Chapter 4
The nature of the case, combined with Sarah's condition, pointed to a vile predator.
A monster. People demanded justice. Darrell fit the profile.
It seemed a rush to judgment had put an innocent man behind bars.
There was a lot of controversy around the case at the time.
I didn't expect that controversy would end anytime soon.
Sarah’s father was red in the face, yelling at Darrell in front of the courthouse. If he had a gun in his possession, he didn't pull it out. He spoke his mind and finished with, "I hope you rot in hell!"
Darrell just smiled. "Already been there. I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope you can find peace."
"Fuck you!"
Mr. Sweet took his wife's hand and stormed away. Chris glared at Darrell, then followed his parents.
The media frenzy soaked up the exchange. This was prime-time drama.
"Think he did it?" JD muttered.
I shrugged.
The case wasn't exactly cut and dry. Trace DNA from two individuals had been found in Sarah's panties—neither of which belonged to Darrell. But the panties were found aboard Darrell’s boat, and witnesses had seen them together on the day of her disappearance.
From all the cases that we’d done, I knew there were several possible explanations.
Explanations people don’t often like to consider.
Sarah could have had two prior consensual partners that day.
Just because Darrell’s DNA wasn’t found didn’t rule him out.
By the time her body was recovered, the ocean had washed away all trace evidence.
“I tell you, if that son of a bitch did that to my daughter, I’d take matters into my own hands,” Jack said.
“What’s the saying? Anger is a hot coal you hold in your hand, waiting to throw at someone else. Sometimes you gotta just let go,” I said, playing devil’s advocate. “Let the Universe sort it out.”
“I think I might just become the Universe in a situation like that.”
The case resonated with anyone who had a young daughter at the time.
It was all a moot point now. The case was closed, and Darrell was a free man. I didn’t know if he was innocent or guilty. But if another teen girl went missing, we’d sure pay him a visit.
JD and I chowed down and filled our bellies.
"Listen, I told the folks at the Children's Hospital I’d make an appearance as Santa.”
I gave him a curious look.
"Their Santa fell through. Apparently, that guy got caught exposing himself at Echo Park. Go figure. Creep. Anyway, they're having a hard time finding a replacement on short notice. I said I’d dress up and bring my helper with me.”
"Helper?"
"You know, Santa's got elves."
My eyebrow lifted. "You want me to dress up as an elf and go with you to the Children's Hospital?”
"It’s for a good cause.”
"I'll do anything for those kids, but you realize elves are short and small. I don't exactly fit the description."
"So it’s settled. You'll do it.”
“You’re not exactly fat and jolly.”
Jack’s face tightened. “I’m tremendously jolly.”
"I think I should go as Santa’s bodyguard,” I said. “I’ll dress in a suit, dark sunglasses, and wear an earpiece."
JD's face wrinkled, and he shook his head. "No. Santa needs a little helper.”
“Little?”
Jack stared at me.
"I'm not wearing an elf costume. So get that idea out of your head right now."
"These kids are really going to be disappointed,” he said in a sigh.
I frowned at him. "I know what you're doing.”
Jack smiled. "I’m not doing anything. Like I said, it's for a good cause. But, you know, hey… If you don’t have the heart to dress up and put a smile on those kids’ faces, I understand.”
"Fine, but I'm not wearing tights.”
"Yes, you are. That's what elves wear.”
“How do you know what elves wear? Have you ever seen one?”
"As a matter of fact, I have."
I gave him a flat look. "Outside of movies and TV, have you ever seen an elf in real life?”
Jack leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone. "Have you seen Jasmine?”
“Jasmine?”
“We met her backstage at one of the shows.”
It could have been any number of women. I didn’t remember. “She’s not an elf.”
“No. Of course not. But that woman is fine.”
"Is that what this is about? Are you just doing this to impress her?”
"No. She called and asked, and I couldn't say no. Some of those kids are dying. If we can put a smile on their faces just for a minute, I'm there."
Since he put it that way, there was no way I could say no. It’s not that I didn’t want to help. I just didn’t want to look like an idiot.
I surrendered with an exhale. "Where do we find an elf costume on short notice that will fit?”
Jack smiled. "I don't know, but I'll find out.” He paused. "It'll be fun. We'll ask them for a list of toys and make their Christmas dreams come true."
"And what if they ask for something we can't deliver?"
Jack's face wrinkled as he dismissed the notion. "We can deliver."
"Just don't get their hopes up for something that's impossible."
"Would you stop being a downer?”
I raised my hands in surrender. "Whatever it takes, we’ll make it happen."
"That's the spirit!” Jack said with a grin. “Giving, sacrifice, joy! That’s what the season’s all about.”
I didn’t know it at the time, but there would be a lot of sacrifices made this holiday season.
“If we show up looking like this, we’re gonna scare those kids,” I said, motioning to my black eye.
“Relax. We’ll hire a special FX makeup artist. A little concealer and we’ll look as good as new.”
It would take a lot of concealer.
We took the rest of the day to recover from our torture session. JD and I hit the mall, got new phones, and synced our devices with the cloud. Jack touched base with the guys in the band and let them know we were okay. I returned missed calls and texts. We kept the evening pretty chill on the boat.
In the morning, Sheriff Daniels called with bad news.