“And Inez was there.”
“Yes, she heard it all. She blames you, sweetie. Pandora’s box and all that.”
She knew, his father probably knew. Full disclosure as good as public. “So Patchett supplied the dope that’s kept Mertens docile all these years.”
“Yes, he’s quite physiologically ill. He gets brain inflammations periodically, and that’s when he’s most dangerous.”
“And Dieterling got him the job with _Badge of Honor_ so Billy could look after him.”
“Yes. After the Hudgens killing Raymond read about the mutilations and thought they sounded like the ones from the old child murders. He contacted Patchett, who he knew was friendly with Hudgens. Raymond revealed David’s identity to Pierce, and Pierce became terrified. Raymond was afraid to take David away from Jerry, and he’s been paying Jerry extraordinary money to keep David drugged up.”
Key question two. “You’ve been waiting for this one, Timmy. Why has Ray Dieterling gone to all this trouble for David?”
Timmy turned a picture around–Billy, a lump-faced man. “David is Raymond’s illegitimate son. He’s Billy’s half brother, and look at him. Terry Lux has cut him so often that he’s so ugly next to my sweet Billy that you almost can’t look.”
Moving on grief–Ed cut in before he snapped. “What happened tonight?”
“Tonight Raymond filled Billy in on everything going back to Sid Hudgens–he didn’t know any of it. Billy made me stay with Inez at Laguna. He told me he was going to snatch David from Jerry’s house and wean him off the drugs. He must have tried it, and Marsalas must have retaliated. I saw those pills on the floor . . . and oh God David must have just gone insane. He couldn’t understand who was good and who was bad and just…”
Three. “At the hotel you reacted to Johnny Stompanato. Why?”
“Stompanato’s been blackmailing Pierce’s customers for years. He caught me with another man and got part of the Mertens story out of me. Not much, just that Raymond paid for David’s upkeep. It . . . it was before I knew very much. Stompanato’s been preparing a dossier to bleed Raymond dry. He’s been threatening Billy with notes, but I don’t think he knows who David is. Billy was trying to convince his father to have him killed.”
Sun broke through a window–it caught Timmy when his tears broke through. He held Billy’s picture, a hand over David’s face.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
An I.A. goon relieved him at 7:00–pissed that he was sleeping, slumped in the doorway with his gun out. The house stayed virgin–no blood-crazed David Mertens showed up. The l.A. guy said Mertens was still at large; Captain Exley’s orders: meet him and Bud White at Mickey Cohen’s place at 9:00. Jack rolled to a pay phone, played a hunch. A call to the Bureau–Dudley Smith on “emergency family leave.” Breuning and Carlisle working “out of state”–the squad lieutenant at 77th the temporary Nite Owl boss. A buzz to the Main Woman’s Jail: Deputy Dot Rothstein on “emergency family leave.” The hunch: they had nothing but theories, Dudley’s loose ends were getting snipped.
Jack drove home, shaking off a dream: Davey Goldman’s wet-brain ramblings. Make the “Dutchman” Dean Van Gelder, the “Irish Cheshire” Dudley. “Franchise boys got theirs three triggers blip blip blip”–call that the shooters–Stompanato, Vachss, Teitlebaum–taking out hoods. “Bump bump bump bump bump bump bump cute train”–??????? Crazy–maybe Patchett’s dope was still working some voodoo.
Karen’s car was gone. Jack walked in, saw a layout on the coffee table: airplane tickets, a note.
J.–
Hawaii, and note the date. May 15, the day you become an official pensioner. Ten days and nights to get reacquainted. Dinner tonight. I made reservations at Perino’s, and if you’re still working call me so I can cancel.
xxxxx K.
P.S. I know you’re wondering, so I’ll tell you. When you were at the hospital you talked in your sleep. Jack, I know the worst I can possibly know and I don’t care. We never have to discuss it. Capt. Exley heard you and I don’t think he cares either. (He’s not as bad as you said he was.)
Many X’s
K.
Jack tried to cry–no go. He shaved, showered, put on slacks and his best sports jacket–over a Hawaiian shirt. He drove to Brentwood thinking everything around him looked new.