Silent Joe (41 page)

"She's a survivor."

"You're a coward. All your guns and weapons, but you're a coward."

"Hey, I just needed the money. My dad's the forty-first richest man in America. I got used to certain things."

He looked at me sullenly, rubbing his neck.

Rick Birch and I interviewed Savannah late that afternoon. The doctor told us she'd slept most of the day, and awakened disoriented and depressed.

The three of us sat at a small table in the Hillview Library. I suggested that place, thinking that Savannah would feel comfortable there. I told her the story about Will and
Shag: Last of the Plains Buffalo.
She was very interested in it. Wanted to know if I remembered what page I was on when he sat down. I did: page thirty, where Shag is fighting for control of the herd. The table was the same one I'd been sitting at on that fateful day. I knew because there was a faint X carved into the top by some creative Hillview student. Will had fingered it while he talked to me. The X v still there, dulled by the years but visible.

We tape-recorded the whole story. It went on for almost an hour. Savannah spoke quickly and covered large amounts of time and action with just a few words. We let her tell the whole thing before we went back and started asking questions.

"When did you decide to take the tape and run away to Alex?"

"When I saw the woman's face in the paper. And that she had been run over and died. "

"Did she ever work for your family?"

"Yes. She cleaned our house a few times. I remembered her because she was very pretty and very quiet, with a smile like a big light. I asked how she got her hair so shiny and she said she would rinse it in beer.'

"Who thought of charging your father money in order to get the tap

"Alex. He always wants money. "

"Did you think that was a good idea?"

"No. But I was afraid to take the tape to the police, because of what Dad would do to me. Alex said if we got lots of money from Dad, we could give some to the maid's family. "

"When Alex first asked for the money, who was he calling on the phone about how much, and when, and where?"

"First Dad. Then someone named Bo. Then Will. "

"Where and when, exactly, did you meet Will Trona?"

"At Laguna Beach. I can't remember exactly, but I think it was one or two nights before he got murdered. "

"After that, did Alex call Will about making the arrangements?"

"He called Will. But he talked to a lot of other people, too. About money, and places, and who would be there and where we would be.

"What other people?"

"One called Daniel, which I think is Reverend Alter. One called One called Pearl. And a woman named. . . Donna? Renee? Something like that."

I made a note of that name: Donna or Renee—a new face in the game

"Did you know that Alex was telling your father that he would return you to him?"

"Yes. But Alex was lying. We were going to take the money and buy a little house by the beach to live in. "

"Did you know how much money Alex asked for, at first?"

"Five hundred thousand dollars. "

"Did you know he raised the price?"

"That was Will's idea. "

"Did Will know about the tape?"

"Alex played it for him. And Will said to double the amount of money. And Will said Alex should collect the money, and turn me and the tape over to him."

"What did you think of going with Will?"

"I liked Will. I could trust him. He said he'd take me to Child Protective Services and I wouldn't have to worry about what my father might do. He said there was no reason to give the tape to either Dad or the police. He said he'd work things out so that everyone would be happy again. "

I thought what a perfect opportunity Will had had to blackmail Blazak. What fat concessions he could get from Blazak, simply with the threat of taking that tape to the authorities.

"Can you tell us where you went, you and Alex, after the night when Will was killed?"

"I can't remember the order. But we went to Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, La Jolla, Imperial Beach, Julian, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, San Francisco. And Mendocino, Reno, Las Vegas, Bullthorn City, Yuma, Palm Springs and Mexico City. And Zihautanejo and Tucson and some other places."

"A new place every night?"

"We stayed two in Las Vegas so Alex could gamble and see a fight. And four in Mexico City because we were tired. The rest were one night. "

"You drove to all these places?"

"All except Mexico City and Zihuatanejo. We flew out of Tijuana for those. Alex's Porsche is very fast. "

"Did Alex ever hurt you?"

Savannah looked at me with an expression of surprise. "
Hurt me? He did everything he could to protect me and make me happy. I got sick Mexico City and he stayed up with me all night, putting washcloths on forehead. He had room service bring me tortilla soup and bottled water. He's the best big brother a girl could ever have. "

I made a note of that. I thought about innocence and trust and fear and being eleven years old.

I also thought of Savannah the Spy.

"Savannah, did you play Savannah the Spy when you and Alex were running?"

"Yes, of course. I used up two whole tapes. I shot us everywhere, do our secret things. Alex thought it was funny. "

"Where are those tapes now?"

"In my backpack with my camcorder. Want to watch them? "

"Yes. We'd like that very much."

One of the Hillview staff was kind enough to roll a TV/VCR into library. For the next two hours we watched Alex and Savannah Blazak zooming across the west in his shiny black Porsche, splashing in the blue bay of Zihuatanejo, checking into their suites, having food fights with room service hamburgers, watching out windows for anyone coming after them, hastily packing and hitting the road while Alex muttered paranoid conspiracy theories and Savannah narrated. There was tape of Alex throwing his million in cash around a suite at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Tape of grim border at Tijuana, the vendors selling purple Buddha coin banks, Star
Wars
figurines wearing sombreros, shellacked sand sharks on strings, boxes painted bright pinks and yellows and blues. Tape of the beautiful violent Mendocino coast; of the Golden Gate Bridge; the hills of Santa Barbara; the cotton fields in Yuma; the bighorn sheep outside the Ritz Carlton in Palm Desert; the dreamy mountains around Tucson.

"Why did Alex call me?" I asked. "What made you want to try another deal with your father?"

"Alex wanted more money. And to be honest, Joe, I was tired of running. It was nice, but I do have to start sixth grade in a few months. I'll be in accelerated math
and
English."

"Why did you choose me? Why not call your father directly?"

"Oh, no, Joe. I trust you. That's why I sent you those postcards. I needed to say something to somebody, but I couldn't worry my mother with things like that. She's very fragile. So I picked you. And Alex trusted your father. You can never deal with Dad directly, because he's such a good businessman. He'll always get a better deal than you, even if it sounds like he's not."

I thought about Jack Blazak and his temper, his duplicity and his power.

"What about your mother, Savannah? Do you trust her?"

She looked at me, then at Rick Birch. Then away. She sighed. "She always agrees with him. Even when she knows he's wrong. It's one of his laws, that she always has to agree with him."

I wondered if Jack had ever done to Lorna what he'd done to Luria Bias.

"Did your father ever hit your mother?"

Savannah was still looking out one of the Library windows.

"I never saw him do that. Mom spends lots of days in bed. I'm not sure why, but it usually happens after they fight. They fight very loud, with bad language. Usually that happens when Mom drinks a lot."

"Did you ever see bruises on her, or cuts?"

"No."

I followed her line of sight out the window. The playground was filled with young children. Two of the Hillview counselors were playing, too.

"Savannah, can you remember if it was Donna or Renee that Alex was talking to?"

She closed her eyes and thought. She breathed deeply and let it out slowly. "No. A woman's name, like those but maybe not those."

"So it wasn't Donna or Renee, but close?"

"Yes. I don't like it when I can't remember. I'm sorry. Do you think I could have some lunch now? And a few minutes to myself? I don't know why, but I'm so extremely weary today."

That evening Birch, Ouderkirk and I drove up to the Pelican Point entrance. We had a sheriff's black-and-white behind us. Birch badged the guard.

"Who are you here to see?"

"None of your business. Open the gate."

With a smirk, he did.

At the second gate, Jack Blazak's voice came through the speak "What the hell do you want?"

Birch identified himself, said he'd like to talk to Mr. Blazak.

"About what?"

"Luria Bias."

A moment of static. "All right."

The second gate opened and Birch steered the Crown Vic along winding drive. The Greco-Roman house finally came into view.

"Look at this," said Ouderkirk. "A palace. A pool and tennis court and reflecting pond and helipad. A five-car garage and what's that—a vineyard? I'm in the wrong business. I knew it. I
knew
it. I can't even afford maid, and this guy beats them up because they get pregnant when he screws them. Makes me want to be reincarnated as an asshole."

"You can still accomplish that in this life," said Birch.

"I'll just follow your example."

"Look at those statues. The one on the right's a Rodin copy."

"Maybe it's real," said Ouderkirk. "If you can afford a place like this, you can afford the knickknacks."

There was a Bentley the size of an oil tanker parked in the shade behind Blazak's garage. The driver was dozing when we pulled up. He got out a cell phone and dialed.

"I think Blazak's got his lawyer," I said.

"This will be interesting," said Birch. Then he spoke over his shoulder to me. "Joe, don't say anything unless you're asked."

"I won't.

"The black-and-white pulled away from us and parked in the shade, facing the Bentley. Birch nodded at the deputies, then led the way past the reflecting pool.

Blazak met us at the front door, wearing jeans and a white shirt, boat shoes. He was freshly shaved and his eyes were clear and unrepentant. He shook hands with Birch and Ouderkirk and looked at me with disgust.

We went into the same bright living room where the Blazaks and Bo Warren had first spun their elaborate lie for me. Sitting where Bo Warren had sat was an older gentleman in a trim blue suit. His hair was white. His eyes were blue and had the open twinkle of a two-year-old.

He rose lithely, introduced himself as Adam Duessler and shook hands all around, then sat back down and crossed his legs. "Jack's hired me to guide him through this situation," he said. "I've advised him to remain silent for the time being. I'm not up to speed on everything yet, and that's part of the reason. I'm also not sure what you three are doing here, exactly. So, gentlemen, proceed."

Birch and Ouderkirk sat on one of the cream-colored couches. I took a chair off to the side, placed my hat on my thigh and folded my hands in front of me.

Birch leaned forward. "Mr. Blazak isn't charged with any crime. Funny he'd have a lawyer here."

"It's his right," said Duessler.

"Well, sure," said Birch. "I can take my lawyer to the car wash if I want. But the right to counsel is only for the accused."

Birch let that hang in the air.

"We're impressed by your grasp of procedure," said Duessler. "So, again, proceed."

"We've got evidence that Mr. Blazak assaulted a young domestic worker named Luria Bias on June eighth of this year. We've got an eyewitness. Before we jump to any conclusions we wanted to hear Mr. Blazak's explanation. Maybe we're not seeing what we think we're seeing."

"It's kind of you to run it past us," said Duessler.

"It's out of respect for Mr. Blazak's standing in the community, and because of the ugly nature of what happened."