The King Tides

Chapter 13 Restraining Order

The Pearls awaited him at their table. Their lunches had been served and were untouched. He pulled up a chair and sipped his cold coffee. The profile of Nicki’s stalkers had just expanded to include a man who made enough money to drive a luxury sports car that 99 percent of the population couldn’t afford. It was in sharp contrast to the Hispanic in the pickup and the Canadian tourist with bad teeth.

“Please eat,” he said.

“Did you get him?” Melanie asked.

“In a manner of speaking, yes. I know who he is, which is enough to get me started. You guys did a great job getting him out of the restaurant.”

“Thanks,” Melanie said. “The manager came over afterward, and asked us if everything was all right. Nolan explained the situation, so we’re good.”

“Is that blood on your knuckle?” Nicki asked.

“It’s just a scrape,” he said.

“Did you fight him?”

“Not really. He knocked me to the sidewalk and ran to his car.”

“Why didn’t you punch his lights out? He’s a sicko.”

“I can’t prove that, Nicki. If I hit him, it would be grounds for the police to arrest me, and we don’t want that happening. But I have his name and some other personal information courtesy of my friend at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Would you like to help me track him down?”

Nicki’s face lit up. “You bet I would. When can we start?”

“Right now.”

Her parents weren’t as excited. Pearl said, “Jon, we’re not keen on using Nicki as bait again. It’s too risky.”

“I just want Nicki to help me do some cybersleuthing and get a bead on this guy. She won’t be put in harm’s way.”

“Maybe if we find him I can get extra credit with my CSI class,” Nicki said.

Pearl and his wife exchanged glances. Melanie nodded she was okay with this.

“Very well, go ahead,” Pearl said.

“Okay, Nicki, pick your weapon. Cell phone or iPad,” he said.

“iPad,” Nicki said.

“Pull it out, and let’s get started.”

Nicki’s purse was slung over the back of her chair. She pulled out her iPad and made a space on the table in front of her. It was an iPad mini and the size of a paperback book with a hot pink cover. She tried to get on the internet and frowned.

“I need a password to get on the restaurant’s Wi-Fi,” she said.

He waved down a waitress and got the password. Nicki connected her device to the internet and said, “Where do you want me to go?”

“Broward County Clerk of Courts. Just type it into Google. When it comes up, you’ll have a list of options. Click on ‘case search.’” While Nicki typed away, he explained to her parents how he planned to track down Zack Kenny. “About ten years ago, the Florida Supreme Court directed every county in the state to provide electronic viewing for most court records. I’m going to have Nicki find how many court cases Kenny has, which should give us some insights into his motive.”

“How do you know for certain that Kenny has a record?” Pearl asked.

“I’ve never met a deviant that didn’t have brushes with the law,” he replied. “They’re damaged people who can’t avoid trouble.”

“I’m on the county clerk’s page. It’s asking me for last name and first name,” Nicki said.

“Type in the name ‘Zack Kenny,’ and make sure you click on the box that says you’re not a robot,” he said.

“Done. It’s loading. Boy, this site is slow.”

Slow was in the eye of the beholder. In the old days, he would have paid a visit to the courthouse and spent an entire afternoon pulling up records. Now, he just went to the site and typed in a few commands to get what he wanted.

Nicki’s face crashed. “Crap. It says no files match your records.”

“If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Type in the name ‘Zackary Kenny’ this time, and see what pops up.”

Nicki did so and waited expectantly. “Wow. There he is. Look at all the court cases against him. There must be twenty in all. He must really be a bad guy.”

“Are you sure the cases are for the same person?” he asked. “There might be more than one Zackary Kenny living in Broward County.”

Nicki visually scrolled down the iPad’s screen. “I’m seeing four different birth dates associated with these cases. Do you know when he was born?”

The kid was a natural. He took out his cell phone and punched the “Message” icon. He’d written down the information that Devon had given him, and texted it to himself. This included Kenny’s date of birth, which was on his license.

“The Zack Kenny we want was born on May 5, 1983,” he said.

Nicki checked the cases. “I’ve got a match.”

“Let me see.”

She turned the iPad so the screen faced him. “It’s the fifth case from the top.”

He found the case and clicked on it. A new page came up with links to the charge filed against Kenny and the various court proceedings. He hit the link that would let him see the charge. A new page appeared, and he read it.

“What did you find?” Nicki asked.

“Four months ago, a lady named Karissa Clement from Delray Beach placed a restraining order against him. Kenny isn’t allowed to see her or call her on the phone. Do you think if I called Clement and told her that he was stalking you, she’d talk to me?”

Nicki nodded excitedly. So did her parents. He pushed the iPad back to Nicki.

“Find her for me,” he said.

Nicki giggled and started her search. In his experience, teenage girls were not easy company, their mood swings and raging hormones the definition of bad chemistry. Nicki was different and a real delight to be with.

“What can this Clement woman tell you?” Melanie asked.

“Maybe nothing or maybe everything,” he said. “I’ll find out when I talk to her.”

“So you don’t know for sure,” Melanie said.

“There are no crystal balls in investigations. You go where the leads take you.”

“I think I found her,” Nicki said. “Karissa Clement of Delray Beach has a résumé posted on LinkedIn and works as a registered nurse at Delray Medical Center. There’s some background information and a contact phone number.”

“Let me see,” he said.

Nicki slid the iPad in front of him, and he had a look. LinkedIn was a popular site for business people looking to network or find a new job. Clement’s page contained a brief work history along with favorable postings from people she’d worked with. She hadn’t posted a photograph of herself, so there was no way of telling how old she was. But it wasn’t a common name, and he had to think this was the same woman who’d put a restraining order on Kenny. He gave Nicki her device back and rose from his chair.

“I’m going to go find a quiet spot, and give her a call,” he said.

“Do you really think she’ll help you?” Melanie asked.

Most people didn’t want to get involved in other people’s problems. That was different with people who’d been victimized, especially women, who did not wish the bad fortune that had happened to them to strike someone else.

“Yes, I do,” he said. “Let’s hope I’m right.”