Chapter 31
Zach looked around the day care facilities at MMC. The director said that the women who came to the center were often very protective of their children. The day care program was designed to give these moms peace of mind, so they could go out and do whatever they needed to do. The director said that most of the children there had no father figure. He was currently trying to build a base of volunteers who have had background checks that could spend time with the children. Mr. Jamison pointed to one little boy of about two. "This young boy's father died recently. His mother is very protective of him, and was very hesitant to leave him in our care. We always ask permission of the mothers before allowing any of the male volunteers to spend time with the children. Our desire is to establish trust with these women." Zach squatted down to smile at the boy, who was stacking blocks. The boy noticed him and handed him a block. Then the boy looked off to the side and delight spread across his face. "Mommy!" Zach turned and saw a woman approaching, a very disturbed look on her face. "What are you two doing hovering around my son?"
Mr. Jamison looked pained. "Mrs. Townsend, I'm sorry if we upset you. I was giving Mr. Slater, here, a tour, and telling him about our idea of a mentoring program for children without fathers." The woman's face tightened with anger. "My son has a father. He may not be alive, but he will always be Chris's father. No volunteer is going to make up for that." As Mr. Jamison tried to smooth things over, Zach was assessing the boy's mother. There was something very familiar about her. Not in terms of having met her before, but perhaps having seen her picture. Then it hit him. This was Julia Santos, Maria's sister. The one who was supposed to be in the Witness Protection Program with her husband, Noah. Julia saw the spark of recognition in Zach's eyes, and gave him a warning look. Then she turned to the director. "Mr. Jamison. I apologize for overreacting. Maybe if I could speak with Mr. Slater for awhile, I would feel more comfortable at the idea of him spending time with my son." Mr. Jamison nodded his head rapidly. "Of course, of course. If you want to use one of our interview rooms, there is one over there.
Julia looked down at her son. "I'll be back in a little bit, sweetheart. You keep building that stack up as high as it can go!" She went swiftly to the room, Zach following her. When he had closed the door behind him, she turned and glared at him. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I know very well who you are. During the time when you were in Pine Valley last year, your name was often splashed on the tabloids. I could also tell that you recognize me. So tell me, Zach Slater or Alex Cambias Jr, whoever you are, what are you going to do now?" Zach sat down in one of the chairs, adopting a casual slouch. "I loved your sister, Maria, very much, Julia. For her sake I am not going to tell a soul that I saw you here. But since I did see you here, I think it entitles me to know why you would come here. Mr. Jamison said that Chris's father was dead. What happened?"
Julia didn't sit down. "First of all, you say you loved Maria, yet you apparently tried to break up her family. Second of all, you aren't entitled to a damn thing." Zach stood up. "The Miranda Center is for women and mothers who are in need of help and they have nowhere else to turn. That may very well describe you, but your situation is much more dangerous. You are a target, and as long as you stay here, this center would be a target as well. Do you really want that?" Julia breathed deeply, in and out. She sat down, her eyes turning bright with tears. "Noah was murdered. The FBI messed up badly and Slade's people caught up with us. I was so terrified that they would come after Chris too. I couldn't trust the FBI anymore, so I came here, hoping to find sanctuary with my family. But everyone has left. They've all moved out of town. So I decided to hide out here for a couple of days until I could figure out how to get to someplace safe. I also need to find out who exactly it was that killed my husband. I've run from these people long enough, I need to take action. I'm so sick and tired of feeling helpless." She wiped away a tear, clearly frustrated that he would see her so vulnerable.
"I know that most of what you've heard about me is not good at all. Please believe me when I tell you that I really did love Maria, and she did love me. When you do talk to her, you'll find out that I'm not such a bad guy. She might even tell you that you can trust me. I want to help you. For Maria's sake." She stared cooly at him for a few moments. "How could you help me?" He thoughtfully tapped a finger on the table. "I could get you wherever it is you want to go. In the casino business, you learn how to be discreet. I could also probably help you find out who it was that murdered your husband and what they have planned next." Her eyebrows shot up. "How could you possibly find that out? Oh no. No, no, no. Please tell me you aren't connected to organized crime. Damn it! A casino owner, I should have guessed."
He held up a hand. "I am not in any way connected to organized crime. But I did do a favor for another casino owner a few years ago, and he is in organized crime. He told me that if I ever needed anything, I could ask." She shook her head. "Are you crazy? You know how slippery a slope that is? I may not like you very much, but I'm certainly not going to ask you to consort with the mob to help me out." Zach laughed. "I'm not worried about it. As you pointed out, I am…or was…in the casino business. That has required me to rub shoulders with criminals of every level. I've been keeping them at arms length for years and I know how to interact with them without getting my hands dirty." Julia stared up at the ceiling. "Well, I'm not sure who else I could turn to about that particular subject. I am going to call Maria first and get the goods on you. If she isn't absolutely certain that I can trust you, I will be gone in a heartbeat." Zach took a card out of his wallet. "Here is my cell phone number. Give me the word and I'll contact that person I told you about." He stood up and walked out.