Hollywood Lust (4 page)

I nodded. “We’ll also need the contact information on the witness who saw our suspect leaving the park.”

I got a stack of paperwork with copies of all the reports from both her and Molly as Oz told us how the investigation would proceed. “Both cases are now assigned to Section One, with the big question being how did a murder weapon get out of our evidence room and end up in the homicide of two separate victims a decade apart.”

“There must be some big eyes on this one,” Alex said. “I’m assuming the information about the knife is being withheld from the press.”

Oz nodded. “For now. It’s not the kind of thing the department wants to publicize.”

“Luckily, the girl’s a nobody. There won’t be much coverage.”

Alex had just hit a nerve with me. “You’re wrong. Carla Hodge was a somebody, especially to her mother. You need to keep that in mind.”

“Excuse me. I forgot you were the Section One social worker.”

“And I forgot you were a know-it-all who jumps to conclusions without evidence.”

“You’re full of…”

“Enough.” Oz said. “You two need to find a way to bury your differences and work these cases.” He fixed his gaze on us as he went on, “Since the Reeder case was technically assigned to the Cold Case Unit, you’re both going to be working with one of their own on this. Leo Kingsley is being temporarily assigned to Section One.”

I noticed that Alex’s face was red as he turned away from me and said, “I hear the beast is a hothead.”

“You two should become best buds then,” I said. I turned to Oz before Lardy, I mean Hardy, could respond. “Why do they call him the beast?”

“It’s a play on his name—Leo. While the lion is considered the king of beasts, in some divisions Leo’s known as the king of all detectives. He’s got a pretty impressive track record to back it up.” The lieutenant looked at Alex. “And I would suggest you keep the nicknames to yourself. Leo and I go way back, used to work patrol together when the dinosaurs roamed Hollywood. I know he’s not fond of the moniker.”

“What can you tell us about him?” I asked.

“Leo’s a legend, assigned to cold cases because he’s closing in on retirement. The guy’s got an amazing memory for details and is probably the most determined cop I ever met.” Oz checked his watch. “You might want to head out in a few. You’re supposed to meet with him downtown within the hour.”

As the others wandered off, Oz asked me to stay for a moment. He took a couple of minutes, telling me he was happy I was back at work. He then said something that made me wish I hadn’t come back.

“The brass is considering allowing one of the studios in on our cases. I’ve made it clear that I don’t want any part of it, but the decision is coming from the top.

“
Hollywood Detective
. My friends work for the studio and I heard something about it last night. I don’t want any part of it either.”

“Understood.” He took a moment, brushing a hand through his white hair and gathering his thoughts. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and, if they do agree to do the show, one of the other units will be chosen.”

I exhaled. “I’m not feeling very lucky these days.”

“How was the time off?”

Oz was like a father to me and I knew he was genuinely concerned. “Actually, it was good. It gave me some time to decompress. I also talked to the man I thought might be my father.” Oz knew all about my family history and I’d previously told him about Collin Russell.

“How did it go?”

“He wasn’t my dad, just a good friend of my bio-mom when she was alive. He gave me a letter she’d written to me. I haven’t read it yet.” I smiled, trying to make light of the subject. “I’m not sure I’m ready to hear my mother speaking to me from the grave.”

Oz smiled. “When the time’s right, you’ll know it.” His phone was ringing as he added, “Just remember, if you ever need to talk, I’m always here for you.”

I was grateful and told him I’d see him later. Bernie and I then left his office. I took a breath, mentally preparing myself to do battle with a bastard and a beast.

As it turned out, the bastard wasted no time attacking me.

“Let’s get some ground rules straight,” Alex said as he drove Bernie and me to the Police Administration Building, or PAB, in downtown Los Angeles where the cold case unit worked. “You stay out of my way, out of my face, and follow orders. Any deviation and I report it up the chain.”

I glanced at him, thinking that his mushy profile looked a little like the famous movie director, Alfred Hitchcock. “The last time I checked, we were the same rank and pay grade.”

“I was working the streets when you were still in high school.”

“So what.”

“So, I’m the lead. You’re just along for the ride.” His dark eyes found me. “Besides, everyone knows you’re a jinx.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about cases that go sideways and about your crazy family.”

I was never big on impulse control and what he’d said popped my cork. “My cases that went sideways, as you call it, did so because of the suspects’ actions. It had nothing to do with my work. As for my family…” I took a breath, searching for something positive to say. I finally gave up and just said, “Just shut the fuck up and leave my personal life out of things.”

He laughed. “Are we a little sensitive? First your old man, who wasn’t your old man from what I heard, gets wasted. Then your mother also gets whacked.” He finger-combed his mustache and glanced at me. “And then there’s your adoptive mother. I hear she’s also a nut job. I could go on and on about your friends and….”

“And I could talk about your mother, tell you how she gave birth to a human asshole that behind his back everyone calls the Pillsbury Doughboy with a mustache.”

“You just…”

I was on a roll. “And then there’s your father. I heard the big ball of lard did some hard time for assault. He probably bashed baby boy in his big stupid head, taught him everything he knew.”

His voice pitched higher, telling me that I’d hit a nerve. “My family’s none of your business.”

I felt my cheeks flush. “And mine is none of yours.” I took several even breaths, brushed my sweaty palms on my pants. “Tell you what, let’s just agree to put our personal feelings aside while we’re at work. Once we’re no longer partners, we can go back to mutual hatred.”

A couple of breaths rattled in his throat. “Whatever.”

We rode the rest of the way in silence. I wasn’t sure if it was what he’d said about my family or me being a jinx that irritated me the most. I couldn’t change my family, but if there was a perception out there that I might be a problem for other cops, I needed to deal with that before it got worse. A lot of cops are superstitious and easily mistake innuendo and rumor for the truth. I was determined not to let that happen.

The cold case unit, officially known as Cold Case Homicide Special Section, handled homicide cases that were committed more than five years ago with no significant leads. The unit mainly worked cases where there was the potential for a DNA match to the evidence, or SID came up with something that potentially increased what were called solvability factors. A lot of the work involved pushing paperwork. Some of the detectives even spent their time applying for federal grants for funding to work the cases.

There was nothing about the job that seemed interesting to me and I wondered why Leo Kingsley had taken the assignment. After we met our new partner in his office I was even more curious. Kingsley was African-American and looked to be in his mid-fifties. He was big and muscular, with a shaved head that gave him an intimidating look. His voice was deep, but there was an easy way about him that I immediately liked. If he was a hothead, as my new partner had said, it was lost on me. Of course, Alex Hardy probably wrote the book on the subject.

“The Reeder case has been assigned to me for the past couple of years,” Leo told us after he spent some time with Bernie, nuzzling him. “I developed a few leads, but nothing significant enough to break anything loose.”

“Let’s hear it,” Alex said. My partner was in his take charge mode and had a notepad out.

Leo studied him, his eyes shifting in my direction for a moment. He looked back at Alex and smiled. “Bruce Reeder was secretly gay, he was broke, and his ex-wife hated his guts.”

“Did you take a good look at his ex?”

“Of course. She had an alibi and I don’t think…

“What’s her address?”

Leo’s smile grew wider. He reached behind him and pulled a file off the counter. He tossed it on his desk in front of Alex. “It’s all in there.”

Alex stared at him. “Just give me what I need. I don’t have time to dig through a mound of paperwork.”

The smile was gone now. Leo looked at my partner, not blinking. “I’m not your secretary. The notes are in the case summary, first couple of pages.”

After holding on Leo’s eyes, Alex finally turned his attention to the file. He opened it and scribbled a couple of notes on his pad while Leo and I made eye contact. His smile had returned.

“Any thoughts about the knife?” I asked him. “How it might have gotten out of the evidence locker?”

Leo nodded. “There’s a couple of possibilities. An employee might have taken it on impulse, intrigued by its unique design, or…”

“I’ve got the address,” Alex said. “Let’s go talk to the ex.” He stood up.

Leo didn’t acknowledge him or respond, finishing his thought. “…or whoever killed Bruce Reeder had an attachment to that knife. He wanted it back, found a way to get it, and used it on Carla Hodge.”

“That’s nonsense,” Alex said. “Let’s stop spinning useless scenarios and work the case.”

Leo remained seated. He cleared his throat and kept his deep voice low. “A couple of things, first.”

Alex’s breath came out as a groan. He was still standing, but otherwise didn’t respond.

Leo went on. “Reeder’s my case. I’ve worked it for years, so we work his case like any cold case where there’s a new lead. We go back over the evidence, the crime scene, and then follow up with interviews, as necessary.”

Alex’s groan now formed words. “Maybe you haven’t heard, partner. Both Reeder and Hodge are now Section One cases. They’re ours. You’re Section One now, but just along for the ride.”

Leo leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “Sorry,
partner
. As long as I’m drawing air and a pay check, that’s not the way things will go.” He looked at me.

I turned to Alex. “Leo’s got the background on the case, let’s do as he suggests and take things from there.”

Alex glared at me. “It’s not your decision.”

I raised my voice. “It’s not yours, either.”

We locked eyes. Alex turned red. A vein pulsed in his temple below his receding hairline. If we got lucky, he’d suffer a stroke and drop dead.

We didn’t get lucky. Alex finally looked back to Leo. “Let’s go, then. But, for the record, Hodge is ours and we actively work it, just like any other homicide. We don’t sit around pushing paper.”

Leo just grinned and waited until Alex broke eye contact with him.

When we got to the parking lot, I suggested that Selfie meet us at the original Reeder crime scene to go over the evidence with us. Alex disagreed. After a lengthy discussion, also known as an argument, he finally relented. I told him Bernie and I would ride with Leo, stop by the station and pick up our crime analyst, and then meet him at the crime scene.

As Leo drove us back to Hollywood Station, I apologized for my partner’s behavior. “He lost his former partner in a shooting a few weeks ago. He’s also…” I took a moment, trying to be diplomatic. “…a little intense.”

He glanced at me, smiling. “Not your monkey.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The monkey on your back that you’re carrying around, it’s not yours.” He rubbed a hand over his shaved head. “Guys like Alex are…” He looked at me, his dark eyes twinkling. “Life’s short. Let’s not waste our time talking about him.”

The more I was around Leo Kingsley, the more I liked him. I said, “Lieutenant Oz told us we’d be working with a legend. He said the two of you go way back.”

“Ozzie’s my white brother.” He turned to me, flashing what I decided was an almost ever present smile. “Ask him about Lulu one of these days.”

“Lulu?” He glanced at me again, still smiling, but didn’t respond. I changed the subject. “Oz told me you’re close to retiring.”

“Three to go, give or take. I’ve got a couple of grandkids that want Big Poppy around more often.”

“That’s nice.”

“And you?”

I shrugged. “Bernie and I just take it one day at a time.” My big dog was sniffing the exotic scents of the city through the rear window.

“I’ve heard about a few of your cases. You and Pearl have done some nice work.”

“You know Pearl?”

“’Course.” Another big smile. “Pearl, Oz and me are what you might call the three amigos.” He laughed. “Or maybe with Oz in the middle we’re more like the big Oreo.”

Pearl was also black and the image he’d conjured up made me laugh. “I miss Pearl. He’s one of the best detectives I ever worked with.”

We pulled into the station parking lot and I saw that Selfie was waiting for us.

“Remind me someday to tell you a story or two about Pearl,” Leo said. “Your former partner had another side to him once.”

***

After picking up Selfie, we met Alex at the condo complex in Baldwin Hills where Bruce Reeder had been murdered ten years earlier. We initially only planned to walk around the complex and go over the facts as we knew them until we realized the unit was for rent. After calling a local real estate agent, we were let inside.

The unit was a two bedroom. Based on the original crime scene photographs that Selfie brought with her, it looked like it had been refurbished over the years.

After we familiarized ourselves with the layout, Leo took over. He seemed to have sparked an instant connection with our crime analyst and asked her to go over the facts of the crime, even as Alex huffed and puffed about it all being a big waste of time.

Selfie placed several of the original crime scene photos on the kitchen counter as she told us what she knew. “The victim’s body was found at the foot of his bed in the master bedroom on May 7
th
, 2005. According to the reports, Reeder had missed a couple of days work and a co-worker came here to check on him. His body was found by a woman named Joyce Moss, who called the police. Reeder was wearing his pajamas, and the coroner determined that he’d been dead a little over forty-eight hours. They estimated the TOD as sometime between midnight and six in the morning.”

“How did Moss get in?” Alex asked, apparently now interested in what Selfie had to say.

“She had a key. The reports say she and Reeder were friends.”

“Maybe more than friends.” He looked at Leo. “What makes you think our vic was gay?”

“As part of the routine follow-up, family and friends were interviewed. Reeder was in the closet, but there was no doubt about his sexual orientation. The list of everyone that was interviewed is in the murder book.”

Alex sniffed but didn’t respond.

Selfie continued, “The autopsy showed Reeder suffered a half-dozen stab wounds to the chest, including a couple of fatal blows that pierced his heart. The knife, as you can see from the photographs, was found next to the body. No prints, trace, or other evidence was found.”

I looked at Leo as Bernie settled on the floor next to me. “You said he was having issues with his ex-wife. I’m assuming she was interviewed.”

“Several times.” Leo had removed his coat and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. His arms were muscular but without tattoos. “His ex wasn’t happy with him, I think both because she realized he was gay after five years of marriage and because Reeder spent every cent they made. They filed for bankruptcy at the same time they divorced.”

I looked at Selfie. “Anything else?”

“You already know the details about the knife, but there’s…” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

Leo came over to her. “Tell us what’s on your mind. Everything’s important.”

She drew in a breath and nodded. “I was just thinking this crime…it was personal. Nothing that we know of was taken from the condo during the assault. The victim was wearing his pajamas, the crime occurred in the early morning hours. It could be that Reeder and his killer were lovers or shared some other close connection.” Selfie fingered the piercing above her left eyebrow. “I think there must have been a tipping point…something that we’re missing that caused the killer to act.”

Leo nodded slowly, beaming one of his smiles. “Very good. Your thought about our victim having a close connection to his killer has been on my mind all these years.”

“But there was no DNA or other evidence,” Selfie said. “It could be they’d gone somewhere together, came home, and got into an argument before the murder.”

“What about Reeder’s relationships, boyfriends?” I said to Leo as he mulled over what Selfie had said. “Did anyone look good as a potential suspect?”

He shook his head. “The original investigators looked at everyone who was close to him. No one had a motive.”