in touch," I said.
Jonah laughed. "Yeah, I was. I mean, I'm glad to hear from you, but I figured there was something up."
"Remember Wendell Jaffe? The guy who disappeared off his sailboat. . . ."
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course."
"He's been spotted in Mexico. It's possible he's on his way back to California."
"You're kidding."
"No, I'm not" I told him an abbreviated version of my encounter with Wendell, omitting the fact that I'd broken into his room. In talking to cops, I don't always volunteer information. I can be a dutiful citizen when it suits my purposes, but this wasn't one of those occasions. For starters, I was secretly embarrassed that I'd blown the contact if I'd done the job right, Wendell never would have known anyone was on his tail. I said, "Who should I be talking to? I thought I ought to notify someone, preferably the detective in charge of the case back then."
"That'd be Lieutenant Brown, but he's gone now. He retired last year. You'll probably want to talk to Lieutenant Whiteside in Major Frauds. I can have you transferred if you like. That Jaffe was a bad-ass. Neighbor of mine lost ten grand because of him, and that was pea nuts compared to most."
"I gathered as much. Did they have any recourse?"
"They put his partner in jail. Once the scam came to light, all the investors brought suit. Since there wasn't any way to get Jaffe served, they ended up publishing the summons and complaint, and finally took his default. Of course, they got the judgment, but there wasn't any way to collect from him. He stripped all his bank accounts before he disappeared."
"So I heard. What a bummer."
"You got that right. Plus, he was mortgaged to the eyeballs, so his house wasn't worth a cent. I know people who'd love to think he's still around someplace. He ever showed up, they'd enforce the judgment in ten seconds flat, whip his ass into court, and take everything he had. Then he'd be arrested. What makes you think he'd be dumb enough to come back?"
"He's got a kid in big trouble, according to the papers. You know those four inmates who escaped from Connaught? One of them was Brian Jaffe."
"Shit, that's right. I didn't make the connection, I knew Dana in high school."
"That's his wife?" I asked.
"That's right. Her maiden name was Annenberg. She got married right after graduation."
"Can you get me an address?"
"Shouldn't be too hard. She's probably in the book. Last I heard she was down around PIO some place."
PIO was the ready reference locally to the two adjoining towns-Perdido and Olvidado-on Highway 101 thirty miles to the south. The towns looked just the same, except that one favored shrubs along the highway and the other did not. Usually the two were referred to in the same breath � P/O with a hash mark mentally inserted between the initials. I was making notes like crazy on a legal pad.
Jonah's tone underwent a shift. "I've missed you."
I ignored that, conjuring up a piece of fiction to extricate myself before the conversation turned personal. "Oops. I better go. I have a client due in ten minutes, and I want to talk to Lieutenant Whiteside first. Can you have me switched over to his extension?"
"Sure thing," he said. I heard him depress the plunger rapidly several times in succession.
When the operator picked up, he had the call transferred to the detective bureau. Lieutenant Whiteside was away from his desk but was expected back shortly. I left my name and number with a request to have him get back to me.
6 AT NOON, FEELING punk, I walked up to the corner minimarket, where I bought a tuna salad sandwich, a bag of potato chips, and a diet Pepsi. I figured this was no time to obsess about being nutritionally correct. I went back to my office and ate sitting at my desk. For dessert I sucked on some cherry cough drops.
Lieutenant Whiteside finally called me at 2:35 with apologies for the delay. "Lieutenant Robb tells me you may have a line on our old friend Wendell Jaffe. What's the story?"
For
Jonah laughed. "Yeah, I was. I mean, I'm glad to hear from you, but I figured there was something up."
"Remember Wendell Jaffe? The guy who disappeared off his sailboat. . . ."
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course."
"He's been spotted in Mexico. It's possible he's on his way back to California."
"You're kidding."
"No, I'm not" I told him an abbreviated version of my encounter with Wendell, omitting the fact that I'd broken into his room. In talking to cops, I don't always volunteer information. I can be a dutiful citizen when it suits my purposes, but this wasn't one of those occasions. For starters, I was secretly embarrassed that I'd blown the contact if I'd done the job right, Wendell never would have known anyone was on his tail. I said, "Who should I be talking to? I thought I ought to notify someone, preferably the detective in charge of the case back then."
"That'd be Lieutenant Brown, but he's gone now. He retired last year. You'll probably want to talk to Lieutenant Whiteside in Major Frauds. I can have you transferred if you like. That Jaffe was a bad-ass. Neighbor of mine lost ten grand because of him, and that was pea nuts compared to most."
"I gathered as much. Did they have any recourse?"
"They put his partner in jail. Once the scam came to light, all the investors brought suit. Since there wasn't any way to get Jaffe served, they ended up publishing the summons and complaint, and finally took his default. Of course, they got the judgment, but there wasn't any way to collect from him. He stripped all his bank accounts before he disappeared."
"So I heard. What a bummer."
"You got that right. Plus, he was mortgaged to the eyeballs, so his house wasn't worth a cent. I know people who'd love to think he's still around someplace. He ever showed up, they'd enforce the judgment in ten seconds flat, whip his ass into court, and take everything he had. Then he'd be arrested. What makes you think he'd be dumb enough to come back?"
"He's got a kid in big trouble, according to the papers. You know those four inmates who escaped from Connaught? One of them was Brian Jaffe."
"Shit, that's right. I didn't make the connection, I knew Dana in high school."
"That's his wife?" I asked.
"That's right. Her maiden name was Annenberg. She got married right after graduation."
"Can you get me an address?"
"Shouldn't be too hard. She's probably in the book. Last I heard she was down around PIO some place."
PIO was the ready reference locally to the two adjoining towns-Perdido and Olvidado-on Highway 101 thirty miles to the south. The towns looked just the same, except that one favored shrubs along the highway and the other did not. Usually the two were referred to in the same breath � P/O with a hash mark mentally inserted between the initials. I was making notes like crazy on a legal pad.
Jonah's tone underwent a shift. "I've missed you."
I ignored that, conjuring up a piece of fiction to extricate myself before the conversation turned personal. "Oops. I better go. I have a client due in ten minutes, and I want to talk to Lieutenant Whiteside first. Can you have me switched over to his extension?"
"Sure thing," he said. I heard him depress the plunger rapidly several times in succession.
When the operator picked up, he had the call transferred to the detective bureau. Lieutenant Whiteside was away from his desk but was expected back shortly. I left my name and number with a request to have him get back to me.
6 AT NOON, FEELING punk, I walked up to the corner minimarket, where I bought a tuna salad sandwich, a bag of potato chips, and a diet Pepsi. I figured this was no time to obsess about being nutritionally correct. I went back to my office and ate sitting at my desk. For dessert I sucked on some cherry cough drops.
Lieutenant Whiteside finally called me at 2:35 with apologies for the delay. "Lieutenant Robb tells me you may have a line on our old friend Wendell Jaffe. What's the story?"
For
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