Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
A FTER THE COFFEE SHOP, Nathan and Manny split up. Manny went back to the office to work on the list of Chevy Tahoes registered in the area. Nathan spent most of the day retracing their steps with Jane Haskell. He traveled to Twain Harte and reinterviewed everyone he could. He got lucky and reached the first victim’s landlord, who had not been around when they did their first canvass.
“I was shocked to hear what happened to Jane,” the woman said. “She’d been scammed before online, gave the scammer a lot of money. She was lonely, I tried to set her up with a friend, but she was a sucker for an interesting online profile, I guess.”
“She told you about the prior scam?”
“Grudgingly. She was embarrassed. I thought she’d learned her lesson then,” she said. “Poor gal thought she was being romanced by Orlando Bloom. She got behind two months on the rent. Had to take on a second job. You’re saying she was mixed up with a scammer again?”
“It looks that way.”
The landlord shook her head. “She never said a word to me about being involved with someone online again. Maybe she was afraid I’d remind her of what happened before.”
Nathan nodded, thinking she could have felt a little ashamed, or maybe the scammer told her not to say anything. They had so little to go on, he was getting frustrated.
“This whole online dating thing is risky,” he commented to Manny on the phone. He’d called to give him an update as Nathan was heading back to Sonora and the second victim’s address.
“A person can say anything, pretend to be anything online. People should meet and date the old-fashioned way.”
“Bars and pickup joints?” Manny asked.
“No, church, school, the community. In person at least.”
“True. It’s easier to hide behind the computer for some people. Especially whack jobs who want to victimize others.”
“Yeah, and sad that people are so lonely they’ll believe scammers and send money to perfect strangers.”
Busy at her desk, Hanna got the call late in the afternoon that Joe would be brought to her house the next day.
“That was fast,” Mandy said when Hanna told her.
“Yeah, well, apparently the state got dinged by another inmate who was supposed to be released on hospice. They took so long approving the release that the guy died in prison. This after parole assured his family he’d be able to die at home. They sued. So the state moves a lot faster now.”
“Are you ready?”
Hanna thought for a moment. “I don’t know. As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess. From what Giles, the parole officer, told me, Joe has been an exemplary prisoner. He...” Hanna stopped, wanting to pick the right words. While Hanna tended to always look for the best in people, she didn’t believe in jailhouse conversions. It was easy to behave well in such a structured environment where consequences were quick and sure. It was only living out in life and freedom that someone could prove their heart.
“What were you going to say?”
“Just that Tom Nelson, you know, the prison chaplain, says Joe is a committed Christian now.” Hanna shrugged. “Maybe he is, and maybe he isn’t. I’ll just wait and see.”
“I only want to know about my parents. Joe can claim to be a Martian if he wants. One thing surprises me. Marcus Marshall is sure doing his best to stir up animosity toward your dad.”
“I noticed. Did he call you?”
“Me and my grandma. He wanted us to be outraged that Joe is being released.”
“What does your grandma say?”
“What you’d expect. He tried to dredge up all the horribleness of the crime. She just said that she’d forgiven him a long time ago and now prayed for his soul.”
“Your grandma is special.”
“She is. I love my nana. As Christians we’re all called to forgive. I hope that is the response Marshall gets from everyone. I wonder if he’s gone after Everett.”
“I’m sure he has. Everett is none too happy, I can tell you. I doubt forgiveness is in his vocabulary.”
“Granny prays for him too, and for Chase.”
“I saw Chase yesterday. He was at Jock’s place.”
“I heard the ruckus on the scanner. What happened there?”
“Carver started a big fight.”
“Carver needs to find a new place to call home. Was Chase involved? He never comes to town.”
“I don’t think he had anything to do with the fight. He was just there socializing, I guess, and he warned me about Joe.”
“Warned?”
“He said I can’t trust him. Told me not to be fooled.”
“Hmm. Hanna, I think the best thing you can do is greet Joe with an open mind, asking God for discernment. Everyone deserves that, until they prove otherwise.”
In principle, Hanna agreed with the sentiment. But in practice, she knew that people proving otherwise could do some awful things. What was Joe Keyes capable of?