Milner walked out. Noonan: “Good morning, Mr. Klein.”
Jack Kennedy hair–reeking of hairspray. “I said, ‘Good morning.'”
JOHNNY BEGGING.
“Klein, are you listening to me?”
“I heard you.”
“Good. I had a few questions before we release you.”
“Ask them.”
“I will. And I look forward to sparring with you. I remember that precedent you upbraided Special Agent Milner with, so I think we’d be evenly matched.”
“How do you get your hair to do that?”
“I’m not here to share my hairdressing secrets with you. Now, I’m going–”
“Cocksucker, you spit in my face.”
“Yes. And you were at the very least criminally negligent in the matter of Sanderline Johnson’s death. So far, these are-”
“Ten minutes or I call Jerry Geisler for habeas.”
“He’ll never find a judge.”
“Ten minutes or I engage Kanarek, Brown and Mattingly to file nuisance claims that entail immediate court appearances.”
“Mr. Klein, did you–”
“Call me ‘Lieutenant.'”
“Lieutenant, how well do you know the history of the Los Angeles Police Department?”
“Get to it, don’t lead me.”
“Very well. Who initiated what I’ll euphemistically describe as the
‘arrangement’ between the LAPD and Mr. J.C. Kafesjian?”
“What ‘arrangement’?”
“Come, _Lieutenant_. You know you despise them as much as we do.”
Lead him, cut him slack. “I think it was Chief Davis, the chief before Horrall.
Why?”
“And this was circa 1936, ’37?”
“Around then, I think. I joined the Department in ’38.”
“Yes, and I hope that the fact that your pension is secure hasn’t given you a false sense of invulnerability. Ueutenant, Captain Daniel Wilhite is the liaison between the Kafesjian family and Narcotics Division, is he not?”
Side 149
Ellroy – White Jazz
“Refuse to answer.”
“I understand, brother-officer loyalty. Has Wilhite operated the Kafesjians since the beginning of your arrangement?”
“The way I understand it, Chief Davis brought the Kafesjians in and operated them until Horrall took over as chief late in ’39. Dan Wilhite didn’t join the Department until mid-’39, so he couldn’t have been their original operator, if he has fucking indeed ever been their operator.”
Fey aristocrat: “Oh, come, Lieutenant. You know Wilhite and the Kafesjians are near-ancient allies.”
“Refuse to comment. But keep asking me about the Kafesjians.”
“Yes, we’ve heard they’ve piqued your interest.”
JOHNNY BEGGING.
Shipstad: “You’re looking queasy. Do you want a drink of–”
Noonan: “Did you tell Mickey Cohen to remove his slot and vending machines? He was lax, you know. We’ve got pictures of his men servicing them.”
“Refuse to answer.”
“We’ve recently turned a major witness, you know.”
Don’t bite.
“A _major_ witness.”
“Your clock’s ticking.”
“Yes, it is. Will, do you think Mr. Klein torched Bido Lito’s?”
“No, sir, I don’t.”
“He can’t or won’t account for his whereabouts.”
“Sir, I’m not so sure he knows himself.”
I stood up–my legs almost went. “I’ll take a cab back to my car.”
“Nonsense, Special Agent Shipstad will drive you. Will, I’m curious as to where the lieutenant has spent the past day or so.”
“Sir, my guess is either a hell of a woman or a run-in with a grizzly bear.”
“Aptly put, and the blood on his shirt suggests the latter. Do you know how I suggest we find out?”
“No, sir.”
“We monitor Southside homicide calls and see which ones Edmund Exley tries to obfuscate.”
“I like it, sir.”
“I thought you would. It’s empirically valid, since we both know that Dave here murdered Sanderline Johnson. I think it’s a family enterprise. Dave does the scut work, sister Meg invests the money. How’s this for an adage? ‘The family that slays together stays–‘”
I jumped him–my legs caved–Shipstad pried me off. Thumbs on my carotid, hauled across the hallway blacking out–
Side 150
Ellroy – White Jazz
Locked in, snapping back fast–wide awake quick. A four-by-six space–quilt walls–no chairs, no table. A wall speaker outlet and mirrored spyhole–adjoining-room access.
A padded cell/watching post–scope it out:
Scarred glass–some distortion. Audio squelch–I slapped the speaker–better.
Check the mirror: Milner and Abe Voldrich next door.
Milner: “… what I’m saying is that either J.C. and Tommy will be indicted, or the publicity they get when we make the grand jury minutes available to the press will ruin them. Narco is going to be cut off at the knees, and I think Ed Exley knows it himself, because he has taken no measures to protect them or to sequester evidence. Abe, without Narco the Kafesjians are just a bunch of stupes running a marginally profitable dry-cleaning business.”