Done for a Dime (49 page)

Authors: David Corbett

Tags: #Mystery

BOOK: Done for a Dime

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They stayed like that a moment, then with a jerky suddenness she pulled herself free of his arms and rose. “I really do have to get back.” Her face contorted in a wrenching smile and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “If you decide to leave, please lock the door.”

“I’m not leaving,” he told her. “I’ll stay. If that’s all right.”

The merest smile flickered across her lips, at the same time her eyes welled up. She nodded, then fled. He waited a long while, hoping she’d come back. Make some excuse, cut work. Once a half hour passed he knew it was futile, for now. I’ll wait, he thought, like I promised, till six. He lay on his side, curled up his knees. Closing his eyes, he waited for sleep. He needed so badly to dream a convincing dream.

Acknowledgments

The author was aided in many ways by many people, without whose assistance this book would simply fail to exist.

First and foremost, the author wishes to thank his agent, Laurie Fox, and editor, Mark Tavani, whose guidance and advice repeatedly steered him back from woeful errors, fruitless digressions, and shoddy work. Also, Marie Coolman, Michelle Aielli, Mary Seimsen, Kim Hovey, Joe Blades, and everyone else at Ballantine have provided encouragement and assistance on so many levels, in so many ways, and on so many occasions that it would be impossible to overstate.

A number of individuals provided guidance on factual matters, and if errors remain in the text, it is entirely the fault of the author and not these generous and informed sources. Mark Chubb, Assistant Fire Region Commander of the Transalpine Fire Region, New Zealand Fire Service, and John D. DeHaan, Ph.D.—whose
Kirk’s Fire Investigation
is arguably the most useful, scientifically sound, and comprehensive text on the investigation of incendiary fires yet to be written—were invaluable in matters concerning arson, the physics of fire, and the specifics of firefighting. Detective Sid DeJesus of the Vallejo Police Department and Reserve Officer Rick Ruffatto of the East Palo Alto Police Department saved the author from many misconceptions regarding police procedure and investigative strategy and techniques. Patrick V. Garland and “Sarge” Hardeman helped regarding life and work as an MP in the 1970s, and Lyle Ferguson shared his Coast Guard experiences so the author could understand better how that agency patrols the Central American coast.

James Kern, executive director of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, showered the author with more information than he could absorb concerning the history of the Mare Island shipyards and the community, housing, and culture that arose in the neighboring region. Kathy Blume proved invaluable on matters concerning local flora and fauna. Antonio Rangel’s assistance concerning big rigs and tank trucks is especially appreciated. Brad Hughes, Diana Lang, and Marcus Shelby filled in some of the gaping holes in the author’s musical knowledge.

Once again, the author was aided in his Spanish usage by Elly Sturm and Ana Ramirez, the latter of whom is also to be thanked profoundly for her guided tour of El Salvador.

Some of the author’s helpers simply shared events from their lives.

Jerry Karr provided anecdotal tales concerning growing up at the northern end of San Pablo Bay and hunting and fishing amid the hills, sloughs, and salt flats bordering the Napa River. Linda Bixby shared her experiences concerning traumatic shock that gave the author a personal, visceral insight into how one survives terrifying helplessness. Jacqueline Morgan and her family, simply by being such marvelous friends to the author and his late wife, provided insights the author would never have grasped without their generosity, goodwill, humor, and kindness.

Tom Rickman, Ann Close, and Mark Childress all read portions of the manuscript prior to publication, and their encouragement and advice helped the author make this a much better book than he could have managed alone.

Although the textual research for this book covered a lot of ground, a few books proved particularly helpful. As already noted,
Kirk’s Fire Investigation
by John D. DeHaan (Brady/Prentice Hall) was indispensable.
Understanding Police Culture
by John P. Crank (Anderson Publishing Co.);
Cop Shock: Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
by Allen R. Kates (Holbrook Street Press);
What Cops Know
by Connie Fletcher (Pocket Books); and
Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation
by David E. Zulaski and Douglas E. Wicklander (CRC Press) provided crucial insights into police work and life as an American law officer.
Slang Dictionary
(2001), compiled by the Communication Arts and Sciences Program, Berkeley (CA) High School, provided the author an invaluable source for reasonably current street vernacular.

Finally, portions of this book were written prior to the death of my wife, Terri. She believed in the book, felt a bond with its characters, and encouraged me to tell their tale. I wish she were here to see the fruits of that support, because I owe her more than I can say, and always will.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The city of Rio Mirada does not exist, but the region in which it has been placed—the hills and wetlands surrounding the conflux of the Napa River and San Pablo Bay, northeast of San Francisco—is real. So much has been altered, however, for the sake of dramatic effect and narrative clarity, that it, too, should be considered a fictional construct of the author’s imagination.

Cover design by Angela Lennert Wilcox, Wilcox Design

This edition published in 2012 by
MysteriousPress.com
/Open Road Integrated Media

180 Varick Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com

EBOOKS BY DAVID CORBETT

FROM
MYSTERIOUSPRESS.COM
AND OPEN ROAD MEDIA