Heroine: California Dreamin' (10 page)

The address in San Francisco was a multi-story storage hall. I parked my car opposite the hall on a wide street and observed the front door. Once and a while vehicles drove into the yard and others came out again. Vehicles that were parked outside were all empty. There was no sign anywhere that somebody was surveying the hall. On my side of the street there were only a few one-story stores that looked quite busy. If somebody was watching the hall then he or she would have to hide on one of the flat roofs. This was very unlikely. So at the most a surveillance post could wait in the backyard or inside the storage hall. For a moment I was glad that I had fenced off my panic and that my brain was working properly again.

I started the car and drove on. After a few blocks I made a U-turn and slowly rolled back to the storage hall. I turned into the wide entrance. Behind the storage hall was a spacey parking lot that appeared to be quite busy. Guys put metal parts or tires into their cars or just walked around. I didn’t see one single woman. I parked my Chevy backwards in the far-most row and remained seated. At least for one hour I observed every car and its passengers. None of them stayed in the building for longer than ten to fifteen minutes and already after a half an hour all cars - except for two which parked directly in front of the entrance – had come and gone.

At the southern corner of the hall a metal staircase lead to the second floor. There were two windows. Apparently something like a
Janitor’s apartment was hiding behind it. That could be my target. The rest of the storefront was covered with sheet metal. However, I remained sitting in the car because I had no idea what to do. Simply to get out of my Chevy, climb the staircase and try out the key? When I thought about it my heart was beating in my throat. I couldn’t do that. So I remained sitting in the vehicle.

Sometime later a gray beat-up van turned into the parking lot and an elderly couple got carefully out of the vehicle. So women came here after all. I got out of the car in a hurry and followed the two of them whereas I tried to stay close to them. In that way one might think I was perhaps a daughter of them. We almost entered the hall together and when I was inside I realized that it was some business for auto parts. No question that only men frequented the store! My ‘foster parents’ got themselves a flat shopping cart and took off through the rows of multi-story racks. Nobody took any notice of me and I came to realize that this was just a normal retail business. Only that they offered only ‘men’s toys’. I looked around for a while. The metal racks reached way up to the ceiling and beyond that I saw the domes of skylights. Only in the southern corner where I saw the windows on the outside some metal construction reached right into the room. The apartment was simply integrated into the building and stood there on metal supports with some cashiers right under it. There was nothing else here but the storage and sales area and the small apartment that also showed windows pointing to the sales area. I was content and went outside where the bright sun blinded my eyes. Now I could risk climbing the staircase. But I was still rather wary. So I first walked slowly back to my car and weighed my thoughts for a while. I couldn’t really come up with anything else, so I got out the make-up once more to change my complexion to a darker one. The black bandana had also served me well yesterday so I used it again to hide my hair. All that was more a ritual and I wasn’t too certain what it was good for if they caught me. But it helped to overcome the feeling of helplessness that had crept up on me again.

With all the courage available to me I walked to the staircase. Yesterday I had approached my adventure much braver than now. I remembered that the voices that I heard after my ‘theft’ in Robert’s backyard had scared me more than I wanted to admit so far. I hesitated for a moment to climb up the stairs. I looked around and made sure that nobody was watching me. Then I walked upstairs with trembling knees. The steps under me kind of resounded and I was afraid that a gang of guys would show up at any moment and haul me down. I made it up to the metal door and took the key from my purse. It fit the lock! Hallelujah! My suspicion that this key would belong to Robert’s hideout was right!

The apartment was dark when I pulled the cold metal door tight after me. I remained there standing for a while and tried to control my breathing. My eyes got used to the dim light. I looked around and noticed two separate rooms in the twilight whose doors stood open. Some chairs and a square table were the entire furbishing. At the same time I recognized a small sink and a hotplate. I went to the adjacent room. There was only a bed and a small side table. Cupboards were empty. My stomach turned into a knot. Where would he hide a metal box here? I turned on the light and a bright halogen lamp on the ceiling flickered into light. If Robert’s domicile appeared rather discomforting in twilight it was even more repulsive in the cold neon light. The floor was covered with cracked linoleum. Tiles fell off the wall in the bathroom if you only touched them. That actually proved to be helpful when I looked for a hiding-place behind them. It took me only a few minutes to realize that I wouldn’t find anything here. This apartment was simply a metal container that had been integrated in the hall.

Outside the metal staircase droned and the construction vibrated slightly. Somebody came up the stairs; obviously a man recognizable by the firm steps. I broke out in cold sweat and searched hectically through my purse for my taser. With trembling fingers I pointed it towards the door. Somebody knocked and the beating on the door resounded in my ears.

“Hello, is anybody in there?” I heard an unknown voice calling out. “From downstairs I saw the light being turned on and thought I better check on it.”

I was trapped. The only escape was through the window of the bedroom that was at least fifteen feet beyond the cement floor in the storage hall. Broken bones were the least injuries I would sustain if I chose this exit. With that I would be even more at my pursuers’ mercy. But I had a weapon and outside there was only one attacker. I had to take the chance and knock him out with the taser. Slowly I regretted my decision not to have taken a pistol from Bruce. It knocked again on the door.

“Hello”, repeated the guy in front of the door. “Anybody inside?
Roberto are you back again? I thought you stay away from here?”
The last sentences he spoke in Spanish. I knew enough of that language to understand his question because Romanian and Spanish are remarkably similar. What he said didn’t sound threatening. I decided to answer.

“Who are you?” I yelled back. “Where do you know Roberto from?”

“Oh, Miss. I thought that couldn’t be Roberto. I am Diego. I work here. He’s told me that his sister Maria would come by and look for me. Are you his sister?” If this was a trick it was a bad one. But couldn’t it be that the guy was honest about it?

“No, I’m Maria’s sister-in-law from Roquetas. She sent me to pick something up. But she didn’t mention a Diego. Maria said that Pete Jefferson would be waiting for me here. Where is he?” In an attack of daredevil I decided to beat about the bush and I used the name of that criminal cop who had ambushed us yesterday. Furthermore I adopted a Romanian accent – perhaps this was good enough to disguise me.

“I not know any Pete. But Roberto me wanting to hand his documents to his older sister. You are not Maria Rodriguez?” The man’s command of English was lousy and he spoke with a Spanish accent. But the tone of his voice remained polite and calm. I decided to take the risk and believe him.

“As I said already, I am Julie, her sister-in-law. Maria is sick and she sent me instead of her. She told me that I would find somebody here who would hand me Roberto’s things.” There was silence for a while. Then I heard him say in his strange mix of Spanish and English words:

“OK. We can keep talking through the door for days. If you want Roberto’s papers come down into the sales room and ask for me. I’m leaving now.”

His steps faded from the last stairs when I relaxed from my state of shock. For the whole time I had kept the taser with hands up right in front of me. Now my arms hurt and it seemed to me that my panic was way overstated. I went to the door slowly and opened it carefully. The platform was empty. I put the taser back into my purse and climbed carefully down the stairs. Then I took a deep breath and entered the store. A good looking young lad with black hair approached me laughingly while flashing a row of snow-white teeth. He stretched out his hand and grinned.

“Hi, I am Diego. But you not looking similar as Roberto describing hermana Maria. I startle you?” he asked with his strange accent, mixing Spanish and English words altogether. Instead of  ‘sister’ he had used the Spanish word for it.

“You can say that again. I almost died from fear.” The situation was far too relaxed as that I had to be afraid any longer. The dark eyes of my counterpart sparkled mischievously and customers bumped around us with their shopping carts. I took his hand and shook it.

“I didn’t know that Roberto’s sister was married. He only told me of Maria. How is he anyways?” The tone of his voice was trustworthy and I decided to play the game.

“Not so good. He is sick like his whole family. Therefore they had called me asking me to stop by. Apparently he didn’t quite manage telling me everything he wanted to say.” Don’t become too precise something in the back of my head warned me.

Diego nodded in understanding.

“Yes, he took the death of his girlfriend quite to heart. And that he had to flee was even harder for him. But now let me give you the envelope. I have to return to work or my boss gets ‘de mala leche’”.

“You mean he gets pissed off?” I asked back because I hadn’t understood the last words and he nodded.

Diego turned around and went into a small shed that served as an office. I saw through the window that he bent over and apparently opened a drawer. Then he came back carrying a small package that was completely wrapped with duct tape. Diego handed it over to me and smiled.

“It says Maria on it but Julie is also a beautiful name. I would like to see you again. What do you think if I’ll take you out to dinner?” An invitation to dinner is almost synonymous with asking somebody to have sex with. That was one of the subtleties in this country I had learned about already. I should have reacted with indignation but I really liked that dude. Especially his laughter. I thought about it. Perhaps it could be useful one day to keep him in a good mood and good memories of me.

“I will think about it. Give me your cell phone number. Perhaps I call you when I have the time.” My voice had become more personal and I looked at him more demanding. He seemed to be surprised but then he ran into his office like a maniac. He scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me when he returned.

“Mi corazón, I would really appreciate if that worked out. Please don’t let me hang out to dry for too long.” He was like a young boy. I got on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you, we will not forget that. I owe you one.” He blushed.

I had irritated him enough and now I just wanted to get out of there. He followed me outside as I noticed with horror. If I would get into my Chevy now he would know my license plate number. And if he somehow collaborated with this cop Jefferson then they would have a direct link to me. So I turned to the right and walked through the gate onto the street without looking back once.

It was only four o’clock in the afternoon though I had the feeling that I spent the whole day here. Since I departed from Roquetas only three hours had passed. And most of that time I had sat in my car and watched people.

I kept on walking with the package in my hand. At the next intersection I asked a woman for directions to the next shopping center. It was only down a few blocks. On the way there I looked back several times to see if somebody had followed me. There were only a few pedestrians and cars passed by without stopping. None of the cars drove in walking pace.

Soon I took place in an air conditioned fast food restaurant and had something to eat. Then I went to the bathroom and carefully opened a slit at the edge of the package that was addressed to ‘Maria’. The package contained only papers and when I looked at them I noticed that they were identical to the papers I had found in the two boxes. Therefore I became a bit more daring and ripped off the duct tape. There were exact copies of the documents about the women that were enslaved by Robert; also the same photos. I also found the photographs of me and the protocols about my case. But there were also some bank cards from banks in Mexico and Guatemala. Should I carry this around any further? Undecided I remained sitting on the toilet seat for a while. The other stalls were empty. I took page after page, tore them into small pieces and flushed them down in the toilet. At least five gallons of water helped me to get rid of all of it. The bank cards vanished in my purse.

Empty handed I stepped out on the street again and decided to keep on obeying my paranoia for a little while longer. I went into a fashion store and picked out a new dress for me whose colors would match my light skin. Opposite on the other side of the street was a pharmacy. There I bought some facial lotion in order to remove all the make-up. That should be enough. This time I used the public bathroom in the small shopping center to change my disguise. Now I wasn’t a female with brown skin complexion anymore but rather a light-skin European. I wasn’t sure what to do with my old clothing but then I put them into a shopping bag.

A bit later I turned into the entrance to the storage hall where Diego had frightened me so much just a little while ago. First I looked carefully around the corner but nobody was in sight. Only the gray van with my ‘adopted parents’ was still parked there. I walked to my Chevy in the best of moods. The car had been parked in the blazing sun for quite a while. Now it would take me home safely to Daniel.