Employee of the Year

Chapter 15 - Cul de Sac

Larry suggested that we divide and conquer. Phones were obviously no use. No one connected to Stark was going to take our calls, which would just arouse more suspicions anyway. Roland drove down to Mission Viejo in Orange County to visit an address that Larry found tied to Beth Stark in a credit report. I went out to Corona to inspect the remains of the defunct Rebel Without a Cause Auto Store.

The empty shop was in the rear of a sprawling strip mall, tucked behind several major dealers and half a dozen service shops. The sign was still visible above the entrance, though slightly faded. Next to the lettering was a silhouette of James Dean, leaning on one hip, thumbs in his pockets, just like a movie poster. Inside was a central stage where the vintage Mercury must have been parked at one time.

In the muffler shop next door, I met a pudgy Asian-American man with a goatee. He was filling out paper work at a cash register while Latino mechanics worked on cars in the garage. I knew this must be Roy Kikuyama, Stark's friend interviewed in the news article.

"God, it's all such a shock," Roy told me after I introduced myself as one of Stark's former customers. "I never thought something like this could happen to Jesse. He seemed invincible. So much confidence. So much energy. Even if the economy went to hell in a hand basket, I always figured Jesse would be the last man standing. He was an inspiration for the rest of us."

"Jesse helped me fix up an old Corvette my uncle gave me," I lied. "But that was a few years back. I haven't been up here for a while. When I heard that Rebel went out of business, I couldn't believe it. What happened?"

"I'm not really sure, to be honest," Roy said. "I sure as heck don't know how he went into a tailspin so fast. Problems with the wife, I think. Jesse liked the ladies. Loved the fast life. Loved James Dean. But he always seemed like he could handle it. After all, he had star quality."

"Well, I know he blew me away with the work he did on my Corvette. I wanted to put in a new engine, give it some juice. No other mechanic in SoCal would touch it, but Jesse fixed me right up."

"That's the kind of guy Jesse was. He'd take on the challenge that no one else dared to touch. If anyone told him something couldn't be done, he'd just say, 'Watch me.' Completely self-taught, too" Roy picked up a book from the counter. "He knew about more than cars too. He knew about business and philosophy. He was always studying up on how to program his mind for success. I remember the first time I met him; he told me he knew he was going to be a millionaire someday. He knew he was going to live in a mansion up on Songbird Lane. 'Always think positive', he told me, 'don't invite any negativity into your life.'"

I checked the title of the dog-eared book: Secret of the Millionaire Mind. I flipped through the pages, stopping when I found an underlined passage:

            Place your hand on your heart and say...

            I admire rich people!

            I bless rich people!

            I love rich people!

            And I'm going to be one of those rich people too!

I clapped the book shut and gave it back to Roy.

"Did you know his wife, Beth?" I asked.

"Sure. She was around the shop a lot in the early days. They were in the business together. She was a real good mechanic herself. Never met a woman who knew cars like that. Real pretty girl too. I was so sorry to hear they'd split up."

"When's the last time you saw her?"

"She came by last week, actually. I guess she still has a key to the shop. It's been abandoned for months. But Jesse still used it to sell some spare parts he was trying to unload. He kept the famous Mercury there too from time to time. That's what she came about. She wanted to check out the Mercury. Part of the custody battle, I guess. That car was worth a fortune. Well, Jesse made sure she wasn't going to get her hands on that.