Bad Dads

By Emory Cosgrove

In January of 1983, a man abandons his pregnant wife. In February, the wife gives birth to a set of twins.Thirty-two years later, on of the twins is murdered while attempting to locate the wayward father.
Who would kill this man?
The footloose father?
The sleazy lawyer?
The twin’s ex-wife?
The best friend?
The religious cult leader?
The distinguished professor?
All of the above?
None of the above?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emory Cosgrove
• Release date: Aug 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463166116

Book preview

Prologue

Scottsdale, Arizona

October, 2015

Jason Stark had learned the hard way that some people really are as bad as they seem, and others are even worse. He and his former wife, Barbara, had finalized their divorce on July 6th, and he was still feeling the aftershocks in October. Barbara had been a quarrelsome, miserable companion, and Jason had no regrets over her exit from his life. But his six-year-old daughter, Danielle, was a different story. He loved her with all his heart and missed her every day. Unfortunately, the divorce court had failed to appreciate the depth of his fatherly devotion. A former actress and skillful liar, Barbara persuaded the court that Jason was a complete scoundrel and not to be trusted, especially around children. With a wave of the hand and a nod, the judge decreed that Jason was not to have any custodial rights with Danielle, not even unsupervised visits.

Slam.

As summer faded into fall, Jason spent more and more time thinking about people—not just Danielle, but others as well—family members, in particular. He knew all about his nonidentical twin sister, Charlotte. She lived only a few miles away in Northeast Phoenix. He saw her often, and the two of them were very close. But his mother was a brooding type with dark, impenetrable secrets; and his father, who had abandoned the mother while she was pregnant with him and Charlotte, was a closed book to him. Jason had no idea what his father looked like, or even what his name was. When the man vanished in January of 1983, his mother reverted to her unmarried surname, Stark, and assigned that name to her children. And when Charlotte and Jason were old enough to travel, she moved the three of them from San José, California, to Flagstaff, Arizona, in hopes that the change of location would prevent Mister Noname from tracking her down and bilking her out of her last five dollars.

Jason, a man of letters, referred to his father as a miscreant; but he often admitted to himself that he was curious about this man. He didn’t want to strike up a father-and-son thing with the guy, but he was very curious.

Chapter 1

Saturday, October 10, 2015.

The second Saturday morning in October, Jason gassed up his 2010 Ford Escape and drove to Flagstaff to speak with his mother about his father. As always, he and his mother began his visit by commiserating over the situation with Danielle. Then he started asking questions about his father. And as always, she refused to talk about the man. She did divulge his name, however. This was a first for her.

His name was Ricardo Alcantara. He claimed to be from Barcelona.

Do you have any photographs?

"I have plenty of photographs, but none of him."

Are there any old friends or neighbors in San José who might have photographs of him?

Why do you want to know about that man, Jason? You and Charlotte mean nothing to him. And he should mean nothing to you.

"I’m just curious, that’s all. A famous man once said that ‘curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.’ You know me, Mom. I’m a professor. I’m in the candle-of-learning business."

You and your famous men!... I believe another famous man once said that ‘curiosity killed the cat.’

So I’ve heard. How did the cat die, anyway? I’m curious about that, too.

* * *

Armed with the knowledge of his father’s name, Jason headed back home to Scottsdale. He was waylaid just north of Phoenix by the usual weekend traffic backup on Interstate 17, so it was dusk by the time he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex.

As he reached the top of the outside stairway to his apartment, he noticed a small human form sitting on the walkway with its back against the stucco wall, hugging its knees. As he drew closer, he saw that it was Danielle. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes rumpled and smudged.

Danielle… are you okay? Why are you here?

We had a fight at home. Mister Pace hates me, so does Mom. She dropped me off here after lunch and told me to stay with you.

By ‘Mister Pace’ you mean Orin Pace, the lawyer?

Yes.

Painfully aware of the legal restriction on his contact with Danielle, Jason immediately phoned his sister, Charlotte, then his lawyer, Stanley Kenton. Charlotte said she’d be right over. Kenton also said he’d be right over, and he added some sound lawyerly advice: "Do not enter your apartment with Danielle until I get there. Stay outside with her, in plain view."

Charlotte arrived first and took Danielle into Jason’s apartment to wash her face and tidy her clothes. Kenton arrived soon afterward, accompanied by a uniformed police officer named Doug Peterson.

Kenton explained the situation to Peterson, who followed standard procedure and phoned ex-wife Barbara. Barbara confirmed that she had dropped Danielle off at Jason’s apartment building and added that she never wanted to see the girl again. He wanted custody of the little brat…. Well, he can have it! It’ll serve him right.

To the group, Peterson repeated Barbara’s message, shrugged his enormous shoulders, and made a face that said go figure.

Kenton thanked Peterson and told him that he might be asked to recount this incident to a family-court judge in the near future. Peterson smiled, said he’d be happy to do that, and returned to his patrol car.

As they watched Peterson drive away, Kenton said: "Barbara’s actions might be just what the doctor ordered, Jace. By depositing Danielle at your doorstep unattended, she inadvertently violated the court order that says you’re forbidden to have unsupervised visits with her. Whether Barbara knows it or not, she’s in contempt of court, and she just confirmed it to the police. First thing Monday morning, I’ll contact her lawyer, ‘Pretty Boy’ Pace, and proffer the following deal: We won’t report Barbara’s actions to Child Protective Services if—but only if—she recants her courtroom claims about your lack of moral fitness for parenthood. That could be a key to getting the court order lifted. But don’t forget: As of right now, the court order’s still in force. If we don’t do this right, you could end up in jail and Danielle could find herself in foster care. I’ll get back to work on the court order right after I speak with Pace. In the meantime, Danielle should remain with Charlotte, at her house…. Is that okay with you, Charlotte?"

Of course it’s okay with me. I have more than a month of unused vacation time at work. I can start using it on Monday. How long is this likely to take, Stan?

Ironing out the deal with Pace shouldn’t take long. We’ve got him and Barbara between a rock and a hard place. Even a bonehead like Pace should be able to figure that out. But getting the court order lifted will take at least a week—maybe as long as a month.

Monday, October 12

Saturday’s events had elevated Jason’s spirits. Monday afternoon, he phoned Kenton for an update on the deal-offer to Pace and on the status of the court order.

Kenton said: Pace is stalling, but Barbara’s put herself in an untenable position, and he knows it. He’ll make his move in a few days. As I told you on Saturday, once he and Barbara agree to our offer, obtaining a stay on the court order will take anywhere from a week to a month. While we’re at it, we might as well shoot for sole custody of Danielle. If anyone’s an unfit parent, it’s Barbara.

In the course of their conversation, Jason told Kenton of his interest in locating his father, Ricardo Alcantara. He asked Kenton to recommend a private investigator who could help him with this. Kenton recommended Crabb Investigations. Crabb Investigations is a small, husband-and-wife operation. Jasper Crabb and his wife, Lori, are excellent investigators. They’re not cheap, but they’re as good as it gets when it comes to locating hard-to-find people.

Immediately after he ended the call to Kenton, Jason called Crabb Investigations and booked an appointment for Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday, October 13

Visually, Jasper and Lori Crabb were a very unlikely couple. Jasper looked like one of the diminutive characters in a Harry Potter movie, Lori a sleek cover model for an upscale fashion magazine. But Jasper’s earnestness and Lori’s unassuming manner gained Jason’s trust immediately. Jason explained his family history to them and described what he wanted. I’d like to confront Ricardo Alcantara and ask him why he abandoned my mother before my sister and I were born. Don’t get me wrong. I’d like to shame the pants off the guy; but I don’t want to threaten ’im, or kill ’im, or anything like that.

What about your sister? Jasper asked. Is she on board with this?

My sister’s a vice president at Western States Bank, so she’s a little less adventuresome than I am. But I’m sure I can convince her that this is a good thing to do.

"You need to understand that it’s seldom possible to conduct investigations of this kind without the target learning that someone is looking for him. What you’ve just told me suggests that Mister Alcantara has, at best, a lack of concern for the welfare of others—or at worst, a serious mean streak. If he gets wind of what you’re doing and he doesn’t want to be found, he might come looking for you, with bad intent…. Are you sure you want us to pursue this?"

Yes… definitely.

Friday, October 16 — Saturday, October 17

At 7:50 am on Friday, Jason received a call in his office on the Copper State University campus. The caller was Jasper Crabb. Crabb said he had a question and an update. My question concerns your birth certificate. It identifies your father as Richard Stark. There’s no mention of a Ricardo Alcantara. How should I interpret that?

"‘Stark’ was my mother’s unmarried surname. She reverted to it after my father deserted us. There might be a Richard Stark out there somewhere, but if there is, he’s not my father. I guess my mother recorded a white lie on the birth certificate. Don’t hold it against her. She likes to pretend that Ricardo Alcantara doesn’t exist—and never did…. So what’s your update?"

We’ve discovered that a man named ‘Ricardo Alcantara’ changed his name to ‘Romero Alvarez’ in California two weeks after you were born. The name-change was approved by the Superior Court in Sacramento County, California, on February 11th, 1983. ‘Alcantara’ is a Catalonian surname, very uncommon in the US, so this Romero Alvarez might be the man you’re looking for. Lori’s managed to obtain a 1983 California DMV photograph of Alvarez along with a Sacramento address. She’s following up on Alvarez now. But even if she can locate him, the results might be inconclusive unless we also locate someone who can look at Alvarez—or his photo—and say ‘I knew that person as Ricardo Alcantara.’… You wouldn’t happen to have a photograph of your father, would you?

"I’m sorry, I don’t. Nor does my mother. And although she could tell from the DMV photo whether or not Romero Alvarez is my father, I’m sure she’ll refuse to help. She doesn’t approve of this project one bit…. Just out of curiosity, do you suppose ‘Ricardo Alcantara’ might also be an assumed name? I mean, what if my father had a different name before he married my mother?"

That’s a definite possibility. We can look into it…. But for now, Lori’s first priority is to locate Romero Alvarez. She intends to fly to San José, California, this afternoon and show the Alvarez photo to people in your mother’s old neighborhood. Maybe we’ll get lucky.

This news put Jason’s spirits on the uptick again. He cancelled both his morning and afternoon classes and headed for Charlotte’s house. When he delivered the news about Ricardo Alcantara, Jasper and Lori Crabb, and Romero Alvarez, Charlotte gave him a skeptical look and asked why he was doing this. He responded with the old line about curiosity being the wick in candle of learning.

Later that morning, Charlotte, Danielle, and Jason went to a National Pancakes restaurant and treated themselves to a family breakfast. After breakfast, they went clothes shopping for Danielle, then spent the afternoon at the Phoenix Zoo, teaching Danielle fun facts about various exotic animals. "That big cat is a cheetah. Cheetahs are the fastest-running animals in the world. See the spots? Cheetahs have between two and three thousand spots. The spots help them hide from other animals that might want to harm them…. Can you say ‘cheetah’?"

The next morning, Charlotte prepared a picnic lunch, and she and Danielle picked Jason up at his apartment around 10:00. The three of them went to Granada Park, where they fed the ducks, enjoyed their picnic, and played ring toss and croquet until midafternoon. On their way back to drop Jason off at his apartment, they agreed to drive to the town of Picacho on Sunday to visit Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch and Petting Zoo.

Sunday, October 18

Sunday morning, Jason didn’t arrive at Charlotte’s house at 7:30, as planned. Charlotte called his smartphone and office phone several times, but got no response. Finally, around 10:15, Charlotte’s doorbell rang. She spoke rapidly as she opened her front door. Jace, you don’t need to ring the doorbell here. Where have you been? I….

The man at the door was wearing a police uniform. She recognized him as Officer Doug Peterson and greeted him by name.

Peterson said: Excuse me, Miz Stark. May I come inside?

Of course.

Peterson stepped inside and looked sheepishly at Danielle, then at Charlotte. I might as well get right to the point, ma’am. It’s my unpleasant duty to inform you that your brother is dead. His lifeless body was discovered in his apartment at 8:30 this morning. We suspect his death was a result of foul play.

Chapter 2

Still Sunday, October 18 — Mid Afternoon

That afternoon, Detective-Lieutenant Manuel Acosta and a female detective-sergeant named Lashonda Weems pulled up to the curb in front of Charlotte Stark’s house. Acosta kept his hands on the wheel and looked straight ahead as he spoke to Weems. According to Doug Peterson, there’s a young girl in the house. She’s the daughter of our murder victim, and Miz Stark’s niece. Can you play babysitter and keep the niece occupied while I interview Miz Stark?

Sure.

Okay then, let’s go.

When Charlotte Stark opened the door, Acosta was taken aback, for two reasons: She looked familiar to him somehow, and her otherwise-attractive face had a sad, worried look that she’d probably worn since childhood. Acosta introduced himself and his partner, then said: I apologize for bothering you at a time like this, ma’am, but it’s important that I ask you a few questions. He gestured toward his partner. Sergeant Weems can entertain your niece while you and I talk.

Charlotte rested her hands on her niece’s shoulders. Danielle, this gentleman is a policeman. He and I need to discuss some things. You and the nice lady can wait in the breakfast nook ’til we’re done. Why don’t you show her the coloring book I bought you yesterday?

Danielle took a long, wide-eyed look at Acosta’s sidearm. How do you do, sir?

"I’m fine, Danielle. How are you doing?"

I’m sad.

I’ll bet you are…. Do you mind if I speak with your aunt for a few minutes, alone?

No. I don’t mind. Danielle picked up her coloring book and led Weems into the kitchen.

She’s a little confused and very upset, Charlotte said. And so am I. First, her mother tried to take her away from her father… and now this?

I know this is a difficult time for both of you, ma’am. I’ll try to keep this interview short. But it’s important that I learn as much as I can about your brother.

Tell me, Lieutenant: The policeman who was here this morning—Officer Peterson. He told me that my brother was dead and that the police suspect foul play. Precisely what is the meaning of ‘foul play’?

I don’t believe ‘foul play’ has precise definition, Miz Stark, so I’ll spare you the euphemisms…. Your brother was murdered. A neighbor noticed that the door to his apartment was standing open this morning. She went inside and discovered that he was dead. The coroner’s office has classified his death as a homicide.

"Can you tell me how he was murdered?"

I’m sorry, but I’m not at liberty to discuss that right now.

I understand…. Thank you for being frank, Lieutenant. And please don’t call me ‘Miz Stark.’ That paints a picture of me as an old maid who teaches second grade somewhere. My name is ‘Charlotte.’… Now, what do you need to ask me?

What can you tell me about your brother? The case has been assigned to Detective and me. We need something to go on.

"Jace is—was—a literature professor at Copper State University. He and I were nonidentical twins. He was born six and a half minutes before I was, so he liked to refer to himself as my ‘older brother.’ But he was… immature in some ways. He was often impractical where I’m practical, impetuous where I’m cautious, and so forth…. But in spite of our personality differences, we were very close. I loved him dearly. Her voice began to crack. I’m going to miss him in ways I can’t begin to describe."

Take your time, Charlotte…. Did he have any enemies?

"If someone murdered him, he had at least one. But I can’t imagine who that would be. His ex-wife, Barbara, despised him and did everything she could to make his life miserable. With him dead, however, she won’t have anyone to torment in the way she could torment him. I suspect she’ll miss him almost as much as I will—but in a very different way…. In your line of work, you must’ve heard that story before."

Yeah, several variations of it…. But my partner and I will need to talk with her anyway. Can you give me Barbara Stark’s address?

"Her name isn’t ‘Barbara Stark.’ It’s ‘Barbara Delray.’ She didn’t take Jace’s surname when they married. She once had a speaking part in an episode of Ace Trainer, Private Eye, so she considered herself a professional actress who needed to preserve her ‘stage name.’… The address is 3695 West Abernathy Lane. It’s in a university enclave called ‘The Villas.’"

You have her address memorized?

Only because it used to be Jace’s address.

What about the people your brother worked with? Any problems?

He never mentioned serious issues with any of his colleagues.

How about students? Are there any disgruntled students out there?

"Not that I know of. His colleagues would know more about that than I do. I suggest you ask them that question."

Can you suggest who I might start with?

"Patricia Bentley. She’s the chair of the philosophy department. She and Jace were longtime friends. Close friends. He considered her a soul mate—a kind of confesseur, or confesseuse, or whatever the correct term for a female confessor is."

Address? Phone number?

Charlotte picked up her iPhone from the coffee table and checked her contacts list. The address is 1074 Palo Verde Court. Her cell number is 480-555-5813. I don’t believe she has a landline in her house. She’s modern.

Acosta wrote the address and phone number in his notepad, then looked up. Were your brother and Professor Bentley involved romantically?

No. He had an on-and-off romance with a woman in the history department. Another professor. Jace broke it off with her for good a few weeks ago…. Good riddance!

What’s the woman’s name?

Adelle Laurent.

Address and phone number?

I can’t help you there, Lieutenant. I’m sure Patricia Bentley can tell you how to get hold of Adelle Laurent.

Did Professor Laurent have hard feelings over the break-up?

Not that I know of. I’m sure Jace would’ve told me if she did.

Had he had any unusual encounters with people or made any new acquaintances lately?

Saturday before last—the 10th, I mean—he had an unusual encounter involving Danielle. You might know something about that.

I know a little about it. Officer Peterson told me, but I’d like to hear your version.

"Of course…. There was some background to that incident, of which Officer Peterson probably wasn’t aware. In January, when the divorce proceedings began, Jace sought sole custody of Danielle. When he realized he wouldn’t get it, he lowered his sights to joint custody. But Barbara and her lawyer generated a long list of unsavory character traits—from aloofness to xenophobia with latent pedophilia in between—and ascribed all of them to Jace. Not a single one of Barbara’s claims was ever corroborated, not by mutual acquaintances, Danielle, or anyone else. Mind you: Barbara doesn’t care two cents about Danielle. She concocted that yarn out of sheer meanness. Anyhow, the judge bought Barbara’s accusations and ruled that Jace was to have no custodial rights at all. In fact, he was even forbidden to have unsupervised visits with his own daughter. There was a court order out there to that effect. Jace’s lawyer, Stan Kenton, was trying to obtain a stay on that order.

"Now, regarding the event on Saturday the 10th: Jace had driven up to Flagstaff that day to visit our mother. He arrived back at his apartment building around 5:30 and found Danielle sitting on the walkway in front of his apartment. She told Jace that there’d been a fight at home and that Barbara had dropped her off and told her to stay with daddy. Because the court had forbidden Jace from spending time alone with Danielle, he immediately called me, explained the situation, and asked me to come and play chaperone. He also called Stan Kenton. Stan arrived shortly after I did, with Officer Peterson in tow. Stan explained the circumstances to Officer Peterson, and Peterson phoned Barbara to confirm that she had dropped Danielle off and that Jace hadn’t kidnapped her.

"After Peterson left us to return to his normal duties, Stan explained to Jace and me that Barbara had inadvertently violated that court