They left the neighborhood where Derek lived and stopped to get something for dinner. Sabre chose Popeye’s Chicken because she knew JP and Morgan both liked it. JP chose the meat, all thighs and legs, and Morgan picked the sides, mashed potatoes and coleslaw.
“Do you want gravy?” Sabre asked.
“I don’t really like their gravy,” Morgan said. “Can I just put butter on the potatoes?”
“Of course,” Sabre said.
“No gravy for me either,” JP said.
“No gravy it is.”
They drove back to the house, and Morgan helped as they set up the food. When they started to eat, Morgan stopped talking. Sabre noticed she was staring at her plate and picking at her food.
“Morgan, are you okay?”
She looked up and said, “Conner likes the gravy. Do you think they give him gravy with Popeye’s chicken in juvie?”
Sabre held back a smile. “I don’t think they have Popeye’s in the Hall, but I’m sure he’s getting decent food and plenty of it.”
“Conner really likes to eat…to consume food.”
“Was consume one of your new words?” JP asked.
“From a couple of weeks ago. It’s a good word.”
When they finished eating, Morgan wanted to help with cleanup. Afterward, they all sat down on the sofa to watch television, but Morgan kept falling asleep.
Sabre touched her gently on the shoulder. “I think it’s time for bed. You start back to school tomorrow, and you need to get your rest.”
Morgan stood. “Why am I going to my old school when there’s a school practically across the street?”
“Since there are only a couple of weeks left, we thought it would be better if you finished up there. We also thought you might like to see your friends. I guess we should’ve consulted you.”
“Consulted is a good word. I had that one a couple of months ago.” Morgan smiled. “It’s okay, because I do want to see my friends, but I don’t think I’ll tell them what’s going on.”
Sabre took her hand and looked into her sad eyes. “You don’t need to tell them anything if you don’t want to.”
Morgan reached for Sabre and hugged her. “I’m glad you’re here.” Then the girl hugged JP. “I’m glad you’re here too, Uncle Johnny.” Morgan nodded toward Sabre. “You’ve done pretty well for yourself.”
JP grinned. “You sound just like your father. Get to bed. We’ll tuck you in shortly.”
When Morgan left, JP asked, “Can you stay tonight and help me get her off to school in the morning?”
Sabre looked at him and smiled. “I couldn’t not stay after that.”
~~~
The next morning after Sabre took Morgan to school, JP drove back to the house Morgan claimed to be Derek’s. When he’d questioned her certainty, she’d been adamant it was the correct house. She remembered the giant stone turtle near the front entrance.
JP passed the turtle, walked up the two steps that led to the front door, and rang the bell. He was about to ring it again when the door opened. A muscular man with a pocked face answered the door. He had shark-like eyes and a full head of brown-and-gray hair brushed straight back. He appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties and in great physical shape.
“I’m looking for Derek. Is that you?” JP asked.
“That depends,” the man said. “Who are you?”
“I’m JP Torn. Gene’s brother.”
The man looked him over. “You must be the pain-in-the-ass cop.”
“I’m not a cop any longer. I’m retired. I’m in the private sector now, but I’m sure I’m the one Gene calls the pain-in-the-ass.” JP paused. “Are you Derek?”
The man nodded, and without comment, stepped back into the living room and motioned for JP to follow. Derek sat down in a large, brown armchair. “Sit.”
JP eased into a similar chair with a round, rickety table between them.
“What do you need?” Derek asked.
“Conner’s been charged with murder.” JP didn’t see any signs of surprise on Derek’s face. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“I heard it.”
“May I ask how you know?”
“You can ask, but I ain’t tellin’ you.”
“Fair enough. Do you want to help Conner?”
“Any way I can.”
“Tell me what you know about Bullet’s death.”
“I don’t know much. I wasn’t there when he left.”
“But you were there the night before, right? During the party?” JP accidently touched the table next to him. It creaked. He withdrew his hand.
“It wasn’t a real party party.”
“You mean a sex party?”
“Yeah. Roxy don’t have those when Gene’s there.”
“Was Gene there?”
“He had already left, but she didn’t know when he was coming back. She usually waits until he’s in jail or she’s sure he’s out of state or something before she gets going good.”
“If Gene was gone, why were you still there?”
“Gene left the day before, but I was sick. My gut was hurting so bad, I couldn’t walk. I stayed until I felt good enough to drive.” Derek looked straight at JP. “Roxy is a crazy bitch. She’ll do anyone or anything. I don’t hang out when Gene’s not around. We’ve been friends way too long for me to tap that.”
So far, Derek had given the same account as the others about the night before Bullet left. JP wasn’t satisfied. “Did you spend the night?”
“Yes. I was feeling a little better when I woke up.”
“Did you see Bullet that morning?”
“Yes, he was asleep on the floor.”
“I understand he beat up Muriel. Did you see that?”
“No, I left as soon as I woke up.”
JP stood and walked toward the door. Derek reluctantly got up and followed. JP turned to him. “Have you seen Gene since then?”
“I don’t make prison visits.”
“He’s not in prison.”
“I heard he was back in Donovan. That ain’t true?”
JP didn’t believe him, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t get an honest answer. “Just in case you do hear from Gene, will you ask him to call me?” JP gave Derek his card. “Conner needs his help.”
JP thanked the big man and left. He called Ron as soon as he got to his truck. Ron Brown was Sabre’s unemployed, older brother. Ron and Sabre were very close, and JP wanted to help, so he put Ron to work whenever he could. Ron was a good guy who’d had a few bad breaks. JP knew this wasn’t the kind of work Ron was looking for—or he would have encouraged him to get more training—but it brought in a few bucks until Ron could find something better. Sabre’s brother had always been a photography buff and had recently taken it up again.
Ron picked up the call on the first ring.
“Can you do some surveillance for me?” JP asked.
“When?” Ron sounded eager.
“Preferably right now.”
“I can be right there. Just give me an address.”
~~~
JP waited in his truck, which he’d parked far enough away from the house that he wouldn’t be seen. His vantage point didn’t allow him to see much except whether someone left Derek’s house. He was checking his messages when Ron opened the passenger door and climbed in.
“You got here quick.”
“I wasn’t far away,” Ron said. “What am I watching here?”
JP pointed out the house. “The guy who lives there is Derek Bloome.” JP handed Ron a photo and gave him a general description. “I need to know everyone who comes and goes from the house. Did you bring your camera?”
“Always.”
“I need you to watch until or unless Derek leaves. Follow him if you can, but don’t get too close. Call me if anything unusual happens.”
“What do you mean by unusual?”
“You’ll know it when you see it.” JP smiled. “I don’t know; ju
st be careful. This guy is no slouch, and neither are his friends.” JP handed Ron another photo. “If you see this guy, call me immediately. He’s about five-ten, well built, with sandy blond hair. Do not approach him. Just call me. Understand?”
Ron looked at the photo, then back at JP. “What’s his story? Anything I should know?”
“He’s my older brother, Gene, but trust me, he’s not as nice as I am.” JP briefly summarized the case; and again warned Ron about getting too close. “Use that zoom lens. Gene may appear charming, but he has horns holdin’ up his halo.”
Chapter 15
Ron found a spot across the street that gave him a good vantage point. He could see the front door of the house, the garage, and the driveway where a Chevy Colorado truck was parked. He guessed that if Derek left, he’d likely go toward the freeway and would be going in the same direction that Ron faced.
Derek proved him right when, about twenty minutes later, he came out through his garage, got in his truck, and backed out of the driveway. The big man drove about six blocks, then made a right turn onto Sandrock Road. About a half-mile later, he pulled into the first entrance of a 7-11 parking lot. Ron drove past him, then entered at the lot’s far end. He cruised to the other side of the store, turned around, and pulled into a parking spot. Ron left his car running. Three minutes later, Derek came out, opened a new pack of cigarettes, and lit up before he got into his truck and pulled away.
Derek’s next stop was an In-N-Out Burger, where he used the drive-through. Ron pulled into the long narrow parking lot and remained at the end so that he could see when Derek’s truck exited the other. The smell of hamburgers and grilled onions made Ron hungry. He sat there, growing hungrier until Derek finally drove out.
Ron followed him onto the freeway, keeping his distance. Derek stayed in the right lane and took the first off-ramp onto Clairemont Mesa. He continued until he reached the Top Notch apartments in Tierrasanta. He parked, got out of his truck with the burger bag, and walked up the concrete path between blankets of plush green lawn. Ron didn’t dare follow for fear of being spotted in the wide-open space.
Once Derek turned the corner at the end of the building, Ron dashed across the front lawn. He saw Derek walk past the pool to another set of apartments, which appeared to be part of the same complex. Derek walked to the last unit on the bottom floor and knocked. Ron had his camera ready and zoomed in for the shot. When the door opened, Derek held up the white bag, and Ron took several photos in rapid succession. It was difficult to see because Derek blocked most of his view, but the tenant looked like a woman. Derek went inside and the door closed.
Ron waited for a few minutes, trying to decide whether to go closer and possibly get a better photo when he came out. If Derek came out. The only thing between them was the pool, a woman in a skimpy red, white, and blue bikini sunning herself, and an older couple sitting under an umbrella.
Ron glanced around for a better vantage point and a way to get there without being too obvious. Just then, the apartment door opened. Ron took a few more photos, but the angle was not a good one and he didn’t expect good results. When Derek started toward him, Ron moved back out of sight and ran across the lawn to his car. He just made it before he saw Derek turn the corner. His heart pounded. He was starting to kind of like this work, because he got to be outside. Anything was better than being cooped up in an office or store. He’d had several not-so-promising jobs lately. He missed his old position at the Park and Recreation Department, but that had been many years ago—before he was forced to leave the state. Ron shook off his thoughts and focused on Derek.
After taking a couple pictures of the complex, he drove past the apartments and onto a side street, anticipating the direction Derek would go. Any other route would put him further into the neighborhood, which Ron didn’t think was likely. He was right, a few minutes later Derek passed him. Ron pulled away from the curb, turned right, and followed Derek back toward his house. When Ron was certain where his target was going, he dropped back and waited so he wouldn’t be spotted.
Ron called JP and told him what he’d observed.
“How long was he in the apartment?” JP asked.
“Less than five minutes.”
“And you couldn’t see the woman?”
“Not that well. I took photos, and when we enlarge them, we might get lucky and have one that shows us something. But it doesn’t look real promising.”
“What’s the address? Maybe I can find out who lives there.”
Ron rattled it off, but added, “That may not be much help since I don’t know the apartment number.”
“That’s true.”
“I guess I screwed up. Sorry.”
“No worries. I would’ve done exactly the same thing you did. The most important thing is that you didn’t get caught.”
“I was a little worried there for a bit,” Ron said. “Do you want me to watch Derek’s house again?”
“Not right now. Why don’t you go back to the apartments and get the number of the unit? It’s unlikely Derek will go back there for a while, so you should be able to move about with ease. Maybe you can even find out who lives there, without being too obvious, of course. There may be a mailbox with a name on it or something. See what you can get.”
“You got it, boss.”
~~~
Back at the complex, Ron walked across the patio, around the pool, and toward the apartment where he had seen Derek earlier. The older couple had left. The woman tanning was now in a more upright position, and Ron could see she was an attractive brunette in her mid-to-late twenties. She appeared to be texting someone. Two other women sat on the side of the pool with their feet in the water, watching three little boys swim and play.
As Ron walked past, the sunbather looked up from her phone and said, “Well, hello,” in a flirtatious tone. Ron decided to take advantage of it and stopped. “Hi there. Is it safe to assume you live here? I mean, since you’re out here in the sun, I figured you probably do. Anyway, I’m looking for a new apartment, and I was wondering about this complex.”
She laughed. “Yes, I live here. I’ve been here for three years, and it’s a great place to live. As you can see, they keep the grounds tidy. Sometimes they take longer than I’d like to fix things that break, but if it’s like plumbing or something, they get right on it. It’s a fairly large complex, and they don’t seem to have enough workers. Joel, the head maintenance guy, is really good though.”
“I do a lot of online tech stuff, and I get a lot of small packages,” Ron said. “Do they have mailboxes on each apartment or is there a central drop?”
The woman pointed toward a metal structure about thirty feet away. “That’s the mail box for the back buildings. There’s another one out front for that building.” She pointed forward.
“How about the pool? Does it get very crowded?”
“Not really. Mostly little kids, but there’s not that many here. The weekends are a little busier.”
“Good. I like to swim in the early morning.”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”
“I think I’ll have a look around. I like that end unit right there.” Ron pointed to the apartment Derek had been to. “That would be the perfect location. Real close to the pool, and the sun hits it just right.”
“Sorry. Ginny lives there, and I’m sure she’s not going anywhere soon.”
“Does she live alone? Maybe we could share the place,” Ron said jokingly.
“I think you’re a little late. A man has been staying there for a week or so now. He’s older than her, so I don’t know what the deal is. He may be a relative. She’s not real social, so I don’t know her well.”
“Is he a big guy?” Ron asked, trying to sound playful.
“Not really. About your size. You might be able to take him,” she teased back.
“I’m not much of a fighter. So I guess I’ll have to settle for a different apartment.” He paused. “I’m Ron, by the way.”<
br />
“Brianna. Hopefully, I’ll see you around.”
Ron explored the complex and discovered each building had its own address. The letter on the door of the unit Derek had visited was A. Ron wandered a little more, then made his way toward the mailboxes. On the box for Apartment A was the name Bloome.
Chapter 16
Sabre finished her morning calendar, and returned to her office. With everything that was going on—the new cases, staying at JP’s house, helping with Morgan—Sabre had gotten way behind on her work and had little time to herself. Morgan was a sweet girl, and Sabre was already getting attached, but she wasn’t sure how long she could help. She’d pretty much accepted that she might not be mother material. She wasn’t sure she wanted to have children. She used to think she would someday, but the older she got, the more she thought she might not want to have any. But right now, she needed to decompress and think about something else.
She opened her computer and started looking at online dating sites. She heard the front door open and Bob speaking to her receptionist.
“Good afternoon, Elaine.”
“Hello, Bob. She’s in her office. Go on in.”
Bob walked in. “I came to pick up the Jordan file.”
Sabre barely heard him. Some of the men’s profiles were both narcissistic and sexist. “They’ll never get laid that way,” she mumbled.
“What?” Bob came around the desk and glanced at her computer screen. “Are you looking for a replacement for JP? And does he know?”
“Not a chance,” Sabre said.
“That he doesn’t know?”
“You goofball. I’m not looking for myself. I’m doing research for the Standish case.”
“That’s what they all say.”
Sabre continued to search on Google. “Do you know what site Laura was on?”
“It was one of the top ten.” Bob pointed to the middle of her monitor. “There it is, the second one on that list. But I already checked it. Bill Nesbitt closed his account and took his profile down.”
“I’m thinking about joining one or two of these sites to see if Nesbitt responds.”
The Advocate's Justice Page 6
