Mr. Kraft didn’t say why he changed his mind, but it was obvious to Stump that Dixon was behind the paint spill and Kraft probably suspected the same thing. Regardless, it was a delightful twist of justice to know that Dixon was the one on defense for a change.
But all of that was in the past and now, it was Tuesday, post-school. Most of the swelling and pain in Stump’s knee had subsided and he was anxious to get back to work. At Cal-Vista he hustled to Mr. Kraft’s office.
“Look who’s here,” Mr. Kraft said, his tone less upbeat than his words.
“Thank you again for giving me my job back. What do you want me to do today?”
“The first thing is to clean up those paint splatters. If the tenants think we don’t give a damn about this place, why should they?”
Made sense. Stump thought back to the time when he got caught stealing a pint of vodka and was sentenced to remove graffiti from a government building. “I’ve removed paint before,” he said, hoping he wouldn’t have to elaborate. “Is everything in the maintenance room?”
“Yep. Picked it up this morning. Just read the label and don’t get too close to the fumes.” Mr. Kraft opened his desk drawer and handed Stump an envelope. “Here’s your paycheck.”
Cool. It couldn’t be a lot because Stump had missed quite a few days, but every bit helped. “Thanks. I needed this.”
“Nearly everybody does. By the way, you’ll have to be careful in the maintenance area. Yesterday morning somebody left an old Queen Anne bed frame by the dumpster so I had Manuel put it in there until we clean that area up. As soon as I’m feeling better I’m going to have an expert tell me if that bed’s worth repairing.”
“I’ll be careful. I promise.” As soon as Stump reached the maintenance room he stepped inside where a previously messy room had gotten worse. Several support boards leaned against the Queen Anne bed frame as if to make a giant M, which made Stump think of Maria.
He smiled as he opened the pay envelope. A miserable two hundred and five bucks. He couldn’t even pay all his bills off. He thought about his mom. She was always short of money too, even on payday. He shook his head, grabbed the paint-removing gel and some supplies and headed for the parking lot.
At the back of the lot, he spread some gel on the splatters and waited for it to agitate the paint. Then Maria showed up wearing the damn new-used bracelet that Dixon gave her. “Are you going to be able to see me when you get off work?” she asked. “I’d like to know how our investigation is going.”
This was a good chance to soften her up for the news about Dixon’s real role in her life. “I can talk with you for a moment while the paint loosens up,” he said. “I got through most of the notebook and found something interesting.”
She lifted to her tiptoes. “Really? Like what?”
“Mid-way through the pages, Dixon started pulling off more scams, and making a lot more money than he did previously. That’s why he could buy that car of his.”
Maria ticked her teeth with her tongue. “I don’t care about that car. I want to know if he hurt people like he did Mama.”
“He hasn’t said anything like that, but I wasn’t done there. I had Juanita get me some names of former tenants. I figured they might know of some things he’s done.”
“And?”
“One lady, Erlinda Romero, wouldn’t tell me what happened between them, but I think she knows something along the lines you’re talking about. I’m going to check back with her later.”
Maria grinned and threw her arms around Stump’s neck. “I knew you could find something.”
Stump rubbed his hands on a rag. This was a good chance to eliminate one of his unanswered questions. “Before I get back to work, do you mind if I ask you about something completely different?”
“Of course not. You’re my boyfriend. You can ask me anything you want.”
Some boyfriend he was. Sooner or later he was going to have to disappoint her. “The other day, I was trying to remember what you said about your papa. What did you say his story was?”
She turned her head. “But I already told you.”
“So tell me again. You’re not ashamed of him, are you?”
She sighed. “Heck no. Mama said he was the bravest man in a big gunfight with the drug lords. He killed nine of them before they got him.”
“What if none of that is true? Would you be disappointed?”
“Of course it’s true. Why would Mama lie to me?”
“Have you ever seen any pictures of him, or newspaper articles about the gunfight?”
“No. I was just a baby. Mama said we had to run away or they were going to kill us too.”
“What about your papa’s family? Have you ever gotten any letters from them?”
“No. The bad guys killed them all.”
“But what if it turns out that your papa is somebody else or still alive, or something else?”
“That’s stupid. Mama wouldn’t lie to me.”
“She might be wrong. People make mistakes you know.”
Maria shook her head and put her hands on her hips like she did whenever she was aggravated. “Mama isn’t wrong.”
Stump hesitated, smiling. “I can tell you’re real proud of your papa.” He pointed at the ground. “I gotta get back to work. I’ll see you around six-thirty.”
Maria tapped his nose. “How would you like to buy us all a pizza for dinner?”
A whole pizza? For all three of them? That would cost at least twelve bucks, times three. He sighed. Why not? According to Dixon, Stump was a rich boy.
After Maria left, Stump lowered his head and worked hard until his shift ended. After he cleaned up, he went to see Juanita and Manuel. Juanita answered. “Come in. Manuel is over at Dixon’s but he should be right back.”
Stump filled her in on the leads she’d given him a few days earlier. “Most of them were glad to hear that Dixon was being investigated,” he said.
Juanita shrugged. “It might not matter after what Mr. Kraft’s doctor said.”
“What? Is he worse than we thought?”
“According to Dixon, Mr. Kraft only has a few months.”
One of Stump’s stomach boots kicked him. He hadn’t known Mr. Kraft very long, but the man had become one of his favorite people. “I didn’t know it was that bad.”
“He’ll be getting sicker and sicker. It’s supposed to be a secret.” Just then the door flew open. It was Manuel.
“That damn cabrón did it to us again.”
Stump’s mind was in a fog about Mr. Kraft, but he knew enough Spanish to know that somebody screwed Manuel over, and it wasn’t too difficult to guess who it might be.
“Why? What happened?” Juanita asked.
“He only paid me half of what he owed us for the last paint job. He said I took too long and he had to teach me a lesson.” Manuel threw some money on the table. “One of these days, somebody’s going to teach that cabrón a lesson of his own.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
The next day, Delores was hoping that Dixon had cooled off. She’d always known that making a case against him would be both difficult and dangerous. Men like him and Tio could be very intimidating. Many rape victims, even full-blown citizens, didn’t want to talk about what happened to them for concern they’d be ridiculed and told they’d essentially asked for it.
As far as her case was concerned, no one victim was willing to be the first to speak out against Dixon, so Delores reasoned it was best to set up a team-like situation in which they could speak collectively.
To do that, she needed some additional players and she had a couple ideas that she’d not yet acted upon. But before she could go in that direction, she needed to employ her alter ego, Lorraine Martinez, to return to Cal-Vista, tail between legs, and patch things up with the grabaholic.
She removed her makeup and drove to her usual parking spot a few blocks from Cal-Vista. She waited for the bus to go by to imply that she’d just gotten home from he
r job at the restaurant before she slipped into Lorraine’s apartment.
As expected, the wad of money that Dixon previously eschewed was long gone. In the bedroom, her clothes and bedding were disheveled, indicating he’d rummaged through it all. Back in the kitchen, her pen was still in its place. Then a note on the counter caught her eye:
I want to talk to you.
D
Good. She wanted to talk with him too. As she moved through the courtyard toward his apartment she thought about men who could steal a woman’s innocence without giving a damn that afterwards those victims found it difficult to sleep, difficult to trust good men and difficult to experience real love.
At Dixon’s apartment the curtains were wide open. A TV was on. As soon as he saw her he sprang to the door and swung it inward. “Come in, Lorraine,” he said with a smile. “I was expecting you.”
She forced a faint smile of her own and stepped inside, while he closed the curtains. “You’re looking beautiful tonight,” he said softly.
Delores cautiously eased into a side chair where there was no room for him to wiggle next to her. “My money is gone,” she said.
He sat on the couch. “Let’s be honest, Lorraine. We both know you’re here because you need me.” He leaned forward. “That’s why I keep urging you to move in with me. It will make everything easier for you.”
This was exactly the temperament she had hoped for. He was calmer but still motivated to advance the relationship. “To be honest,” she said, “I’ve thought about it, but I shouldn’t have to do anything right now. You have my money. That should take care of everything for a week or so.”
Dixon shifted his teeth and shook his head. “Even if I let you get away with it this time, the next rent cycle begins in two days and you’re going to be right back in this same boat. Then what? Have you thought about that?”
She paused a second and then lowered her head just enough to feign shame. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Look, Lorraine,” he said. “You have to accept the fact that I know what’s best for you. I’ve seen these situations before. I know how they play out. You need something permanent. That’s why we should get married. Six months will fly by and this problem of yours will never come up again.”
She waited before answering, then, “I guess I don’t have much choice.”
His eyes lit up. “Now you’re talking. Let’s get your things and you can move in right now.”
“But I can’t. We’re not married yet.”
“That’s just a minor detail. First you have to show me you’re serious–as a good faith gesture—then we can make it official.”
The detective hiding inside Lorraine almost smiled. Dixon may have been an excellent poker player, but when it came to the possibility of making love with Lorraine Martinez, he had a major tell of his own: He wanted a lot more than a one-time fling and that sexual appetite could be used against him. “But I don’t want to do it that way. I promised my mama that I would never do anything like that until I got married. Then we can do it.”
“Do you know how juvenile that sounds?” he asked. “None of the other women I’ve done this with were like that.”
“I’m sorry but I want the papers first. I don’t want to do it if we’re not married.”
He scoffed. “Alright. Alright. I’ve got a friend at the County Clerk’s office. If I take you there, and we get the damn license, that’s it, right?”
“Except for one thing. The rent isn’t due for a couple days. I might still be able to get the money.”
“We already went through that. I’ll call my buddy. He can have the papers ready by Thursday morning. Then we’ll go make it official. You just tell your boss you need the day off.”
Yeah. She could do that, all right. In fact, she was looking forward to finding out how Dixon persuaded his wives that he could streamline their paths to citizenship. Just as importantly she wanted that information without giving him anything in return. The best way to do that was to round up some rent money. She needed a loan.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
The previous evening Stump shared a pizza with Maria and her mama, who actually helped Stump get over his gloominess regarding Mr. Kraft’s health. She even lit the candle that Stump gave Maria and made sure Stump got half the pizza. It might have been a perfect evening if Maria hadn’t been wearing that stupid bracelet that Dixon gave her.
Before leaving Stump thanked Maria’s mom, then he and Maria stepped out in the hall. “Can I ask you something?” he said. “Does your fondness for that bracelet mean you’re willing to give Dixon the benefit of the doubt and drop the investigation?”
“Heck no,” she’d said. “I just wear it because it’s pretty.”
As before, Stump ended that evening unsure whether he should say anything about Dixon being her biological dad or not.
Now, Stump was busy fixing a couple lounge chairs by the pool when Dixon approached. “Just so you know,” Dixon said, “I’m still thinking about calling the cops about your escapades in the boss’s office.”
“Leave me alone.”
“Don’t you know you both have to be eighteen in California to do what you did?”
Stump turned away, tightened a screw in a chair.
“If I turn you in, you’ll have to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. If I’m going to keep it quiet you owe me, big-time.”
Stump slammed his screwdriver into his back pocket, faced Dixon. “What a crock of bullshit. I have friends who hook up all the time and they don’t go to jail. I’ve looked up the law too. Even if they do get caught, it’s no big deal as long as they’re similar ages.”
“Bottom line is, I don’t want you around this place anymore. If you don’t quit, I’m going to run you out of here one way or the other.”
Stump shook his head. “Ain’t happening, Dude. Besides, you’re the one who has to worry, not me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, rich boy?”
“I know you let the air out of my bike tires just to screw me over.”
Dixon scoffed. “Bicycles are for you children.”
“You were pissed off because I got the line-painting job and you wanted to give the work to somebody else so you could skim off some money for yourself. Then, when you knew I had an important meeting you saw your chance to mess with me.”
“You’re out of your mind, rich boy.”
Stump hated the rich boy comment. “You’re the one who could go to jail. I almost died by the river. That’s endangering a minor. I looked that up too.”
Dixon hooted. “You’re full of shit.”
“Oh, yeah? Am I full of shit when I say that I know you’re really Maria’s father?”
Dixon stopped dead in his tracks. His eyeballs bulged as seconds lapsed. Then, “Like I said, you don’t know shit.”
“That ain’t all I know. I found your notebook.”
Dixon stepped to within inches of Stump’s face. “I thought so, you little thief. I’m gonna have my cop buddies haul you off.”
Stump scoffed, “You ain’t gonna do that because I’ve already figured out your code: letters are numbers and numbers are letters—it was easy.”
Dixon’s jaw muscles pulsed like waves and his face went red. “You’re fucking with the wrong guy, rich boy.”
“So are you. I’ve known you’ve been swindling tenants and Mr. Kraft since the first day I met you. The notebook just proved it. So I’ve made extra copies and if you cause me any trouble, I can fry your ass. Who do you think the cops will want more, a kid who has a girlfriend or a jiggle-jawed thief who’s stolen enough money from innocent people to buy himself a pimp-mobile?”
Dixon looked toward Maria’s building and then back. “Have you told Maria?”
Stump crinkled his nose. “That would disappoint her. We both know that she thinks her daddy is a Mexican hero, and for some reason you want her to keep thinking that.”
Dixon nodded. “L
ooks like we have an impasse.”
“Yes we do. Furthermore, you never said anything to Mr. Kraft about me and her because she’s the only person you care about and you didn’t want to embarrass her. But now you and I both know if the truth comes out, her world gets turned upside down, and neither of us wants that, so I propose we make a deal.”
Dixon reared back his head and scanned Stump up and down. “A deal? I’m listening.”
“You leave us alone. If she wants to be with me, that’ll be her choice. If she doesn’t want to be with me, I’ll leave her alone, but either way, she decides for herself.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“I’ll back off, forget about my notes, and won’t tell her who her real daddy is. Oh, yeah. I won’t say anything about that college fund you set up for her either. That way the cops won’t confiscate the account or throw your ass in jail.”
Dixon’s jaw wiggled. “Oh, you know about that too?”
“I told you I translated the whole notebook, Dude. Like I said, neither of us wants to hurt her. So that’s my offer. We can destroy each other or we can tolerate each other for her sake. I won’t rat you out if you leave us alone. But the important thing is she makes her own choices.”
Dixon stared into Stump’s face.
“There’s one more thing,” Stump added. “No more gifts. It makes her think you’re a nice guy and we both know better.”
Dixon chortled and then agreed just as Stump’s phone rang. “I gotta go now.” He took the call. “Hey Myles. What’s up?” Stump asked as Dixon walked off.
“Bad news,” Myles said. “My mom has gotten worse. If you’re still okay with her living with us, I’m going to fly out to Oklahoma on Saturday, rent a moving van and bring her things back here.”
“Of course. We’ve already agreed.”
“Okay then. There’s a morning flight. I’ll take the bus into LAX. That way I don’t have to deal with my truck when I get back. You’ll have to get by on your own for a few days.”
A few days on his own? That opened up some extremely promising opportunities. “Sounds like a good plan to me,” Stump said, hoping he didn’t sound too excited.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
When Delores last spoke with Dixon he said he had a secret contact at the County Clerk’s office that could streamline some of the paper work. If that proved true this buddy could be pulling similar scams with other landlord-types and her case could broaden into an uncontrollable monster and require the assistance of the L.A. department. Some of those guys would try to shove her aside and break up the ring of bad guys without her. Then she’d be stuck in an ugly turf war that she couldn’t possibly win.