Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1) (29 page)

Wednesday, 12 September 2012, 2:00 PM

With tears in her eyes, Noura tapped softly on the door to Annie's hospital room.

"Come in," she heard her friend say.

Slowly she opened the door and stuck her head inside, not sure of the reception she would receive. In her arms were a bouquet of flowers cut from her flower garden.

"Oh, Noura," Annie said as the tears started to flow. "I've missed you so much."

Noura ran to her side and carefully embraced her friend, her tears mingling with Annie's.

"I wasn't sure if you would want to see me," Noura said, "but I couldn't stay away."

"Noura, I will always love you like a sister. You made a mistake, but we all make mistakes. I know it's going to be tough on you dealing with the consequences, but I'll be right there beside you no matter what happens."

"Thank you, Annie. You don't know how much that means to me. When my mom heard you were in the hospital, she cooked a bunch of 'authentic Mexican food' for you. She says it's just what you need to get your strength back. I have it in the car if you want to try it."

"That would be wonderful, Noura. The food here is not nourishing and I'm always hungry."

"Well, at least that hasn't changed," Noura laughed.

When Noura returned with the food in a big picnic basket with all the accessories, the two friends enjoyed a meal just like old times.

"My mom wants to invite you, Jesse, Laine and Noelle, and Tom over for a big piñata party.  She says it's time I stopped hiding my family from my friends.  And, she's right.  What do you say?"

"I would be honored to visit the home of your parents, Noura.  Just let us know when, OK?"

"I have some other good news, Annie," Noura said. "Jesse talked to his friend, Eric Stone, who is an attorney here in town who specializes in Intellectual Property law. Jesse set up an appointment between the three of us. I told Mr. Stone the truth about what happened. Jesse had filled him in about my experience and competence as a paralegal, so Mr. Stone offered me a job."

"Oh, Noura. That's great news. I know how much you love paralegal work. I'm glad you'll be able to continue and stay here in Bakersfield."

"It's going to be interesting, Annie. He doesn't have a big office, but most of his clients live in the Los Angeles or New York areas. We have a small conference room if we need it, but most of my work I can do from my home office. This has made my husband very happy and I can spend a lot more time with Estefan."

"I'm so happy for you, Noura. How are things going with Tito?"

Noura shifted in her chair. "Not too well, I'm afraid. I haven't been back to see him since he told me he used me. My mom says I have to learn forgiveness, too, but it's too soon. He's my baby brother and I idolized him. It will take time, I guess. In the meantime, he has a good public defender and his fate is in the hands of the Courts."

Noura started cleaning up the remnants of their meal. "When will you be released, Annie?"

"I think I have the doctor convinced to let me go home in a couple of hours," Annie said. "There were no traces of spider venom in my blood work so there's really no more reason for me to stay here. I feel fine. I'll be on medical leave for a couple of weeks, but then I'll be right back in the swing of things. At least this case is solved and the Hispanic community can breathe a sigh of relief now and not worry about their daughters."

Noura stood and gathered her things. She leaned over and kissed Annie on the cheek. "Take care, Annie. I'll be over to see you in a day or two, after you get settled in."

"Bring Estefan with you, Noura. I haven't seen him for a long time," Annie said. "The weather is still nice enough that we can have a picnic in my backyard."

"That sounds like a plan," Noura said with a big grin as she walked out the door, feeling better than she had in many weeks.

Summer, 1991, from Eddie's Journal

The old house sat on a quarter acre lot in the west side of the Kern County.  It was a good-sized house with a covered porch in front.

At the back of the house, and off to the left, was a stone walkway that meandered through the dead stalks of long forgotten flower and vegetable gardens.  The walkway, which was about 15 feet long, was enclosed in an open-sided arbor made of criss-crossed slats that supported a very old, very unkempt climbing rose plant.

This walkway led to a covered patio, also with a slat roof and walls and cement floor.  Several old pieces of dusty patio furniture were scattered around the patio.

Attached to the back of the patio was a room of sorts.  It, too, had slotted walls that let in air and light, but the roof was made of tin.  It contained four old army-type cots that the family, or guests, used to sleep on when the weather was hot.

The owners of the house were an older couple who had one daughter late in life.  The daughter turned sixteen years old in June of 1991.

To make ends meet, the couple took in foster kids or kids referred to them by family or friends.  Kids that were in the way, or unwanted, or couldn't be taken care of properly for one reason or another.

There were four kids staying with this family in the summer of 1991.  Three were placed there through the foster children program and all of them were Hispanic females.

The fourth child was an 8-year old Caucasian boy who was throwing a crimp in his mom's new marriage.

His step-dad didn't like kids and didn't appreciate being stuck with this boy while his mom worked nights cleaning local offices while they were closed.

The boy had been passed around to various relatives for about a year, when his aunt mentioned this family who took care of kids that were better off living somewhere other than with their parents, but weren't actually part of the foster kid program.

His mom talked with the family and decided to put her son in their care.

He had been there about six months and it was terrible.  Whenever he told his mom how mean the other kids were to him, she wouldn't take him seriously.  Actually, her hands were tied and she couldn't do anything about the situation without displeasing her new husband.

At the side of the patio and sleeping room, about 30 feet away and slightly to the back of the lot, was an old abandoned Ford Coupe.  It had been sitting there, on its rims, for years and was so covered with dust you couldn't see in the windows.  The kids were warned to stay away from the abandoned car. 

However, kids being kids, they thought it would be fun to lock Eddie in the car.  They knew he didn't like spiders and the car was full of granddaddy long legs.  One day, while they were playing tag in the lot close to the car, two of the girls grabbed Eddie, forced the car door open, shoved him inside, and slammed the door closed.  There was no handle on the inside so he couldn't get out.

Eddie screamed.  He was totally paralyzed with fear.  He was shaking uncontrollably, and his skin appeared drained of all blood.  All around him, starting to move at the invasion of their space, were dozens of granddaddy long leg spiders.  He had always been terrified of them and the way they moved.  You never knew what they were going to do next.  He was only eight, so he couldn't rationalize the fact that they don't normally bite people.  All his life he had had nightmares about them because of other tricks his cousins played on him when they found out he was afraid of spiders.  Now, it wasn't just a fear, it was a deep-rooted paranoia that he couldn't control.

For two hours they left him locked in that car screaming, and then whimpering, and then screaming again, as the spiders crawled over his head and body. 

Eventually the daughter of the people who owned the house took off her earphones to check on the kids and heard him scream.  She rushed to the car and opened the door.  He fell to the ground in a semi-conscious state.  She brushed the spiders and dirt off him, carried him into the house, and put him directly in a tub full of water.  She screamed at the other kids to go to their rooms.

She got him cleaned up just as her parents came in.  When she told them what had happened, they took him to the emergency room to make sure he hadn't been bitten by anything dangerous.  When he had been checked over and given a tetanus shot just in case, they sent him home with instructions to watch for certain signs for a couple of days.

The next day, they returned him to his mother.

Abeyta, Lupe

Abeyta, Estralita

Abeyta, Marta

Friends of Maria Ortiz

Adams, Charley

Peter Adams' Cousin

Adams, Gwynn

Peter's Mom

Adams, Peter

Charley's Cousin

Adams, Ted and Fiona

Charley's Parents

Alcantar, Manolo

Tito's friend

Al-Fassi, Joseph

Autopsy Assistant

Morgue

Amaral, Lucio

Chief of Police

Bakersfield

Avants, Annie Elizabeth

Detective

Robbery/Homicide Unit

Avants, Riley

Avants, Hester Wilson

Annie's Parents

Live in Mena, Arkansas

Avants, Charles Wilson

Annie's brother

Baker, Darla

Deputy Sheriff - KCSO

Banuelos, Reina

Gabriela’s Sister

Bhakta, Khavi

Doctor/expert on spiders

CDC

Bonner, "Okie"

Friend of serial killer

Bossock, Leopold, Dr.

Medical Examiner

Tulare County

Buchanan, Carson

Buchanan, Karen

Michele McGaha's parents

Cardenas, Blanca

Waitress

Los Arcos in Pumpkin Center

Collins, Yvonne

Sergeant

Robbery/Homicide Unit

DelaFuentes, AnaMaria

Friend of Carmen

DelMonte, Laine Alicia

Chief

Technical Investigations

Dobbs, Edward Michael

Owner

Your Petz

Drexler, Sam

Deputy

Lamont Substation

Dunphy, Carl

Owner

Uncle Sam's Surplus

Escobar, Angelino

Ex-boyfriend of Carmen

Espinosa, Manny

Forensic Photographer

Everett, Michael

Technical Investigator

Ferrell, Wyatt

Noelle's Father

Freemont, Sarah

KCSO Sketch Artist

Goodkind, Dr. Lydell

Criminal Psychiatrist/Teacher

Modesto Jr College

Former FBI Profiler (ret)

Grady, Rebecca

Miwok friend of Chianna

Greyeyes, Agnes Tooni

Jesse's Grandmother

Cherokee, NC

Greyeyes, Rodney

Jesse's father

Attorney

BIA in San Francisco

Greyeyes, Joyce

Jesse's Mother

Gallery Owner

San Francisco

Greyeyes, Jesse

Deputy District Attorney

Greyeyes, SueElllen

Jesse's ex-wife

Gueye, Chianna

Jesse's sister

Gueye, Dion

Chianna's husband

Gutierrez, Carmen

Victim #2

Gutierrez, Julio

Brother of Vic#2

Gutierrez, Roberto

Gutierrez, Alana

Carmen's Parents

Harris, Mrs.

Cafeteria Worker

Hermosillo, Raoul

Deputy Sheriff

Jamison, Harry, Sgt.

Arvin Police Department

Jones, Malcolm

Deputy Sheriff - KCSO

Jurgens, Bret

Annie's ex-husband

Kamaguchi, Danny

Deputy Sheriff - KCSO

Lamantia, Orlando

Arvin PD

Lancaster, Kyle

Officer, Roseville PD

Lopez, Stella

KGET reporter

Loya, Amata

Noura's Sister

Lozcano, Gabriela Maria

Victim #1

Maalouf, Kleavon Elroy

East Side Crip

McDougall, Alistair

Professor

Forensic Entomology

Bakersfield College

McGaha, Reggie

McGaha, Michele

Victims of MVA

Maddox, "Stetson"

Long-Haul Truck Driver

Marchand, Joelle

Forensic videographer

Mason, Ruth

Postmistress

Melendez, Arturo

Deputy

Moreno, Sunnie

Admin. Assistant

Detective Bureau

Neasham, George

Technical Investigations

Nielson, Christine

Deputy - KCSO

Nunez, Mireya Aldene

Noura's Sister

Ortiz, Hernando

Ortiz, Lucette

Maria's Parents

Ortiz, Maria Guadalupe

Vic #3

Perkins, Sam

Annie's former partner

Plourde, Forrester

Detective

Homicide Division

Placer County Sheriff

Quinn, Mick

Sheriff/Coroner

Kern County

Raj, Farhad

Clerk/Owner

Texaco Station

Pumpkin Center

Richards, Preston, M.D.

Forensic Pathologist

Rosado, Salma

Receptionist at Crime Lab

Rubio, Jose Officer

Arvin PD

Saavedra, Carlos

Noura's Cousin

BPD Officer

Saavedra, Juliano

Mercedes Bianca delToro

Noura's Parents

Saavedra, Pascual Mano

Noura's Brother

Saavedra, Cesario Elias

Noura's Brother

Saavedra, Florino "Tito"

Noura's Brother

Samaha, Ali

Owner

America's Greatest

Army-Navy Store

Schillings, James

Deputy Coroner KCSO

Stephens, Mitchell

Attorney at Law

Simonds, Elroy

Deputy PSO

Singh, Ranjit

Owner

Happy Gas

Stone, Eric

Attorney friend of Jesse

Intellectual Property

Travino, Merilee

Technical Investigations

Tunnicliff, Nicole

Receptionist at Morgue

Vasquez, Constanza

Noura's Sister

Ventry, Judge Winthrop

KC Superior Court

Weston, Thomas McKay

Detective

Robbery/Homicide Unit

Weston, Mary (dec.)

Tom's wife

Xanthopoulos, Olivia

Technical Investigations

Videographer

Zaleski, Jennifer Avants

Annie's sister

Zapata, Noura Saavedra

Paralegal

Annie's best friend

Zapata, Jorge Sabino

Noura's Husband

Zapata, Estefan Cristofer

Noura's son

Buster

Joseph's pet tarantula

CeCe

Annie's cat

Fernando

Bartender

El Mercado Latino

Matt and Scott

Chippie dancers/servers

Crystal Palace