The Advocate - 03 - The Advocate's Conviction

by Teresa Burrell

  “No. I know he always wanted to go back to San Diego where his mother was living, but I don’t know if he did. His parents were divorced and I think he lived here with his dad, but I’m not even certain of that.”

  Silence ensued for several minutes. Finally JP said, “Did you ever think about reporting it all to the authorities?”

  “Every day for the last thirty-five years, but I never knew what good it would do or how many lives it would destroy. I know it ruined a lot of lives anyway, but after some time had passed what was the point? We could’ve all been sent to prison, but I think we were punished enough. I think God’s punishment for me has been the agony I’ve suffered just knowing what we did. He directed me to the convent, where I’ve been able to atone for my sins by helping others. I believe that’s what I was meant to do. If telling you helps save that young girl then I’m glad I did, even if it means I have to pay my debt to society in prison.”

  JP thanked her for sharing her story. “By the way, do you know anything about a 1948 Plymouth that belonged to old man Cavitt?”

  “The car Roger had in high school?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  “Rob always wanted that car, but his dad wouldn’t let him have it even after Roger was killed in Vietnam. But apparently he took possession of it after his dad died. Yvonne wrote that she saw Rob driving it around town the summer after I left.”

  43

  Bob looked over Sabre’s shoulder as she flipped through the computer screen pages of The Eagle, a local Inland Empire newspaper dated September 11, 1976. The front page carried the story with a large photo of a smashed 1976 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL.

  Eighteen-year-old April Baker met an untimely death when she crashed her birthday present, a brand new Mercedes-Benz 450 SL convertible, on Highland Ave. at approximately 12:45 this morning. She had owned the car for less than six hours when it flipped over and pinned her to the ground, nearly severing her torso. Her parents presented her with the car at her birthday party at the El Rancho Verde Country Club in Rialto, Ca.

  The cause of the accident is unknown, but there is no indication that another car was involved in the crash, nor was there any evidence of drugs or alcohol.

  “She met an untimely death,” Bob said. “I love the way reporters always say that. What exactly is a timely death? Is that when a death is scheduled? So if someone is murdered exactly when someone plans it, does that make it timely?”

  Sabre smiled. “You’re a nut.”

  Bob walked around to the other side of Sabre’s desk. He picked up the hourglass and examined it.

  Sabre looked at the article again. “My God, she was only eighteen years old,” Sabre said. She printed the article and placed it in the Lecy file. “But what does it all mean? And does it tie in with the ‘Devil House?’”

  Just then JP walked through the doorway. He stopped and leaned against the wall. “I’ve been asking myself that same question ever since I left Fontana yesterday.”

  “So, did you come up with anything?” Sabre asked.

  “Maybe. I’m thinking, what could a loser like Scott Jamison have in common with a doctor? A loser like Dr. Ric Cavitt?”

  “You mean other than that they’re both losers?” Bob asked. He turned the hourglass over and watched the sand start to trickle down.

  “Yes, other than that?” JP said.

  “They had a dreadful past in common,” Sabre said.

  “Yes, and that past gave Scott the ammunition to blackmail the doctor. I assume he wanted drugs, or money to buy drugs,” JP said.

  “And when he asked for too much, the doctor killed him?” Sabre said.

  “Maybe,” JP said.

  “But does it have anything to do with the ‘Devil House’? There was no evidence of drug activity there. What’s with the animal blood? Or sacrifices? And let’s assume Scott was blackmailing the doctor. Was it for drugs or money?”

  “I don’t think it was money because the doctor is pretty strapped himself. His credit cards are maxed out; he’s paying child support; and he has no visible means of income, at least not that I’ve found. No, there’s definitely something missing … something that we’re not seeing.”

  “Maybe they needed each other for whatever they were doing,” Sabre said.

  “Or maybe they’re just cult buddies who found each other,” Bob piped in.

  JP and Sabre looked at Bob. “Naw,” they both said at the same time.

  “I think the key is Bailey. She knows something else and she has another DVD. That might be the missing link,” Sabre said.

  “And if the doctor killed Scott, he may know about Bailey’s disc and she could be in serious danger,” JP said.

  “That’s it. Somehow I have to reach Bailey.”

  “And how are you going to do that?”

  “I’m going to keep calling her until she calls me back. If I use up all her minutes she’ll have to call for more.”

  “And this time you’ll let me know when you’re meeting her, so I can follow her and find out where she is, right?” JP tilted his head at Sabre and looked her straight in the eye.

  “I’ll think about it. We do need to get her off the streets.”

  JP handed Sabre a large white envelope. “Here’s the report from my trip to Fontana. I’ve told you most of it on the phone, but here is everything in case I missed something in our conversation. Tomorrow I have an appointment to see Regina Collicott’s teenage client at World of Hope. Regina called me this morning and said the girl was ready to talk. Maybe we’ll find another connection to this cult thing.”

  After JP left, Sabre called Bailey again and left a message. “Bailey, I’m pleading with you to call me back. I am worried that your life is in danger, and I’m even more worried about Apollo.”

  Bob looked up at her. “You’re worried about Apollo?”

  “Not really, but I’m hoping it’ll get her attention.”

  44

  Sabre bolted out of bed a little after one o’clock in the morning to answer her phone. It made her nervous. It was never good news when a call came in that late.

  “Hello, Bailey?”

  “I need to talk to you,” Bailey said.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, for now.”

  “Can I pick you up?” Sabre asked.

  “No, I’ll meet you.”

  “Same place?”

  “No. There’s a back entrance to the canyon just at the bottom of the hill on Boyd. Do you know where it is?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

  “First, promise me you’ll be alone.”

  Sabre hesitated. “I’ll be alone.”

  The more Sabre learned about the Route 66 gang, the more she realized she was at risk. She thought about calling JP, but she was afraid she’d lose any contact with Bailey. She drove down the hill on Boyd. She glanced at the gas gauge and saw she had a quarter of a tank. It made her uncomfortable when it dropped below the half mark, but there was plenty of gas to make it where she was going. She’d fill it first thing in the morning.

  Just before the road curved, there was a small paved area off to the left where she could park. It sat between two housing tracks in front of an open field that led into the canyon. She pulled into the parking area and faced her car toward the road. She had just parked her car when Bailey knocked on her window. She had to have arrived before Sabre did.

  Bailey stepped into the car. She was wearing a dark jacket, jeans, and a knit cap. She had apparently found access to some clothes. Sabre wondered if Shellie gave them to her.

  “They came to see my mom,” Bailey said as soon as she was inside the car.

  “Who is they?”

  “The worshippers. They were looking for me.”

  “Did your mom tell them where you were?”

  “She didn’t know.”

  “What do you think they want?”

  “Probably to kill me like they did Scott.”

  “
Bailey, did you see who killed Scott?”

  “No, I didn’t. But it had to be them, and if they know about the other disc then they’re probably looking for it.”

  “What’s on the other one?”

  “Apollo said it has the worshippers on it. They’re going to one of their meetings. I haven’t watched it, but he said it shows the fat guy and some other people he didn’t recognize.”

  “And they let Apollo film it?” Sabre was skeptical.

  “No, they didn’t know he was filming. They would’ve killed him and probably sacrificed him, if they’d known. I didn’t know he was taping it, either, until later.”

  “So how did he do it?”

  “He followed me a couple of times, so he knew where to go. I was with him when he filmed the ‘Devil House’ but not when he did the third video.”

  “Do you have the disc with you?”

  Bailey shook her head from side to side. “No, I have it hidden. Apollo said not to give it to anyone until he said so.”

  “But Apollo can’t tell you now. And he might need the disc to save himself from going to prison.”

  Bailey didn’t respond. Sabre was sure she was trying to figure it all out. This poor little girl was trying to make decisions no adult should ever have to make. After about a minute of silence Sabre said, “Bailey, I know you were pregnant. Did you have the baby?”

  Bailey looked up in complete surprise. Apparently, Shellie hadn’t told her that Sabre knew. “How’d you know?”

  “I figured it out from your behavior and a couple of things you said. Please tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.”

  Bailey started to cry. “They k … killed my baby. The worshippers killed my baby.”

  “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” Sabre reached her arm around Bailey’s shoulder and pulled her close. For a second Bailey leaned on her accepting the comfort she offered. Then she slowly sat back up.

  “How did you get involved with these people?”

  “Scott took me there.”

  “To the ‘Devil House?’”

  “Yeah, but there was another one, too. It was out in the country somewhere. I was blindfolded when they took me there, but it was too quiet to be in the city. And Apollo followed me there and then he sneaked back and made the film.”

  “Maybe you could start at the beginning and tell me everything.”

  “Where’s the beginning?”

  “Last fall your grades started to drop and you began to miss school. Why don’t you start there?”

  “I guess it all started when my mom brought Scott home to live with us. He was creepy and I kept telling my mom that, but she said we needed him to help with the rent. I don’t think he even paid rent. Maybe at first he did, but then he was just giving her more and more drugs. She’d get high and pass out, and then Scott would come into my room. I kept telling him no, but each time he’d stay a little longer and he’d keep touching me. I was so scared.”

  “Did you ever tell your mom?”

  “I tried to tell her when she was sober, but she didn’t believe me. She said it was all in my head.”

  “Then one night he came into my room and raped me. My mom came in and saw it. She pulled on his arm and he pushed her. She was so high she just stumbled and fell. Scott looked at me and said, ‘See, you don’t mess with me or I’ll kill you and your mom.’ Then he finished his business and fell asleep on top of me.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I managed to crawl out from under him and out of the bed. I checked on my mom to make sure she was okay and helped her into her bed. And then I locked myself in the bathroom and showered until the hot water ran out.”

  “What did your mom say the next day?”

  “Nothing. She probably didn’t even remember it, or she just didn’t care.”

  “And you never approached her about it again?”

  “What was the point?”

  Sabre felt sick to her stomach. She hated what this poor girl had experienced and she hated having to ask the questions but she had to continue. “Did it ever happen again?”

  “A couple of times. Most of the time I would come home real late after Scott was asleep. When he passed out, he wouldn’t wake up until noon. That’s why I was missing so much school. I’d stay out late and then sleep in while he was asleep.”

  “When did you start going out with Apollo?”

  “I met Apollo at the softball field around the corner.” She stretched her arm out and pointed slightly to the left. “I would go there and watch the games. He did the cleanup after the games so he always stayed after everyone else left. I would hang out and wait for the time to pass. He was real friendly. Sometimes I would leave for a while and then come back after he left. One night I was sitting there in the bleachers and he came back. I had been crying and I guess he could see it on my face. My period was almost two weeks late and I’d been feeling sick a lot. I knew then that I was pregnant. When Apollo sat down next to me, we started talking. I didn’t tell him what was wrong or anything. I just said I was having trouble at home. He seemed to understand.”

  “Then you started hanging out?”

  “He came there everyday and we’d talk awhile. Then we started doing other things together. I’d take him home sometimes in the evening because I knew Scott wouldn’t be able to do anything if he was there. That only worked on the weekends because otherwise Apollo had to go home before Scott went to sleep. After a while I told Apollo everything. He wanted me to go to the police but I was too afraid. So Apollo came over one morning when Scott was asleep and put a deadbolt on my door so I could lock it from the inside.”

  “So then you were able to stay home at night?”

  “Yeah, but I was still afraid he would break the door down. By then I had started showing and Scott and my mom both knew I was pregnant. Mom just acted like it was Apollo’s baby, but I know she knew.”

  “So when did you start going to the meetings?”

  “Mom took me to the first one.”

  “Your mother?” Sabre was surprised.

  “It was Scott’s idea. He set it all up. I heard them arguing about it. But my mom said she was going to help me through all this and it would ease my soul, or some shit like that.”

  “What happened at the meeting?”

  “A woman wearing a mask greeted us. She made us put on masks, too. Then she took us into another room. They called it the inner sanctum. Three other people, all wearing masks, were standing around a pentagram under a tree painted on the wall. It’s like they were worshipping the tree. There was one woman who looked real old. She could hardly walk.”

  “Did you see her face?”

  “No, she wore a mask, too, but I saw her boney, wrinkled hands. She led the chants. They treated her like a queen or something. They started chanting and saying all kinds of weird crap, like how I had something evil in my belly and I needed to be cleansed. How Satan needed his child back. They made me feel like I had something bad inside me. I felt that way too because it was Scott’s baby and he was a devil. It was real strange, but after a while I started chanting with them. About an hour later we went home.”

  “But you went back?”

  “On the way home my mom promised that if I went to a few more meetings and ‘did what needed to be done until after the baby was born’—those were her words—that things would be a lot better, Scott would go away, and we’d have money to live on.”

  “Did you know what she meant by that?” Sabre asked.

  “No. I tried to get her to explain but she didn’t make any sense. She just kept saying I needed to trust her. Like she ever gave me a reason before. But then one day at one of the meetings I found out what she meant. They wanted my baby. By then I was pretty well convinced that I had something evil inside me, but I still didn’t realize that they were going to sacrifice it.” She paused. “I don’t even know if it was a boy or a girl.”

  Sabre grimaced. “Did you see the sacrifice?”

  “Not
exactly. When it was time to have the baby, they took me to the inner sanctum. They had me lay down on a metal table, put my feet in the stirrups, and they bound my hands and feet. There were candles all around and they told me the circle around the bed would keep me from having pain. But it didn’t. The pain was so bad I could hardly stand it. There was one woman on each side of me. One was a really big woman and she kept getting in my face. I remember how bad her breath smelled and how she kept telling me to push. And then they all chanted, ‘I believe in the power of the oak. I believe in the power of the oak.’ I still wake up sometimes at night hearing that chant.”

  “Was anyone else there?”

  “Just the fat man in the video. I’m sure it was him. I guess he was a doctor. Anyway, he’s the one who delivered my baby. I remember what a relief it was when the baby was finally out and the worst of the pain was over. The big woman took the baby out of the room.” Tears ran down Bailey’s cheeks. “I heard the baby cry and then it stopped.” She sniffled. “A few minutes later, the woman returned but she didn’t have the baby with her. I didn’t want to think about what they did to my baby so I just closed my eyes and imagined holding him next to me. I knew what I had done was real bad and I’d probably never be forgiven. I knew I’d never be able to forgive myself.”

  “You poor child. I am so sorry.” Sabre didn’t know what else to say. “And when it was all over, Scott didn’t go away?”

  “No. Mom didn’t keep any of her promises. I think Scott paid her off in drugs. She got worse every day. But Apollo threatened to kill Scott if he ever touched me again, and with my lock on my door I wasn’t as afraid. Apollo also fixed the window in my bedroom so I could sneak in or out, especially if I needed to get in without being seen.”

  “Did Scott ever go to the meetings?”

  “Not all the time, but pretty often, and when he did go he always picked something up from the fat man or this other tall, skinny guy.”

  “And you never saw any of their faces?”

  “No. They always had masks on.”

  “Did you ever see Scott give them money?”