Sweaty hands–I dropped the phone.
Say it:
Ed Exley vs. Dudley Smith.
CHAPTER FORTY
EMERGENCY COMMAND #’s–my desk card. Chief of Detectives (Home)–dial it.
Exley, 1:00 A.M. alert: “Yes? Who is this?”
“It’s Klein. I just figured out you’re working Dudley Smith.”
“Come over now. My address is 432 South McCadden.”
* * *
A trellised Tudor–lights on, the door ajar. I walked in uninvited.
A showroom living room, catalog perfect. Exley in a suit and knotted tie–2:00
fucking A.M.
“How did you find out?”
“I beat you to a bank writ and hit Junior Stemmons’ vault boxes. He had notes on you operating Duhamel, and Reuben Ruiz filled in some blank spots on the fur heist. I found out that Dudley and Phillip Herrick went in on some property together back in ’37. Herrick and J.C. Kafesjian came to L.A. a few years before, and I’m betting Dudley was the one who set J.C. up with the LAPD.”
Standing there, arms crossed. “Continue.”
“It fits. My Kafesjian and Herrick files were stolen, and Richie’s prison records are missing. Dudley could have snatched them both easily. He loves developing protÈgÈs, so you shoved Johnny Duhamel in his face.”
“Continue.”
Shock him: “I killed Johnny. Dudley doped me up, provoked me and filmed it. A fucking _movie_ exists. I think he’s waiting to use me for something.”
Exley “shock”–one neck vein pulsing. “When you said Duhamel was dead, I knew it had to be Dudley, but this film business surprises me.”
“Surprise _me_. Give me your end of it.”
He pulled chairs up. “Give me your take on Dudley Smith.”
“He’s brilliant and obsessed with order. He’s cruel. It’s occurred to me a few times that he’s capable of anything.”
“Beyond your wildest imaginings.”
Scalp prickles. “And?”
“And he’s been trying to set himself up to control the L.A. rackets for years.”
“_And?_”
Side 198
Ellroy – White Jazz
“And, in 1950 he acquired some heroin stolen from a Mickey Cohen– Jack Dragna truce meeting. He enlisted a chemist, who spent years developing compounds with it, in order to produce the drug more cheaply. His design was to accrue profit through selling it, to utilize it to keep Negro criminal elements sedated and then branch out into other rackets. His ultimate goal was something along the lines of ‘contained’ organized crime. He wanted to perpetuate illegal enterprises within specific vice zones, most notably South Los Angeles.”
“Get to specifics.”
Slow–tantalizing me: “In ’53 Dudley became involved in an attempt to take over a pornography racket. A meet was set up at the Nite Owl Coffee Shop. Dudley sent three men in with shotguns. A robbery was faked, and six people were killed.
Dudley was instrumental in attempting to frame three Negro thugs for the murders. They escaped from jail and hid out, and as you know, I shot and killed them, along with the man who was hiding them.”
The room swirled–
“The case was assumed closed. As you also know, a man came forth later and gave the men I killed a valid Nite Owl alibi, which prompted a reopening. I know you know most of the story, but let two facts suffice: the actual gunmen were killed during the reopened investigation, and they left not one shred of evidence pointing to Dudley Liam Smith.”
Swirling–grab for threads:
Dudley–smut fiend?–MOVIE TIME. Sid Frizell shooting stag films in that courtyard–no connection to Smith.
“Dud’s got new takeover plans going–strictly Niggertown.”
“Bravo, Lieutenant.”
“He’s running Mickey Cohen?”
“Continue.”
“Mickey’s been scuffling since he got out of prison. Four of his men disappeared earlier this year–Dudley killed them. All Mickey’s got going is that stupid horror movie he’s bankrolling, which I don’t think ties to any of this.”
“Continue.”
“Mickey’s been acting strange since the Fed business started. He won’t dump his Southside coin machines, and I warned him half a dozen times. He’s got some out-of-town guys servicing slots in plain sight, with the Feds right there taking pictures. I mentioned it to Chick Vecchio, who handed me a line of shit about Mickey paying off a syndicate loan with his coin percentages. Chick’s in with Dudley. Dudley clipped those four Mickey guys and approached Chick. Chick’s the liaison between Dud and Mickey. That slot work with the Feds watching is some kind of setup.”