The Advocate's Ex Parte (The Advocate Series Book 5) (10 page)

“Matt or the creepy friend?”

“The creepy friend.”

“Did she mention his name?”

“Hmm…it was a funny name. Like…oh yeah…Ralph.”

“And the garage where he worked? Do you remember that?”

“I didn’t pay any attention to the name of it, but it wasn’t too far from Balboa.”

JP thought there must be a dozen or so garages in that area. “Is there anything else you can remember about the garage or anything else Hannah may have said about Ralph?”

She shook her head. Then she said, “Only that he smoked and had lots of tattoos. But not, like, the cool kind…like, the creepy kind.”

Chapter 15

The Martinez Case

Children: Ray, age 2 (M), Falicia, age 5 (F), Jesse (Jesus), age 7 (M)

Parents: Father—Gilberto Martinez, Mother—Juanita Martinez

Issues: Abuse, Domestic Violence

Facts: Mother beat the father with a lamp in front of the children. Alcohol abuse by both parents.

Sabre was driving to a home visit with the Martinez children when JP called. “Hey,” he said.

Sabre wondered why he didn’t add “kid” to his greeting. What was wrong? She felt a slightly uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. “Everything okay?” she asked.

“Everything’s fine,” he said. “Just wondering if you’re going to see Matt Durham today?”

She chastised herself for being bothered for no reason. This is exactly why she didn’t want to get involved with JP. She didn’t want those feelings of insecurity. She didn’t want to question his every behavior because she cared too much. She just wanted the comfort that came with the relationship they had shared for so long. “Yes, I’ll see him this afternoon. Why?”

“I want you to follow up on a few things, or I can go see the little twerp myself, if you want.”

“No, I think it might be better if I do it. I know you’re not too happy working with this client and besides, you’re supposed to be on vacation.”

“I just needed a little break. I’m good. As for Durham, I can handle him.”

Sabre wondered if his houseguest had left, but she didn’t ask. “I know you can, but I need to go over some procedural points with him. Why don’t we compare notes afterwards and if you need to do some follow-up, you can go another time, or we can go together.”

“That’s fine. Ask him about his stolen bat. The coach didn’t remember Matt telling him that his bat was missing, but he had a form filled out to that effect from a game against Poway. He was in a scuffle in that same game with another player named Darren Flynn. Ask about him. And also ask about the wristband. Hannah’s friend, Lisa, says Hannah gave it to him, but only because Matt insisted. See what he says about that.”

“That’s quite a laundry list. Maybe you should come with me.”

“Actually, I expect he’ll tell you more than he will me.”

“Okay, anything else?”

“Just one more thing. Ask him about his creepy friend, Ralph.”

“Creepy friend?” Sabre emphasized the word creepy.

“Lisa’s words, not mine. He smokes, has tattoos, and works in a garage on Convoy near Balboa. I guess that makes him creepy in her eyes. And his first name is Ralph. That’s about all I have on him. See if you can get a last name, phone number, home and work addresses, and any other information. It’ll save a lot of time if you can get it directly from Matt.”

“Will do. Anything else?”

“No. I interviewed two other students who witnessed the cafeteria incident that day. They all said about the same thing. Lisa was the only one who heard everything. The others only heard bits and pieces of what went down, but it all added up to the same story.”

“Are you interviewing anyone else today?”

“I’m going to investigate Martinez and King. If I have time I’ll follow up with Tran and Wheeler. Let me know when you get some information on Durham’s friend, Ralph, and I’ll call on him.”

“Will do. I’m on my way right now to see the Martinez children. Thanks for your help today, JP. I’m sure you have other things to do.” Again, Sabre wanted to ask if his guest was still here, but she refrained.

“I’m good,” JP said. “You just be careful.”

Sabre hung up, frustrated at herself for her anxiety about JP. She shook her head, took a deep breath, and concentrated on her task at hand. She ran through the facts in the Martinez case. Domestic violence was so traumatic on children. If the parents realized how much fear they instilled or what kind of scars they left when they fought in front of their children, she wondered if they would try harder. But Sabre knew it went much deeper. They couldn’t control their tempers and their behavior was selfish.

***

The maternal aunt’s large, yellow, ranch-style stucco home was situated on several acres surrounded by white fencing that seemed to go on for miles. A horse corral stood off to the right containing a paint horse and a palomino quarter horse. Sabre turned into the driveway and drove up to the house, passing the neatly groomed bushes that lined the drive. She heard a dog bark as she exited the car and walked to the front door, where she was greeted by a three-pound Yorkshire Terrier and an attractive Mexican-American woman.

“Fergie,” the woman scolded, as she opened the door for Sabre. The little dog looked up and gave one last yip and then dashed across the floor. “She’s harmless. Come on in.”

“Thank you,” Sabre said. “Nice to see you again.” They had met at the detention hearing, and the children had been detained in her home immediately after the social worker did the home evaluation. Thirty-year-old Linda Rojas was an attractive woman with impeccable taste. Her large, blue eyes were accentuated with just the right amount of eye shadow and mascara. Her fair skin contrasted beautifully with her dark hair. She didn’t resemble her sister, Juanita, at all. Linda was petite, whereas Juanita was big boned and her skin, eyes, and hair were all very dark. Linda could easily have passed for twenty-five while her younger sister Juanita looked closer to forty. Sabre gave credit to the cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol as the main culprits in Juanita’s aging process. She already had two missing teeth, whereas Linda’s were white and straight. The differences in the way children evolved from the same gene pool and the same households always fascinated Sabre.

“Come on in. Have a seat.” Linda pointed to a sofa. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Sabre shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m good.”

Linda sat down in a chair across from Sabre. “The children have been doing well. Falicia and Jesse have started school and they’re mixing well.”

“Have the parents been to see them?”

“I took the children to a park to meet with their mother yesterday. That’s the first time they’ve seen her since they’ve been with me.”

Fergie jumped up on the sofa next to Sabre and nuzzled her head up against Sabre’s thigh. Sabre reached down and scratched behind her ear. “How did the visit go?”

“It went okay. I had to keep reminding Juanita to not talk about when they’re coming home and to not whisper to the children. But they were happy to see her, especially Ray Ray. Falicia holds back a lot and stayed pretty close to my side. Jesse is very protective of Falicia. Juanita raised her voice a little once, but it wasn’t in anger. She just spoke loudly, as she often does. But Jesse stepped in front of Falicia as if to block her from her mother. It was really sad to watch. He feels like he has to be her protector.”

“What did Juanita do?” Sabre asked. Fergie rolled over and Sabre scratched her belly.

“She didn’t even notice, but Falicia did. I was seated on a bench and Falicia practically crawled behind me. She seemed so afraid. I never realized just how bad it was before. I’m ashamed of myself for not noticing. I knew there were problems, but frankly, we didn’t spend that much time around them as a family. On the holidays, there was always so much going on and the children were usually playing with their cousins, so it wasn’t as evident. Sometimes I would take the children by themselves for an overnight, but Juanita didn’t let me do that too often.”

“And their father? Have you seen him?”

“Gilberto has been here four times already. And every night he calls and tells them goodnight. I’ve told him he’s welcome any time as long as he hasn’t been drinking. And so far, I haven’t seen any indication of it.”

“How are the children around him?”

“Falicia is totally comfortable.”

“And Jesse?”

Linda hesitated. “I’m not sure what to say because it’s just something I observed.” She paused. Sabre waited for a second and Linda continued. “Jesse always gets right in his face when his father hugs him and I’m quite certain I actually saw him sniff. It was weird.”

“Jesse or his father?”

“Jesse. I think he checks to see if he’s been drinking.”

“But Jesse doesn’t say anything?”

“No, but you can see his body language change. He relaxes and smiles once he knows he hasn’t been drinking. They both love being with their father. He plays with them, helps them with their homework, and he listens when they have concerns or they’re excited about something. He’s a great father,” she sighed, “except for his alcohol abuse.”

“Has Gilberto ever come here when he’s been drinking?” Sabre asked. Then she added, “That you know of?”

“I don’t think so. I haven’t seen it and Jesse’s alcohol barometer hasn’t detected it…if that’s what he’s doing.” Her sweet voice took on a more commanding tone. “But I told Gilberto when I took the kids that there wouldn’t be any second chances. If he didn’t follow the rules he’d have to have his visits elsewhere. His kids really need to see him, but they need a father, not someone else for them to take care of.” She lowered her voice again. “So far he seems to be trying. I know he’s not staying sober because he called once to say he couldn’t make it and he sounded pretty wasted. But he had sense enough to not come by and to call and let us know. He wanted to tell the children goodnight and I let him, but I probably shouldn’t have.”

“Why? Did they notice?”

“I think they did. I’m sure Jesse did because he became sullen and his sleep was restless. That was one of the nights Falicia had a nightmare, but the call may or may not have triggered it. It’s hard to tell with her.”

“Has Falicia or Jesse talked to you about what was going on at home?”

“The social worker told me not to question them about it and I don’t, but sometimes Falicia tells me things, usually after she’s had a nightmare. Twice she woke up screaming. Then Jesse wakes up and comes running to check on her. The first time I couldn’t get him to leave her room until she fell back to sleep. The second time he finally left, but only after I assured him I would stay with her. I just listened to what she had to say and tried to comfort her.”

“Did she tell you what her dreams were about?”

“Both times her mother was beating her father. Juanita would knock Gilberto unconscious and the kids couldn’t wake him up. I think Falicia’s biggest fear is that her mother might kill her father. She’s always relieved when she talks to him on the phone at night before she goes to sleep. I’ve tried to explain to her, without getting into detail, that they’re not together, but I guess since she can’t see that she doesn’t quite get it.”

“What an awful burden for her to carry.”

“And Jesse, too. He checks with Falicia every morning when they leave for school to make sure she has her snack and her jacket, if it’s cold. The teacher told me that he comes to the classroom on his recess and peeks in. He doesn’t bother them. He looks around until he spots her and then he leaves.”

“Has therapy been scheduled for the kids?”

“Yes, they start tomorrow.”

“Good. May I see the children now?”

“Sure. I’ll send Jesse in. I’ll be in the back yard with Falicia and Ray Ray. You can have Jesse come out to me when you’re finished.”

Fergie jumped off the sofa and followed Linda. Within a few minutes a slender little seven-year-old boy with a fresh haircut walked into the room. He had fair skin and captivating blue eyes like those of his Aunt Linda.

“Hello, Jesse,” Sabre said smiling at him. “How’ve you been?”

“Good,” he said, without smiling back.

“Have a seat.”

He sat down across from Sabre.

“This is a really nice house. Do you like staying here?”

He nodded his head. Sabre had seen Jesse on two previous occasions and both times he appeared cautious and defensive. She’d hoped being in a safer environment might loosen him up a little. She talked to him about school and the new friends he had made, and he seemed to relax somewhat. He told Sabre he liked his aunt and uncle and having his own room, and he enjoyed the visits with his father.

“I understand you saw your mother yesterday at the park.”

Jesse nodded again.

“Can you tell me about the visit?”

He shrugged. “Mom came and saw us. She wants us to go home with her. She promised she wouldn’t get mad anymore.”

“And what do you think about that?”

“She always says that, but she can’t help it. She gets mad and hits my dad with stuff.”

“Does she ever hit you or the other children?”

“Just with her hand sometimes. She gets real mad at us, though, and she screams, and sometimes she comes at us with pans and stuff. And when she gets too mad at us, she hits dad more.”

“You’re saying, when your mom gets mad at one of you kids, she hits your dad?”

“Yeah. He tells her not to hit or yell at us like that and then she hits him.”

Sabre continued her visit with Jesse, trying to reassure him things were going to get better and that he and his siblings were safe now. She knew she hadn’t made much of a dent in the armor he wore; she only hoped time with his aunt and uncle would help to heal him. When they finished, Jesse left and Falicia appeared with Ray Ray in tow, followed by a playful Fergie nipping at Ray Ray’s pants. The two younger siblings both had dark skin and brown eyes like their mother and father. Ray Ray, however, was built more like his mother. He had a bigger bone structure and was nearly as tall as his five-year-old sister. Falicia, short in stature and petite like her father and her aunt Linda, had large round eyes that were deep set with long, thick eyelashes. Sabre thought she was a beautiful child and that she would be a stunning woman someday.