked at Michael in puzzlement and said, "What does this have to with anything?"
"This note was given to me the day before Ralph's death. I think Bill Roberts may hold the answer."
"Reverend, I mean Michael, where did you get this note?"
"Ralph gave it to me."
"Why did he give it to you?
"
"Ralph told me I should hold on to it, because I might need it someday."
"Who is Bill Roberts?"
"I don't know."
"Is he a firefighter?"
"Again, I have no idea who he is."
"Did Ralph tell you what he meant by do laundry?"
"No, he didn't discuss anything with me. He just gave me the note."
I swallowed hard and said, "Who knows that you have this information?"
"No one. Not even Kristal."
Great, a note with the name Bill Roberts and washing laundry. The note didn't even have a phone number for Bill Roberts.
"Well Michael, I'll see what I can find out. Thanks for the information."
"By the way, you should come to our service."
I mumbled, "I'll try to make it sometime."
He looked me in the eyes and said, "How about this Sunday?"
This man wanted me to attend church. I don't think so. I wanted to lie to him and say I would be there, but I couldn't. Instead, I said, "I am sorry Michael, I won't be able to attend."
"That's alright. I understand. But remember God is always watching over you."
"I hear you. Anyway, I will be touch."
"Yes, we will be. When you see Kristal, tell her my prayers are with her."
I said, "Sure, I'll do that."
* * *
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Kristal looked worse than she did this morning.
She said glumly, "I hope you have some good news."
I said, "I am sorry about the bail hearing."
"I'm just stuck here which is totally messed up."
"Well, I did find out something new. I saw Reverend Michael Baylor and he gave me some information."
Her eyes lighted up and she said, "Really. What is it?"
"On the day before your husband's death, your husband gave him a note saying that he should contact Bill Roberts and do laundry and he should hold onto the note, because he might need it someday."
"Bill Roberts?"
"Do you know who he is?"
"I know a lot of people, but his name does not sound familiar at all."
"Could he be a firefighter?"
"He could be. I really don't know. Ralph never mentioned anyone by that name to me."
"Okay. I'll try to see you later this evening. I am going to talk with George Stone to see if he knows him. I also have a meeting with your attorney this afternoon and I'll let you know how that goes."
"George Stone. He's not going to know anything."
"I have a hunch that he might."
"I don't trust him. He's a white man."
"And he's married to a sister. So the man has some credibility."
"I don’t know how a black woman could lower herself to that."
Because I didn't want to get into a long discussion with Kristal, I said curtly, "I will see you later." I then walked out of the room.
* * *
When I arrived at George Stone's office, he was walking out the door. I asked, "Can you spare a couple of minutes?"
"If you walk with me to the parking lot, I can talk to you."
"No problem."
"So what's up?"
"Did you hear about Kristal being charged?"
"Yeah, I heard about it last night."
"Kristal is still in custody. They denied bail this morning."
"I heard that on the radio a few minutes ago."
"George, I need information about Bill Roberts."
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He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, "I don't know anyone by the name of Bill Roberts."
"He's not a firefighter?"
"No. There is Earl Roberts who is a captain and Chuck Roberts who is the Assistant Deputy Chief."
"Okay, what station is Earl Roberts at?"
"Earl Roberts is at Station 37 in South San Jose and Chuck Roberts is at the main office."
"Okay, thanks for the information."
I left his office and headed to South San Jose. When I arrived at Station 37, a tall heavyset blond woman who was in her early thirties greeted me. Her face was hard and tanned. She looked like a bodybuilder who dabbled in steroids.
I asked her if I could speak with Earl Roberts.
She gruffly replied, "He's inside in the study room."
She led me into the study room where Earl Roberts was reading a firefighter's manual.
She said, "There's someone here to see you."
Earl looked up from his book. He was a short stocky man in his late forties with graying hair. He stood up and asked, "What can I do for you?"
"My name is Jasmine Woods and I am a private investigator. I was trying to locate Bill Roberts."
"Bill Roberts?"
"Isn't he a family member?"
"No, there's nobody in my family by that name."
"Do you know Bill Roberts?"
"No, I don't know anyone by that name."
"Okay, thank you for your time."
I shook his hand and headed toward the main office in downtown San Jose.
* * *
I waited ten minutes before Assistant Deputy Chief Chuck Roberts who was a tall tanned white man in his early forties greeted me. His dark hair was thick and wavy and he was clean-shaven. He was what folks called ruggedly handsome. I introduced myself and said, "I was wondering if you could help me find Bill Roberts?"
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Chuck stared at me like he had seen a ghost. He said, "Find him? I have been looking for him for years and I haven't been able to find him."
"Why?"
"Bill Roberts was my father. Over twenty years ago, he disappeared. It was like he just vanished. We all tried looking for him, but we never found a trace."
"We?"
"Me, my mother, my sister, the police and a whole lot of other people."
"What did your father do for a living?"
"He was a politician. At the time of his disappearance, he was the Mayor of San Jose."
"Any leads on why he disappeared?"
"Not really. There were all kinds of rumors, but none of them were true. Anyway, why are you asking about my father?"
I thought about lying, but I decided to tell the truth. I took a deep breath and said, "On the night before Ralph Woods' death, he gave his minister a note saying that he should contact Bill Roberts."
He turned his face slightly away from me and he said dryly, "His wife is up for murdering him and two other men. I don't know why Ralph would give my father's name to his minister. Nobody has seen my father in twenty years. There must be some other Bill Roberts that Ralph was talking about."
"I guess Bill Roberts is a common name."
"There are over 18,000 people with the name Bill Roberts in the United States. When I went looking for my father, I ran into so many dead ends, because his name was so common."
"I'm sorry that you never found him."
"So am I. Good luck with your search."
* * *
I drove to a gas station that had a phone booth. I looked in the phone book and there were fourteen William Roberts listed. Well, at least that was a lot less than 18,000. But hell, the Bill Roberts that I was looking for might not even be listed. Why hadn't Ralph given Michael a phone number? It didn't make any sense. I dialed Keith's phone number. To my surprise, he answered.
"Hi, Keith. How are you?"
"Alright. What's going on? And where are you? I can hear cars."
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"I'm at a phone booth near downtown. I was calling you about Bill Roberts."
"Bill Roberts, who is he?"
Damn. Keith didn't know who Bill Roberts was either.
"Ralph gave his minister a note to contact Bill Roberts and told him to hold onto the note for safekeeping."
"Sorry, Jazz, I can't help you."
"I did find out that there was a Bill Roberts who was the Mayor of San Jose twenty years ago when he disappeared. His son Chuck Roberts is the Assistant Deputy Fire Chief and has looked for him over the years
, but no one ever found him."
"You know, I do remember someone saying that Chuck's old man vanished a long time ago. But that's it. Jazz, I don't think he is the same Bill Roberts that the note was about. Bill Roberts is a really common name."
"Yeah, I know."
"Jazz, I know I came on strong the other day. But I was hoping that you would change your mind."
"Keith, no I haven't. And if you want to know the truth, there is nothing that you can do to get me to change my mind."
"I can't believe you just said that."
"Keith, your wife is pregnant. I suggest that you start preparing yourself for fatherhood."
"You're just jealous, because you're infertile."
I wanted to scream that I wasn't infertile, because I had gotten pregnant by Eric long before we were married. But that was none of his business. And if he had learned to fuck better, I might have gotten pregnant.
Hell, Loretta was only tolerant of his sorry no can fuck ass, because she was a virgin who wouldn't know what good sex was.
Instead, I said, "Keith, we'll be in touch." I then slammed the phone down hard.
Goddamn, Keith and his ego. I shouldn't even have bothered calling him.
Shit, I have an appointment in five minutes with Kristal's lawyer. I jumped in my car and drove to his office.
* * *
When I arrived at James Colby's office, a plump dark skinned Latina in her late fifties with salt and pepper hair greeted me. She reminded me of 72
what grandmothers were supposed to look like- plump, gentle, and kind.
She smiled at me and said, "James is expecting you. I'll take you to his office.
When I entered James' office, I was impressed by the art on his oak-paneled walls. Either James or his decorator had good taste.
James said, "Jasmine, it is a pleasure to see you again. Anyway, as you know bail was denied this morning for Kristal. All they have is circumstantial evidence and that's it. I don't know what the DA is trying to prove."
"I agree with you. This morning I spoke with Kristal's minister and I found that on the day before Ralph's death, Ralph gave him a note to contact Bill Roberts with no phone number."
"Bill Roberts? I don't know anyone by that name."
"Neither does Kristal, but I did find out that Assistant Deputy Chief Chuck Roberts' father was named Bill Roberts. And he disappeared twenty years ago while he was serving as a Mayor of our city. No one ever found him."