A Killing in China Basin - By Kirk Russell Page 0,47

credit card didn’t walk out of the house on its own,’ Cordova said, ‘so I started with the people taking care of Mrs Shapiro. That led to a firm that provides skilled home care help, which led to a woman named Brittany Rodriquez who worked at the Shapiro residence. I think it’s likely this Rodriquez took the card and handed it off to someone else. The name of the home care firm is GoodHands. It ought to be StickyHands. They have offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, and there have been other similar complaints in each of those cities about them.

‘The business is owned by a woman named Faith Silliman and she may be legit. She provided employment records on Brittany Rodriquez, gave me a way to find her, and was very cooperative.’

‘What about this Brittany Rodriquez, where would I find her? If you think she might have stolen the card we’ve got and handed it off, I need to find her.’

‘She disappeared and I haven’t been able to find her. GoodHands, the company, got its ass generally fired around Marin County as word got out. With Rodriquez we never had anything to hold her with.’

‘OK, what about the owner, Faith Silliman?’

‘We could probably get her on the phone. Do you want me to call her? She told me her business depends on her credibility and integrity and that for me she’d be available twenty-four seven.’ He looked up and grinned. ‘Let’s find out.’

Cordova called, got her, and then explained he was with a homicide inspector from SFPD. He handed the phone to Raveneau.

‘Does the name Alex Jurika mean anything to you?’ Raveneau asked.

‘It sure does. Alex was with me on and off for two years before I fired her. I flew in from Seattle to do it myself.’

‘Why did you fire her?’

‘She was stealing credit card numbers. There was no proof, but no question either. I paid out nine thousand dollars to take care of it.’

‘Was she a friend of Brittany Rodriquez?’

‘I think she was and they colluded. She said no.’

‘Alex Jurika is our victim. We found a credit card and a driver’s license in Miriam Shapiro’s name in Jurika’s apartment.’

‘Alex was murdered?’

‘Yes.’

When she spoke again her tone had changed. She sounded far less judgmental. Raveneau looked at Cordova as he answered Silliman’s questions about the murder. The case was going somewhere now and he felt the difference.

‘Can I ask you to email me records of when she worked for you?’ Raveneau asked.

‘I’ll do it right now.’

Raveneau opened the email on his phone and read through the records before driving away. Some hard things had been written in Jurika’s termination record. He thought of her sister Gloria’s comments about Alex’s character and how different she’d been as a child. He spoke to Alex now as he drove.

‘I don’t know where you went wrong,’ he said, ‘but your sister is right. You did go wrong. And Deborah Lafaye is probably right, you had a lot going your way that you didn’t make good use of. But we’re going to find who did this to you. We’re getting closer and we will figure it out. We will get there.’

THIRTY-FIVE

A second warrant to search Heilbron’s house was denied, the judge stern with Raveneau after inviting him in and offering him coffee.

‘You searched his house once and found nothing tying him to the China Basin murder or a rape in the San Jose area. You never charged him for the murder. You didn’t have any evidence and still don’t. You had a confession of sorts but it didn’t stand up. By your own account it wasn’t credible and you knew that after you and your partner took him to the China Basin building. Am I correct in saying you didn’t believe his initial confession was credible? That there were inconsistencies with the murder scene?’

The judge waited and when Raveneau delayed, he asked, ‘Do you want milk in your coffee?’

‘No thanks, and yes there were inconsistencies. We hoped to hold him on the rape charge. That one—’

‘I agree that one is eerie but the victim was unable to identify him. The San Jose police showed her photos, did they not? She couldn’t identify him and if I’m not mistaken she told them that she never got a very good look at his face, even when he was working on the tire. She didn’t completely trust him. She didn’t stand too close to him. She was on her cell phone.’ He handed Raveneau