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From Chapter 7
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Strictly on a hunch, Rod checked the Berwyn telephone directory under the heading Limo Services. There he found PRIMO LIMO SERVICE, located at 1212 Oak Street. With that bit of information he went to the Berwyn Hall of Records. What he found there was somewhat, but not totally, a surprise. That limo service lists the owners: Anthony and Cindi Davidson.
Rod sat there looking straight ahead for a period, almost in a state of disbelief, trying to figure out what his next move might be. I’m barely into this thing, he thought, and already I’ve come up with a blockbuster. If I tell Shannon her father is married to a bigamist, he can, and might, mess everything up. If I don’t, that may not be right either. I’m gonna have to think about this for a while before I make a move. Could they possibly be brother and sister?
Included on the application for a business license was a former address, 1296 Balboa Drive, Chatsworth, California 91320. Perhaps some additional information could come from checking that out. It may help shed some light on just who these people really are. Rod still maintains contact with one of his close PI associates, who moved to the Los Angeles area two years ago.
Mason ‘Ace’ Edwards wanted to go there to be near the action. He actually settled in the San Fernando Valley, where Chatsworth is located. It should be easy for Ace to check out the address and give me a report, Rod thought.
At the moment, nothing is more important than finding out what the investigation in Chatsworth might reveal. When Rod returned to his office, Laura told him, “Shannon had been trying to reach you; she didn’t say why, but left a number.”
He had already decided not to say anything to her about the recent developments, at least for now. When he did reach her, she was curious as to the latest news. Without giving her any of the specifics he told her that he was working on a couple of things and that he would be in touch if anything important developed. His comment seemed to satisfy her, temporarily, but he knows he can't put her off for very long. He was hesitant to fill Laura in on the latest findings this soon, but felt it necessary to do so before too long.
A call to ‘Ace’ Edwards got the answering machine. Rod left a call back message. Ace’s response wasn’t immediate; it took a few days. Ace said he had been out of town on ‘a big one’. Rod filled him in on the details and Ace said, “I’ll check it out and get back to you.”
As it turned out, the address on Balboa is only a couple blocks from Ace’s office. The building is no longer standing, and although he wasn’t involved in the case, he recalls very well what happened at that address.
A little more than two years ago it was the scene of a big illegal boiler-room-operation run by Anthony ‘Tony’ Russo and his wife Cindi. Targeted in the con operation were primarily older, well to do couples, scammed out of their money on a phony Island vacation gimmick. Tony was convicted and sent to the Federal Prison at Lompoc, California. Cindi was given two years probation.
After serving a little more than a year, Tony was released from Lompoc when a mistrial was declared. As a result, Cindi’s probation was also revoked. The Russos immediately disappeared and are no longer in the area. According to what Ace was able to learn, Tony and Cindi hid large amounts of money obtained from their scheme. Those monies are probably what they used to buy into the World Gym and Primo Limo.
A couple of days later, Rod was in his office trying to decide what steps to take first with all the information, when the phone rang; it was Shannon.
“Hi, what’s on your mind?”
“Rod, I’m really worried about something.”
“OK, what is it?”
“I have always gotten a few hang-up calls from time to time, but now I get at least one every day, sometimes more.”
“Why does that have you so concerned?”
“It’s different now! It’s as if someone is trying to let me know that they know where I am all the time.”
‘Is there a particular time of' day that the calls come?”
“No, all different hours, and sometimes even late at night.”
“Is anything ever said?”
“No, I’ve never heard any words, but I’ve heard sounds a few times, like heavy breathing.”
“I don’t have an answer to that, Shannon, but if I were you, I’d call my provider and have my number changed immediately. Be sure to notify your agency, then see what happens and let me know.”
“Good idea, Rod, I’ll take care of that today.”
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Rod didn’t say anything further for fear of frightening her even more, but he feels the caller could well be someone who would do her harm. It could be her ex for some weird ‘get even reason’ or the couple Tony and Cindi, who may think that she knows too much; in that case they’d be right. He thought she has good reason to be concerned, but she is just a victim of circumstances, and finds herself in the position of simply knowing too much.
She definitely has good reason to be suspicious, having lost her relatively young mother under questionable circumstances. Then, at the urging of Cindi, her father had her cremated, saying it would ‘hasten his emotional recovery’. Add to that, when she learns what Rod already knows, she will have even more reason to be fearful.
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After considering the pros and cons, and discussing it with Laura, together they decided that Laura should go back to the gym and continue her weight loss program.
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