Chapter
38
Three days later, he called at ten a.m. Perfect timing; I’d just finished with a patient.
“Villalobos did a great job finding that footage but it doesn’t amount to much. He called it visual compost. He couldn’t find anyone around there who noticed the SUV and no other cameras have picked it up anywhere else. A motorhead in Auto Theft named Meyers says it could be a Toyota Land Cruiser or a Land Rover but he’d never put it in writing. Next, Heck’s phone. Porn, more porn, take-out grub, and calls to the six other women. I did phone interviews with the five besides Bel Geddes and got consistency: Mike’s not too bright but he’s available when you need him. No violence, no problems at all, but none of them see him as long-term relationship material. As one of them put it, ‘He’s eager to please and try finding that.’ ”
I said, “Middle-aged boy-toy.”
“Oxymoron but you’re permitted an occasional lapse. In terms of his finances, there’s an Amex, a MasterCard, a checking account with a debit card, and a 401(k) co-contributed by his current employer. That one has eleven grand in various stock funds and he’s never withdrawn a cent. He takes home six grand a month, pays three and a half in rent directly to the landlord, puts a grand into the 401(k) and therest into the checking account. Pays bills with the debit card, except for his auto loan which he Amexes. He stays within his means, rarely pays penalties. Are you snoozing yet?”
I yawned.
He laughed. “Now the wake-up call. Given all that zero, I had nowhere to go but the unlikely Ms. Tiana. Most of her social media presence is old pictures of when she was a hottie hanging out at Hef’s lagoon. Then I accessed her Instagram account and learned that she makes cute little birdhouses that she sells on Etsy and eBay. When she’s not donating them to sick kids. She also says she donates her time.”
“Woodworking. Tools.”
“So much for my instincts. Problem is, can’t find any current address for her. I had San Marino PD go over to check the mansion she and Alberts shared, just to make sure she’s not squatting there. Family from Taiwan bought it years ago at auction and is living there happily.”
I said, “Who does she donate her time to?”
“The birdhouses are for sick kids, so probably them. Or maybe it’s b.s. showboating. But in case there’s something to it, could you call Western Peds and ask if they know her?”
“No problem.”
“You never are.”
—
I trained clinically at Western Pediatric Hospital, got hired there as a new Ph.D., and was appointed to dual faculty positions: the psych department at the old university in West Adams and its med school. I still do some occasional supervision and teaching on campus but I hadn’t been to the hospital for a while and hoped some of my contacts were still around.
My first bet was lucky.
Stacee Vasquez at the volunteer office said, “Hi, Dr. Delaware! Long time! We still remember you playing guitar for the kids.”
We chitchatted a while then I told her what I wanted.
“Sure, let me look. What’s that name again?”
“Tiana Crown. Or possibly Tiana Alberts.”
“An alias, huh? Sounds juicy—that police work you do, huh…nope, nothing under either. She never volunteered here.”
“One more thing, could you please check under Rhonda Cronin?”
“Is that a different person?”
“Same person, maybe another alias.”
“Wow. Sure…nope, again. Which is good, we wouldn’t want anyone the cops are after.”
“Absolutely. Thanks, Stacee.”
“Anytime, Dr. Delaware. We miss you. Come by and bring your guitar.”
—
I spent the next hour trying people at a few child-welfare groups I’d worked with. No one had heard of Tiana Crown under any name. I was about to put it to rest when I thought of something.
