by Ronald Craig
"This job, do you know the name of her employer?"
"It's in midtown, a restaurant called Mike's… no Mack's, around 21st and G I think."
"Have you spoken to her lately?" Jenny asked.
"Last week she came by very excited. She showed me her check book, the rental documents on her apartment and a letter from her employer. I added a letter of recommendation of her and as a child care provider for Timmy to her folder. She was headed to Child Welfare to get Timmy. I haven't heard from her since." Linda turned and grabbed the phone book then noted the address and phone number on a pad. "I should have done this days ago," she added and then dialed the phone.
"Hello, I'd like to speak with Julia Mason please… OK, how about her manager then." She listened a moment and then put the phone down. "He hasn't seen or heard from her in three days."
Jenny was crying in frustration and Charlie reached for the pad of paper with the address. "Linda, can you please call us a cab?" he asked softly.
Chapter 23
The cab pulled into the light rail station off Watt Avenue where they started the train ride and Charlie pointed out his truck to the driver. It had been a quiet ride and hiding their concern and worry from Timmy was a challenge.
When they drove out of the station parking lot, Charlie said, "Jenny, it doesn't make sense that Crown is involved here. The two people she saw are literally a dead end."
"Then what happened?"
"I don't know, but we are far from done looking." He pulled into a gas station and purchased a map of the Sacramento area. They located the address Linda had given them for Mack's and drove there. They sat in a booth in the back of the restaurant.
"I think an early dinner. I'll go look for the manager. A cheese burger for me is fine," Charlie said leaving the table. He walked over to the register and asked for the manager.
"I'm the manager, you asked to see me."
"Yes, thank you. My wife and I are looking for Julia Mason."
"Julia, I'm concerned as well. It's just not like her to not show up for work, or at least call."
"We understand she shares an apartment with one of your other employees?"
"Lauren. She has no idea where Julia is either. Something about her son, I think."
"Is Lauren here, may we speak to her?"
"Her shift starts at six. She's always early like Julia was. In about 30 minutes I'd think."
"We are in a back booth with Julia's son, Timmy. Would you send her over when she arrives?"
"Of course. Julia fit in very well here. I hope she is ok."
Charlie walked back to the table and found Timmy being held tightly in Jenny's arms. "No Timmy, your big buddy and I will never leave you," she said. When Charlie sat down across from them, she turned to face him. "He was upset when his mother wasn't here that we would leave him somewhere."
"Hey little buddy, you know the way you won't let Zee out of your sight. That's how we feel about you," Charlie said.
Their dinners were brought over and they started eating. Timmy was a little more relaxed but stayed close to Jenny as she ate with one hand, the other around him. "Does he know anything?" Jenny asked.
"Lauren is coming in later. Lord willing we'll get some help," Charlie said. Timmy was devouring his grilled cheese sandwich as they fought the worried expressions dominating their faces. They both kept glancing toward the front door with hope that answers were moments away. The waitress topped off their coffee cups when a young blond woman entered the restaurant and they both watched her walk to the back room. Moments later she reappeared and after glancing around spotted them and walked over.
"Hello, I'm Lauren. My manager told me you are looking for Ju…me?"
"Hi Lauren," Charlie said sliding out of the booth. "I'm Charlie and this is my wife Jenny and Timmy. Is there somewhere we can talk?"
"Hi Jenny, Timmy. Let's go over to the bar," She said and led him to a table there. When they were seated, she said, "That's her son Timmy, isn't it? I am very worried about Julia."
"You have some time to help us?"
"John, my manager said whatever I can do. I know she didn't take off, all her things are still in our apartment."
"When did you last see her?"
"Last Friday, before our shift. We had just put a small bed in her room for Timmy that we found at a yard sale. She was all dressed up early that morning and said she was going to get Timmy."
"Three days ago. Was she seeing anyone? A boyfriend?"
"Timmy was her whole world. She had plenty of offers, but there was no interest."
"No calls from her after that morning?"
"Nothing. She doesn't have a cell phone. I expected to see her here Friday night, but…"
"So Friday morning, off to get Timmy. Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"God I wish there was. We became very good friends and I have been scared sick. I spent Saturday morning calling hospitals…nothing."
"Did she say where exactly she was going to get Timmy back?"
"She doesn't have a foul mouth, Charlie. She said to see those bastards that took her son."
"It's too late tonight. We'll go to the Child Welfare Office in the morning. Thank you Lauren for your help and concern."
"You will let me know?"
"Yes, we will."
She pulled out an order pad from her pocket and wrote two phone numbers down. When she handed it to him she said, "The first is my cell phone number, the second is the number here. Please find her."
"We will Lauren. You don't by any chance have a photo of her do you?" Charlie asked.
"Wait here," she said and then dashed off. She brought back two photos of the two of them, the top two photos from a strip of four taken in those sidewalk photo booths. "Julia has the other two."
"This will help a lot," he said and then walked back to their booth where he was greeted by two sets of expectant eyes.
The following morning after breakfast, they took Timmy and Zee to Oakley Day Care. Timmy wanted to stay with them to find his mother but after explaining it was grown up stuff and following many promises to return for him, he was happy to be with his old friends there. Jenny discovered it was Child Protective Services, not Child Welfare and the office was located on Power Inn Road, close to where the train had taken them the day before. When they reached the counter Charlie showed the gal the photo he had received for Lauren.
"We're looking for this woman, the dark haired one on the right. We think she was here last Friday morning."
The woman turned away from them and called out, "Fran, got a minute?" When Fran came over and looked at the photo, she continued, "Is this our psycho from Friday?"
"Looks like her to me," Fran said then turned to Charlie and Jenny. "You two from County Health and Welfare?"
"What are you talking about?" Jenny said reeling in her anger. "Psycho woman?"
"This young woman comes in, Mason or something I think…"
"Julia Mason is her name," Jenny said cutting her off.
"Whatever," Fran responded. "She's all sweet and everything, shoving all these papers at me, saying she was here to get her son. So I asked her for a photo ID and she doesn't have one. Then she says two of our agents picked up her son and told her to come here when she could show us she was a suitable mother."
"Psycho woman?" Jenny repeated.
"Yeah, so I played along and put his name in our computer and nothing shows up. I tell her we don't have her son and she goes ballistic."
"Her son, Timothy was taken from her off the street by two people posing as welfare agents six weeks ago is why she went ballistic here," Charlie told her.
"I had no idea. When she grabbed my arm and wouldn't stop shouting we called the police."
"The police took her away?" Jenny asked.
"Yeah, we thought she was nuts. I'm sorry, we had no idea."
"Do you know which police station picked her up?" Charlie asked.
"On Franklin probably, I'll get their address f
or you."
"Thank you. And a phone number would be great," Jenny said.
When they received the information they went to the chairs lining the back wall and Jenny called. She was told Julia Mason was there and with her public defender at the moment.
"Please have him wait for us. We're on our way over with important information," Jenny said. They left Child Protective Services and headed to the truck. Jenny called Chief Walker the moment her door closed and gave him the phone number for the Franklin Police Department. They arrived within fifteen minutes and were greeted by the Public Defender at the front desk.
"Hello, I'm Steven White, Miss Mason's Public Defender. Wow, I just spoke with Chief Walker and am certain this will be thrown out at her arraignment hearing this afternoon."
"Can the charges be dropped given the situation," Charlie asked.
"The charge is physical assault and that happened. But again I can't imagine any judge not throwing this out," Steven said. "We will be in court this afternoon, 720, 9th Street at 1:30 for the afternoon secession."
"We'll be there," Charlie said. They turned to the front desk. "Can we please see Julia?" Jenny asked.
"Please sign in and I'll have an officer take you back."
Chapter 24
There were three holding cells. Julia was sitting in the last one staring down at the floor. Jenny knew the words she needed to hear and didn't wait until they reached her.
"Timmy is fine, Julia and is at Oakley Day Care right now," Jenny said.
Julia was at the bars before they reached her. "Is he really alright? I've been going crazy since they told me they didn't have him," she said, tears flowing down her cheeks. Jenny caught up in the emotion of the moment couldn't get the words out.
"Yes, Julia. He is great and wants to find you. It’s a long story and we will walk you through it later. Timmy is a wonderful little guy and the only reason we were able to find you."
"When can I see him?"
"We are hoping to take you to him after court. Your attorney feels confident that the charges against you will be dropped," Charlie said.
"But I grabbed her, I just snapped."
"Understandably," Jenny said. "Any mother would have."
"Nobody knows I'm here…who are you?"
"I'm Jenny and this is my husband, Charlie. We have temporary custody of Timmy, for reasons you'll learn later, but what's important now is that Timmy is safe and you will see him soon."
"Thank you, I'm still very confused, but so grateful to hear he is ok."
"When we leave, we'll call Linda, your manager and Lauren and let them know what is going on. They have all been very worried about you," Charlie told her. "Timmy knows we are here looking for you, but we don't want to say anything to him yet. It will be best for you to show him we found his mother."
"And Julia, we'll stay in town until that time comes," Jenny said.
"Ok, folks. We need to transport Miss Mason to court now," the officer said.
"We'll be there Julia," Jenny said as they left the holding area.
Charlie and Jenny went back to Mack's restaurant for lunch and to explain the situation to Julia's manager. Then they called Lauren and Linda both indicating they would be there for support if needed.
They found the court room on the lower level at 1:00 and were very surprised to see Captain Becker sitting with Julia's attorney, Steven White.
"Captain Becker, thank you for coming," Charlie said. He stood up and shook Charlie's hand and then he reached for Jenny's.
"Rodney said he couldn't make it here in time so I came. This poor woman has been through enough," Becker said.
"We never got a chance to thank you for your help with Timmy," Jenny said.
"Not a problem there. Mom's a soft touch in child welfare cases. Rodney thinks the world of you two. I'm personally amazed you found Julia so quickly."
"Timmy brought us here. He is a smart little guy," Charlie told him, as they sat down behind them. The court room was filling slowly as people took seats in small groups and defense attorneys found seats in the first row.
Linda took a seat next to Jenny. "I can't believe this is happening. Julia so deserves a break," she said.
"I know she'll be happy to see you here," Jenny said. "I wish we would have had time to tell her everything beforehand. What she hears will be quite a shock."
"Knowing Timmy is fine is all that matters to her."
Lauren and Julia's manager took seats next to Charlie. Charlie started to make introductions and stopped, "I'm sorry, I never caught your name."
"John Guillen, it's understandable to miss the formality given the situation," he said as the court was brought to order. It was the fifth case called.
"The state vs. Julia Mason" They all watched as Julia was brought in and seated at the defense table.
"Your Honor, the state charges Julia Mason with physical assault."
"And for the defense?" Judge Thomas asked.
"Steven White for the defense your Honor."
"How do you plead?"
"Not guilty, your Honor. If it pleases the court, Captain Anthony Becker is here today to explain the circumstances that led to the events and charges in this case."
"Any objections from the State?" Judge Thomas asked.
"None, your Honor. Having just moments ago learned of these related facts, I encourage this testimony."
"Captain Becker, sir you may address the court at this time," Judge Thomas said.
As Captain Becker was telling the court the reason for the initial search at Crown Storage and the follow up raid at the ranch house, Julia kept turning back to face Charlie and Jenny clearly in shock and crying. When he had finished, he sat down.
Steven Winter stood up. "Your Honor…"
Judge Thomas cut him off and said," Not necessary, I've heard enough. Miss Mason, this court will not add one more moment to your suffering. I personally extend my apologies and sorrow for what you have endured. Case dismissed, Miss Mason, you are free to go."
They all gather outside the court room celebrating the end of this tragedy. Julia's head was still spinning from the testimony Captain Becker had given.
"Without further delay Julia, Timmy has needed your hug for a very long time," Jenny said.
"Yes, me too!"
"I can take…," Linda started to say when she saw the look on Jenny's face. "I mean you ride with Charlie and Jenny who can follow me back."
"Thank you, Linda," Jenny said.
"I have to get back," John said." Julia, you have a place at Mack's. Take whatever time you need. Lauren, why don't you go with them to get Timmy?"
"Thank you Mr. Guillan," they both responded.
"It looks like you two have this under control," Captain Becker said to Charlie and Jenny. He turned to Julia and added, "And I am so happy for you, Julia. Your new and old friends are a lot to be thankful for."
"You are on the new list sir," she said and then hugged him.
"I'm just sorry Rodney couldn't be here," Becker said as he walked away.
Julia hugged Charlie and Jenny, "How will I ever repay you two?"
"I figure the look on Timmy's face in thirty minutes will be all the thanks we need," Jenny said.
"Thirty minutes if we can break up this party and get moving," Charlie said smiling. Charlie relocated Timmy's car seat in the middle of the rear seat and the girls jumped in from opposite sides. The questions and answers were nonstop on the drive to Oakley Day care. As they pulled into the parking lot, Jenny said, "This is your moment, Julia. We'll wait here for you."
"Go get him," Lauren added excitedly, as Julia jumped out of the back seat. Linda realizing how special this moment was for everyone had brought Timmy out to the front porch just as Julia arrived.
"Mommy!' Timmy shouted and almost knocked her off the porch running into her arms.
"Yeah," Jenny said through tears of joy. "Paid in full."
"If she holds him any tighter we may need to resuscitate him," Cha
rlie joked to mask his own emotional rush.
They watched as Julia hugged Linda and they shared a few words. It touched Jenny's heart when she saw Timmy pulling Julia toward them. When Julia opened the back door, Timmy climbed into his seat. "Timmy, this is my friend Lauren."
"Hi Lauren. Mommy this is my friend, big buddy and Jenny, I'm little buddy."
"We've met Timmy. Do you need help with the buckles?"
"I can do it see. We found mommy," he exclaimed to all.
"Yes, little buddy. It looks like she is pretty happy you did," Charlie said.
"Hello Timmy," Lauren squeezed into the excitement. "Your mommy talks about you all the time."
"Who is your other friend here?" Julia asked.
"That's Zee, short for chimp…ana…nzee," he said.
"You mean Chimpanzee?" Julia asked.
"Yeah, and wait till you meet Shadow, he's way cool too."
"It is so wonderful, Julia to see him so excited," Jenny said. "Julia, I wish this could be easier for you, but you will probably need to stay with us a few days until we get the custody thing resolved."
"Oh, I hadn't thought about that," she said. "Jenny as long as Timmy and I are together I would pitch a tent on the moon."
"We'll try and make it a little easier than that," Charlie said. "We should go by your apartment and you can pack for a few days. Lauren do you want us to take you to work or with us to the apartment?
"The apartment is fine, Charlie. I want to spend the time with Julia."
Charlie started the truck, "Ok who back there is my navigator?"
"I can take you on the train," Julia said. "Lauren is the road gal."
Timmy was nonstop telling his mother about Shadow, the zoo and getting soaked building the sand castle.
When they reached the apartment, Julia helped Timmy down. "Wow. You live here, mommy!"
"Yes, Timmy, this is our new home. Do you like it?"
"It's really big like where big buddy and Jenny live."
Julia moved to Jenny's window. "You have extra room for us?"
"Plenty of room. We will have to figure out a bed for you," Jenny said.
Julia looked at the bed of the truck. "If Charlie, big buddy I guess, will help me, I have a small mattress and Timmy's little bed we can take."