and left early in the morning because he got there
by ten and had some kind of altercation with someone.
I’m not sure who, they wouldn’t let us talk
long and he was so agitated he wasn’t making much
sense. I called back and talked to the sheriff but he
said they were holding Raoul for the Los Angeles
police to question. He wouldn’t tell me more, said I
was free to get a lawyer, and hung up. He was rude
and insensitive, talking about Raoul as ff he were a
criminal and my knowing him made me a criminal,
tOO.”
She sniffled, remembering the indignity.
“It’s all
know how to help him I thought of
Raoul said you had connections
Please tell me, what should I do?”
“Nothing for the time being. Let me make a few
calls and’ get back to you. Where are you calling
from?”
“The lab.”
“Don’t go anywhere.”
“I rarely do.”
Milo wasn’t available and the desk man at the
station wouldn’t tell me where he was so I asked
for Delano Hardy, .my friend’s occasional partner,
and. was connected to him after being put on hold
for ten minutes. Hardy is a dapper, balding black
man with an easy wit and a ready smile. His skill
with a rifle had once saved my life:
“Hey, Doc.”
“Hi, Del. I need to talk to Milo. The guy at the
desk was all hush-hush. Isn’t he back from La-Vista?”
“He’s not back because he never went. Change of
plans. We’ve been working on a very hot case and a
big break came through yesterday.”
“The stomach-shitter?”
“Yeah. We’ve got him cold and Milo and another
guy have been locked up with the prick all morning
playing good-cop, bad-cop.”
“Congratulations on the bust. Could you give him-
a message to call me when he’s free?”
“What’s the trouble?”
I told him.
“Hold on. Lemme see if he’s gonna break soon.”
He returned to the phone moments later.
182 J’ ‘oUmn Kel/ers
“He said gige him another half hour: He’ll call
yOU.”
“Thanks a lot, Del.”
“No sweat. By the way, I’m still diggin that
Strat.”
Hardy was a fellow guitarist, a first-rate musi-
cian who gigged with an R & B group after hours.
I’d bought him a vintage Fender Stratocaster in
gratitude-for his marksmanship.
“Glad you’re enjoying it; Let’s jam again.”
“Absolutely. Come by the club and bring your
axe. Gotta go now.”
I called Helen and told her it would take time.
She sounded shaky so I talked her through it by
getting her to tell me about her work. When the
chill came back into her voice I knew she’d be okay.
At least for a while.
Milo called an hour later.
“Gan’t talk long, Alex. We’ve got the asshole.
nailed. A Saudi Arabian student, related to the
royal family. It’s gonna get hairy but I’ll be danmed
if this one is gorma slither away on diplomatic
immunity.”
“How’d you get him?”
“I wish I could say it was brilliant police work.
He attacked another woman and. she had mace in
her purse. Sprayed the fucker until he shrieked,
knee-dropped him, and called us. Little wisp of a
thing, too,” he added, with admiration. “We found
articles belonging to the other victims in his apartment.
The guy s.hits his pants when he gets excited.
It’s been a giggle interrogating him. Only
cheerful note is that his asshole lawyer has to Sit
there and smell it, too.”
“Sounds like fun. Listen, ff you can’t talk now–”
‘It’s’okay. I took a break. Gotta come up for air.
Del told me about the Cuban. I called Houten and
he told me what happened. Seems your friend is a
hothead. Drove into town this morning like Gary
Cooper before the big showdown. Barged in on-Houten,
demanded he arrest the Touch people for
the murder of the Swopes, and claimed the boy and
Nona were being held captive at their place. Houten
told him they’d already been questioned by him,
that I was planning to come down and do it again,
and that the premises had been thoroughly searched.
Melendez-Lynch wouldn’t listen, got really abusive
and eventually Houten had to basically kick him