by Dave Daren
“Let me talk to Agent Smart,” I said.
I walked back across the lawn to Agent Smart, who was watching the other agents from her position next to the stone.
“Mr. Creed,” she said as she watched me approach.
“This wasn’t necessary,” I declared as I stopped next to her.
“You’re the one who upped the ante,” she replied.
“You’ve already looked at every scrap of paper in this house,” I said. “Do you really think you’ll find something you missed the first time?”
“The warrant covers more,” she hedged.
“So?” I insisted. “What is it you expect to find?”
She turned her attention on another set of agents who were carrying several electronic devices from the house. Gloria let out a howl and started towards them, and I moved to intercept her.
“Let them take it,” I hissed in Gloria’s ear. “We’ll get them back. But the last thing you want to do is give them a reason to arrest you.”
“But everything is on there,” she protested. “All of my passwords, all of my accounts. I won’t even be able to log onto Amazon.”
“I’ll get it back,” I assured her.
Gloria huffed but retreated to a spot near the garage. I made sure she wasn’t making any plans to snatch the iPad and the laptop and then returned to Agent Smart.
“Just explain to me once and for all why you’re convinced he’s alive,” I said in exasperation. “If you give me something to go on, maybe I can help.”
“Because you have better resources than the FBI?” Agent Smart huffed.
“In some ways, yes,” I replied. “I don’t have to work with the Mexican government, or worry about some diplomatic crisis if I offend the local cops. I have people who can ask questions there without drawing anyone’s attention. It may not stand up in court, but it might point us in the direction we need to go.”
Agent Smart started at me for several heartbeats while I sincerely hoped I hadn’t exaggerated Sofia’s network of contacts too much.
“We have a witness who can definitively place Burke getting off a trawler in a Mexican port the day after he was lost at sea,” she finally said.
“That’s it?” I scoffed when she said nothing else. “I could find a witness who saw Elvis in Frisco last weekend, I’m sure.”
Agent Smart chuffed and then glanced at Gloria.
“The trawler in question has been under surveillance,” she finally conceded. “It’s been known to load and unload drugs and other illegal items from other boats at sea as long as the price is right.”
“And your agents think the boat unloaded Matthew Burke?” I queried.
“We know it did,” she asserted.
“But he hasn’t had any contact with his wife or daughter since then, even if that’s true,” I pointed out.
“I don’t know that,” she replied.
“Yes, you do,” I snapped. “I’m sure you’ve already looked through their phones, their email accounts, and everything else. There’s been no communication with him. Which makes this harassment, pure and simple.”
Smart was quiet again, though I could see the uncertainty that flashed in her eyes. I had hit the target with my last remark and she knew the FBI was on thin ice.
“Bring us Burke,” she finally said as she started to walk away, “and we can work out a deal for your client.”
“Oh, are you charging her with something?” I quipped.
“Not yet,” she began, “but if we do, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thanks for the professional courtesy,” I said sarcastically.
I walked back over to Gloria, who was now leaning against the house for support. She was wearing another one of the long dresses, this one in dark red color. It was wrapped tight around her legs and I could see that she clenched a fistful of the skirt in her right hand.
“Let’s go around back,” I suggested as I took her gently by the shoulders.
Gloria let me lead her into the backyard where a large blue and white striped umbrella protected a teak table and four chairs from the glare of the day. When I was sure she wasn’t about to tumble out of the chair I’d placed her in, I went back inside the house to the kitchen. I found a pitcher of cold flavored water in the refrigerator and some clean glasses in one of the cabinets. I filled two of the glasses with ice, then carried the glasses and the pitcher back to the patio.
“Here,” I said as I filled one of the glasses and handed it to her.
“I may need something stronger than this,” she warned as she took the glass.
“After they’ve left,” I suggested.
“I suppose,” she grumbled.
She drank down half the glass before she placed it on the table. I sat down next to her, sipping slowly on my water.
“So what do they want?” she asked. “I know that witch told you what they want.”
“Matthew Burke,” I replied.
“He’s dead,” she declared.
“They say they have a positive identification,” I said. “And proof that he’s alive.”
“That’s just…” she started but never finished. She sat back in her chair and stared at the manzanitas that lined the back fence.
“He would have contacted us,” she finally insisted.
“They’re convinced he was seen getting off a boat in Mexico the day after the storm,” I replied.
“Was he rescued?” she asked. “Did someone rescue him and then kill him when he wouldn’t pay them money?”
“You would have received a ransom note if they’d kidnapped him,” I pointed out.
“I just don’t understand,” she sighed.
She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. I was tempted to leave her alone but the death threats that Dunleavy had mentioned were still fresh in my mind.
“I met with Patrick Dunleavy earlier,” I ventured.
“Nice man,” Gloria noted without opening her eyes.
“He said you went down to the courthouse and withdrew the motion yourself,” I added. “He also said that you did that because you’d received death threats.”
It felt like forever but Gloria finally opened her eyes.
“Is there a question in there?” she asked.
“You said you had no idea that you were being watched, either by the FBI or by any gangs,” I pointed out.
“I didn’t,” she said in a tired voice. “But when Alfonse let slip that his father had been attacked in the parking lot by gangsters and that it might be related to my case, I got scared. Everywhere I went, I was sure I saw the people who had attacked Patrick, even though I had no idea what they looked like. I finally decided that if they didn’t want me to have him declared dead, I would just leave things alone.”
“And the death threats?” I prodded.
“I made that up,” she admitted. “Patrick was pushing me to keep going with the case and all I could think about was some horrible person breaking into my house and killing me. And maybe Perrin as well. I had no idea why these gangs were interested in Matthew, and I didn’t care. I just decided my life was more important than the money.”
“Until Geoffrey came along,” I mused.
“Geoffrey,” she sighed. “When Geoffrey and I met, I knew I wanted to be with him. I thought at first that I might be able to be happy just being with him, but then I realized I would only truly be happy as his wife.”
It made sense, in a way. Everything she said neatly explained what had happened before. Yet somehow, I still felt like something was missing. I started to ask another question, but Gloria raised an imperious hand and closed her eyes again.
My phone dinged, but I ignored it for the moment as I turned over the information I’d gleaned so far today. We sat in the quiet backyard together, not speaking, while we waited for the sound of the FBI’s departure.
When I heard several car engines spring to life, I ventured back into the house. I didn’t take a close look, but I could tell the a
gents had been through everything, and had left a mess behind.
I went to the front door and opened it. The agents were piling into the cars and I picked out Agent Smart as she nodded at something one of the other agents had said. She glanced back at the house and saw me in the doorway. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she ducked inside one of the cars and they barreled down the street like they were heading to a crime scene.
After the last of the FBI agents had left, the neighbors started drifting back into their own homes. Most of them were on their cell phones and I had no doubt that the news of the raid would be all over the Hills before the day was done. Which left me with one interesting question.
I returned to the backyard where Gloria had poured another glass of water for herself. She had shifted to one of the other chairs that now had more shade.
“Where’s Geoffrey?” I asked as I stepped onto the patio.
“He works on Mondays,” she replied.
“But you could have called him,” I pointed out. “I’m sure he could take time off work to come be with you.”
“I thought people always called their lawyers when this happens,” she said. “That’s what they do on Law and Order.”
“Didn’t you want him to be here for you?” I pressed.
“Of course I did,” she sighed. “And I’m sure he would have come if I had called, but I didn’t.”
“When will he be here?” I asked as I checked my watch and then sat down again.
“Not long,” she sighed. “He usually comes straight here.”
“Where does he work?” I inquired. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say.”
“He’s an adjunct instructor at Emerson College,” she replied. “He teaches some of the business classes.”
“I’ve heard that’s a good school,” I noted.
“I suppose,” she remarked with a shrug.
We sat in silence for several minutes until my phone dinged again. I pulled it out and saw there was a text from Sofia, saying she would meet us for dinner, and another text from Ari confirming Kopan at seven. I let him know that both Sofia and I would be there and then tucked the phone back into my pocket.
“What proof?” Gloria suddenly demanded.
“Sorry?” I asked in surprise.
“They claim they have proof,” she said. “What proof?”
“Special Agent Smart hasn’t revealed that yet,” I replied. “I need to keep working on her.”
“But you believe her,” Gloria declared.
“I believe that she believes she has proof,” I replied.
“Damn lawyers,” Gloria grumbled and I had to smile. Gloria smiled as well, for a moment, and then she stared at the sliding glass door I had used to go in and out of the house.
“You should call Perrin,” I suggested. “Have her come over and help you clean up.”
“How bad is it?” she asked.
“I didn’t look around,” I replied. “But it looks like they went through everything.”
“Isn’t there some law that says they have to leave everything as they found it?” she demanded.
“Unfortunately, no,” I laughed.
We both jumped when we heard a door slam inside the house. I stood up and started to move towards the sliding glass door that I had left cracked open. Gloria was frozen in her seat, clearly undecided if she should run or stay.
“Gloria!?!” Geoffrey’s voice boomed through the house.
“She’s out here,” I called out as I opened the door and leaned inside.
Geoffrey appeared from the direction of the garage, a manic look on his face.
“Gloria!” he called again. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” I replied as I stepped out of his path.
He barreled past me without even a nod of acknowledgement.
“The FBI was here with a warrant,” I added to no one in particular.
Geoffrey had scooped Gloria into his arms and lifted her to her feet. He was studying her face with great concern, and when he seemed satisfied that she was unhurt, he pulled her into a tight hug.
“You should have called me,” he pleaded when he finally released her.
“You couldn’t have done anything,” she replied, “except pick a fight with the agents and then they would have taken you off to jail. As it is, Vince had to save me when I tried to get my laptop and my iPad back.”
At the mention of my name, Geoffrey finally turned to face me.
“You couldn’t have stopped them?” he demanded.
“No,” I said simply but firmly.
He glared at me for a moment, but Gloria tugged on his sleeve.
“I need a drink,” she declared. “And maybe some Chinese takeout.”
“Bao’s?” he finally suggested after another hard stare at me.
“Ooh, yum,” Gloria said. “Let’s get lots of dumplings and to hell with any diets tonight.”
Gloria walked back towards the door and Geoffrey followed slowly behind.
“I’ll just see myself out,” I suggested as I moved towards the gate.
Geoffrey nodded and then stepped inside the house. He closed the glass door with a thud and locked it. I returned to the street where it now looked exactly as it would on any normal day. I retrieved the Honda and decided I had just enough time to wrap up some work at the office before heading to Burbank to meet Ari’s mystery agent.
I managed to drive back to Van Nuys in decent time. The smoke haze was slowly lifting and traffic was moving along at a good clip. I found Sofia hunched over her desk, having a secretive discussion with someone on the phone. She waved as I stepped into the office then quickly returned to her conversation.
We both stayed at the office until it was time to head for Burbank. I’d filled Sofia in on the day’s events and we’d tried to sort out the facts from the fiction with little success. Sofia had even started drawing her own charts as she tried to find Matthew Burke’s hidden accounts.
We rode to the restaurant together in my car and managed to arrive on time despite some emergency road work along Victory Boulevard. Kopan was exactly as I remembered it, and I felt a momentary pang of regret as I remembered our last family meal here. Sofia patted my arm and then pointed to Ari and his guest at a corner table. We wove our way over, avoiding two waitresses with very full trays and a small child who was hopping along the floor like a frog.
“Sofia, you look ravishing,” Ari declared as he stood up.
“And you look smashing,” Sofia replied with a laugh as she slid gracefully into a chair. “Is that a new suit?”
“Just picked it up this weekend,” he said happily. “Do you like the color?”
“It’s quite lovely,” she agreed. “Dark gray works for you.”
“And it doesn’t show all that black ash from the fire,” I pointed out.
“There is that,” Ari conceded.
“I’m Sofia,” Sofia said as she held out a hand to the other man at the table. He was on the short side, with black hair tied back in a braid, a pair of pouty lips, a nose that had been broken at least once, and a tattoo of a skull and rose on his right arm. He wore a black t-shirt with a Jack Daniels logo and a pair of faded jeans.
“Shorty,” he said as he shook hands with her.
“Shorty is a private investigator,” Ari added as we took our seats. “He does a lot of work for the firm down in Mexico. I thought he might be able to help you with your problem.”
“We could definitely use someone on the ground in Mexico,” I admitted. “Everything seems to keep leading there. I’m just not sure we can afford it.”
“I think we could work something out,” Shorty replied. “Some legal work I need to have done.”
“What type of legal work?” I asked as I looked at Ari.
“I’m expanding my business,” Shorty explained. “I need some help setting up a company and drawing up employee contracts, that kind of thing.”
“That’s definitely something I cou
ld help you with,” I admitted. “How much has Ari told you about the case?”
“Let me see,” Shorty mused. “You have an investment fund manager who was maybe lost at sea, but maybe made it to shore where he’s been secretly living all these years. The FBI and several street gangs he may have been laundering money for are convinced he’s still alive but the widow wants to have him declared dead so she can marry the new boyfriend.”
“That’s the short, easy version,” Sofia agreed.
“I have to admit, it’s a lot more interesting than most of the cases I handle,” Shorty replied. “I’d really like to work on this if you’ll have me.”
“He’s really good,” Ari added.
“Have you tracked down missing people before?” I asked.
“I’ve handled quite a few,” Shorty replied.
“Including that producer who took off with his girlfriend and all the money for a really long weekend in Venezuela,” Ari laughed.
“You mean that three-year weekend?” Sofia asked. “I remember that guy. He’d been moving around from country to country, trying to stay ahead of the police. How’d you finally catch him?”
“I figured the girlfriend wasn’t up for living rough,” Shorty replied. “I knew she’d find a way to still have her favorite lotions and such delivered.”
“All right,” I conceded, “but the FBI’s been looking for this guy and they haven’t found much.”
“Speaking as an ex-DEA agent, I can tell you that the FBI’s hands are tied in this case,” Shorty replied. “What you need is someone who can poke around in places where the FBI can’t go.”
Which is what I had told Agent Smart not so long ago.
“Come on, Vince, you won’t find a better deal,” Ari assured me.
“Okay, let’s do it,” I agreed.
Shorty held out his hand and we shook. Ari looked pleased with himself and Sofia laughed happily.
“So, I might have something you can work with,” I said. “I finally learned why the FBI is so certain he’s still alive.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this,” Ari exclaimed.
“They have a Mexican trawler that they’ve been watching,” I continued. “It meets up with other ships offshore to load or unload illegal goods. The agents watching the ship saw Burke leave the trawler the day after he was supposed to have been washed overboard.”
