Dragon Fruit Page 19

  ‘So your great rescue attempt didn’t help him at all.’

  ‘I’m afraid not. Sometimes I think it made matters worse for him. That’s a burden I’ll carry for the rest of my life.’

  ‘They’re after him, you know. They’re after Darren. Because he saw something he shouldn’t have.’

  ‘Who is they? Jaymie, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.’

  I opened the car door and stepped out into the night. My gut was telling me Laura Brautigan was innocent. I needed to calm down, so my mind could accept that fact.

  She got out of the car and walked over to me. We stood there side-by-side, listening to the waves crash on the rocks far below.

  I realized I had a choice: I could trust this woman or not. I decided on a middle path.

  ‘OK, here it is. A ring of cops have been smuggling in marijuana from Mexico, most likely for some time. But that’s not the only thing they’re smuggling. They’re trafficking in children.’

  ‘Dear God! So Staffen Brill – you’re saying she’s part of this?’

  ‘Yes. And I thought you were too.’

  ‘I would never do such a thing, never. Jaymie, you have to believe me.’

  ‘Yeah. I guess I do.’

  ‘Good. That’s a start. Now, how does Darren fit into all this? Staffen and I haven’t discussed him for years. It can’t be a coincidence that she wants to connect with him now, can it?’

  ‘Darren witnessed something that incriminates the police. They have him in their sights.’ I thought about Steve Sanchez’s threatto send Darren on a one-way trip to Atascadero, and decided not to say anything more. The fewer people who knew where Darren was and how he was involved, the safer he’d be.

  ‘That’s bad news. Jaymie, tell me, how can I help? There must be something I can do.’

  ‘I’m not sure yet. Just keep all this to yourself.’

  ‘I will. And if you think of something, anything, give me a call. Even if I need to break the law.’

  I looked over at her. ‘You’re something of a transgressor, aren’t you, Rev?’

  ‘I try to make sure it’s not just my ego.’ She smiled a little. ‘You know, Jaymie, He works His will in surprising ways.’

  NINETEEN

  ‘Are you a close friend?’

  A note of urgency in the nurse’s voice alerted me. I rested my hand on Chucha’s motionless wrist and looked up from the bed. ‘Yes. I care a lot about her.’

  ‘She has no known relatives. The hospital tried to locate someone in Mexico. But I’m not really sure …’ She smoothed a gray strand of hair at her temple.

  ‘How hard they’ve tried?’

  The nurse pursed her mouth and nodded.

  ‘Well, I can tell you where Chucha’s from: Lake Chapala, outside of Guadalajara.’

  ‘Thanks, I’ll let them know that. It might … slow down the process.’ She turned to go.

  ‘Wait. Slow down what process?’ I rose from the bedside chair.

  The nurse clasped her hands and gave me a long look. ‘It’s not something I’m supposed to talk about. Except with relatives.’

  But she wanted to tell me, that much was clear. ‘Look, this sounds important. Can’t you at least give me a clue?’

  ‘Just – this.’

  The nurse walked over to the wall, bent down over a wall socket, and yanked out an imaginary plug.

  ‘Gabi, get over here to Cottage Hospital right away. Drop whatever you’re doing – and make it quick.’

  ‘What, is it Chucha? Is she getting bad?’

  ‘She’s stable. But they’re planning to pull the plug.’ I didn’t want to talk about organ harvesting. Christ, I didn’t even want to think about it.

  ‘To – what? Oh no! They can’t do that!’

  ‘They claim they’ve looked for Chucha’s relatives and haven’t been able to locate them. But I’m not sure they’ve even tried.’

  ‘Miss Jaymie, I am thinking fast. Now I gotta ask you a question. A hard one, OK?’

  I sat down on a bench outside the hospital. Time was of the essence, and I felt the urge to move on. But I knew by the tone of Gabi’s voice that I’d better comply.

  ‘Here’s what I want you to tell me. For Chucha, what do you think is the best thing to do?’

  I knew what Gabi meant. And I knew her question was the right one to ask.

  ‘I want her to hold Rosie in her arms. And—’ I had to stop and swallow hard. ‘And I want Rosie to see her mom. I want to take a picture, Gabi, of the two of them together. Something for Rosie to have when she’s older. Do you see what I mean?’

  The phone was quiet. I looked at the lunchtime stream of people ambling along the sidewalk: doctors in scrubs, moms and kids, an old man with a walking frame.

  ‘Yes. I see what you mean. OK, I am ready. What can I do?’

  ‘Come over here right away. Tell them you’re Chucha’s aunt. If you have to, Gabi, lie through your hat. In the end they might figure out the truth, but we’re just trying to buy time.’

  ‘I understand. But not the part about the hat.’

  ‘Forget the hat, it’s not important. Now, one more thing.’

  ‘Shoot me.’

  ‘Don’t you mean “shoot”?’

  ‘Miss Jaymie, just tell me. What is the one more thing?’

  ‘Angel. I need to find him fast, before it gets dark.’

  ‘Angel? But Miss Jaymie, you know what he did!’

  ‘I can’t explain now. Just tell me how to get hold of him.’

  ‘Maybe I still got his work schedule in my phone,’ she admitted. ‘I’m gonna hang up now and send you a text.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll meet up with you later today in the office. Then I’ll explain.’

  ‘OK. ’Cause I don’t know what you are doing, talking to Angel. You got a real good reason, I hope.’

  I spotted Angel’s beat-up old pickup on Serena, a quiet street in the Samarkand neighborhood near the Lawn Bowling Club. I pulled up behind the truck and switched off the engine.

  An ember of anger still smoldered inside me when I thought about what Angel had done. But I needed him, and I had to get over my emotion. I had to do it for Rosie’s sake.

  I got out of the Camino and slammed the door shut. Gabi hadn’t known the exact address, just that on Wednesday afternoons Angel worked for a Mr Ishida on Serena. But it was obvious this was the house.

  The front yard was an exquisite Japanese garden, sculpted and raked to perfection. I walked along a series of wide flat river stones, through an open bamboo gate to the back.

  Angel stood beside a massive red-leaf Japanese maple. He held a pair of small clippers in his hand. He bent down to check the angle of an errant twig, then clipped it. I watched as it tumbled to the ground.

  Angel straightened and looked across the yard at me. As I approached, he dropped his gaze.

  ‘Angel. I want to talk.’

  ‘Thank you for coming over, Miss Jaymie.’ He slipped the clippers into a loop on his belt. ‘Mr Ishida’s daughter came to take him to a doctor’s appointment. So we are alone.’

  I nodded and waited. It wasn’t my place to begin.

  ‘I did something wrong. I made a terrible mistake.’

  ‘Why, Angel? Why did you do it?’

  ‘There is something I must explain. I will tell you, but it is not an excuse.’ His arms fell to his sides.

  ‘My mother, she was a very bad mother. She was a … puta, and she used heroìna. I’m not complaining, other people have the same problem. But I thought about that little girl, how she was going to be adopted, maybe into a rich family. And I thought maybe Chucha would not treat her that good.’

  ‘It was none of your business. Besides, you were wrong.’

  ‘I know now. And the police – why did I trust them? That was so stupid. I am a stupid man.’

  ‘Angel? It can’t be undone.’

  ‘No.’ He made several gasping sounds. Angel was struggling not to cry. ‘I never thou
ght they would hurt her! I feel sick when I think about what they did.’

  ‘Chucha is going to die.’

  He walked away to the back of the garden and stepped behind a hibiscus hedge. I heard him break into sobs.

  I waited for some time. Then, when the sound of crying had stopped, I followed after him.

  Angel stood at a low fence, looking out across the city to the terra cotta mountains. ‘What can I do?’

  ‘I’ll tell you why I’m here, Angel. The fact is I could use your help. I want to ask you to help Chucha’s daughter.’

  He turned to look at me. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ‘Yes. Whatever it is, I will do it.’

  I saw I was throwing him a lifeline, a way to redeem himself. And why not? I didn’t like to think of the bad mistakes I’d made in my own life.

  ‘All right. There’s an estate in Hope Ranch called Agua Azul. Do you know where it is?’

  ‘Yes. A guy who used to work with me, he’s on the landscaping crew that has that job.’

  ‘Here’s the story.’ But I paused. How much should I say? It was all very well to give Angel a second chance. But Rosie’s life could depend on what happened next. Once again, I opted for a middle road.

  ‘It’s possible the owners are holding Chucha’s daughter at Agua Azul. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. I can’t get near the place – they know me. I need you to get onto the grounds, Angel, and take a good look around.’

  ‘I’ll talk to Jorge. I can pretend to be a new person on his crew.’

  ‘Good. I’m hoping the owners won’t notice you at all, but if they do, you’ll have an excuse for being there. Now, in a minute we’ll go back to my car, and I’ll draw you a map of the estate. But there’s something I have to warn you about.’

  ‘I’m listening.’

  ‘Angel, Gabi told me you’re afraid of dogs.’

  I had to hand it to the man: he squared his shoulders. ‘Yes, that is true. But don’t worry, it is my problem.’

  ‘The dog’s name is Greco, and he’s a beast. Most of the time he’s shut in the house, but not always.’

  ‘Miss Jaymie? I will handle it. This is what I must do.’

  ‘Here Miss Jaymie, drink this.’ Gabi handed me a steaming mug of strong tea. ‘I’m warming up a hot towel in the oven to put on your shoulder.’

  ‘It hurts like a son-of-a-bitch.’

  ‘Like a son of what? No, never mind.’

  ‘It sounds like it went OK at the hospital.’ I cupped both hands around the mug and took a sip.

  ‘Yes, I think so. I do not know if the man believed me when I told him I am Chucha’s tia. But he’s gotta, you know, look into it. And I told him I am coming back to visit Chucha again tomorrow.’

  ‘That’s all we can do for now.’

  Gabi pulled her chair around from behind the desk. Then she sat down and looked at me. ‘About Chucha. I saw her and I got something to say.’

  I set down the mug and looked out at the gray afternoon.

  ‘Miss Jaymie, Chucha is already gone. She is not gonna come back.’

  In the silence I could hear the brr of the old electric clock on top of the bookcase. ‘But you know what I told you. I just want Rosie to …’

  ‘Yes, I know.’ Gabi reached forward and patted my hand. ‘But even for Rosie, I do not think we should wait too long.’

  I knew she was right. But this wasn’t the time for me to dwell on the matter. ‘Message received.’

  Gabi folded her hands in her lap. ‘OK. Now I’m gonna ask you about Angel. I don’t wanna talk about him. But I wanna know what happened today.’

  ‘We talked. I explained some of what’s going on, but not all of it. I asked him if he’d go over to Agua Azul and look around, to see if he could find out if Rosie is there.’

  She studied her hands. ‘So what did he say?’

  ‘He said yes. He was glad I asked. He’s already there. We’re going to touch base at around four p.m.’

  ‘Did you tell Angel about the mean dog?’

  ‘I did.’

  ‘And he said yes even after he heard about it?’

  ‘Yep. I’ll say this for the guy. He wants to do the right thing.’

  I was surprised to see Gabi’s eyes well with tears. ‘Angel is a good person in his heart. Sometimes, he don’t think so good.’

  ‘He needs you to help him with that.’

  ‘Yes. That is why it is sad I’m not gonna see him no more.’

  I was too smart to chime in on that topic. I drank down my cooling tea.

  After a minute, my cell vibrated on the corner of the desk. I grabbed it and saw I’d received a text. It was from Angel, and I read it aloud:

  Miss Jaymie – I just heard a little kid cry. It came from the shed you told me to watch, the one like a barn. I will keep watching till you tell me what to do next.

  I texted back: Good news. Keep watching as long as you can. Remember the dog.

  A text flew back: I am ready for the dog. I am going to stay here when it gets dark. Then I can see in the window when the lights go on.

  I looked up at Gabi. ‘Sounds like Greco better keep an eye out.’

  She frowned. ‘Like I said. It is too bad I am never gonna see Angel again.’

  I turned in early. I was anxious to hear from Angel, but I was exhausted and needed to grab a few hours of sleep. I set the phone on my bed stand and dialed the ring volume up to the max.

  ‘No barking at critters tonight, understand?’ I wagged a finger at Dex. ‘I don’t care if the raccoons boogie on the roof. Do not wake me up.’

  I felt like I’d just dozed off when Dexter woke me with a deep nasty growl. I fought through the gauzy curtains of sleep and sat up in the bed. ‘Dog, this better be good.’

  By the time I’d thrown on a dressing gown Dexter had opened the throttle. His loud barks made my ears ring.

  I opened the front door, and the three-legged heeler bolted off the threshold, clearing the steps in one bound. He messed upon the landing, but hopped back to his feet and raced over to the Camino. I’d left it parked outside the car shed, in case I needed to take off in the night.

  I stepped back inside, grabbed a flashlight off the kitchen counter, and walked down the steps in my bare feet. I was glad to see that Dexter was silent now. The last thing I needed was for the heeler to bail up a skunk under my car.

  The night was dark, the air oppressive. The temperature had risen, and it felt like rain. I shined the light over the steep bank behind my house. There were rustlings in the undergrowth, but they were small rustlings, sounds made by rodents or cats.

  ‘Whatever it was, it’s gone now. Let’s go in.’

  I raised my voice and repeated my command: ‘Dexter, come!’

  But the dog continued to circle the car.

  Wary, awake now, I approached. I shined the light under the car, bending down to check: nothing. Then I stepped right up to the Camino and peered in. The vehicle was empty and the doors were locked.

  I straightened up and glanced at the windshield. A flyer was slipped under a wiper. I circled the Camino and stared at the paper. It was folded in half.

  It was just a sheet of paper. It wasn’t going to bite.

  I transferred the flashlight to my left hand and removed the page with two fingers. Then I flipped it open.

  It was a mug shot from the Santa Barbara PD.

  There was no name. There didn’t have to be. I recognized Darren Hartek, and I recognized the sheer terror in his eyes.

  ‘Fuck them. Fuck them to hell!’ The paper was shaking as I bent close to read the date and time. Feb. 23, 10:30 PM.

  Rage is one thing. It can compel you to action. But rage coupled with impotence is something else. It burns you from the inside out.

  I stood in the dark for what seemed like an eternity. Five minutes passed, maybe more. Then I went back inside and shut the door.

  My brain was jumping as I heated a cup of milk on the stove. Anything to calm myse
lf down. Because the one thing I knew was that I must not go off half-cocked.

  I heard my cell ring in the bedroom. I ran for it, nearly knocking over the nightstand as I lunged. Sure enough, it was Angel.

  ‘Angel. What’s going on?’

  ‘Something’s gonna happen.’ His voice was little more than a whisper, and I had to strain to hear his words. ‘All the lights are on in the shed. Two people are walking around in there. I don’t see the little girl, but I hear her crying. What do you want me to do?’

  ‘Go home now. Get out of there without being seen. What about the guard dog?’

  ‘Miss Jaymie, I am sorry for the dog. But it died very fast. It did not suffer, I promise you.’

  Yikes. ‘Angel, was that really—’

  ‘Miss Jaymie, I decided. The little girl, she is important. Not the dog.’

  I was taken aback, but there was no time to dwell on it. I needed to get to Rosie, and fast.

  TWENTY

  In fact I had no clear plan. I only knew I could not allow Staffen Brill to move Rosie to another location. If she did so I might never find Chucha’s daughter again.

  But I had to do something about Darren. I couldn’t get that mug shot out of my mind.

  ‘Hello, Jaymie? Is that you?’

  ‘Laura, I need you to do something. I know it’s two in the morning. But they’ve arrested Darren Hartek. They’ve arrested him to get at me.’

  Laura was quiet. But I was in a big rush and couldn’t wait for her if she wasn’t onboard. ‘All right, if you can’t help—’

  ‘No Jaymie, I can. I’m thinking. What should I do?’

  ‘Go down to the jail. Ask to see Darren. Try to find out what trumped-up charges they’ve arrested him on. Make as much noise as you can, Reverend Laura. They’ll be more careful, I think, if they know you’re concerned.’

  ‘I’ll go right away. I’ll camp out in the lobby if I have to. Jaymie? Thank you for trusting me.’

  ‘Yeah. I seem to be trusting everyone these days.’

  ‘Is it paying off?’

  ‘So far.’