The Advocate - 02 - The Advocate's Betrayal (23 page)

“Nope. He left for Chicago the first time. He stayed there a few months and then came back. A few months later he just left without telling anyone, and he never returned.”

Mary Lou looked at the list again. “I’m not sure where Gladys went, but she ran away in high school.” She shook her head, and made a tsk sound with her tongue. “Her father used to beat her. One night he came home and caught her with a boy from Bristol. She had been seeing him for a while. All the kids knew about it, but when her father found out, he beat her real bad. She didn’t come to school, but Edie and I saw her the next day at the store. She looked awful. She sneaked out that night and never came back.”

Then Mary Lou’s face lit up when she spoke. “Ah, Edith. I called her Edie. She was my best friend all through grade school and in high school. She and her mom moved to Chicago in our junior year. Edie was pregnant by Gary Herold. Edie’s mom took her and moved so no one would find out.”

“Maybe Edie and Gary got married,” JP suggested.

“No. He wanted to, but Edie didn’t. She fell in love with someone else after they moved.”

“So you’d hear from her?”

“Yeah, she wrote me letters almost every week. She had it pretty good there. She lived in a big house; she called it ‘the castle.’ It wasn’t their house, though. Her mom took a job as a maid for some rich Italian guy.”

“Why did she call it the castle?”

“It was huge. It had twenty-some bedrooms and acres and acres of land around it. She drew a picture of it for me and sent it in one of her letters. She could draw real good.”

“Are you still in touch with her?”

“No. She wrote for about a year. She had Gary’s baby. It was a boy. And as I said, she’d fallen in love with someone else. The guy was someone who lived in ‘the castle,’ and I don’t think he was part of the hired help.”

“Why?”

“Because she was real secretive about him. She said she shouldn’t be seeing him, but she did anyway. She told me not to write anything about him in my letters back to her in case someone else got a hold of them. Then one day the letters stopped. And the last two letters I sent her came back.”

“Does Gary still live around here?”

“No, he lived here for a long time raising his son, Neil.”

“Gary raised their boy?”

“Yes, he got him when he was maybe about six months old. He said Edie gave the boy to him and disappeared. He said he had no idea where she was.”

“Do you think he was telling the truth?”

“No, I didn’t, at least not at first, because I couldn’t believe Edie would leave her son and never see him again. But some years went by and she never came back, so maybe he didn’t know where she was.”

“Is Neil still around here?”

“No, he and his father left here after Gary’s mother passed. Neil was about ten years old then. Gary was just a kid himself, only about twenty-eight. Anyway, they moved on and never came back. Rumor had it they moved to somewhere in Texas, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.” Mary Lou stood up, “Wait, I still have that picture Edie sent me.” She walked into another room and returned with an eight-by-ten drawing in a cheap picture frame and handed it to JP.

“Villa Paceco,” JP said.

27

JP approached Chicago just as the rush hour traffic hit; he wished he had left earlier to avoid the mess. This was when he longed for Texas or places like Montana or Wyoming. He knew he was a cowboy at heart, but he needed the city to make a living. A car inched its way into the space in front of him. He looked to the left. A car passed him on the shoulder, and horns honked. He could see the rage building on the face of the man in the car next to him and a child crying in the backseat. The man yelled, and the woman in the passenger seat cowered as he bellowed.

He worked his way back to the mansion just in time to see Luke leaving in a limo. He dropped back and followed him into the city traffic, which was still moving slowly. Luke’s driver approached Paceco’s, the same restaurant the cabby had taken him to the night before, and pulled in behind a car that had just parked near the front door. The short, round driver opened the car’s passenger door. Two slender legs in high heels stepped out of the car, attached to a tall, dark-haired woman in a slinky, red cocktail dress. Luke stepped out and the man drove off. Luke put his arm around the sexy woman and they walked together into the restaurant.

JP felt his face heat up with anger at seeing Luke with another woman. When he finally found a parking spot four blocks away, he removed his cowboy hat, put on his new Cub’s hat, and walked into the restaurant, mingling with several other people as they entered. Once inside, he slipped away and found his way to the bar. He looked around but didn’t see Luke.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.

“Coors Light, please,” JP said, thinking the bartender didn’t look old enough to be serving drinks.

He returned with the beer. JP laid a ten-dollar bill on the counter. “Which way is the restroom?”

“Right around there, past the bar, at the end of the hall.” He pointed behind the bar.

JP pulled his cap down and cautiously walked around the bar, past booths on his left and barstools on his right. He kept looking around to see if he could find Luke. He didn’t see him or the girl. Once past the bar, he saw another dining area to his left. A rather wide gentleman was standing just inside the doorway. He stepped in just behind him and glanced quickly around the room. No Luke.

He walked back and into the hallway. He could see the men’s room about ten feet in front of him. Just as he came to a pay telephone booth on the wall, he saw the men’s room door open and Luke exit. JP stuck his head inside the phone booth, picking up the phone and putting it to his ear. He heard another door open and footsteps coming toward him from the direction of the restrooms.

“You promised,” a female voice whined.

“Look, babe, I’m trying here.” Luke sounded exasperated. “But this is just the way it is. You know that.”

They were right behind JP now. He kept his head buried inside the wooden phone shelter, turning slightly as he heard the footsteps pass him. He could see Luke and the girl turn toward the private dining area. JP gave them ample time to walk inside the dining room, and then he walked straight out past the bar and outside.

JP stepped into the light crowd on the sidewalk and moved in the direction of his car. Two huge goons followed him out of the bar and walked in his direction. One had a sculpted face and square jaw; the other had a shaved head. He felt like he was being followed by “The Terminator” and “Mr. Clean.” As he moved past a blue mailbox on his right, he picked up his pace and tried to blend in with other people. He walked between an elderly couple hobbling along, who cursed at him, and passed a woman walking an Irish setter, who nipped at his leg. He glanced back, hoping he had lost them, but they stood like tree trunks above the crowd and were gaining ground. With his car still a good three blocks away, he knew he’d never make it. He crossed the street, dodging cars, but they followed. When he spotted a taxicab coming, he stepped out in the street and waved for the cab, but it kept going. He had lost time hailing the cab. He felt for his gun in his holster under his jacket. The cold steel gave him comfort. As he looked back, he saw “The Terminator” using his cell phone. They both outweighed him, and they were younger and in better shape. He was way too old to outrun them.

JP kept walking, faster now, past a nightclub and some condos. Two skyscrapers stood tall, one on each side of the street. He crossed the street. Another tall building was on his right and a parking lot was across the street. Two more blocks to go. Another skyscraper, perhaps a bank with offices. Certain it would be locked, he made no attempt to enter. Trees lined the street for the next block; the street lights shone down like a spotlight on him, keeping him visible to his stalkers. He looked back. They were gaining, but it seemed they intentionally kept their distance. He could see the parking lot on the next block, but he knew he couldn’t reach the car, get inside it, and drive away without the two goons catching him.

He spotted a Catholic church on his right just across the intersection. Cars filled the spots in the church parking lot. Noise emanated from the lighted church as the service proceeded. He ran across the street, dodging the traffic, and up the steps of the church. He ducked inside. People were kneeling, Celine Dion was bellowing “Because You Loved Me,” and JP could see an elderly bride and groom at the altar. He pulled off his cap, stepped quickly and quietly around to the side behind a pillar, and stood where he could see if anyone entered. The church was quite large and the pews nearly filled, but only a couple of teenagers sitting in the back rows seemed to notice him.

The church door flew open. The priest stopped talking and looked at the two intruders. All heads turned to the back of the church.

“Sorry, Father,” Mr. Clean said. His bald head sparkled in the light. He made the sign of the cross, stepped back out, and closed the door behind him.

JP remained behind the pillar until the service ended. The priest announced, “The bride and groom would like you all to join them in the church hall for their reception.” Then Dean Martin came loudly and clearly over the PA system singing, “That’s Amoré” as the newly married couple hobbled down the aisle and left the church. JP walked out behind a tall gentleman, staying close behind him as the crowd threw birdseed on the bride and groom.

He blended into the crowd as they walked to the hall adjoining the church. He looked around for the two men, wondering why they were after him. Had Luke spotted him? He walked into the reception hall and tried to mingle without having a conversation that might give him away as a wedding crasher. A woman about forty approached him. He smiled.

“Nice wedding, huh?” she said.

“Very nice.”

“It’s great to see someone their age and so in love.”

“Yeah.”

“How do you know Alice and Lynn?”

“Uh…the church. From church,” JP said. “Will you please excuse me?” He walked away, feeling rude and uncomfortable. He spotted an exit on the side of the hall, walked toward it, opened the door, and looked around outside. It appeared safe to leave. No one appeared to be on the sidewalk. All he had to do was cross the street to the parking lot where his car was parked. The street in front of the parking lot was lined with trees and shadows from the one street light on the corner.

JP crossed the street, breathing a little easier, thinking he was probably safe when an arm reached out from behind a tree and grabbed him.

A bolt of raw adrenaline shot through JP’s veins. He clenched his hand and plunged forward with his right arm when a fist hit him on the side of his face. He fell backward, groaning as he fell. One of the men caught him before he hit the ground; the other hit him again. JP brought his knee up and stretched his leg out, giving “The Terminator” a cowboy boot to the groin that sent him to the ground. Mr. Clean pulled JP’s arms backward, giving his friend time to stand up. When he did, he punched JP in the stomach and face. He punched again. And again.

JP’s anger boiled up. He could feel the blood trickle down his face. Pain shot through his body like someone was tying his intestine in knots.

Mr. Clean grabbed him by the chin. “Who you following, Asshole?”

“No one.”

The man hit him in the stomach again. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. I thought you said ‘no one.’”

“So you’re dumb and deaf,” JP responded tasting blood.

Mr. Clean repeatedly slugged his fists into JP’s abdomen while “The Terminator” held him. “Stupid wise ass.” Another punch to the face. “Who you after?”

“All right, all right.” JP took a breath. He saw a couple walking up the sidewalk. They crossed the street. The man hit him again. “Ok. Her name is Linda Romano.”

“What do you want with her?” The man stood nose to nose with JP. His breath smelled of garlic and alcohol.

“I’m a PI. Her husband thinks she’s cheating on him.” JP could taste the blood in his mouth.

“Did you see her?”

“Only for a minute. She came in and sat down at the bar alone. I went to the restroom, and when I came back she was leaving. I started to follow her and you two showed up.”

“Mr. Clean” slapped JP on the face. “Stay out of Pececo’s, you hear?”

“No more Pececo’s,” JP said. “The Terminator” punched him in the stomach.  When JP doubled up, he hit him on the back of the head. JP fell to the ground unconscious.

28

Leonard Cohen blared out of Sabre’s cell phone. “Bob,” Sabre said into the phone before he could say anything. “Are home pregnancy tests always accurate?”

“How would I know? Why are you asking me?”

“You’re the closest thing I know to a doctor.”

“But I’m not a doctor.”

“Well, your dad is.”

“That doesn’t mean I know anything. Besides, he’s a urologist. It’s a little different field,” Bob said.

“Same general area on the body. Anyway, you know stuff. Just tell me. Are they accurate?”

“I’ve heard they’re generally correct. So, was it positive?”

“No, thank God! But now I’m worried it may be wrong.”

“Then make an appointment and get yourself checked.”

“But you think it’s correct, right?”

“Sobs, you’re acting crazy.”

“I know. But I’m scared. I don’t want to be pregnant.”

“You’re not pregnant.”

“But I’ve been feeling sick.”

“You’ve also been under a lot of stress with Betty’s case and the Kemp case. That’s probably what’s making you sick. I just called to see how you were doing. Get some rest. Bye.”

“Wait. Have you heard from JP?”

“No. You haven’t either, I take it.”

“No, and he’s starting to tick me off. He promised me he’d check in every day. He’s always so diligent about time and such. I’ve been trying to call him, but I’m not getting an answer. He didn’t call me last night, and when he’s investigating he usually checks in with me at the end of the day.”

“When did you talk to him last?”