Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 01 - Death Is Clowning Around (19 page)

“I thought it was Marie.”

“How’d you know my middle name?”

“Talk to you soon.
Good night.”

“Wait…”
But he’d hung up.
Had he been checking up on me?
Did he know everything about me?
I laughed.
There wasn’t much to know.

Elizabeth Marie Wilcox, single, thirty-two, graduate of California State University at Hayward with a degree in Biological Science and a credential to teach Kindergarten.
Don’t smoke, don’t drink.
Sound boring?
Not anymore!
Now - I’m Liza, investigator of kidnapped children.
Definitely more exciting.
It was also dangerous.
Tom was right about that.
If I couldn’t find out about Lori by tomorrow night, it was time to go.

Just then my phone rang.
It was probably Tom calling me back and telling me to be careful.
I checked the number.
It was Justin.

“Hello.”

“Oh Teach, I found out some more very interesting stuff.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“The lawyer only did five adoptions.
They all went to clown people except one.
The lawyer adopted one of the girls himself and he’s still being paid over a hundred thousand a year from the CLOWNS but he doesn’t even do any work for them anymore.”

“Sounds like a payoff to me.”

“Yeah.”

“Can you give me the names of the clown adoptions?”

“Sure.
Lori Laciter, Joanna Tifflin, Dorothy Gaftery, and Sally Hifner.
But I couldn’t find the name of the girl that the lawyer adopted.”

“That’s okay.
I’ve met Lori.
The people who run the camp adopted her.
I don’t know the other three.”

“That’s because they all live in another state where some of the other camps are.”

“What else did you find out?”

“The orphanage is also owned and financed through the CLOWNS Company.”

“Is it also located in Santa Dominga?”

“No, just a few miles north in the town of Century.
It’s still listed in the yellow pages but they haven’t had an adoption from the place since those five girls.”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, the judge that signed the adoptions has an office in Santa Dominga.
He seems to specialize in them.
I found over several hundred adoption papers that he’s signed over the last decade or so.”

“Then he might still have the files on the four clown girls in his office.”

“Probably.
You’re not thinking about doing a little snooping are you?”

“Maybe.”

“You better be careful, Teach.”

I was getting tired of hearing that.
“I’m always cautious, Justin.”

“Remember, the clowns own the cops.”

“I know.
But it doesn’t hurt and ask a few questions.”

“I suppose not.”

“Thanks for the information, Justin.”

“If I find anything else, I’ll call.”

“Okay.”
As I walked back to my room, I planned my next day.
In the morning, I’d make some inquiries at the orphanage and judge’s office.
Then I’d come back to clown camp and talk to Lori.
I only had another day to figure it all out.
Jessie would either be found or be gone forever.

Chapter 21

I spent the whole night tossing and turning.
It was probably because of the nap I’d taken earlier in the day.
In the morning, my eyes were bloodshot and I had big bags under them.
It’s too bad we weren’t wearing clown makeup today.
It would have covered my face nicely.

I took a cold shower to wake up.
It didn’t help; all it did was make me mad because I prefer hot water.
I had a quick breakfast in the lobby of the motel and drove into town.
First stop was the judge’s office.

I opened the door and was met by an effervescent clerk sitting behind a beautiful mahogany desk.
Her enthusiasm made me angrier.

“Good morning, Ma’am.”

Calling me Ma’am didn’t help my mood either.
“Good morning.”

“How can I help you?”

“I heard that the judge specializes in adoptions.”

She stood and smiled.
“Yes, he does.
Are you thinking about adopting a child?”

“Yes.”

“Are you married?”

“No.”

Her lips compressed into a thin line.
“I don’t think they offer children to single parents.”

“My dad left me a huge inheritance and I just want to have someone to share it with.”
I put my head into my hands and pretended to cry.

The mention of money seemed to do the trick.
The receptionist came over and put her hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sure the judge can help you.”

“Great.
Can I see him?”

She shook her head.
“No, I’m afraid he’s in court today.”

“Can I start filling out the paper work to get the ball rolling?”

She glanced around, as if trying to decide what to do, and then nodded.
“Of course.”

She pulled an inch-thick folder from her desk.
“Fill these out and bring them back.”

I took the file.
“Can I fill them out here?”

She hesitated.
“I guess so.
Since the judge isn’t in today, I’ll let you sit in his office.”

“That’s great.”

She walked me through a glass door and into a magnificently decorated office.
The desk and file cabinets were made of mahogany and I hadn’t seen that much leather, ever.
She directed me to a small circular table in the corner of the office.
“If you need some help, just open the door and stick your head out.”

“Thanks.”
I sat down and started completing the papers.

The clerk left and I immediately stopped writing and looked around the office.
I got up and walked to the door.
The clerk was busy talking to her mother on the phone, so I slowly closed the door.
I left it open an inch so I could hear the clerk if she started to come back into the office.

There were ten file cabinets on one wall. Surprisingly they weren’t locked, so I slowly opened up each drawer.
Justin was right about the judge.
He did handle a lot of adoptions and he kept meticulous notes.
From what I could gather, most of the children were from overseas.
The cost of each adoption varied, from ten thousand dollars to over a hundred thousand.

Almost all of the files also contained a receipt from a man named Julio Rodriguez.
According to the files, the judge paid him five thousand dollars for “delivery charges.”
Delivery of what?
The children?
And where exactly did Julio get them?

I jotted down his name and address from the receipt.
It was another thing for Justin to check out.
I could call Tom, but if Julio had some kind of record, he’d just worry more and maybe even come and get me.
I wasn’t ready to go home, just yet.

Most of the files also contained copies of checks for two thousand dollars, made out to Oakville Orphanage in Century.
They were listed as “donation.”

I finally found Lori’s file.
There wasn’t a receipt from Julio in the file.
Instead there was a police report.
Lori’s mom had been picked up for prostitution and somehow she’d overdosed on heroin in her jail cell.

The county had picked up Lori from a local motel and had taken her to the Oakville Orphanage.
That same day, Carl and Beverly had adopted her.
The date of the adoption was May 19, 1998
–
the
same date Jessie disappeared.
Lori spent several days in the hospital.
According to the hospital report, they administered several different drugs and she went through several intensive psychiatric sessions.
Mind control drugs and rhetoric?
She was released a week later to Carl and Beverly.

I wrote down the name of the psychiatrist.
Maybe I’d have Justin look into him, too.
When I heard the footsteps, I raced back to the table.

An elderly man came into the office.
He raised his bushy eyebrows and tilted his head.
“Can I help you?”

“I’m filling out some paperwork for an adoption.”
I picked up the paper to show him.

“In my office?”
He demanded.

“Your receptionist said it would be alright.”

“Well, she’s not my regular girl.
Lois is on vacation.
This is the twit they sent from the agency.”
He stuck out his hand.
“I’m Judge Dallas.”

“I’m Liza Wilcox.”

“You’re thinking about adopting a child?”

“Yes.”

“Why isn’t your husband here with you?”

“I’m not married.”

“Well…”

“I inherited a large sum of money from my parents and I want to share it with a child.
Do I have to be married?”

“No, but adoptions can be very costly.”

“I’m willing to pay, anything.”

“Are you looking for anyone in particular?”

I felt like we were talking about a car and not a child.
“No, but I would prefer a baby.”

“That’s more difficult.”

“I know, but like I said, I’m willing to pay anything.
And I don’t care what the nationality
of
the baby is.”
I started filling out the paperwork again.

“You don’t have to fill those out.
Just give me your name and phone number.
I’ll get back to you if I can accommodate your request.”

“Thank you, so much.”

“By the way, how did you know that I handled adoptions?”

“I’m temporarily working at the clown camp and was thinking about taking a job there.
One of the girls I met there is adopted.
It got me to thinking about adopting my own child.
I saw your sign on the door.
I figured all judges handled adoptions, so I came in and asked.”

“Not all judges do, but it’s one of my specialties.”

“Lucky for me.”

“Yes.
How are Carl and Brenda?”

It was an obvious trick and I didn’t fall for it.
“You mean Carl and Beverly?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.”

“They’re great.
It’s their daughter, Lori, that I was talking about.”

“I handled her adoption personally.”

“She’s lucky she got such great parents.
She told me some things about her life before she was adopted.
It was so sad.”

“Yes.
She is very lucky.”

I handed him a piece of paper with my name and cell phone number.
“I’d appreciate any help you can give me in expediting the adoption.”

“I’ll have my receptionist call you when I find the right child for you.”

“Thank you.”

I nodded to the receptionist as I walked through the front lobby.
As I closed the door, I heard the judge yelling at her about letting me sit in his office.
I guessed she wouldn’t be coming back tomorrow.

Next stop was the orphanage.
It took longer than I thought to drive out to Oakville Orphanage.
The building was located on the outskirts of town and looked deserted.
The weeds had over grown the gate and the building looked in need of serious repairs.
The place had been abandoned for what looked like years.

It didn’t make sense.
I’d seen current copies of checks made out to the Oakville Orphanage in the judge’s files.
I wondered who cashed the checks and what exactly were they being paid for.
If it wasn’t for housing the children who were going to be adopted, what was it for?
Maybe just for the use of the name of the orphanage?
Did it make the transaction more legal if there was an orphanage involved?

I made a quick call to Justin, gave him Julio’s name, and asked him to look further into the orphanage.

“It’s weird, Justin.
The place is deserted but the name is still being used.
Can you find out who is cashing the checks?”

“I can try.
The orphanage has to have a board of directors.
Maybe I can match the deposits to one of their bank accounts.”

“That would be great.”

“It’s all starting to sound very shady, Teach.”

“Yeah, it is.
Would you do me a favor?”

“Another one?”
He laughed.

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

“Put all the information you’ve given me in an email.”

“Do you want me to send it to you?”

“No.
Send it to Tom Owens, care of the Gainsville Sheriff’s Department.”

“Now?”

“No, only if something happens to me.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound good.”

“I’m sure I’ll be just fine.
It’s just a backup plan.”

“You better be careful.
I don’t want to be stuck with your yappy dog for the rest of my life.”

“You love my dog.”

“I know, but I love her more when she’s at your house and not constantly chasing the wheels of my chair.”

“Sorry.”

“That’s alright, just come home soon.”

“I should be there the day after tomorrow. Thanks, Justin.”

At least he didn’t tell me to be careful again.