“Yes. I couldn’t remember much. Since then, a few things have come back to me. I remember it was a black car and the man driving looked Asian. The doctor says I may remember more later, but I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”
“You just forget about everything else and concentrate on getting well.”
Sabre visited a few more minutes and then left the doctor to rest.
As soon as she left the room Sabre tried to call JP. When she reached voice mail she said, “I just left Dr. Heller and she told me it was an Asian man driving a black car who hit her. Be careful. Call me.”
Sabre called her realtor friend, Jennifer. “Did you set it up?”
“Yeah,” Jennifer said. “I’ll meet you at Lawrence Foster’s Asset Management Company in ten minutes.”
“And you’re sure your friend is okay with this?”
“Leave it to me. She’s a good friend.”
“You know I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. I’m starting to think there’s way more to this case than we ever suspected. I haven’t heard from JP, either, and that worries me.”
Sabre arrived in less than six minutes. She waited in her car until she saw Jennifer pull into the parking lot in her black Mercedes, and then met her at her car.
“Isn’t this a little risky for your friend?”
“Jeanne hates Scott Le. She says he’s a real creep.”
“Well, there’s a good chance he won’t be working here much longer.”
“Jeanne would love that.”
They opened the front door and walked into the air-conditioned building. It was a hotter than usual day for San Diego and Jennifer sighed when she walked in.
“You didn’t tell her anything, did you?”
“No, I just told her we thought he was doing something illegal. That’s all it took. She was concerned about her boss being involved, but I told her I didn’t think he was.” They walked up to the information desk to find Jeanne on the phone. When she hung up Jennifer said, “Hi, Jeanne. You look fabulous today. Love that color on you.”
“Thanks, it’s a GW special. I find some of the greatest bargains, as you know.”
Jennifer turned to Sabre. “Jeanne is my shopping buddy.” Jennifer glanced around to see if anyone else was in the office.
“We’re all alone. They’re at a big meeting downtown.”
Jennifer introduced Sabre and after Jeanne picked up a small bar towel, she led Sabre into Scott Le’s office. “I’ll be right out in front, just in case.” She handed the towel to Sabre. “You may want to wipe the desk down when you’re done.”
Sabre looked at the orderly office and knew immediately what Jeanne meant. The glass top of the desk glistened. It contained nothing but an Apple computer screen and a keyboard. She knew she would have to be very careful to not leave anything out of place. She didn’t want it to come back on Jeanne. She judiciously opened each drawer and thumbed through files. She didn’t even know what she was looking for. She tried his computer, but it was password locked and she was no expert at hacking. She gave up on that and turned to the credenza behind her. It contained three drawers. She opened each one, hoping to find something of interest—anything that might tell her something about the Tran case. The top drawer had three pens and a sharpened pencil in the trough, a small box of paper clips, some sticky notes, a pair of scissors, and a box of staples. Nothing personal. The second drawer looked much like the first with just supplies. The bottom drawer on his desk was locked.
The walls had prints of several skylines. One she knew to be Sydney, Australia; the other two she didn’t recognize.
Sabre jumped when the phone rang. She took a deep breath and wiped off the glass desk.
When she walked out of the office, she spotted Jennifer who was acting as lookout at the front door. “Did you find anything?” Jennifer called out.
“No, not a thing.”
Jeanne was just hanging up the phone. Sabre handed her the bar towel and in turn Jeanne gave Sabre a folder. “It’s his personnel file.”
Jeanne walked over and relieved Jennifer from her post. Sabre was holding the folder in her hand when Jenn walked up to her. Sabre felt a twinge of guilt. The personnel file seemed like such an intrusion. Sabre spread her lips over clenched teeth. “I don’t know. Maybe this is going too far.”
“Open the damn thing,” Jennifer said. Sabre could hear the excitement in her voice.
“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Are you kidding me? I haven’t had this much fun since we spied on my ex-husband. Come on. Just do it.”
Sabre opened the file and read through it. It contained several evaluations. All were positive about dealing with customers, there were excellent remarks for paying attention to detail, and a few concerns were expressed regarding co-workers. One comment caught her eye: Scott Le’s extreme efficiency often leads to extended time frames for executing his deals.
“What do you suppose that means?” Sabre asked.
“It’s just like we thought. He slows down the process so the houses he wants to use aren’t released as quickly as they should be.”
Sabre continued to read through the file. The last document was an employment form from seven years ago which contained his name, address, marital status, and other personal information from that time period. The last line contained emergency contact information.
“Alex Velasquez just pulled in,” Jeanne shouted as she dashed back to her desk. “Sorry,” she said, as she tried to snatch the file from Sabre’s hand.
“Wait,” Sabre said. She held onto the file for about two seconds before she let it go. The last line on the document read: Emergency Contact: David Leland. Relationship: Brother.
Jeanne put the file back in her drawer and sat down at her desk. Jennifer took a seat off to the side and pretended to be reading a magazine. Sabre moved in the direction of the restroom, hoping not to be seen. She stepped around the corner just as Alex walked in carrying a tray of cookies.
“Jeanne, I brought you something.”
“Thank you, Alex. You’re the best.” She helped herself to one cookie. “Can you put the rest in the break room so I don’t eat them all before lunch?”
When Alex left, Sabre came out. She smiled at Jeanne and mouthed a “Thank You,” and left with Jennifer closely behind.
“You have such an exciting job,” Jennifer said. Sabre could hear the exhilaration in her voice.
“This is not my job. It’s usually not this thrilling and I’m usually not this stupid. That was a dumb thing for me to do.”
As soon as Sabre pulled into traffic, she called JP to tell him she had found the real connection between Scott Le and David Leland. She left the message on his voice mail.
Chapter 52
The Tran Case
Child: Emma, age 18 mos. (F)
Parents: Father—unknown, Mother—Kim-Ly Tran
Issues: Neglect
Facts: Mother left eighteen-month-old girl in locked room and went to work. Apartment complex caught on fire.
JP sat in his car on the street where David Leland lived, but he was parked back far enough where he couldn’t be seen. From his vantage point he couldn’t see the garage or front doors, but he could see if someone drove out of the driveway. It was nearly nine p.m. when Leland finally pulled out onto the street. JP followed him to Linda Vista but dropped back when he realized Leland was going to the house where JP had seen the sewing machines. JP parked on a cul-de-sac around the corner, grabbed his baseball cap, and walked slowly toward the house. He saw Leland knock, and the same woman he’d seen at that house previously opened the door. JP slowed down, staying back in the shadows as much as he could. He could hear their voices, but they spoke in a language he didn’t understand. Leland appeared to be upset about something.
After a minute or two, Leland went inside. JP moved closer to the house and hid behind some bushes that were only a few feet from the front door. He waited. Approximately ten minu
tes later, Leland came out. JP heard two dead bolt locks click after the woman closed the door behind her visitor. Leland drove away.
JP crept around to the side of the house. The first window he passed had a curtain. He couldn’t see in, but he could hear the sewing machines whirring. He passed two more windows that were covered with wooden boards. JP continued around to the back. Three windows across the back were also covered with wood and the back door had two locks. He continued around the other side only to find more boarded-up windows. It looked like only the front two rooms were being used.
When JP returned to his car he discovered he had a message on his phone. Before he had a chance to listen to it, his phone rang again. He didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello,” JP said.
The soft voice said in almost a whisper, “This is Blossom. You know, from Muffs.”
“Hi, Blossom. What’s up?”
“Kim-Ly hasn’t been to work for two days and I’m worried.”
“Is that unusual for her?”
“She never misses work. And the last time she was here she was afraid Jade was in trouble. I think she went looking for her.”
“She doesn’t know where she is?”
“No. They keep moving around and she….I gotta go.”
The line went silent. JP was at a complete loss. He called Sabre and told her what Blossom had told him.
“Can you check on Kim-Ly?” JP asked.
“Let me see what I can find out. I’ll call you back.”
Sabre called Marla, the social worker, and asked if she knew why Kim-Ly hadn’t shown up for work the last two days.
“I knew she missed today, but I wasn’t aware she missed yesterday too,” Marla said. “She also didn’t show up for her visit with Emma today. I’ve left her several messages but I haven’t heard back. When I called her work, they said she called in sick. So I didn’t think any more of it. Do you know something I don’t?”
“Not really, but if I find out anything I’ll let you know.”
“And you need to quit working so late,” Marla said.
“You should talk. You answered your phone when I called.”
Sabre hung up and relayed the information to JP. “What do you think is going on?”
“I don’t know, but what we do know is that all three of these missing women have a connection to David Leland. Without watching him every minute of the day, I don’t know if we can find out what he’s up to. I’ve followed him several times and he goes to the cleaners, his house, and now to the house in Linda Vista.”
“And I can’t spare you to do that, nor do we have the resources. Besides, the way these women are disappearing, we need to do something fast.”
“Is Kim-Ly officially missing?”
“No. That’s the problem. And neither is Jade.”
“And Mae Chu is ‘iffy’ as far as the authorities are concerned.”
“So, what do we do?”
“I’m going to see Quang Pham again. I’ll see if he remembers anything else that might help us. I don’t know what else to do.”
“Are you going now?” Sabre asked.
“Yes, I already called Quang and he’s expecting me.”
***
JP entered Quang’s apartment and found him visiting with another boy about the same age.
“This is my friend, Kevin,” Quang said.
“Hi, Kevin. You’re the one who helped Quang save the little girl next door, right?”
He nodded. His face reddened.
“Good, I’m glad you’re here. You may be able to help solve this case.”
He shrugged. “If I can.”
“Tell me what you saw and did that day.”
Kevin gave Quang a questioning look. “Just tell him the truth,” Quang said. “It might help find Jade.”
“We were here studying when we saw the smoke. We knew Kim-Ly was gone because we had seen her leave for work.”
“Were there other people in the apartment house?”
“There are only two people who live there and they were both at work,” Quang added. “The building only has four apartments and two of them were messed up even before the fire.”
“What do you mean ‘messed up’?”
“They got trashed by the last people who lived there. The landlord just boarded them up for a while. He said he didn’t have the money to fix them right now.”
“So, what did you do when you saw the smoke?”
“Quang took the key out of his drawer, and we ran over there and went to her apartment. By then it had started to burn pretty good. I know they called us heroes, but the fire wasn’t that close yet. It started in the back in one of those vacant apartments.”
“You two are heroes. The smoke could have killed that little girl, even if the fire didn’t reach her. And no one else seemed to know she was even in there,” JP said.
Kevin shrugged again.
“Quang, have you heard anything from Jade?”
“No.”
“Did she ever say anything about who she was living with?”
“No, she seemed kind of afraid to even talk about it,” Quang said.
“She didn’t really know about anything,” Kevin added.
“What do you mean?”
Kevin looked at Quang as if he didn’t know how to explain it. Quang said, “She didn’t know how to use a computer or a smart phone. She was fascinated by what they could do. I’m not sure she’d ever seen a computer. I don’t think she ever even saw a television.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I took my computer over there and she asked what it was. When I showed her, she was amazed. She asked how people could be moving around on there and talking. I tried to explain it was like television, but she just looked at me real funny.”
“Do you think she just didn’t understand your English?”
“She speaks English very well. She told me she had to learn English as part of her training.”
“Training for what?” JP asked.
“She wouldn’t tell me.”
“Do you know if she was born in the United States?”
“She never said.”
“Did she ever talk about being from another country?”
“She was proud to be Vietnamese, but she never said she lived there. She was proud of her culture. That’s why she had the jade statue of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong. She gave it to me for safekeeping.”
Kevin spoke up. “I think she must’ve lived out in the country or something.”
“Why?”
“Because she said she liked picking things because she could be outside. At first I thought she meant flowers, but she said sometimes she got to eat the things she picked. When I questioned her, she wouldn’t say any more.”
JP was totally perplexed and things weren’t getting any clearer. Everything he learned just generated more questions. He removed three photos from an envelope and laid them on the table. He pointed to the picture of Scott Le. “Have either of you ever seen this man?”
They both shook their heads.
David Leland’s photo came up next. “Quang, you said the last time you saw him was when he left with this woman, correct?” JP pointed to the photo of Mae Chu.
“That’s right,” Quang said. “He hasn’t been back here.”
JP pointed again to the picture of David Leland. “Kevin, have you seen this man?”
“No,” Kevin said, “but I’ve seen her.” He picked up the photo of Mae Chu and examined it carefully.
“Were you here the night she left with Leland?”
“No. She was here the day of the fire.”
JP tipped his head to one side. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. She was standing by the bushes on the other side of the apartment building when we went in. Then when we came out, Quang was carrying Emma. She came up right behind me and asked if the baby was okay. I said, ‘I think so,’ and she left.”
“Did you see where she went?�
�
“She walked real fast through an opening in the bushes and I didn’t see her again. She could’ve come back, I guess, but I didn’t see her after that. There was so much excitement and we just wanted to give Emma to someone and leave. By then, the fire department had arrived. We ran inside here, grabbed Quang’s computer, and we went to my house. They were already evacuating this place when we were leaving.”
JP picked up the photos with Mae Chu’s on top. He held it out, photo side up. “And you’re absolutely certain it was this woman?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.”
Chapter 53
Sabre was in her office preparing for the Tran trial that was less that twenty-four hours away. She needed more information. There were still too many unanswered questions. She was debating what stand she would take on the case when her phone rang, bringing her out of her deliberation.
“Mae Chu was at Kim-Ly’s apartment when the fire started,” JP said. He went on to explain all that he had learned from Quang and his friend.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Sabre said. “The case was filed because of the fire. She wouldn’t have known about Kim-Ly yet. Do you think it’s a coincidence?”
“Highly unlikely, but I can’t imagine why she was there,” JP said.
“Now I’m more confused than ever.” Sabre sighed. “We need more answers before the trial tomorrow. Do you think you can dig up anything else?”
“I have a hunch about Jade’s location based on something Kevin, Quang’s friend, said about her. He said that she liked to pick things because she could be outside and sometimes she would eat what she picked.”
“Sounds like a farm.”
“Exactly.”
“And David Leland owns one hundred twenty acres of land in Julian.”
“That’s where I’m headed,” JP said.
“That’s a long drive.”
“I know. It’s well over an hour; that’s why I haven’t been there yet. I haven’t had the time, and it didn’t seem that important until now.”
“I’m finished with court today, so I’ll be working in the office all afternoon and evening. What can I do to help?”
The Advocate's Ex Parte (The Advocate Series Book 5) Page 24
