The Tustin Chronicles: A Detective Santy Mystery

by Louise Hathaway

  “So who is he?”

  “Nana, where do I begin?”

  “How about at the beginning.”

  “Nana. Something horrible has happened.”

  “Well, settle down and compose yourself. I’ll go make us a nice pot of tea.”

  “Thank you. I love you, Nana.”

  “Me, too. Sweetie. Just take some breaths.”

  Her Grandmother returns and pours them both a nice calming cup of chamomile tea. She says, “Now tell me what’s this all about.”

  “Well, Nana, you know I’ve that been looking for my mother. That man you saw me with is a retired detective from the Santa Ana PD and he’s been helping me.”

  “Well, that’s really nice of him. How did you swing that?”

  “It’s a very long story. I’ll tell you all about some other time.”

  “Well, you always did have that ‘power of persuasion’ thing going on. So, did you find her?”

  “Yes!! Nana I did!” Clarissa starts crying again and can’t speak.

  “Well, for pity’s sake. After all this time.”

  “So, who is she?”

  “Her name is Christine Staley McAndrews. She was married to the former District Attorney.”

  “Well, I’ll be. She’s your mother? Where’s she been all this time? I could just shake her.”

  “Nana, she died,” Clarissa says and starts crying again.

  “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Just when you found her.”

  Her Nana rises up out of her chair and comes over to hug Clarissa and they embrace and rock each other as they both cry.

  “Okay, honey. Let’s sit back down and you tell me all about it.”

  “I’ve been visiting her in the hospital all month. I was with her when she died.”

  “Oh, you poor child. Why have you been keeping this all to yourself? I could have come with you. There wasn’t much I could’ve done, but at least I could’ve been your driver, so you didn’t have to risk getting into an accident as you were crying and driving all the way home.”

  “Oh, Nana. I never thought things would turn out like this.”

  “None of us do. What was she like, this mother of yours?”

  “Nana, she was really sweet and kind. She hired a private detective to take pictures of me all these years. She had a whole photo album filled with them. She said that she’s never stopped thinking about me.”

  “Well, if that was so, why did she desert you? Especially after your father died. You needed a mother then.”

  “I know. Nana. I know.”

  “So what’s her excuse?”

  She said that when she was young, she didn’t want to be tied down with a child and knew I’d have a better life with Dad and his family.”

  “That’s no excuse for deserting your own child.”

  “Nana. I know; I know. I’ve felt the same way. But Mom and I had such little time left. We didn’t want to spend it with me being angry and bitter towards her.”

  “You are exactly right, honey. I’m so sorry.”

  “I feel so lost.”

  “It will get easier with time. I know it feels like the world is coming to an end right now. That’s how I felt when your Grandfather died. But, he’s always here in my heart. And he lives on in you.”

  “Oh, Nana. I’m so glad I have you.”

  “Me, too; honey. You mean the world to me.”

  Chapter 34

  The next afternoon, Detective Brown calls Santy, saying he wants to talk about the investigation into Jay Evans. They agree to meet for lunch at a small, out of the way place in Long Beach.

  “So what’s up that we’ve got to be so all cloak-and-dagger about?” Santy asks.

  “Sorry to drag you way up here, I just want to make sure there’s nobody we know around. I wanted to tell you where we are on the investigation into Jay Evans. I’ve spoken with my commander and he understands the sensitivity of the whole mess. He doesn’t want me to speak to anyone at the DA’s office until we’ve done a lot of upfront checking. There’s a lot of case information we’re reviewing going back quite a few years that involve Jay. The commander knows who Jay reports to and thinks he’ll be able to work with the department when we come forward with all our evidence. He doesn’t really want to drop a bomb on the DA’s office right now.”

  “I can understand that. It could really stir things up. After all, he was probably involved in a lot of other stuff,” Santy says.

  “The commander asked me how I found all this out. I told him I was digging through some old cases and caught something that didn’t seem right. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the credit, Dick,” Brown says.

  “No worry,” Santy says. “I’m just glad you’ve got the guy. This has been bugging me for years and now I know what happened. That’s good enough for me. Besides, you can pay me back with lunches. Police pensions don’t get you too far.”

  They both laugh and talk about the old days, the old times when they worked together. Brown agrees that it’s all changing so rapidly and that he needs his kids to help him with all the computer stuff he has to learn. Brown promises to keep him in the loop as to how the investigation is going.

  “We probably are a few weeks out before talking to the DA, so don’t look for anything in the paper sooner than that,” Brown says.

  “I won’t hold my breath. We do have this guy, Brownie. We do have him. I love that feeling, don’t you?”

  “Amen.”

  Chapter 35

  The music blares loud inside the Philly Club as Jay Evans stumbles towards the door. The scotch is making everything swirl around him. He feels like he’s inside of a tunnel as the lights above the dancers bounce off the walls all around him. He offers his hand to the bouncer, filled with a few twenties and the large man smiles, pointing to the valets, telling them to get Jay’s car.

  “Drive careful, Mr. Evans,” the bouncer says.

  “Piece of cake. Who’s gonna stop me with this?” Jay mumbles, fumbling for his badge. He gives the valet a twenty and falls into his car. The radio blares Aerosmith’s ‘Janie’s Got a Gun’ as Jay pulls out into traffic. He’s feeling good tonight: he’s just worked out another deal with a local group of what he calls “the investors”. He’s agreed to supply the Calentino family with information about specific cases that are ongoing against their crime syndicates. In return, he gets a weekly cash infusion of two thousand dollars which he sorely needs help to pay off another loan he’s late on from the Vente crime family.

  He pulls into his condo parking lot as Van Halen pumps out of his radio at two A.M. He parks the car and walks up the stairs to his front door. His neighbor’s dogs bark back angrily. I’m gonna kill them dogs, one of these days, I swear, he thinks passing close to their fence.

  As he starts to put the key in the door, he notices it opens on its own. He thinks, this can’t be my ex-wife; she wants nothing to do with me. It occurs to him that he may not be alone. He reaches for his gun and slowly pushes the door open with the barrel. The house is dark except for the glow of the stove hood light. He walks through the front room and then over towards kitchen. As soon as he steps on to the tile of the dining room, the light suddenly comes on. Seated before him is Rick, “The Snowman”, Vente. Rick lights a large cigar.

  “Helluva way to treat guests,” Rick utters as the sound of the front door shutting is heard. Jay turns around to find Tony, “The Weasel”, Vente approaching him with his gun drawn and pointed at Jay.

  “Maybe you outta put that gun away and take a seat. Somebody might get hurt,” Tony says, as Jay puts his gun on the table and sits down slowly.

  “What are you guys doing here, tonight? I’m not supposed to see you until next week. That’s what we agreed on, isn’t it?” Jay asks.

  “We was just making a courtesy call to make sure you ain’t going to have any problems is all. I’m sure you won’t; but hey, we was in the area anyway, so we thought we’d pay you a social call,” Rick says.

  “So, how a
re things going for you? You gonna be able to make your payment next week?” Tony asks.

  “Uh, sure, I mean, yeah, of course. Just like I promised. I’ll have it all for you next week. You can count on me.” Jay says, as Tony pulls the chair out next to Jay and sits down very close to him.

  “We were just a bit concerned after a little birdie told us you might have had a little meeting with some of our, well, our colleagues out there. Maybe a little tryst with them other assholes across town. When we heard about it we thought, no, Jay wouldn’t do that. He promised he’d only work with us on that club, not them other assholes,” Rick says.

  Tony grabs ahold of Jay’s arm and turns him so they’re face-to-face, two inches apart. “You wouldn’t be cheatin’ on us, would you?”

  Jay looking terrified, says, “No way, no way. It’s not about the club, I promise. I’m just working on a few new deals and I’ll be good on that money I owe. I promise you’ll get every penny next week!”

  “A few new deals? How’s come we ain’t heard of these new deals? How’s come you didn’t come and see us and tell us about these new deals? I thought we was partners?” Rick says, as he stands up and grabs Jay by the shirt. “I thought we was your friends?”

  Jay is frozen with fear as Tony puts his gun to Jay’s back and tells him, “Why don’t we go take a look at that safe while we’re here. I’d like to make sure we got all the deposits in order.”

  Jay slowly walks over to the bedroom door and opens the closet to reveal a free-standing safe against the back wall.

  “Go ahead, let’s see what’s inside. Whatta ya say?” Tony says pushing the gun harder into Jay’s back.

  Jay tries to think of what to do and how to fight back, cornered in the closet. He remembers the shotgun he keeps there and tries to get as near to it as he can while he kneels down to open the safe. As he is turning the safe dial, his hand is slowly inching over to where the butt of the shotgun is resting on the floor. Seeing this, Tony cracks the side of Jay’s head with his gun. The sound brings Rick running.

  “What’s going on in here?” Rick says sensing the rising tension. “Seems our boy here was trying to reach for that twelve-gauge over there and I gave him a little reminder that it’s not acceptable behavior amongst us business partners,” Tony says.

  “Let’s hurry this thing up. We ain’t got all night!” Rick barks at Jay as the safe is finally opened.

  “OK, now give me all the cash you’ve got there, hand it over and put it in this plastic bag,” Tony says. As Jay is filling the bag, Rick pulls a gun fitted with a silencer from his waist. He places the gun at the back of Jay’s head and quickly pulls off three quick shots. Jay slumps over the safe. Tony pushes Jay aside and finishes emptying the safe, putting everything into a plastic bag. He fishes into Jay’s pockets and finds more cash and puts that in the bag as well. Standing up, Tony turns to go but not before turning back and placing an ace of spades on his dead body. The card is the sign of the Calentino crime family that says you’ve been marked for a hit.

  The Vente brothers leave quietly and the dogs begin to bark again. As they pull away, an old Vietnamese woman, Jay’s neighbor, comes out and wanders over to his door. The door is slightly open and the lights are on. There is a faint smell of cigar smoke. She creeps her way in saying “hello? hello?” several times in case someone is home. She sees a light on in the bedroom and walks in to see that every drawer has been emptied onto the bed. “Mr. Jay? Mr. Jay? Are you here?” She passes by the closet and as she turns, she sees Jay slumped over the open safe. Blood is pooled on the shag carpet. She holds her hand over her mouth and quickly runs out.

  Chapter 36

  The next afternoon, Santy gets a call from Detective Brown while he’s giving Gumbo a bath.

  “Dick? Brown here. You got a second? I’ve got some news that I think you’re going to want to hear.”

  “Yeah, sure. Just giving the dog a bath. Let me put the phone down for a second and dry him off.”

  Santy wraps Gumbo in a towel, but not before he shakes and sprays the interior of the RV with a damp, dog smell.

  “So what’s up?”

  “Dick, you’re not going to believe it. Early this morning, we got a call about a possible murder in Santa Ana and when our guys showed up they found Jay Evans dead. Shot behind the head three times at close range. I think our problem with Jay has gone away.”

  “Wow, you’re kidding!” Santy says. “Positive it’s Jay?”

  “Yep, the coroner’s folks did an ID this morning and it’s him. My commander has been talking with his contact over at the DA’s office all morning and they’re giving us carte blanche in the investigation. Whatever we want on Jay they said is ours. Looks like I’m going to be pretty busy for a while.”

  “So who the hell do you think shot him? Sounds like a mob hit.”

  “It does. The crime scene guys tore the place apart and found stacks of one hundred dollar bills stuffed into the floorboards and in the freezer. They found crime lab stuff in his garage and all sorts of disguises too. Beards, wigs, all sorts of stuff. This guy was really doing it up. They also found an ace of spades on the body when he was discovered. The Organized Crime guys at the DA’s office said something about the Calentino family and how it’s a sign you’re marked to get whacked. We’ve got a lot of checking to do and a lot of work ahead.”

  I wanted you to know that we dug out the evidence file from your Roger’s case and we think we’ve matched the ballistics on the bullets they found in Steve. The labs guys are pretty sure they came from Jay’s gun. We’ve found your murderer, Santy.”

  “Brownie, that’s great news. It’s good to hear that this guy’s off the street and not rigging things up anymore. This should be a gold star for you I bet.”

  “My commander is impressed. I think he’s looking at me for the next Lieutenant’s job. They’re creating a new unit for that DNA stuff that’s getting more and more popular. Can’t say I know anything about it, but a lieutenant’s pay can’t be too bad.”

  “Brownie, you’ve done it. Congratulations. Can I still have a whiskey with a Lieutenant? Is that part of your job classification?”

  “Hey if it ain’t, it will be now! Dick, I owe this one to you. The next whiskey, hell, the next whole bottle is on me!”

  “Anytime Brownie, anytime. You know where to find me.”

  Gumbo continues to bark and shake all over the RV. Santy says,

  “Sorry Brownie, but I’ve got a smelly dog that needs my attention. After the craziness settles down, give me a call and we’ll go get some fish tacos and you can tell me all about this.”

  “I will. I gotta go too. Take care of that dog and, Dick? Thanks again.”

  Brown hangs up as Santy chases after Gumbo inside the confines of the RV. After a few minutes, Gumbo is back in the sink and undergoing the indignities of a dog getting a bath. Through it all, he still licks Santy on the face.

  *******

  The District Attorney and the Santa Ana Police Department eventually finished their investigation of Jay Evans. It took eighteen months and countless numbers of man hours researching and investigating the impact Jay Evans had on the justice system in Orange County. Investigators found that he had single-handedly impacted the trials and cases of over 60 defendants through evidence tampering or witness persuasion. Each case was individually reviewed for any possible sentencing reductions and several convictions were thrown out entirely and defendants set free. This incident sent shock waves through the District Attorney’s office as well as all local law enforcement agencies. As a result, policies were put into place to create closer working relationships with all agencies county-wide.

  Detective Brown was promoted to lieutenant, largely because of his role and ingenuity in the Jay Evans’ case. He became the head of the Santa Ana Police Department DNA unit and led it to become the premier DNA department in the County.

  Chapter 37

  After many sleepless nights, Clarissa has made up her mind tha
t she’s got to get the courage to visit Ivan Romanov in person. I want to hear what he knows that’s so important. My mother seemed certain that it would be a good thing for me to do.

  She calls Santy on the phone and asks him about what procedures she’ll need to follow so she can see Ivan Romanov in the prison.

  “Are you sure, Clarissa, that you want to go in person?” he asks. “Why not write him a letter?”

  Clarissa says, “My mother was adamant that I had to go. I really think I need to go see him.”

  Santy tells her that the rules are very rigid for visiting inmates. “First, you have to write to Ivan to see if he even wants to see you. The ball is in his court. He may not want to see you.”

  “Okay; I’ll write to him. Then what?”

  “If Ivan agrees to see you, he must send a ‘Visitor Questionnaire’ to you. You must fill it out, sign it, and mail it to the Visiting Sergeant. Then, a background check will be run on you.”

  “What a lot of red tape,” Clarissa says. “What if he doesn’t want to see me?”

  “Then, you have to just accept it. He may have his reasons. Maybe he won’t want to subject you to such a scary place.”

  “Speaking of which, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to come with me? I know it’s an imposition. I’m just afraid to be all by myself in such a place.”

  Santy says, “Your Grandmother would never forgive me if I let you go alone. Yes; I’ll take you there, but you have to be patient because the entire process will take time.”

  Clarissa asks, “How will I be able to see him? Will he be behind glass?”

  Santy says, “The prison has a room where inmates and visitors can meet. Are you absolutely sure you want to put yourself through this, Clarissa?”

  “My mother seemed to think it was very important that I speak to him.”

  Santy says, “Well, I guess you’d better write to him then.”