Beautiful Girls (3 page)

^{We asked and McBride offered that the crime technician was just about done and that when he departed there should be no other activity at the estate this day. McBride said, yes, he and his relief officer would be staying guard overnight to keep the curious out. Edie unlocked the French doors at the rear of estate and offered him the use of the mansion's kitchen and first floor bathroom.}

^{We continued down the path to the pool house. Edie paused as she got to the front door.}

^{She turned and said, “Do you know how long it's been since we've been together in my L.A. home?”}

^{“I wish it was under different circumstances.”}

^{“Oh, Stevie, I know.”}

^{As we hugged a thought passed through my head. I kept it there until our embrace ended.}

^{“Was this door unlocked when you got here last night?”}

^{Edie answered, “Yes, it was.”}

^{“Do you usually lock it when you leave?”}

^{“Sure, I always do.”}

^{“Who also has keys?”}

^{She said, “Bambi, Troy, my father. I think Tawny does, too.”}

^{I thought about that as we walked inside and shut the door behind us. Edie went through the little home, turning on some lights and the stereo, and said, “Stevie, put your bag in the bedroom. I've made space in the closet and the bottom drawer of my bureau and the medicine cabinet for you.”}

^{I walked in the bedroom, dropped my bag and quickly returned to the living room.}

^{I asked, “If Troy and Bambi are dead and the others are missing, who left it unlocked?”}

^{“Oh, maybe it was Solana.”}

^{I asked, “Who?”}

^{“The maid, she has a key.”}

^{“When was she here last?”}

^{“Last week; she's here twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but she only cleans the pool house on Thursday. But, she always locks the door when she's done.”}

^{“OK, let's ask her about it tomorrow. Was anything missing or disturbed in here?”}

^{“Well, it was cleaned and orderly, like Solana leaves it.”}

^{I asked again, “Did you notice anything, anything at all, out of order?”}

^{“No, Stevie, not that I…wait a minute. I think the bedroom door was open and the bathroom door, too; Solana always closes them. Why are you asking all this?”}

^{“Because I want to say a prayer of thanks to God.”}

^{She looked at me quizzically, “What are you talking about?”}

^{“I'm thankful your filming went long.”}

^“Why?”

^{Then, she gasped and paused.}

^{“Oh, Stevie!”}

^{“Yes, I'm very glad you weren't here.”}

^{“No, you don't think…”}

^{I said, “Yes, I think the killer could've been in here, too.”}

^{“Oh, God, Stevie, you're really getting me scared!”}

^{“I'm sorry, darling.”}

^{I closed the distance between us and held her tight. Edie was shivering. I grabbed the quilt off the couch and wrapped her in it as we sat down.}

^{I asked, “Were Bambi and Tawny home yesterday?”}

^{“Yes, they were. Or, I think so. I spoke to Bambi yesterday morning and told her I had to stay in Vancouver a few more hours to re-film a scene.”}

^{“Hmmm…”}

^{“What are you thinking?”}

^{“I'm thinking you were very lucky not to be here yesterday afternoon!”}

^{She looked at me stunned.}

^{I said, “I also think Tawny and your dad's disappearance could be connected to the other three's deaths.”}

^{“Oh, my God!”}

^{“I better call Detective Lomita.”}

^***

^{Twenty minutes later Edie and I were in bed holding each other. I told her that Lomita would stop by the next morning to talk further. Lomita wasn't surprised to hear from me. I was surprised that he listened to me without any of his usual acerbic comments. I guess that was the respect I earned from Sid Garrett's murder investigation nine years earlier.}

^{Bambi, Troy and Lisa had died instantly from their gunshot wounds. Lomita thought Troy was killed first because Lisa was splattered with Troy's blood. Both were seated on their couch watching TV. There was no sign of a struggle. It looked like Troy and Lisa either knew the killer or the killer surprised them or both. They were shot in the forehead.}

^{It was Lomita's opinion that Bambi heard the first two shots. She had left the mansion and was walking towards the garage when her life suddenly ended. She or someone had left open the kitchen's French doors. Bambi was shot in the right temple. The murder weapon was in Bambi's right hand and had only her prints on it. But, Lomita didn't think she committed the murders or her suicide. Lomita also mentioned that there had been a third incident near the garage. A paving brick had been removed from the side of a planter. It was lying in the driveway and had a small amount of blood on it. Lieutenant Lomita also wanted Edie to give a blood sample to determine if this could be her father's. He would also check to see if a DNA trace matched with Bambi or Troy to see if it was Tawny's blood.}

^{Lomita and his partner had conducted a search of the mansion and the poolside cabana. While there was no sign of foul play in either home, he wanted to escort Edie on a search in the morning as she might notice something.}

^{Lomita told me that he had ordered a search of Edie's cabin in Tucson. He also had passed the license plate number of Rob Nealy's car to the California and Arizona Highway patrols. Nothing had turned up yet.}

^{Edie was snoring before I finished explaining this phone conversation. I was awake for a while as all these thoughts tumbled around inside my head.}

 

^{Tuesday, October 19, 2004}

^{I woke first, early. It was 6:30 AM. Edie was soundly sleeping. I got up, showered, shaved, dressed, unplugged my cell phone from the charger, and walked to the living room, shutting the bedroom door behind me.}

^{I clicked on the TV and turned the volume to a low level. I found coffee beans and a grinder and made a pot of coffee. I grabbed a grapefruit from the fruit bowl on the half-wall counter dividing the kitchen from the living room. I peeled the fruit and put it in a bowl. I poured granola and milk in a second bowl. With my fresh coffee and half and half in a mug, I sat on one of the high leg chairs at the counter. Beautiful, reflected sun from the surface of the pool produced shimmering light in the pool house. This sparkling, glorious image contrasted with the horror that happened at this estate a day and a half earlier.}

^{My mind focused on the House of Gabriel. I thought of all that happened over the past ten years.}

^{It was an unexpected action. A year before his death in 1995, Sid Gabriel had changed his will. He had declared his love-child, Tawny, his legal daughter and made it a stipulation in his will that she be named and raised as Tawny Deer Gabriel. He also stated his intention to marry his secret fiancée, Bambi Deer, and desired her to use his last name as her own on his death, if that occurred before they were married. In addition, Sid wrote that he would revisit his will after he married Bambi. His murder prevented that from happening.}

^{The changes he did make gave Bambi a life annuity that provided her $10,000 per month. Plus, Bambi received a tenancy on his large mansion for twenty-two years, and a $50,000 annual housing maintenance allowance; until their daughter, Tawny, turned twenty-five. Then, Tawny would inherit the big house, the land and all of its contents, free and clear. Sid also established a $2 million trust fund for Tawny that she could access at twenty-five. Bambi then would have a life tenancy on the smaller pool house on Sid's estate.}

^{In addition, Sid created a life annuity for Edie McCall that provided her $10,000 a month and gave her a tenancy on the pool house for twenty-two years. Sid extended his generosity to Edie's father, Rob Nealy, by providing him a life annuity of $5,000 a month. Rob's funds were deposited until he completed his eight-year prison term.}

^{The remaining majority of Sid's estate, mostly real estate investments worth over ten million dollars, was left to his son, Troy. Troy also had a twenty-two year tenancy on the estate's garage apartment. If either child died without legal heirs, the other sibling would inherit their estate.}

^{As a result of Sid's actions, Bambi's relationship with Sid, and her daughter's birth, was legitimized in the eyes of the law. Bambi was promoted from concubine to widowed queen consort. She was gracefully preserving the legacy of her betrothal to the king, maintaining his estate for their princess, and presiding over a court that included the crown prince and a maid-in-waiting, of sorts. When I visited this kingdom a year earlier, I was the knight-errant making the queen's long-desired return, in the form of my vacation.}

^{I didn't know what to expect from Bambi. She was very welcoming to me, but we weren't close friends. No, it was more accurate to say we were acquaintances that shared a traumatic episode.}

^{At forty-nine, Bambi still looked beautiful. She was petite and had a big, white-toothed smile, large expressive brown eyes, a straight, prominent nose, high cheek bones and a gorgeous southern accent from her youth in South Carolina. Her dyed-blonde hair was long, parted just off center, and still falling down her back. Her big chest, a legacy from her now-ended professional career, partially hid the fact that Bambi was very thin. She stood five feet two inches tall, but couldn't weigh more than one hundred and ten pounds. Her clothes were more conservative than years earlier. She greeted me dressed in white slacks, a stylish black sweater set, and black high-heeled boots. Bambi had a kind, generous personality, and was the kind of wife and mother a husband and children dream about.}

^{I soon met Bambi's daughter, Tawny. At nearly eleven, she was a beautiful, friendly, poised and well-mannered young woman. At five feet two inches tall, Tawny had already reached her mother's height and looked like a child model. She wore shorts, sandals and a sleeveless t-shirt. Her hair nearly reached to her waist, was naturally dark brown, and tied back with a blue ribbon into a very long pony tail.}

^{I also met Tawny's twenty-six year-old half-brother, Troy Gabriel, poolside. Troy was a cocky but friendly millionaire. His wealth gave Troy confidence and a relatively carefree outlook on life. He had finished college with a business degree a few years ago and was managing his inheritance; a Torrance apartment complex and a Chatsworth condo community were the largest parts of his asset portfolio. That job didn't seem to stress him too much, and left him a lot of time for his primary interest; his fiancée, Lisa. She was a stunningly beautiful brunette from a middle class family who grasped with pleasure her role in life — to keep Troy happy. She seemed to be doing her part well. They seemed to be totally in love with each other. I learned that Troy and Lisa split their time between his garage apartment here in Beverly Hills, their three-bedroom condo in Chatsworth, and Troy's mother's home in Malibu. Clearly, Troy enjoyed life and, why not? He was a millionaire. He had a gorgeous, caring fiancée. And, he had a mother, stepmother and a half sister who adored having him as the man in their lives.}

^{Nothing was as I expected it. Troy liked Bambi and loved Tawny and enjoyed hanging out with them. There were no negative vibes in the House of Gabriel; not yet.}

^{Later, after my welcoming dinner, I was seated in the mansion's living room with Bambi.}

^{I said, “I think about Sid's death a lot. I don't think I've gotten over it yet.”}

^{Bambi said, “I do too. I miss Sid every day.”}

^{I said, “You were very kind to me when it all happened. Thank you.”}

^{“You're welcome.”}

^{“But, umm…”}

^{“What's up Stevie? Tell me.”}

^{“Well, I've decided to write a book about the whole investigation. I think it might help me, to get over it, to move on, but, also to understand why it happened.”}

^{Bambi said, “I think that's a good idea. Do you need my help?”}

^{“Yes, I was going to ask you, but you beat me to it.”}

^{“What help were you thinking of?”}

^{“I just wanted to talk, to review everything, your life with Sid. I don't want to be too personal, if that's OK?”}

^{“Sure, maybe I could write too. I've been thinking of doing that for Tawny. She has so few memories of her father.”}

^{“Yes, that's a good idea. Why don't we talk over the next couple of days and I'll take notes? I've also brought a small audio recorder, if that's OK?”}

^{“Stevie, don't worry. I trust you. And, I think it's more than OK. I love the idea. Some of the memories are a little racy, especially of my R-rated movies and exotic dancing days, so I'll have to edit as I go for you and for Tawny.”}

^{Then, Bambi laughed.}

^{As things turned out, I wished I had more time to talk to Bambi.}

^{I spent two fun days with the Gabriels before I visited Edie in Tucson. We went to the beach, saw the sights and shopped, rode on their horses that they boarded at a stable north of Burbank, dined at a modern restaurant high in the hills above the L.A. basin, and talked about life for hours.}

^{The weather was perfect, the surf warm and inviting, and Bambi and Tawny were wonderful companions. Life was good in L.A.}

^{Our conversations covered all kinds of topics about people and places. Bambi told me how she met Sid Gabriel. She spoke about their movies and times together before their affair started. Then, one night, Sid and Edie met Bambi at Modern Girls. During a lap dance with Sid, he invited Bambi back to his estate. She surprised herself by saying yes.}

^{She confirmed that she got pregnant the first weekend that they slept together. It happened the first morning. Sid's son, Troy, was at his mother's, Edie was somewhere, maybe back in her pool house, and she and Sid were alone in his big bed. They woke together and made love.}

^{“It wasn't just sex, Stevie. We all know what that's like. No, Sid really took his time. He confessed his love for me. ‘I can't help it, Bambi; I've felt like this ever since we met years ago. I hope you understand. The timing was never right. Maybe it still isn't, I don't know. But, this is right now, very right.'}

^{“I was so shocked. Sid didn't use protection and I wasn't on the pill. Still, I couldn't believe I conceived. The amazing thing was that Sid and I were thrilled when we learned I was pregnant. I couldn't believe I was having a baby. After all these years; I was almost 40. And, Sid was in his late 40's. Yet, it was magical. We were so happy. He helped me so much! He wanted to get married, immediately. I said no because I didn't know him that well and, well, I knew he had other women. I give him credit. He was persistent. He didn't want Tawny to be a bastard. Right after Tawny was born, while I was in bed in the hospital, he proposed again and I said yes.}

^{“Sid showered me with gifts. He gave me the three bedroom condo in Chatsworth. He paid for my mother to relocate from South Carolina to be with Tawny when I worked.”}

^{I said, “You went back to dancing at Modern Girls.”}

^{“Yes, Sid didn't want me to. I knew he hadn't told anybody about me and Tawny. I told him we were his big secret. He was committed to us, but he was still seeing other women. I wouldn't wear my engagement ring on my finger.}

^{“Stevie, I know it's weird, but I was in love. Sid treated me nicely. He also paid for big things, like my body work – but he was the one that wanted me to do it. I got nicer-looking breast implants. He begged me to get a tattoo on my lower back and I did. He wanted me to stay a blonde. He wanted me to look as hot as I could be. I did, but I told him I couldn't dress that way all the time. I mean, I was now a mother and living with my mother. It was hard enough for her to accept my exotic dancing job and the fact that Sid and I had this weird relationship. I just couldn't wear four inch heels and go braless and squeeze into tight clothes all the time. I said I'd dress like that when he was around, but he'd have to tell me when he was coming by the condo. He did that, and was very happy with me. He knew he was demanding, but we had this thing, this connection, where I understood his needs. We also knew he was changing, getting ready for his new life with just me. He just had a lot of bad habits to break and I was patient because I could see his progress.”}

^{Bambi finished her confession. “I was faithful to him and he knew it. I made him see a doctor regularly and get tested and show me the results. I made him wear a condom. He didn't like that at first, as he wanted us to have another child, but he knew why I made him do it; so we all stayed healthy. I wasn't so sure about having a second baby as I was forty-one. But, I told him I'd do it if he made the total commitment and told everyone. We would need to get married and we needed to live in his mansion. He had to stop the playing around. I would stop working at Modern Girls. I wanted to be a stay-home mother and wife. And, my mother would be moving in with us.}

^{“He agreed with everything I wanted. He told me he was going to announce our engagement and plans just a few weeks after Troy's high school graduation. I found out later he was being truthful.”}

^{I asked, “How?”}

^{Bambi answered, “He changed his will.”}

^{“That's right.”}