The bell rang. Eight minutes early. Richard, overeager?
I picked up the phone, punched the intercom button for the side door.
“It’s me,” said Richard. “Sorry for interrupting, but we’ve got a bit of a problem out here.”
Eric and I hurried over. Richard stood on the porch along with Stacy. Two tall men behind them.
Detectives Korn and Demetri.
Richard said, “These gentlemen want me to accompany them to the police station.”
Korn said, “Hey, Doc. Nice place.”
Richard said, “You know them?”
“What’s going on?” I said.
Korn said, “Like Mr. Doss said, his presence is requested at the station.”
“For what?”
“Questioning.”
“In regard to?”
Demetri stepped forward. “That’s not your business, Doctor. We allowed Mr. Doss to call you because his children are present and one of them’s a minor. The boy’s twenty, right? So he can drive both of them home in Mr. Doss’s car.”
He and Korn moved closer to Richard. Richard looked scared.
Stacy said, “Daddy?” Her eyes were wide with terror.
Richard didn’t answer her. Nor did he ask what it was all about. Not wanting his children to hear the answer?
“You ride with us, sir,” said Demetri.
“First I’m calling my lawyer.”
“You’re not being arrested, sir,” said Korn. “You can call from the station.”
“I’m going to call my lawyer.” Richard brandished the silver phone.
Korn and Demetri looked at each other. Korn said, “Fine. Tell him to meet you at the West L.A. station, but you’re coming with us.”
“What the fuck,” said Eric, moving toward the detectives.
Demetri said, “Stand back, son.”
“I’m not your fucking son. If I was, my knuckles would be scraping the ground.”
Demetri reached inside his jacket and touched his gun. Stacy gasped and Eric’s eyes got wide.
I placed my hand on his shoulder, bore down. He was trembling.
Richard stabbed the keypad of the silver phone. Eric got next to Stacy, put his arm around her. She threw her arm across his chest. Her lips quivered. Eric’s were still but the neck vein was racing. Both of them watched their father as he held the phone to his ear.
Richard’s foot tapped impatiently. No more fear in his eyes. Calm under fire, or not totally surprised?
“Saundra? Richard Doss. Please get Max on the phone. . . . What’s that? When? . . . Okay, listen, it’s really important that I talk to him . . . I’m in a bit of a jam … no, something different, I can’t get into it right now. Just reach him in Aspen. ASAP. I’ll be at the West LA. police station—with some detectives. . . . What’re your names?”
“Korn.”
“Demetri.”
Richard repeated that. “Reach him, Saundra. If he can’t jet back, at the very least I need the name of someone who can help me. I’m on cellular. I’m counting on you. Bye.” He clicked off the phone.
“On our way,” said Demetri.
Richard said, “Demetri. Greek?”
“American,” said Demetri, too quickly. Then: “Lithuanian. A long time ago. Let’s get going, sir.”
No one can make “sir” sound like an insult the way a cop can.
Stacy started to cry. Eric held her tight.
Richard said, “I’ll be okay, kids, you just hold on—I’ll see you for dinner. Promise.”
“Daddy,” said Stacy.
“It’ll be fine.”
“Sir,” said Korn, taking hold of Richard’s arm.
“Hold on,” I said. “I’m going to call Milo.”
Both detectives grinned, as if on cue. I was the perfect shill.
Demetri moved behind Richard as Korn kept his grip. The two of them shadowing the much smaller man.
“Milo,” Demetri said, “knows.”
CHAPTER 21
THE BIG, PALE palm of a hand hung inches from my face, a fleshy cloud.
“Don’t,” said Milo, barely audible. “Don’t say a thing.”
It was 5:23. I was in the front reception area of the West L.A. station and he’d just come down the stairs.
I wanted to knock his hand away, waited as it lowered. His jacket was off but his tie was tight—too tight, reddening his neck and face. What did he have to be angry about?
I’d been waiting in the lobby for over an hour, most of it alone with the civilian clerk behind the desk, a pasty, overly enunciative man named Dwight Moore. I knew some of the clerks. Not Moore. The first time I’d approached, he’d looked wary, as if I had something to sell. When I asked him to reach Milo upstairs, he took a long time to put the call through.