“Why?”
“Hold up a mirror. He has no reflection.”
“He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like you and me.”
“I’ve seen him work. If you call making little kids cry on the stand ‘work.’”
“Come on now, keep that candle burning.”
“Say again?”
“That pilot light of competition. I know you’ve got it in you; maybe it’s low right now, but don’t let it blow out.”
“Is that what the game is for you, Devon?”
“Oh, I’ve got my competitive streak. I like to know I can beat you at something.”
For a moment I felt myself coming alive.
“What if I nailed Ray Brennan?”
“Who is Ray Brennan?”
“The serial rapist I told you about. The case I was working on when—”
“There are seven reasons why you can’t go there,” he said with such gravitas I believed he had already counted.
“Wouldn’t it prove worthiness of character if I went out and found the son of a bitch?”
“It would be a violation of the bail agreement.”
“That’s minor, compared to—”
“Let it go,” he said firmly. “There are other trained and competent people who will continue your work and bring this creep to justice, okay? I know how it is to sit out there alone and have revenge fantasies—”
“It’s not a
“This is your job: focus and prepare. Things are about to get very real.”
I taped the picture of Ray Brennan over the fireplace in the hobby room.
Now it felt like home.
Sub: Hang in there
From: [email protected]
Just to let you know I am thinking of you and hoping you’re doing okay. My heart goes out to you, it must be so difficult to face what you are facing. Your friend is out of the hospital. I’ll come and see you soon.
Love,
Barbara
Subj: Santa Monica Kidnapping
From: [email protected]
Don’t worry, the ball is still in play. Here’s a recap: Brennan remains at large. We obtained a warrant to search the Santos apartment. In answer to your question, yes, we did check the shoes, first thing. We did not locate the actual lug sole boots, but we did recover size 10 athletic shoes that, according to Dr. Arnie (what a nut), match the wear pattern from the shoe print on Juliana’s back. So Carl Vincent IS Brennan. He ditched the situation in Arizona to come here and go hunting. The picture is coming clear of Brennan’s deal with Mrs. Santos. She is an abuser, in and out of the Program, lost the kids for a while. Social services has volumes on her. The kids come from different dads. Brennan worked in Thrifty drugstore, in the photo department. Met Roxy and got friendly, cultivated her, like Juliana. Mother claims he’s a great provider. That’s a good one. Fired for stealing. Mother denies he molested Roxy. Claims they are all religious. Total denial. Anyway, easy ducks for Brennan. Sorry for your troubles. Everyone here backs you up.
Sincerely,
Jason Ripley
Subj: Hang in there
From: [email protected]
Look at it this way: at least you are missing the 90-day file review. Galloway is in his office with a migraine.
Subj: Santa Monica Kidnapping
From: J. [email protected]
Just to keep you posted: Brennan’s father was also former military but he and the mom were divorced. According to Mrs. Santos, Brennan grew up somewhere around Culver City, maybe the post-war housing you told me about? Could that be the answer to the question of why he returned—
Sincerely,
Jason Ripley
Subj: Hang in there
From: [email protected]
Sorry, have to cancel our visit. Two bank jobs yesterday and the baby has a cold. Miss you.
B.
Mike Donnato’s wife, Rochelle, was a very efficient person who used hot rollers and who, God knows, could track the roasts in the freezer and the kids’ activities, both of which she penciled in on a calendar that hung in a nook completely devoted to scheduling. She was a good lady, a scuba instructor, who besides holding down a full- time job in a management firm, which she got after going back to law school, volunteered with a program to teach underprivileged kids to scuba dive. She had been an FBI wife for seventeen years, during the days when postings changed year to year. Their oldest boy had gone to four different schools.
“What happened?” she asked one night in the kitchen.
“I can’t talk about it.”
“I understand, but this is family.”
“My lawyer would kill me. You know lawyers.”
“If we’re not family,” squirting pink dishwashing liquid into a baking pan, “who is?”
Devon had been adamant.
“You know I’m grateful to be here.” I touched her hard freckled shoulder. “If you guys didn’t take me in, I don’t know where I’d be.”
“Mike thinks the world of you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“He has total faith.”
