The Mamacita Murders (28 page)

“Yeah. Stuff like that.”

“It had to be Clown.”

“But Clown was locked up. It couldn’t be him,” I say. “Look, I don’t know if you’re trying to cover for someone, but we need to know the truth,” I say.

“I am telling the truth,” Christina says adamantly.

“Christina, I read what you wrote in your Mamacita Mason Jar notes, that you were getting threats after what happened to Laura. Tell me about that,” I say.

“I don’t want to be involved.”

“Christina, Laura’s in a coma. She can’t talk. You need to tell us what you know,” I say.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” says Christina.

“Tell me who was threatening you,” I say.

“I don’t know who it was.”

“Why did you say Clown did the drive-by?”

“I don’t know. I’m thinking it has to be someone from Lincoln. They want to come and kill me.”

“Why do they want to kill you?” I ask.

“Someone was calling my cell phone and saying I better keep it out of my mouth. She called me a snitch.”

“Did she identify herself?”

“No.”

“Did she explain what she meant?”

“No.”

“What do you think she meant?”

“To keep my mouth shut about everything.”

“What’s everything?”

“Clown pimping Laura out. An officer she was messing with.”

“Tell me about the officer Laura was messing with.”

“Well, he would come by once in awhile and she took care of him. He never had to pay though. He would get favors for free because he had something worked out with Clown.”

“He never arrested Laura?”

“No, no way. He’d never do that.”

“Who do you think the lady calling you is?”

“Maybe Laura’s boss.”

“I thought Clown was her pimp.”

“He is, but more as protection. She has a boss lady. I know that for sure, she just never told me who it was.”

“Why do you think Lincoln’s shooting at us?”

“Because who else would it be? Laura wanted to leave the ring. Then that thing happened with her in the motel. She was taken care of and now they’re trying to take care of me. That’s how they play. Clown knew I was close to Laura.”

“Did you see who was inside in car?”

Christina looks down.

“No,” she says nervously.

“Christina, I know you were looking right inside the car when you were out there. Are you sure you didn’t get a look?”

“I didn’t. I couldn’t see who was in there. It happened so fast.”

“I know, but you were right there. I thought maybe you got a look.”

“I didn’t,” Christina says, putting her head down and shaking it back and forth.

“I swear, Miss Gaby, I couldn’t see,” Christina starts to cry.

I wish I could order her to answer my question, but I’m not in a courtroom and she hasn’t taken an oath to tell the truth. I’m out on the street, where court rules and judge’s orders don’t seem to matter. Life out on the street is hard enough for girls like Christina. They are just trying to get by day to day. They live by their own rules and if they don’t want to answer something, they don’t. They have their own safety to worry about.

The best I can do is appeal to Christina to do the right thing and tell me. Even though she knows more, I can’t force her to tell me, just like I couldn’t force Clown.

“Someone’s trying to send you a message, Christina. It’s important for you to tell me who that might be. If not, I can’t help you.”

“I think they’re trying to send a message to you, Miss Gaby.”

“What do you mean to
me
?”

“They don’t like what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?”

“You’re helping girls like me and Laura stay off the street. Laura was starting to change. She really wanted to join The Mamacita Club and made me give her all my books after I read them. Bess and my mom think the club is all BS. They want it shut down. Bess wouldn’t let Laura join because she didn’t want us hanging around,” she says.

“Did she think you were involved in the prostitution stuff too?” I ask.

“I don’t know what that woman thought. But she certainly doesn’t like me. I’ve never told you this, but I’m the one that called police on Javier,” she says.

“I always wondered if it was you,” I say.

“I think my mom told Bess it was me,” she says.

“So why am I the target?” I ask, changing the subject.

“The club is making a difference. You’re making it harder for the ring to do their job. They don’t want me talking to people like you.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because the lady said that on the phone. I told her I was going to tell you what was going on. And she said she was going to take care of you.”

“Did she say what she was going to do?”

“No. She just said ‘Don’t worry about her, I’m going to take care of her.’”

“Do you think they’re here right now?”

“No. But I’d watch my back if I were you, Miss Gaby.”

“Did that officer that Laura was sleeping with know how close you and Laura were?”

“Yeah, I’ve met him. I’ve hung out with them.”

“Tell me this, Christina. What’s the name of the officer Laura was sleeping with?”

“I ain’t telling you his name.”

“Christina, why are you going with your mom?” I say, changing the subject.

“What are my other options? The guy I’m with now beat me up for no reason. He used to treat me good, but it ain’t worth him slapping me around, even though he buys me things. Sleeping with him is one thing, but abusing me is another.”

I stay quiet. What do I tell a seventeen year-old girl who openly admits that she uses her body to get by on a day-to-day basis? It takes all of me to keep my mouth shut, but I do. Because I need Christina to help me. I need girls like her and Laura to be willing to come forward and lay down the law for these men so they stop taking advantage of young women like Christina.

“Christina, can I ask you something?” I say.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Why would a pimp kill his source of income?”

“What are you saying? Why would a pimp kill a hooker like Laura?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Let me tell you something,” she says. “These men prey on girls that have issues. They look for girls whose parents don’t care about them or have parents that are drug addicts, alcoholics, gamblers, gang members, or in prison. They look for girls like me. When I was eight years old, I still remember my mom taking me to the bathroom in a fast food restaurant on the way to the mountains. When I came out, she was gone. I waited for three days before social services picked me up. I didn’t see my mom again for seven years.

“These men know who the girls are that have issues. They take advantage of us. If you’re asking me why a man would kill a girl like Laura, somebody who’s making them money? I’ve been beaten up before when I’m trying to get away from a guy. They’ll come and stalk you, beat you up, and even leave you for dead if you try and leave them. Especially these gang members. They’re all pimping out girls because prostitution is hard to uncover,” says Christina truthfully.

Christina is right. No one involved is going to snitch to police. Plus, it’s easy to get away with. When police stop a girl with her pimp, it’s easy for her to pass him off as her boyfriend. Sex workers are a lucrative commodity for a gang and they carry less liability. They aren’t easily detectible by police, such as guns, stolen merchandise, or drugs.

But the real problems start when the girl tries to get away from her pimp. These gang members will stick other gang members on them just to control their bitches. They even post things online about assaulting the sex workers that leave. People tell the girls you can stop doing this, but it’s not true. Aside from getting the gang on them, pimps will threaten their sex workers and even kill them; all to show other girls what will happen if they try to leave.

“What else can you tell me about the cop that was sleeping with Laura?” I ask.

“I can tell you this. Laura told me her mom and the cop were close,” she says.

“Did she say in what way?” I ask.

“She never wanted to talk about it,” she says.

“Did Laura ever tell you if this cop threatened her?”

Christina stays quiet, looking down towards the metallic bench connected to the picnic table we are sitting at.

“He never threatened her, but he was aggressive sometimes. She mentioned he did things.”

“Like what?”

“Tie her up.”

“With what?”

“Anything he could find. Things around the motel room or even his uniform. He would take off his shirt and tie it around her,” Christina says.

“What do you mean motel room?” I ask.

“Clown rented her motel rooms and sometimes Laura would be with three or four men that would come through the room. Clown would wait for her downstairs in his car and make sure she was safe. If Laura ever had a problem, she could call him and he’d be right there,” she says.

“Did you actually see Clown waiting or did Laura tell you about it?” I ask.

“I saw it happen. They were trying to get me involved.”

“Did Laura say how the cop would tie her up?”

“He’d just have her put her hands together above her head and tie her wrists together,” Christina says. “I mean, nothing that hurt or anything. Laura never had bruises. She was cool with it. It just seemed like he wanted to domino, I mean, what’s that word? Dominatrix?”

“Dominate?”

“Yeah, that. She would say that word.”

I stare at Christina, who looks so young, but knows way too much about Laura and prostitution, that I’m convinced she has started hooking or is about to.

“Christina, why are you going with your mom? She’s not a safe person to be with.”

“I feel safer with her than with the men I’ve been living with lately. And I’m done living with my grandma at the trailer park. In fact, I’m heading over there right now to pick up the rest of my stuff.”

“You deserve more, Christina,” I say. “I want you to believe that. Your mom is no example and not a good person for you to be with. She hasn’t proven to you that she’s changed. A few months ago, she was trying to sell you to a man. You’re better off staying with your grandma.

“You’re a beautiful girl and you have so much potential. The poetry you write is amazing. You could do something with your life. It’s your choice. But please think hard before you decide to stay with your mom. That’s only going to land you in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I care a lot about you and this is the only reason I’m telling you this. Your mom has a drug problem. She can’t take care of you and you don’t need to be taking care of her. You should be following your dreams, finishing school, and being the counselor you want to be. There’s other options out there for you. When you’re ready, you can call me or Angela and stay at the Airstream.”

“I know,” Christina replies. “You’ve always said that to me.”

“I’m going to try and stay out of your business. But what I need you to do for me is show up to court the day after tomorrow and testify about Laura getting pimped out by Clown and the things she told you. We’ll be in Department Nineteen at one-thirty in the afternoon. If you don’t show up, I’m sending out a search crew for you,” I say.

“I’ll show up. Someone like Clown, he’s going to keep doing what he’s doing, pimping out young girls. That’s why I’ll show up,” Christina says.

“I need you to tell me one more thing,” I say, reaching into my pocket and taking out the crumpled Mamacita Mason Jar note. I unfold it and study it again.

It’s identical to the one I received at my door.

“How’d you find that? I thought your threw those away?” says Christina.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask.

“I was afraid,” says Christina.

“Where’d you get this?” I ask.

It was in my door jamb at my grandma’s,” she says.

“Who do you think left it?” I ask.

“The same person who did the drive-by. I found it the same day,” she says nervously.

Christina pulls a crumpled piece of paper from her purse. “And this one was left at my grandma’s yesterday,” says Christina, whose eyes are filling up with tears.

I open it and read the purple ink.

27

UNRAVELED

A couple hours after leaving Lacy Park, I head home in the beast. My cell phone rings.

“Hi, Gaby, this is Officer Vince Saunter, Kiki’s friend from the property room. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but there’s quite a stir going on at Leafwood RV Park. Your Airstream was just towed. Apparently some calls came in starting around five o’clock. Leafwood PD was dispatched out there and a flatbed was sent out there. I thought I’d give you a call, since I know how expensive it can be to store something like that and pay tow fees. You know?” says Vince.